When I say ‘smart’, I’m not talking about smart in ‘skills‘ or ‘experience‘ — yes, those are certainly important elements, but they are not my hiring focus. I’m on the lookout for people who are ‘character smart‘:

• honest
• transparent
• empathetic & compassionate
• reliable
• humble
• conflict resolver not conflict avoider
• solution seeking

“Hire for character and train for skill.”

Remember, you can always send someone to a workshop to acquire knowledge. I have yet to find an effective workshop for improving someone’s character.

Congruency in one’s character is critical. Leaders whose words and actions are reliably consistent, lead with integrity and congruence. They are predictable when times are difficult — especially when they are difficult. When leaders are not congruent, organizations inevitably fail because people stop believing in them — they stop trusting them. Unequivocal trust is so critical to moving an organization’s mission forward.

Congruent Behaviour: When the words and actions of someone are aligned — and not just when it is easy. It means living true to your values ALL of the time, even when it is inconvenient or difficult.

Are your leaders congruent in actioning their values –regardless of their audience? Do they lead with integrity? Are their words and actions predictable?

Trust is not about agreement. You don’t have to always agree with your leader to trust them. Leaders make mistakes. Leaders make decisions you might not like. But, you trust them because they are congruent.

Effective leaders walk the talk.

When you have leaders like this in your organization, you leverage this gift in several ways:

• You listen to them.
• You don’t micromanage them. You give them the freedom to produce great work by setting a common set of goals and letting them find the best way to achieve them.
• You create a climate of risk-taking that actually praises honest mistakes. Personal and organizational growth requires space to experiment.

You see the results of congruent leadership over the long term. Employees try new things because their workplace is safe and predictable. They love coming to work because they see consistent application of the shared values that make work rewarding. They aren’t afraid of making an honest mistake. They tend to not look outside of the organization for work satisfaction.

I am still learning on my leadership journey. I don’t get things right all the time, but I am proud that I wake up every day with the goal of being better, focused on the critical importance of being congruent in what I do and how I do it.