The Character Compass: Transforming Leadership for the 21st Century

A guide to transforming leadership for the 21st century, this is a book about a powerful and practical framework that leaders can use to help their organizations thrive, prosper, and improve the world around them: leader character.

Developed through extensive research, teaching, and outreach over the past decade, leader character is the foundation that leaders rely upon to help them make their most critical judgments. This book carries forward the authors’ important work to the implementation stage on both the individual and organizational levels. Based on the authors’ interactions with organizations in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors around the world, they offer practical roadmaps for implementing leader character in such areas as leadership development, strategy, manifesting purpose, culture-building, executive recruitment and HR practices, EDI, risk management, and other key corporate activities. The result of these implementations is nothing less than sustained organizational excellence. Leader character is the compass that helps leaders steer their organizations through real, positive, and lasting change.

This actionable book will earn its place on the bookshelves of professionals and students in talent management, leadership development, HR, and organizational development, as well as leaders from the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Mary Crossan is a Professor of Strategic Leadership at the Ivey Business School and was awarded Western University’s highest honour--Distinguished University Professor--for sustained excellence in teaching, research, and service during her distinguished career at Western. In 2021 she was recognized on a global list representing the top two per cent of the most cited scientists in her discipline. She is a co-founder of Leader Character Associates Consulting and of the Virtuosity application.

Gerard Seijts is a professor of Organizational Behaviour and holds the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Chair in Leadership at the Ivey Business School. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto. Seijts has led and taught in numerous leadership programs, including customized offerings.

Bill Furlong is an Executive-in-Residence at the Ivey Business School, focusing on Leader Character within the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership. He is a co-founder of Leader Character Associates Consulting, and the founder of the Question of Character podcast which he co-hosts with Mary Crossan. Bill is a director of the CAA Group of Companies and sits on the boards of their insurance subsidiaries. Bill is an Adjudicator with the Capital Markets Tribunal and from 2015-2019 was a Commissioner with the Ontario Securities Commission. Bill held senior global leadership roles at TD Securities, retiring in 2012 as Vice Chair.