Why is being a good leader more about character than decisions?

You are seeing that leading well is more about who you are than what you decide, and that it is harder than you expected. It is harder, because you can study better decisions, but you cannot fake better character. People follow what you are far more than what you announce. This is actually good news underneath the difficulty. It means leadership is not a set of tricks you have to memorize; it is a way of being you can genuinely grow into. Your honesty, your steadiness under pressure, how you treat people when it costs you something, these teach your team more than any strategy you roll out. So work on the person, not just the playbook. Pick one trait you would want in anyone you lead, maybe follow-through, or calm, or fairness, and practice it deliberately this week where it is inconvenient. Leading well starts there, in becoming the kind of person others are right to follow.