logo

How To Know If You’ve Got Character Problems In Leadership

AdVance Leadership » How To Know If You’ve Got Character Problems In Leadership

Welcome to Friday 411, issue #088. In 4 minutes, with 1 insight and 1 action, you will identify if your team struggles with Character issues.

1 Insight

There are 13 signs of a leader who struggles with Character issues.

Carter was part of an executive team who constantly fought but never resolved their issues. Leaders blamed each other for problems. They attacked each other verbally, shouting names like “idiot.” Even when they weren’t disagreeing outwardly, members would roll their eyes when others spoke.

The behavior of the executive team seeped through to the rest of the company. Employees argued, collaboration broke down. As leaders ignored problems and shifted blame, customers began to feel the effects.

Carter stood out on the executive team. He was incredibly smart. Unfortunately, he knew it. He viewed himself as the smartest in the room and believed his ideas were always the best. While he performed well, he alienated anyone who disagreed with him. His toxic behavior spread throughout his division and silos emerged.

Christy, head of HR, attempted to help. She thought the main issue revolved around communication.

“If we can just learn to communicate better,” Christy said, “I think things will get better.”

While communication is a common diagnosis for organizational problems, it is almost never the root cause of problems. Every problem in a business starts with a leadership problem. There are 7 Leadership Root Causes that create 95% of your company’s problems. (If you’ve been a reader of ours for more than a week, you recognize these 7). The Root Causes are: Character, Competence, Capacity, Clarity, Community, Culture, and Consistency.

Based on the description of this dysfunctional team, we would diagnose a Character problem. There is a distinction between moral character and leadership character.While moral character is about doing what is right, leadership character is about taking responsibility to do what may be difficult. Leadership Character is an often overlooked root cause of leadership challenges.

 

13 Signs You’re Struggling with Character

1. Leaders Make Decisions for Their Own Benefit

Leaders should always prioritize their team, employees, and shareholders. When they base decisions on personal gain, they expose a lack of character.

2. Leaders Don’t Know Their Personal Values

When leaders can’t define their core values, they can justify short-term gains and ignore long-term consequences. (Remember ENRON?) Strong character comes from knowing your values and standing by them, no matter what.

3. Leaders Refuse to Admit Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes. When leaders make them, it ripples throughout the company. Great leaders own their errors and focus on solutions, modeling accountability.

4. Employees Avoid Growth

Growth requires humility. When team members show no interest in improving, it often signals a character issue. Leaders with strong character push their teams to grow because a company can’t grow before its people do.

5. Team Members Disrespect Each Other

Honor, dignity, and respect should be foundational to every organization. When people consistently show disrespect, it indicates leaders tolerate these behaviors. Disrespect breeds a toxic culture and quickly tears down collaboration and trust.

6. Leaders Fail to Thank Their Team

When leaders don’t acknowledge others’ contributions, they reveal a sense of entitlement. Gratitude builds trust and keeps people motivated. Leaders with strong character praise their team, both publicly and privately.

7. People Lack Empathy

Life brings challenges, and employees sometimes bring their personal struggles to work. When leaders and team members fail to show empathy, the workplace becomes cold and disconnected. Teams with strong character balance empathy with accountability—caring about people’s struggles while expecting them to meet their responsibilities.

8. Leaders Focus on Blame Instead of Responsibility

When things go wrong, it’s easy to point fingers. Strong leaders understand that blame wastes time, while responsibility drives solutions. Teams with character work together to fix problems instead of assigning blame.

9. Leaders Take All the Credit

Just as leaders should share responsibility, they should also share success. Leaders with weak character hog the spotlight when things go well. In contrast, great leaders give credit to their team and recognize success as a group effort.

10. Leaders Avoid Difficult Conversations

No one enjoys hard conversations, but they’re essential for growth. When leaders dodge these discussions, they allow problems to grow. Facing tough conversations directly shows both character and courage.

11. Leaders Put Off Tough Decisions

In addition to tough conversations, leaders must make tough choices. When leaders delay important decisions, they often act out of fear or a desire to avoid backlash. Waiting rarely solves the problem— it usually makes things worse.

12. Leaders Shun Mutual Accountability

On teams with strong character, everyone holds each other accountable. If only the top leader enforces accountability, the team will only be as strong as the leader’s ability to referee.

13. Leaders Tolerate Kudzu Team Members

Some team members appear to be healthy, contributing members but, in reality, they undermine the success of the team. We call these people Kudzu team members. In teams with low character, these members are tolerated under the guise that “they get results.”

These 13 signs can help you diagnose whether character issues plague your company. If you recognize any of these 13 signs, click here to set up a free strategy call to discuss solutions.

1 Action

Look at your team. How many of these signs are you struggling with?

Here are a few articles that can help you deal with Character challenges in your company.

 

Skip to content