Recognizing Leaders with Poor Character

“In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”
Warren Buffett, Chairperson of Berkshire Hathaway

Recognizing Poor Character Leaders

The April blog focused on the importance of good character – people who have integrity. The question is begged: “If good character is important, why are there so many leaders of poor character?”
Here is a description of leaders of poor character and several reasons why leaders of poor character can still rise to power.

Description of Poor/Mal-Intentioned Leaders

Leaders with traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, and authoritarian tendencies can significantly impact organizational culture. Leaders with these traits often rise to power because they can provide a competitive advantage.

Mal-intended, aggressive leaders can sometimes achieve things that leaders of good character might not be able to, due to their lack of integrity. They have a willingness to exploit others, disregard accepted norms and ethical considerations. These individuals may be more willing to use others as stepping stones and discard them when no longer needed¹.

Self-Aggrandizement to Gain Power is a Tool in the Poor Character Leader’s Arsenal

In today’s social media-driven world, leaders who boast/exaggerate their accomplishments and qualifications can capture more attention, even if their character is lacking². The accuracy of information affects the quality of our decisions. Misinformation can pose significant risks, including the spread of false information that can lead to dangerous consequences. It highlights the importance of good character in leadership to prevent the dissemination of misinformation and maintain ethical standards³.

Misinformation and disinformation are identified as major global risks. Misinformation, which is the accidental spread of inaccurate information, and disinformation, which is intentional deception, can erode trust in authority, shift public opinion, and cause serious harm. An organization can be significantly affected by one leader of poor character.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024 emphasizes that misinformation and disinformation are among the biggest short-term risks, with implications for social stability, democracy, and business. Advances in AI and the prevalence of information wars further exacerbate these risks⁴.

Neglect of Character Development puts Organizations at Risk

Many leaders focus heavily on developing their skills and intellectual capacity, neglecting the development of their character. This can lead to a situation where their skills take them to a place their character cannot sustain, resulting in a lack of ethical leadership and a compromised organizational culture⁵.

Conclusion

Leaders of good character behave with integrity. Integrity in the workplace builds trust, fosters positive relationships, enhances team cohesion and productivity. Demonstrating honesty and accountability strengthens professional reputations and organizational culture. Encouraging open communication and ethical decision-making promotes a transparent and respectful work environment. Integrity is often viewed as one of the most important and highly sought-after characteristics of both employees and employers. A recent Global Integrity Survey from EY reported that 97% of respondents agree that integrity is a vital foundation for any corporation. Despite the sweeping agreement that integrity offers significant value to organizations, EY highlights a widening gap between awareness of integrity’s role in business operations and diminishing standards of conduct⁵.

Potential Next Steps

Questions for leaders to ask in your workplace;

1. What level of integrity do you perceive in our workplace?
2. What behaviours indicate that the person has integrity?
3. How can we ensure that our leaders value and behave with good character?
4. What should be done if there is a perception of poor character?

Prove It!

¹ and ² https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-strong/202310/when-leaders-fail-in-character
³ https://briandoddonleadership.com/2025/01/21/10-reasons-why-leaders-fail-in-2025/
⁴ https://hls.harvard.edu/today/spread-of-false-information-causes-dangers-says-sunstein/
⁵ https://positivepsychology.com/integrity-in-the-workplace/

Our next blog is in September

My plan is to spend time this summer interviewing people in the workplace about the issue of good character and in September start profiling individual people who exemplify this behaviour.

I wish you a very good, enjoyable summer.

With gratitude,

Kathleen Redmond MA, MCC
kr@centreforcharacterleadership.com
905.478.7962

We are living in challenging times. I hope that this information and tools may be helpful in strengthening our organizations and country.

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