The Character Challenge

What has society established as the criteria for achievement and excellence in our culture? We have established criteria for beauty and physical appearance but what about leadership and character?

I survey teenagers, and I ask what qualities they look for another person. Character is always high on the list but physical appearance is often higher. Our society tends to value surface appearance over character. There’s no operation to improve character as there is with plastic surgery. Appearance can be changed with plastic surgery to become what you believe society wants you to be.

If our culture has placed a premium on appearance, why haven’t we placed demands on character as well? This is an interesting question and one that is not easily answered. You can have surgery to change your looks, but I don't know of an operation that can change your character.

The final Challenge of leadership demands excellence from you, and being a person of character and honor, requires a daily vigil. You must always be aware of this as you live your life and fulfill your goals. You should always be a person of excellence, maintaining your honor and dignity every day. That's part of being a leader. We’re not looking for perfection; we’re striving for excellence.

Finding the greatness within yourself will lead to a great life. You can provide someone with all the money in the world, but you can't provide them with a record of excellence that only comes with living a life of character and honor.

I hope that's what you strive for. If you kept a record of your day and were to look back on your day and perhaps even reflect back on your life, how proud are you? I'm not asking if your parents are proud of you or if your teachers are proud of you. Are you proud of you? Are you a person of character and moral significance? Character is priceless. Character is also fragile. Your character is who you are. Excellence begins with integrity and words, and it's not about looking good or looking the part, it's about your actions. Others might be drawn to you because of your physical appearance but they will turn away from you if you do not have character. It's a puzzle that you must put together. It's a road map for success. Leadership begins with character and excellence begins with integrity. These are the crucial aspects of leadership.

Character costs you nothing and no matter where you go your character will go with you. It doesn’t matter how you dress. It doesn’t matter how you wear your hair. It doesn’t matter who your friends are. It doesn't matter where you came from; and most importantly, it does not matter what you look like. What really matters is your character.

You can talk about leadership and excellence, but you can’t take the discussion any further until you have a discussion about character. If you are an honest person, you will lead more than you ever realize.

Why not start right now?

Leadership demands that you pursue excellence from you.

This is an interesting question and one that is not easily answered. You can have surgery to change your looks, but I don't know of an operation that can change your character or an operation that can change the type of person that you are. Money can buy you plastic surgery, but character costs nothing and is priceless. Character is also very fragile. Your character is who you are, maybe, it's the only the thing that you can hold onto that is really yours, that no one can take away from you. The connection between character and communication is very simple. People want to believe that when you say something you're going to do something.

The connection between character and communication is very simple. People want to believe that when you say something you're going to do something. I think it's an interesting phenomenon in our society that people are no longer responsible for what they say that are going to do. I have witnessed numerous times, first-hand, the number of people who will plan projects and even start projects and never complete them. Most of the time, they give up, or they lose interest. Any project involving school reform is going to be a difficult undertaking, and anyone who wants to make a difference in their school may be fighting an uphill battle at the outset. All challenges presented before us in life will require overcoming some obstacles. Once you make the decision to become a leader you are going to have to be prepared to sacrifice your time and devote your energy to completing the project.

Leadership is an opportunity, an honor, and a privilege. Leadership is not about power. Leadership is not about being loud. Leadership is not about control. Leadership is about making a difference in the lives of other people and being a person of moral significance, who changes for the better lives of those around him or her. This is what is significant, and what is sustaining.

So what does excellence look like? What does it mean to be an excellent student? What does it mean to be an excellent student leader? When you’re called upon to be a leader among the your peers, what are they looking for in a leader? How can you produce an excellence of effort that others will want to follow? It is not enough to be prepared. It is not enough to have a great attitude. It's not enough merely to have goals because you have to see your project through. You must have to have excellence and character and honor.

What are some of the issues that teens are talking about? What are the issues that teens need to talk about?

Excellence is the final Challenge because none of the other Challenges matter without character and honor. Leadership is a decision and one that is reaffirmed every day. We must give people full effort in order to be great leaders. Leadership is about—I can.

If you want to be a leader but don't want to make the extra effort, you will have a problem, and you're not going to be able lead very well.

How much control do you have over the opportunities presented daily? If you're working at the checkout counter at the grocery store or bagging groceries, do you give your job the excellence of effort? Do you make the customers feel welcome? Do you earn your money?

I've had many students in the past who claimed to have jobs where they do nothing and they were proud of doing nothing. "I make $10 an hour doing nothing," or "I don't do a thing, and I make $10 an hour and all I do is watch T.V. or read a comic at work." That's not leadership. These descriptions don't impress me very much because they show a lack of leadership and a lack of character. Some people don't care. That's how some people operate. They want to get by on the bare minimum. Leadership is about giving the maximum performance and earning your money. If an employer is paying you out of her pocket to work for her, you ought to give them give your best effort.

To have days when you know you are living a life of excellence are what you remember. The small moments of self-discovery are the most memorable. They become larger than the Christmases and birthdays.

I am asked all the time to define leadership. Leadership is about paving the way for others, being prepared, having a positive attitude, and creating a positive attitude in others. It's about having a vision and being able to create a vision for those around you. Leadership is about excellence of effort and striving to be a person of character and honor. Leadership provides the answer to what leadership is.

High school students need to be as prepared as possible for the future. So, as we look to the future and we look for the answers, excellence of effort is what we strive for.

Striving for excellence and being a person of character and honor again is not about being perfect. It is to improve.