There are so many leadership challenges that we face every day. Creating the ideal vision; motivating and developing our people; and delivering results while dealing with time, money and manpower constraints are just a few. I would argue that there's one challenge more substantial than all those put together.

Leading with character. Here's a quote that sums it up.

"Leadership is the outward expression of who we are. Your image is who you want people to think you are; your reputation is who people think you are; and your character is who you really are."

Gen. Dick Abel, a noted leadership author, is right on the money here. Unsuccessful leaders express something other than their character when they lead. They lead through their image, which creates their reputations. Often, their reputations are inaccurate representations of their true character. Hence the greatest of leadership challenges - how to lead in a way that is consistent with your character.

Character is internal, let's remember this. It comes from natural principles that are solid and unchanging. Let's have a look at what Gen. Abel believes character, or the DNA of leadership, is made of.

Integrity: Absolute wholeness, truthfulness, undivided

Courage: Recognize the danger or criticisms, and proceed without fear

Example: A pattern or model; something imitated

Communication: Imparting or exchanging thoughts, opinions, etc.

Teamwork: Cooperative effort on the part of a group

Decisiveness: Picking the right course of action from reliable sources in a timely manner

Sensitivity: Responsive to the feelings of others

Image and reputation don't come from anything on this list. Rather they come from external sources and both can be influenced by elements like approval, money and achievement. External leadership challenges are all around you, like relationships that need to be carefully built, grown, and navigated. Financial pressures always exist, especially in these perilous economic times. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the struggle to continuously meet objectives. In the modern leader's world, some type of numbers game is always being played.

Many struggling leaders allow their image of themselves to be impacted more by these external factors than their actual character. Have you ever failed to invest enough time in an important professional relationship? Have you allowed corners to be cut to bring a project in on time and under budget? Have you ever "gamed" the numbers by compromising a process in order to produce a certain result? If your answer is yes to any of these, then you've fallen victim to the greatest of all leadership challenges, the compromise of your character. Allowing this to happen, even once, can open the floodgates and do serious damage to your leadership career.

Despite these obvious dangers, leaders continue to fall into this trap. How do you conquer this greatest of all leadership challenges? Through a process of aligning your image, reputation, and character so that they are all one in the same and directly reflected in how you lead. This alignment produces unstoppable self-confidence and helps you inspire others to follow your path.