I have been thinking about how character plays into the success and failure of Leaders.  It is such a fundamental aspect of leadership that it has a tendency to overshadow many of the other essential tools that leaders need.

In developing a leader, I have concluded that the following needs to be done:

1. Find Right.  Find the right candidate and insure that they share those fundamental beliefs that are relevant and central to the organization
2. Train Right.  Few leaders are prepared ‘out-the-box’.  They need help.  They need to refine their skills.  They need coaching to to perfect their abilities.  In short, training for the long view
3. Track Right.  Peter Drucker suggests that you cannot manage anything without measuring.  The same applies to leadership.  Developing and measuring metrics provides a benchmark to leadership (sometimes called ‘high-potential’ candidates).

Few leaders are born.  Most are made.  Start with a solid character and you will find it as an excellent foundation to the balance of the skills that a leader needs.