Being good when goodness benefits you is easy; character begins when it does not.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Behaving well when it also serves you proves nothing, because you cannot tell which motive was operating. The informative cases are the ones where doing right costs you: the correction that makes you look worse, the honesty that loses you an advantage, the help nobody will hear about.

Rather than assuming your goodness is settled, watch for those cases as they arise and take note of what you actually do. Not to grade yourself harshly, but because that is where the real information lives. And where you fall short, the fix is one specific instance, not a general resolution.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

When were you good to someone with nothing to gain?

MORE IN INTEGRITY & CHARACTER

Free, with nothing to buy inside it.