Character
Six Pillars of character
Trustworthiness Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat, or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends, and country
Respect Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant and accepting of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements
Responsibility Do what you are supposed to do • Plan ahead • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes • Set a good example for others
Fairness Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly • Treat all people fairly
Caring Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need
Citizenship Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment • Volunteer
For a considerable period of time, the media kept a “hands off policy” when it came to exposing errant political leaders and officials. The view was that as long as these imperfections did not affect the job, exposing these people was not necessary. This is no longer true. With the increase of media outlets and fierce competition, ratings have become the all-important thing as the public seems to revel in the indiscretions of important people. Leaders of all kinds have become fair game. This is not because the media has come to realize that behavior is important, but because uncovering the latest scandal is now a part of the game. It makes media people and journalists “famous.”
What Is Character? Informed people know that how a person behaves is what he or she is. Why? Because what a person is reflects his character. Character has been defined as the way we are as opposed to the way people see us. While this statement is true, it does not define character, and we know little more than when we started. More accurately, character can be defined as the ability to discern right from wrong and then to always choose the right in opposition to the wrong. But this definition requires a standard by which to judge. That standard is the Law of God. Those who view truth as subjective, that is, what may be wrong for you may not be for me, will never be able to develop character. Why? Because they have set their own human standard, which is constantly subject to change. One who does not have the true knowledge of right and wrong has not even begun the first step in character development. As noted above, the definition of character requires more than knowing right from wrong. It also requires doing. The attempt to define right and wrong goes back at least to the Greek philosophers. Greek philosophers, as a whole, advocated clean living and a high moral life, but they were unable to agree on what was a clean and high moral life. The fact is: They had no revelation of a higher standard by which to judge. They attempted to determine the difference between right and wrong, not realizing that God has never given man that option. God already decided that aeons ago. Man, as a free moral agent, has the option of accepting or not accepting that standard. The truth is: A clean moral life can come onlybe grown, developed,learned from life lessons, trials,and adversity. We are not born angels. In fact we must teach manners to children. It is so needed to teach good character to during the young stages of kids.
Here is an article I found………
M.Peer Mohamed Sardhar Started The Discussion:
HR Leadership – Why Does Character Matter?
Character Can Be Defined In A Variety Of Ways. Mental Images Abound As To The True Definition But Perhaps They Can Be Summed Up As, The Motivation To Do What Is Right; Or Who You Are When No One Is Watching. To Be A Person Of Character, One Must Posses Certain Character Traits Like Patience, Love, Perseverance, Self-Control, Humility, Diligence, And So On. Effective Leaders Understand That Character Does Matter.
Personal Character Clarifies One’s Value System And Defines Behavior In A Most Explicit Manner. As We Observe Culture And Human Behavior, We Can Almost Always Trace Backwards From Behavior To Find The Meaning, Values, And Beliefs Rooted In A Person’s Worldview That Subsequently Influences Behavior. In Other Words, Our Behavior Is Often Consistent With Our Values; The Way We Act Has Meaning Based On What We Believe About Ourselves, Other People, The World, And For Many A Higher Power. Love, Perseverance, Humility, Integrity, And Countless Character Qualities That Have Permeated Our Societies Have Stood The Test Of Time. However, Whenever Worldviews Undergo Rapid Change Due To Technological Advancement, Economic And Sociological Change, Or Social Revolution, One’s Corresponding Value System And Ultimately One’s Character Are Challenged And Affected—Sometimes Dramatically.
Values And Beliefs
Much Has Been Written About The Values Of The 1950s In The United States. Post World War II Technological Advancements Were Clearly Apparent On The American Scene With The Dawn Of The Television Age, The Transistor Radio, And Commercial Jet Travel, Among The Many Leaps Into The Modern Era. In Spite Of The Cold War Fears, American Society Experienced The Glow Of Peace And Prosperity And A Resurgence Of Traditional Religious Values. At The End Of The Decade, The United States And The Soviet Union Entered The Space Age And The World Experienced A Quantum Leap In Communications Capability With Satellites Orbiting The Planet. The 1960s Brought New Challenges To This Peaceful Society And A Dramatic Shift In A Modern Worldview. The United States Was Beginning To Move From A Religious To A Non-Religious Worldview, Shifting The Plausibility Of Many “Traditional” Values Relating To Familiar Obligations, Human Sexuality, Work Ethic, And Many Other Cultural Mores And Practices. Baby Boomers As Young Adults Were Affected By This Social Shift And Were Challenged Three To Four Decades Later As They Assumed Positions Of Leadership In All Walks Of Life. Value Based Leadership Caused Many To Become Introspective And To Review And Renew Their True Fundamental Values And Belief System. A Belief System Is What One Accepts As Truth. Values Are Based On One’s Belief And As We Attach Meaning To Our Values We Truly Can Interpret The Way We Live. More Importantly, This Is How We Establish The Behavior Pattern We Use For Our Daily Decisions. We Think Based On Our Values, Beliefs, And Our Worldview. Character Is Deeply Rooted And Expressed In Our Outward Behavior; It Is Clearly What Others See As Our Doing The “Right Thing.”
Doing The “Right Thing” Often Means Being Ethical In Today’s Vernacular And Often Defines One’s Strength Of Character. Character’s Relationship To Ethics Is Based On How One Behaves To Situations They Confront On A Daily Basis. Ethical Behavior Is Often Linked To One’s Values. While There Can Be Many Types Of Values, Such As Aesthetic, Political, And Economic Values, Values Are Basically Synonymous With Ethical Or Moral Values: Self Chosen Or Socialized Standards That Guide Action In Morally Relevant Contexts. These Values Usually Remain Implicit With One’s Everyday Actions Or Behavior. They Become Explicit When We Are Called Upon To Articulate What We Believe And Why We Believe What We Do; They Become Explicit In Times When We Must Choose One Particular Behavior Or Another As Right Or Wrong.
Concluding Thoughts
Character In This Context Is The Courage And Conviction To Make Difficult And Unpopular Decisions. Decision-Making Is Inherent In Leadership In That One Often Must Face A Dilemma On Choosing The Right Course Of Action. Often This Dilemma Involves Being Ethical; But “What Makes A Person Ethical?” Is It Correct Knowledge About Right And Wrong, Good And Evil That Make Me Ethical? Right Or Correct Knowledge Will Not Ensure That I Act Consistently With What Is Good. What Makes Someone Ethical Is The Practice Of Ethical Behavior. The Acts Produced By Us As Moral Agents Cannot Be Separated By The Motives And Intentions For Executing Decisions And Taking Action. Furthermore, Our Character Is Reflected In Our Behavior, Or In A Certain Sense, We Are What We Do. Therefore, Having Character Attempts To Bring Together In Harmony Right Ethical Thinking (Intentions) With Right Behavior (Action). As Mortal Human Beings We Tend To Be Morally Weak And Even Knowing The Right Thing Will Not Guarantee That We Will Choose The Right Course Of Action.
Leadership Is Highly Effective And Becomes Utterly Inspirational When Difficult Decisions Are Made With Courage And Conviction. The Question That Often Plagues Humans Is “Why Should I Be Ethical?” Ethical Principles, Laws, And Moral Criteria Become Meaningless And Have No Impact If They Are Not Acted Upon. Leaders, Notwithstanding Their Frailties, Subjectivity, Convictions, And Limitations, Still Have The Ultimate Power To Act And Decide. Character Coupled With Ethics Means Having The Courage And Conviction To Make Difficult And Unpopular Decisions.
To Be An Effective Leader, Character Does Matter.
By Dr. Perry Martini
