[...] The character-based leader is the new leadership model. Character-based leaders lead from who they are on the inside. Their quality of character, not their position or power, determines their ability to inspire achievement. Individual character-based leaders create energy, passion and value in their community. The new leader inspires, equips and mobilizes leadership behaviors in others. And these new leaders aren&rsquo;t waiting for new celebrities and new programs. They&rsquo;re creating their own.The new leadership model thrives in &ldquo;Community.&rdquo; Community replaces hierarchy as the new infrastructure. Words like &ldquo;organization&rdquo; and &ldquo;hierarchy&rdquo; drop from favor and are replaced by words like &ldquo;tribe,&rdquo; &ldquo;clan,&rdquo; &ldquo;culture,&rdquo; and &ldquo;community.&rdquo; Top-down organizations drain energy from free-agent cultures. A great community brings out the best in the character-based leader. The community elevates and launches these leaders to new achievements, like the book just released by the Lead Change Group. The new community is peer-based; members are equals, leadership is a role, and ideas exist in a free market competing equally for attention and resources. Competition for lasting positive impact elevates each participant.&nbsp; [...]