Abraham Lincoln was a man who seemed to be very concerned with character and he was certainly a person who understood the importance of having a solid reputation. He once explained the difference between being of good character and having a good reputation. “Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it, the tree is the real thing.” Stated another way, your reputation is what people think of you and your character is who you really are.

We live in a very image driven world. It is easy to get caught up in maintaining the “right” image and subsequently losing sight of our character. Our reputation is a public relations function while our character is based on our morals and values. As leaders we must exhibit a strong persona but this persona must be grounded in integrity and action. Far…