The character of a leader: “Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us.” ~John McCain
I admired John McCain. Not because I agreed with his politics, because he had the character of a leader. I never voted for McCain; you don’t have to agree with someone to admire their character. As the country remembers John McCain’s service, I’ve been thinking of his character.
Standing up for your adversary takes character.
As described on Inc.com by Bill Murphy Jr.…
“One of the most famous [examples of McCain’s civility] came in 2008, when McCain was running against then-Senator Barack Obama for the presidency, and a woman asking a question called Obama ‘an Arab’ (as a pejorative, which is of course a whole additional issue). McCain responded by taking the microphone away from her and saying that Obama was ‘a decent family man and a citizen that I just happen to have fundamental disagreements with.'”
Practicing humility takes character.
Jim Collins’ research on leaders reported in Good to Great uncovered two attributes of the highest form of leadership (which Collins coined level-5 leadership). The two attributes are profound humility and professional will. In simple terms, his definition of humility is an attitude that it’s not all about you. It’s about something bigger than yourself. John McCain said, “Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you but is not defined by your existence alone.”
Great leaders have integrity, and that reflects character.
The definition of integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, or moral uprightness. It is a personal choice to hold one’s self to consistent standards. In John McCain’s own words: “Being true to our conscience, being honest with ourselves, will determine the character of our relations with others. That is a concise definition of integrity.”
Great leaders build on commonalities and shared values, that requires character.
Many personality profiles use a similar question format. They provide a list of four adjectives and you’re asked to select the one that most describes you and the one that least describes you. The neuroscience behind the results draws on the fact that we tend to be more certain about what we don’t like. Therefore, I’ve often thought that leaders who play-up differences (i.e., what we don’t like) take the easy way by evoking emotion and seducing followers.
Consequently, focusing on shared values and building on commonalities can be a more challenging leadership route; it reflects character. One of my favorite McCain quotes: “Our shared values define us more than our differences. And acknowledging those shared values can see us through our challenges today if we have the wisdom to trust in them again.”
John McCain—the character of a leader.