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| ("Character matters; leadership descends from character" by Aaron Gustafson is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.) |
Only a leader with strong character and a strong sense of security can feel so certain of the blamelessness of his heart that he invites the scrutiny of his peers. C. S. Lewis calls this quality, "Leaders with chests." Lewis likened the properly ordered soul to the human body: the head (reason) must rule the belly (the sensual appetites) through the chest (character and spirit). The chest is the indispensable liaison between reason and the appetites. Without a strong "chest," men would succumb to excuses, relativism, and compromise. Lewis called those with no character or integrity, "men without chests."
[Excerpt from The Maxwell Leadership Bible quoting Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis]"Character is the foundation of command presence. All people reveal their character in every interaction, and character shapes and permeates a leader’s command presence." (Leading in the Wildland Fire Service, p. 20)