Have you ever noticed that our culture attaches itself to charismatic personalities like seagulls to a bag of french fries? Our national obsession with charisma has a long history. Maybe we need a new obsession.

Recently I was thinking back to the 1980s (yes I’m aging). Ronald Reagan, Lech Walesa (founder of the Soviet Union’s first independent trad union), and Mikhail Gorbachev were a few of the charismatic political leaders in the 80’s. You may have not agreed with everything these men stood for… but they had charisma. The 1980s saw the rise of several well-known television evangelists. Each of these men possessed immense talent, a broad audience… and charisma. Unfortunately, lapses in character brought some of them tumbling down. The 80’s ushered in the era of punk rock music… punk rockers had charisma… but character? Not so much.

A friend told me once: “Character will take you farther than charisma.” Now… charisma and character are not mutually exclusive. A person can possess both. Charisma is great to have… but underdeveloped character almost always torpedoes charisma. Samson was one of the most magnetic figures in the Old Testament. But his immaturity eventually destroyed him.

Charisma may get you in the door… character keeps you there. Charisma may build your reputation… character preserves it. Charisma may win you friends… character keeps them hanging around. We don’t have to be charismatic to succeed long-term… what we need is humility and a relentless resolve.

Humility and resolve don’t develop on stage. They’re cultivated in our private habits and choices. They grow out of our daily routine: Getting out of bed early… spending time with God… consistently working on the right priorities and saying no to the wrong ones… putting in the hard work necessary to succeed without becoming a workaholic.

Character doesn’t have the allure of charisma, at least on the surface. But most successful people will tell you it is their consistent routine that allows them to achieve… not their charismatic personality. For example, pastors who consistently study, prepare, and work diligently on their messages see superior results over time than pastors who wing it or throw things together at the last minute. Leaders who plan, think strategically, and execute consistently produce better outcomes than leaders who rely primarily on personal magnetism and fly by the seat of their pants.

According to Jim Collins, the most successful CEOs in the world build enduring greatness not through their charming personality… but through a blend of personal humility and professional will. You can lack charisma and still be an excellent leader. It’s much harder to be an excellent leader when you lack character.

Charisma is great… character is greater. I wonder what would happen if character became our new national obsession?