Airplanes with one wing fly like pigs fly.  Do I need to explain that further? I know that I am technically incorrect when I write this, but the idea is that planes must have wings that span both sides of the cabin.

My beloved friend and hero, Alana Nichols is paralyzed from the waist down due to a snowboarding accident.  Alana can’t walk or run.  However, because of her amazing character and tireless work ethic, she achieves excellent things that I will write about a bit later.

In John Maxwell’s Law 9: The Law Of The Ladder – Character Growth Determines The Height Of Your Personal Growth, John compares competency with character.

He refers to competency in leadership as what you can do as a leader. He refers to character as who you are as a leader. So, what then if you are a one-winged airplane?  By that I mean you have either competency or character but not both? First, we have all been there or may likely reside there now to some degree. Don’t feel alone or ashamed of that reality. No one is perfect! 

If you are competent and lack character, you may be good at what you do, BUT are not trusted.  If you have character but lack competency, you may be truthful and trustworthy but essentially worthless because you are out of your league technically or intellectually.  I don’t mean to offend anyone by this because the truth is we could all be bailing water from that same boat.  Examining yourself and asking others will provide a perspective for you that may be eye-opening and a first step to setting you on the road to improvement.  Let me warn you; improving may require some courage.

Courage fits in with six critical areas of leadership: communication, courage, innovation/initiative, passion, servanthood, and vision.  Although Communication is considered the number one success factor, I contend that it takes courage to be an excellent communicator.  It also takes courage to take the initiative and be innovative.  It takes courage to unbridle your passion.  It takes courage to be a servant leader versus a “lord it over you” leader.  Moreover, it takes courage to express your real vision.

Courage is part of character but taking risk also expresses courage.  With any of the critical leadership traits, courage is foundational.  Without courage, you will seek approval above all and likely miss the mark on your true desires and gifts.  Being willing to be criticized for your beliefs and not be a bandwagon person will set you apart and sometimes set you outside the camp of the majority, like the Wright brothers, Sister Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and even Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy.  However, they all changed the world for the better.

Character is manifested on the inside of each of us.  Competency is what is displayed on the outside.  Character can inevitably profoundly influence competency as Proverbs 23:7 reads: “As we think in our hearts we become.”  In other words, our inner nature will determine who we are on the outside over time.  So, if we become better on the inside, over time, we will become better on the outside.  Conversely, if we only become better at the external without improvement on the inside, we will in time become less on the outside.  Our external reputation will become less influential as our character diminishes.

Alana Nichols was destined to be a scholarship softball player and saw her dreams dashed when she over-rotated her snowboard off a jump and severed her spine.  She developed paraplegia and gets around in a wheelchair.  Her courage and character propelled her to trying wheelchair basketball, sit skiing, kayaking and surfing.  She proceeded to win multiple gold medals in Olympic ski racing, a gold medal in basketball and making the Paralympic kayaking team.  The irony of all of this is that softball was no longer an Olympic sport during those years.  The reality was that Alana’s fantastic drive from inside had led her to fame and glory and appearances on famous talk shows, late night entertainment, and the ESPY’S.  Her success was not effortless. It took intention, arduous work, focus and a will to win that came from inside of Alana.

So, character without competency will not get you to success.  As well, skill without character will reduce your progress over time and possibly rapidly. The good news is that the inside is within our control.  The choices we make and the intentions we have will determine our character.  Inside victories should proceed outside ones and will build a habit of winning.  Before you can do, you must be.  John Wooden said this “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do so, in the end, the choice you make, makes you.”

If you are flying a one-winged plane, expect to crash.  Make the effort, do the self-awareness work, and intentionally set out to build the second wing for the other side of your aircraft. There is no other way to attain sustained success.  A single wing plane will not fly.