Why The Smartest Leaders Move Way Beyond Their To-Do List To Accomplish Far More

I love productivity. I love accomplishment even more.

In fact, I even have a course that will help you accomplish far more in less time.

But the longer I live and lead, the more I realize that you can accomplish all the tasks you set out to accomplish in a day or even over the course of your life, and still completely miss the point.

The news is littered with stories of leaders who were at the top of their game skill-wise, but who aren’t in leadership anymore, not because they weren’t smart, not because they weren’t skilled (some were arguably the best in their field), but because their character didn’t match their competency.

Here’s the truth for all of us: Competency gets you in the room. Character keeps you in the room.

Here are four reasons the best leaders move beyond their to-do lists.

Competency gets you in the room. Character keeps you in the room. Share on X

1. Your Real Capacity Isn’t Determined By Your Skill

Think about it: you have to have some level of competency to get hired. And competency is a huge asset, which is why so many driven people get a college degree, read books, take additional courses, listen to podcasts, attend conferences, find mentors and hire coaches. It’s awesome to grow your skillset, and that keeps you sharp.

But over time, the thing that keeps you in the room is your character.  All of us can think of highly gifted and skilled athletes, politicians, business leaders, and pastors whose character led to either a moral lapse that disqualified them from leadership, or who were just so difficult that nobody wanted to work with them anymore.

This is why your character, not your competency, ultimately determines your capacity.

You character, not your competency, ultimately determines your capacity.  Share on X

2. Nobody Will Ever Pay You To Work On the Most Important Things

So what’s the problem? It’s easy to agree with everything written in this post so far and say to yourself of course that makes sense. 

But…here’s the challenge when it comes to your career.

Nobody is going to ever pay you to work on your character. They’ll just fire you if you don’t. 

The same is also true in your life. Think about it.

Nobody is ever going to pay you to work on your character. They’ll just leave you if you don’t. 

The truth isn’t pretty, but this is how divorce happens, how families fall apart, how kids end up disliking their parents and parents end up resenting their kids. It’s how you find yourself without many friends.

I know…I’ll stop now.

But you get the point, right?

The only way to really work on your character is to decide you’re responsible for developing it.

Nobody is going to ever pay you to work on your character. They'll just fire you if you don't.  Share on X

3. Your Family Isn’t Impressed By Your Latest Results

If you’re like me, you’re driven by results. That isn’t always good, but often for leaders, it’s true.

But here’s what’s more deeply true: your family doesn’t care about your latest quarter or how many times your talks were downloaded. 

I’ve done my share of funeral sermons over the years, and I promise you no son ever pulls out his father’s resume at his dad’s funeral. When it comes to the people closest to you, your character is your legacy. 

Your family may not care about your latest results, but they will remember whether you made time for them, or whether you didn’t. They’ll remember who you really were when no one else was watching. They’ll remember how they felt around you, and whether you were kind, patient and loving.

No son ever pulls out his father’s resume at his dad’s funeral. When it comes to the people closest to you, your character is your legacy.  Share on X

4. The People Closest To You Should Be the People Most Grateful For You

Those of us in leadership face an interesting dilemma. It is more than possible to get people who barely know you to really like you.

Social media makes that even easier. It’s never been more possible to draw a crowd or even become a mini-celebrity with a fan base.

But too often leaders will substitute the adoration of a distant crowd for the love of the people closest to them.

But what does it matter if some Instagram follower in Calfornia thinks you’re amazing if your wife and kids think you’re a jerk?

What does it matter if some Instagram follower in Calfornia thinks you're amazing if your wife and kids think you're a jerk?  Share on X

Way too many people convince themselves that public adoration is more important than private integrity.

As my own audience has grown far beyond anything I dreamed it would, I’ve doubled down on this resolve: I want to live in a way that the people closest to me become the people most grateful for me.

The goal isn’t that they’ll be thankful for me. The goal is that I would live in a way (with the kind of character) that makes that possible.

It is far to easy to try to impress people who don’t know you and will never meet you at the expense of an inner circle who does know you but no longer likes you because of who you’ve become.

Way too many people convince themselves that public adoration is more important than private integrity. Live in a way that the people closest to you to become the people most grateful for you Share on X Work twice as hard on your character as you do on your competency. Your competency leaves the first impression, but your character leaves a lasting impression. Share on X