Building Better Leaders: How Character Outshines Competence
Photo by Kaushal Moradiya
“We discovered that it wasn’t a failure of competence, but largely this failure of character.”
In this podcast episode, I explore a vital yet often overlooked dimension of leadership: character development. My guests—mother-daughter duo Dr. Mary Crossan and her daughter Corey—share how understanding and practicing character in small, daily ways can profoundly reshape both personal well-being and professional performance. As Mary notes, organizations often “hire for competence and fire for character,” a clear signal that our knowledge and skills (competence) must be balanced by our day-to-day behaviors (character). Corey highlights how a simple but intentional practice—whether it’s a daily reflection or an exercise like the improv-inspired “Yes, and…”—can transform your entire day, all without adding more items to your to-do list.
Central to their work is a comprehensive framework of eleven character dimensions and sixty-two observable behaviors. Rather than tackling them all at once (Corey quickly discovered three at a time can be overwhelming), their approach encourages focusing on just one behavior each week. This activates deeper insights that last long beyond the formal training sessions. And while you might expect these conversations to stay purely in the ethical realm, Mary and Corey emphasize the practical side: better character fuels stronger judgment, improves trust, and leads to more resilient teamwork.
Reflecting on her own journey from high-level athletics to research in character, Corey underscores that character development isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistent, deliberate practice. The two have created a mobile app, Virtuosity Character, that offers bite-sized daily “workouts,” giving people a realistic path to steady growth. Much like going to the gym, you’re building “muscles” of courage, humanity, humility, and more. Meanwhile, Mary, a veteran of four decades at the Ivey Business School, remains convinced that developing character is the key to unlocking potential in organizations—and in life. As she puts it, “We are always becoming somebody with more humility or less humility,” so we might as well become the best version of ourselves.
Listen to the episode here.