At the highest echelon of the military, it’s not enough to build character so people can be their best. Demonstrating skill is important, too. And the same is true in any other walk of life.
Leaders need to build trust or people won’t buy into what they’re saying, says Lt. Gen. (retired) Robert Caslen, former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy and co-author of “The Character Edge.” They do that by operating with integrity and by being good at what they do.
“If you’re incompetent or don’t have strong character, how can I trust you as a leader?” Caslen said.
Caslen saw firsthand how a loss of trust can do damage. He was in Iraq and had a highly respected commander. But the commander was killed in an attack. Caslen brought in another commander. But a few weeks later, top officials learned the new leader participated in an inappropriate relationship. He was let go.
“Because of his inefficiency in character he was no longer effective in leadership,” Caslen said. “He lost the trust and confidence of his command.”
Build Character To Win Trust
Trust isn’t just important in war. It’s vital in healthy marriages, business partnerships or corporate dealings with customers and suppliers, says Tim Irwin, an Atlanta-based speaker and industrial psychologist who works with businesses and leaders.
“Trust is foundational to any successful relationship,” Irwin said.
That trust comes from integrity. What’s integrity? It’s your ability to keep your word and do what you say you will. It also comes from competence.
Stress Isn’t An Excuse
Stress can throw those traits into question. Take integrity. People who almost always do the right thing might lie if they’re cornered.
“A lot of times you can’t really tell if a person has integrity until they’re under stress,” Irwin said. “Anybody can look good in an interview.”
When people on your team lack integrity, correct the problem immediately.
“As a leader you’re responsible for maintaining a standard,” Caslen said. “If you look the other way when someone does not meet your standard and you don’t make the correction, then you have automatically set a lower standard.”
Caslen used to write one to two letters of reprimand a week. Those letters could be career-ending for the people getting them, but necessary.
“When you have a set of values and fail to hold people accountable, it degrades the entire organization,” he said.
Set Clear Standards To Build Character
Make character and integrity part of your team by articulating the standards to your group. Build an environment in which your people can accomplish those goals.
“That environment is the culture,” Caslen said. “It’s defined by a set of values.”
So build a culture of integrity by bringing in people who have shown a history of acting appropriately.
“The best predictor of what a person will do is what they have done,” Irwin said. “I do a really deep dive in their background and look for those compromises. Even a small compromise today can be a major compromise tomorrow.”
Here’s a tip to find liars. Ask job candidates what their college grade-point average was. It doesn’t matter so much about their grades. But it’s a way to see if they’re honest.
“If they’re going to lie about something like that, that’s a knockout factor,” Irwin said. “If a person will compromise on a small thing, they probably will on a large thing.”
Put Integrity On A Pedestal To Build Character
The leader has to model integrity.
“They tell the truth even when it hurts,” Irwin said. “They’re direct, honest and open. Leaders have to set the standard, have high expectations of others and have consequences.”
Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski once spoke to Caslen and others about picking the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team in 2008. He visited candidates at their homes. He figured the way they treated their family was how they would treat teammates.
“Character was his number one criteria in building the team,” Caslen said.
The U.S. went on to win the gold medal after falling short in the previous Olympics.
