Character Still Counts

Many years ago when I first encountered the work of Character Counts, originally founded in 1992, an organization with strategies and resources used widely “to help improve students’ character, social-emotional, and academic skills and improve school culture.” I had watched their campaigns at work, and I loved the impact I’d seen on school culture, student performance, and outcomes.

The Character Counts program taught specifically the six pillars of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one impressed. Since 1993, in the last week of October, every year, a Presidential Proclamation from the White House, (under Democratic and Republican Presidents alike), has been issued to declare the last week of October a Character Counts week.

These words are so valuable and so important to good leadership that I want to pause and bring them forward today as we talk about creating our own brand as leaders, influencers in the world today. Whether you have the little box next to your name that says “has direct reports” or not, you are a leader. You lead others through the way you live your life. Others see you and take their cues from you and will model their actions after what they see you doing, especially when they see what kinds of success you have at it.

• Trustworthiness – Don’t lie, cheat, or steal. Do what you say you will do. Keep your word. Stand by your values.
  
  Maybe at work that means – you turn your deliverables in on time, completed, and as promised; only take credit for your own work, and don’t use company time or resources for things that aren’t company work. You hold confidential information in confidence, and you keep keys safe.
  
  

• Respect – Self-manage to create a space that is courteous and peaceful and considerate, even when they are different.
  
  Maybe at work that means you don’t yell or shout or demean others, you listen to others’ perspective even when it’s different than yours, and you honor the contributions that others make to the conversation.

• Responsibility – Do what you are supposed to do. Try your best and keep on trying. Think before you act and take accountability for the consequences of your actions.
  
  Maybe at work that means you can be counted on to keep showing up to work on time, and do the work, not just say you’ve done it, even when it gets boring, and to step up and apologize when you’ve made a mistake.
  
  
  
• Fairness – Play by the rules, take turns, and share. Listen, and don’t take advantage of others.
  
  Maybe at work that means you don’t play favorites, and you listen to all the facts before reaching a conclusion. You use fair hiring and compensation practices, and you don’t cheat others or rig the system to get your way.
  
  
  
• Caring – Be kind and compassionate, expressing gratitude and forgiveness, consider other’s feelings.
  
  At work you recognize that there’s a time to be gentle and to give space for grief, for sickness, for recovery. Say please and thank you and excuse me. Let go of anger and grudges for the sake of a more collaborative workspace. Think of others ahead of yourself.
  
  
  
• Good Citizenship – Do your share to make your community better, cooperate with others, stay informed, be a good neighbor, vote, protect the safety and rights of others, protect the environment.
  
  Maybe at work that means you don’t leave the printer paper tray or the coffee pot empty for someone else to refill – you fill it for the next person; you take your turn with the on-call phone or the holiday weekends, and you show up to vote or to participate in the team potluck.

So how do we demonstrate that Character Still counts?

Well, the Character Counts organization uses the TEAM approach to teaching character in PK-12^th grade schools. This includes (T) teaching students that their character matters; (E) enforcing the concepts by rewarding good behaviors, (A) advocating for the pillars of character, and (M) modeling the pillars in the actions and words of the leaders.

There’s some pretty useful stuff in these concepts for us in our daily lives, too, as leaders and influencers right?

Let’s say we want the people around us to have a more positive outlook instead of always focusing on the negative and staying stuck in the mud or doom and gloom.

Let’s communicate (teach them) that a positive outlook matters, and share the benefits and values of being positive in our conversation and our goal setting. Let’s re-enforce positivity and offer words of encouragement and praise when we catch people in the act of being positive in problem solving instead of just complaining! Let’s advocate for positivity and actively seek out chances to bring a positive growth mindset to the conversation and ask “how can we” kinds of questions. Let’s model healthy positivity in our own actions so others can see what it looks like.