Character for Leadership: The Role of Personal Characteristics

particular belief system (Tracy, 1988). In fact, the educational process known as 
transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991) has much the same goal in mind—
perspective transformation. This process requires an event that triggers the 
evaluation of one’s understanding of one’s worldview. But, this would seem to be 
exactly that for which we are looking—opportunities to reexamine priorities and 
promote significant development and character change. Perhaps leadership 
development programs should intentionally foster transformative experiences, even 
through processes such as action learning (Smith, 2001). 
Leader Character Traits 
This study has attempted to demonstrate that specific character traits are 
necessary to effective leadership function. If this is true, our only hope for good 
leadership then is to develop people of good character. Unfortunately, we are 
biased against such development. The difficulty lies in the fact that, even though it 
is possible to experience a transformation of character, “most people are not 

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Character for Leadership 
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exposed to the types of life-changing influences that stimulate such 
transformations, and, further, if exposed, they tend not to change—that is, people 
are motivated toward consistency in character, not change or development” (Hogan 
& Sinclair, 1997, p. 257-258). 
Nonetheless, we have a responsibility to help people identify those 
debilitating traits and overcome them for their own good as well as that of our 
organizations. Certainly, this is the case for traits common to 
pseudotransformational leaders (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999) who can wreck havoc 
on people and organizations through their own self-serving actions. 
This study links the concepts of leadership development to the character 
development and formation of the developing leader. Leadership development 
efforts must progress in the understanding of character as organizations seek to 
identify those individuals who have the greatest propensity to lead well and, then, 
to further address the character development of those prospective leaders.