ASSESSING YOUR OWN CHARACTER
By Dr. John C. Maxwell

As we discussed last time, self-assessment is tortuous, but
crucial to our development. Learning the laws of leadership is
an essential part of every leader's growth. These laws are
foundational for teaching us how leadership works. But effective
leaders have more going for them than a set of skills. The best
leaders are effective because of who they are on the inside. Any
attempt to lead apart from character is assured of failure.

Gulf War hero, General Norman Schwarzkopf was once asked how
soldiers in the field react when their leader is taken down. His
response? "Soldiers are naturally inclined to follow the person
with the highest character." This reality transcends war. If
the designated leader in any organization is perceived as having
character flaws, his or her team will inevitably begin to follow
another person in the organization whom they see as having more
integrity.

To ascend to and stay at the highest level of leadership, we must
develop essential character qualities from the inside out;
constantly evaluating ourselves for any flaws that could
shipwreck our abilities.

If you look at all great leaders, you'll find that they possess
the qualities contained in my book, "The 21 Indispensable
Qualities of a Leader." This resource was designed to be a
complementary companion to "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of
Leadership." By becoming the leader you ought to be on the
inside, you will become the leader you want to be on the outside.
When that happens, you'll find there's nothing in this world you
cannot do!

The key to transforming yourself from someone who understands
leadership principles to a person who successfully leads in the
real world is character. Your character qualities activate and
empower your leadership ability - or stand in the way of your
success.

There are many obstacles to an accurate character assessment:
pride, our remarkable capability to lie to ourselves, an
unwillingness to receive feedback from people who love us and
want to see us grow are just a few.

That's why we've developed an online assessment that will show
you where you are and how to develop further the key character
qualities of a leader. This assessment includes unlimited
access to:

* 21 individual assessments - each includes 15 questions to help
assess your leadership qualities
* Four classic Maximum Impact lessons online, in digital format,
specifically targeting leadership qualities

I hope you'll invest in your personal development by taking time
to check out "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader" online
assessment. This resource is available at
http://www.INJOY.com/21Qualities.