ne of the most important attributes of leadership is character. Yet common societal constructs for character are often overly simplified and inappropriately deterministic. Addressing character as an innately ingrained moral compass, or as “intestinal fortitude” or a “fire in the belly” that allows herculean persistence in the face of adversity, portrays character as a quality that only some fortunate individuals possess. I argue that what we learn is more important than our basic genetic code, and propose we focus on character development.

Having spent my young career around technically minded folks, I have learned to offer clear-cut scaffolding for my ideas. Following are simple steps that draw from well-established frameworks and connect personal vignettes as examples, so anyone can leverage them to continuously invest in developing their character. This systematic approach aligns four concepts into VGPG—Values, Goals, Purpose and Grit (not someone from the Star Wars universe).

For anyone who has not invested thought in their personal guiding values, there are a lot of resources available. I appreciate the pragmatic approach of Kevin Daum, who offers a simple five-step approach. Once you have identified your guiding values, it is worth noting it is not a one-and-done reality. We must revisit these continuously, especially when we find ourselves unable to lean up against one or more of our existing values to navigate a given situation.

Growing up in a homogenous rural Midwestern town with privilege as a common denominator across my social identities, I had wonderful parents who emphasized civic morals in my life, yet I was largely unaware of institutionalized inequities and the dire need for social justice. It was not until fortuitous opportunities in college, and later as a graduate student, that I gained perspective and began to face these hard truths. I did not know what I did not know. The exposure was revelatory, with a resounding impact on my life ever since. Needless to say, this reset required a difficult (and ongoing) overhaul of my guiding values.

Once you have a pulse on your values, it is important to acknowledge your dreams and aspirations—your short (the next six months to a year), mid (3-5 years), and long-term goals (10 years+). This is a paramount step toward honing your unique purpose and should be a highly iterative exercise throughout the course of life.

As a senior in college, I had a unique opportunity to work as a student representative with my institution’s administration and governing board. As a result, I experienced unique exposure to the important role higher education provides in society. My egocentric student lens evolved to appreciate the pivotal impact the academy has on our collective success as a species. I aspired to become a person of influence in higher education in order to be a meaningful part of this impactful resource for society.

To prepare and position myself for an influential role in higher education, I knew I needed to develop a deep and diverse understanding of the academy’s existing systems and structures. Pragmatically speaking, I needed to pursue advanced education and training. On a personal level, a romantic relationship was taking root in my life, and I wanted to experience fulfilling endeavors like marriage, homeownership, and traveling to see new parts of the world. These rounded out the practical considerations for lining up my goal set. I would not have been able to navigate the tension between my professional and personal goals to decipher what steps to take, and when, without evaluating my goals against a framework for purpose.

Once we are clear on guiding values and goals, we can then leverage a framework for pursuing purpose to mindfully make important life and career decisions. Our sense of fulfillment as humans is greatest when we spend the majority of our time at the intersection of overlapping truisms: what we love (enjoy), what we are great at, what the world needs, and what the world will support (pay us for). There are many writers who have picked up this helpful framework. I appreciate Thomas Oppong’s overview in an article for medium.com entitled Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life Might Just Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life.

How does this relate to goals and the process for developing character? My recommendation is that we make decisions and set our short and midterm goals using this model for purpose, to allow ourselves to move toward the intersection of all four areas (and stay there) in the longer term. When we do move away from the intersection, it is done as an intentional means to an end; it is a strategic decision to enable a higher likelihood of our longer-term reality at the central intersection that is purpose.

As a 21-year-old, I saw that the world really needs higher education to continue being a high-impact institution that plays a critical role in the work for social justice. As a result, I began to figure out how I could utilize my existing strengths and what I enjoyed in a way that aligned with what I could be paid for while working toward the longer-term goal of becoming an institutional decision-maker (a person of influence in the field). I decided it was necessary to pursue graduate education and made an intentional decision to forgo real compensation for a multi-year period, while friends and family working in salaried jobs enjoyed luxuries and experiences that I had to postpone. The choice was intentional, recognizing it would accelerate my path toward a position aligned with my purpose in the longer term. While in graduate school, I also had to accept more responsibilities that I was good at but did not always enjoy. This was because I did not have the qualifications to be selective and, of course, because it can be hard to know whether you enjoy something until you have tried it.

As a result of mindful choices over time, I now get to focus on work the world needs that I am good at AND enjoy, all while getting paid to do it. I contribute to efforts to diversify STEM fields, elevate the inclusivity of engineering culture, and empower students with cross-cutting skills and leadership perspectives. I engage my core competency as an achievement-oriented, socially curious connector to enable partnerships that garner new possibilities with mutually beneficial outcomes. I am fortunate to enjoy a high quality of life and passion for my work—and you cannot have passion without purpose!

When we are living our purpose, we are inherently passionate in our endeavors. This provides the appropriate mindset for grit (Angela Duckworth, 2016), or resiliency, one of the most common elements associated with character. The ability to persevere because of a belief in the importance of our pursuit enables us to do impactful things that require consistent effort navigating repeated obstacles over time.

For my experiences, this shows up as the intrinsic motivation to complete a dissertation project, build a new student program step-by-step, or navigate ongoing organizational change and still advance initiatives that create positive impact.

The character development process circles back from grit around to guiding values and readjustment of goals based on pursuit of purpose. It repeats and revisits as we go along the long and winding road of life. Never complete, it is a process, a verb, something that we do—not something we are. Approaching character in this way removes the fallacy of a fixed mindset (Carol Dweck, 2006), with character haves and have-nots, and provides empowerment for all of us who are willing to work on our character.

Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Scribner

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.