Character is essential, but it is never enough.

It’s the David Dilemma. Every person, regardless of how strong their character, will be promoted beyond what their character can support.

He was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). This is why God chose David. In 1 Samuel 16:7, He told
the prophet Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature... for the LORD does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Obviously, the Lord saw something pure and upright about David that qualified him to be king.

Unfortunately, David was still a man. As good as his character may have been, he was still a depraved, fallen creature. As such, he was subject to the corruption that often comes with absolute authority.

It’s the peril of our insidious, human nature. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." As good as one may be, if there are no restraints or restrictions upon him or her, if a person is free to act without any accountability or answerability, that person will be corrupted by his own depraved desires and driven to satisfy his own carnal interests. It is a sad fact of human nature, power without accountability corrupts.

The failures of King David, the man after God’s own heart, demonstrates why leaders, even good leaders, need structures of accountability. Transparency, reportability, fiduciarity, humility, collegiality all work together to provide the leader with the structures needed to maintain his integrity—and his credibility.

Leadership without accountability is leadership without credibility. Structures of accountability are not meant to hinder leaders or hold them back, they are meant to empower leaders and propel them forward. They are guardrails keeping leaders centered and secure. Followers, investors, employees who see leaders with such guardrails will be more inclined to trust them and follow wherever they may lead.

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Leaders are responsible for culture. It is up to the leader to set the pace by creating an environment where team members serve, not for themselves but for the good of the team and for one another. The following are attitudes that each leader must demonstrate to create a culture of humility and servant leadership. 

​MODESTY 
In His landmark book, Good to Great, Jim Collins identifies Level 5 Leaders. He explains how these leaders are common to the most successful corporations in the US. Rather than being highly charismatic people who drive the organization by the force of their personality and seem to have all the answers, the Level 5 Leader is marked by modesty. He writes, “Level 5 Leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. It’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious—but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.” These leaders may be strong and even forceful, but they are known more for their meekness. 

TEACHABILITY 
Teachability is the capacity to “esteem others better than yourself” (Phil.2:3) and “receive instruction” from them (Prov. 10:17). The proud person believes that he has greater gifts, more experience and better skills than those around him and therefore has no need to listen to or esteem others. But the teachable spirit is willing to admit, “I don’t have all the answers.” This is a foundational element of trustworthy leadership. It means the leader must never be so arrogant and high minded that he is beyond correction. Trustworthy leaders are collegial. They can be instructed, they can be taught; they can be corrected or rebuked. And because they are teachable, they will be wise. 

SUBMISSION 
No matter how high in position a person may be, no matter how great their authority or position, no one is beyond needing counsel or even being corrected. Leaders, like anyone else, must know when to submit. Let’s be clear, submission is not agreement. Anyone can submit when he or she is in agreement with their leader.  True submission is demonstrated, not in times of agreement, but in seasons of disagreement.  It is one’s ability to resist that surge of disagreement rising in one’s heart—it is that discipline to quell an impulse of assertiveness against another’s criticism, advice or counsel that proves true submission and the presence of real humility 

UNITY 
Most leadership teams have an inclination toward either trust or suspicion. Boards that are unhealthy and dysfunctional act like watchdogs, making sure no one “gets away” with anything. As a result these teams are made up of adversarial relationships believing their role is to protect the organization from other inept or corrupt leaders. Sadly, any organization rises or falls on the strength of the relationships that make it up—especially on the leadership team. Leadership teams that lack unity and collegiality are doomed to fail. 

ACCOUNTABILITY 
David Watson wrote, “Anything that is subject to human limitation or error requires the collegial presence of another person to ensure responsibility. It is a fact of life. Human frailty demands our need for accountability. People are not always so upright that they just naturally do what they should. Structures will always be needed to ensure that people carry out their responsibilities. People fall short, they forget. They get sidetracked and lose interest. They slack off and just plain shirk their responsibilities. This is why accountability is needed.  

Leaders are responsible for culture. It is up to the leader to create a culture where modesty, teachability, submission, unity and accountability are norms for all – and preserve the trust of leadership.

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