The absence of strong moral character will shipwreck a leader. Financial blunders can be repaired. Poor communication can be fixed. Leadership decisions that do not work out the way the leader promised can be salvaged. But character flaws can destroy a leader. Recovering from moral and ethical compromise is often impossible. Once trust in a leader is lost, it is rarely restored. People will only follow leaders who express the highest level of integrity.6
Andy Stanley says it clearly: “We are always one decision, one word, one reaction away from damaging what has taken years to develop.”7 Twenty or 30 years of faithful service to God can be destroyed with one compromising decision.
When a leader’s flawed character is exposed, the problem usually stems from his lack of integrity. Integrity is being on the inside who you claim to be on the outside.