Abstract:

Character is traditionally considered an essential aspect of leadership. However, it has received only a little attention in the research. In the last decade, there have been several studies conducted on evaluating character strengths in cadets and measuring important strengths in Special Forces officers in the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF). Except that, only a few other countries examined this topic in-depth and widely recognized model of character-based leadership is yet to be established. Filling this gap in existing knowledge may respond to some of the challenges that modern times bring to organizations regarding the leadership development.

This paper deals with the theoretical basis of character leadership, i.e., leadership based on the leader's character strengths, using the context of a professional army. Its aim is to analyze and summarize the current state of knowledge in this area. The first chapter defines the terms "leadership" and "character" as understood in this paper. Next, it critically analyses selected leadership theories related to character (i.e., transformational, authentic, ethical, and virtuous leadership). The second chapter provides an overview of personal traits, which may be further examined as potential components of character-based leadership. To determine these traits, two sources are used. The first subsection lists and compares the traditional values of armies of the Czech Republic, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. The second subsection describes studies conducted on character strengths in military, focusing on identifying those strengths, which appear to be important across more of them.

The paper can serve as a base for future research, which possibilities are briefly outlined in the conclusion. Following the example of NAF, other armies may also profit from implementing character-based leadership in their practice. Furthermore, character strengths may be utilized for the development leadership skills in many other areas of public life and education, similarly to intelligence testing and crisis intervention, which originate in military.

Keywords:

Character strengths, military leadership, command, army values.