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April 2008

“Turn failures into teaching lessons. When people make mistakes or fall short of achieving goals, encourage them to share their experiences in order to help others avoid similar problems... It takes guts to admit mistakes… so be certain to thank each person for his or her courage.”
from 180 Ways to Walk the Motivation Talk

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Character Counts

It is not often that you see the word “character” in the front page headline of a major newspaper, especially one like the Wall Street Journal that primarily covers business, financial and economic news. The headline led a column by respected Washington columnist, Gerald F. Seib, stating that presidential primary process to date is “less about ideology and ideas and more about governing style and leadership ability.” It is refreshing to see a news piece insisting that character does matter.

Too often we see character, certainly in management circles, in reference to lack of it. That is, some CEO or CFO or senior executive has been caught with his hand in the kitty or in the knickers of some subordinate. So it is refreshing to see “character” viewed in a more positive light, something that people (voters) are looking for. John McCain, in the afterword of his book with Mark Salter, Character is Destiny, defines it by an experience he shared with his fellow American POWS in a North Vietnamese prison camp. His captors would want him and his fellow prisoners to give up information or tell lies about their government. Such a confession would stop the torture and the captors would add that no one will know. But, as McCain, echoing the thoughts of his fellow POWs, writes, “I will know. I will know.” For me, character, as our parents tell us, is what you do when you think no one is looking. Therefore, cheaters cheat; liars lie; but the converse is also true; faithful remain so and truthful tell the truth.

Within the corporate structure character is taken for granted; it is assumed to be the cornerstone upon which the enterprise rests. Read the mission statements or values pledges of any company and you will come across phrases such as “to improve the lives of our customers” or “to improve the society in which we live.” Great stuff, but is anyone really paying attention? I think not and that’s why we need to remind ourselves that character does matter.

For me, character, like leadership, requires action; you must act on your convictions otherwise your character lies dormant as in door mat – flat, inert and lifeless. So how can your act on character. Consider the following questions:

Do people know what the organization stands for? Take the lofty vision or mission statements. Are they nice sounding words that describe what the organization does? Or are they nice sounding words that look good on posters but not in real life? If there is a disconnect between vision and values then it is hard for people to believe that the company stands for anything. When that happens, people go through the motions on matters of characters. They do not automatically cheat or lie, but do not go out of their way to serve their customers or even each other.

Do people believe that ethics in the organization matter? People know that legal transgressions will get them in trouble. But what about the guy who climbs over others to get the big promotion? Do bosses who demean others, and throw their people under the proverbial bus, get rewarded? And what about the huge pay packages for CEOs who are rewarded regardless of corporate performance while others in the company receive no bonuses? When these things happen, employees quickly realize that ethics are platitudes; they sound good but no one pays attention.

Do people believe that you are standing on character? In other words, what are you doing to set the right example? This covers everything for standing up for the team, focusing on the issues, and getting things done. It also includes the people-development side of management, coaching and mentoring, and pushing for career and professional opportunities for your people. Respected managers are known for doing these things.

Many executives live their values in their work on a daily basis. Some work in enlightened companies that insist in values, but many others do not. Yet somehow in their work with customers or in managing their own teams these leaders make a positive difference. They teach good example because they live it. That is character to be recognized because it does make a difference, sometimes one individual at a time.

Source:
Gerald F. Seib “Capital Journal: Issues Recede in ’08 Contest As Voters Focus on Character” Wall Street Journal 2.05.08

[Adapted from a column first published by HarvardBusinessOnline.com on February 11, 2008]

Keynote Speaker
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Executive Coach
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John in the News
* John Baldoni was named one of the "30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus”"worldwide for 2007 by Leadership Gurus International www.LeadershipGurus.net.

John On-line
John is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Online and writes the monthly Baldoni on Leadership column for CIO.com.

About John Baldoni
John Baldoni is a leadership consultant and speaker specializing in executive coaching, development and communications. John is the author of six books on leadership including the Great Leaders trilogy for McGraw‑Hill: How Great Leaders Get Great Results (2006), Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders (2005), and Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders (2003).