Character for Leadership: The Role of Personal Characteristics

Dedication 
I dedicate this work to my family. They are the real test of my leadership 
development capabilities. All other things pale in comparison to my responsibility 
to them and their own development as people, citizens, and Christians. May they 
continue to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, New 
International Version). 

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Character for Leadership 
 
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Acknowledgements 
I want to thank the other members of my doctoral cohort at Regent 
University. Who would have thought that we would have become lifelong friends 
with so many different people from around the globe? I am especially grateful for 
three men—Christian, Bob, and Kelly. We endured significant hardship together 
and learned firsthand what learned resourcefulness and resiliency are all about. I 
want to thank Dr. Paul Carr for his belief in us as we have struggled with the 
process of being emergent doctors. 
I am grateful to Dr. Karin Klenke for the direction that she provided to me 
in the process of selecting this topic. She showed me the way regarding literature 
on character that provided a solid foundation for this study. I am grateful to her for 
her insight and assistance as I refined my ideas. 
I also want to express my sincere appreciation for my dissertation chair, Dr. 
Gail Longbotham. She reinvigorated energy into this project as if it were her own, 
striving to make it a significant and important work. I thank her for her investment 
of time and encouragement. I also want to thank the other members of my 
committee who listened to my many different musings about this project as it took 
shape. Thank you for your gracious assistance. 
I am extremely grateful to my family who endured less time with their 
husband and Daddy so that this project could be completed. They have shown that 
“all things are possible as long as they are temporary.” I hope this has helped shape 
me into a better husband and father. 
Finally, I want to thank my God and Father who, through the blood of His 
Son on the cross and the power of His Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is 
forging my character into a life that is pleasing to Him. May I lead in a manner to 
which He receives the glory! 

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Character for Leadership 
 
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