Is character important?

Reason One: It is important to focus on character because most work related troubles have character flaws in their roots.Think about all the people you’ve worked with who have caused trouble…

Such people surround themselves with accidents, absenteeism, theft, tardiness, disruption, gossip, stress, and these result in claims, discipline and firings.

Most organizations suffer wastage, damage and staff turnover as a direct outcome of employees or managers having repeatedly made poor character calls.

Reason Two: It is important to focus on character because it is all that’s left when we pass away.
After we are gone our loved ones only reflect on our character.

Read the death notices in any newspaper on any day and you will learn what is really important to people:
‘… greatly missed at lunch time cards’
‘… we’ll miss your wise advice Papa’
‘… your courage and determination”
‘… great fighting spirit’
‘… friendly smile and loving ways’
‘… time and a joke for everyone’

There will be scant mention of your prowess as a programmer, your skill with spread sheets, or your finesse with finances. Your house, your car, your bank balance and fine clothes won’t rate either. They’ll only be talking about your character – or lack of it.

Reason Three: It is important to focus on character because character works – and your people know it.
Our extensive survey of 800+ ‘hard core’ Australians and New Zealanders should prove to you that your own people admire the highest of ‘soft core’ character qualities such as honesty, good humour, loyalty, generosity, decisiveness, love, care, strength and courage.

Without any prompting from us, in a ratio of 15:1, Australians and New Zealanders always nominate the above ‘soft core’ qualities over power, intelligence, skill and ability. Good looks and fine clothes hardly rate a mention. References to wealth are almost negligible.
> Hero Survey

Australians and New Zealanders respond instantly when their character is encouraged and appreciated because it is so natural; so close to home, so fundamental. They tell us they are starving for it.

Reason Four: It is important to focus on character because it has lost so much ground to the proficiency trend in the 90’s.
In spite of the fact that character is the source of so much success (yet so much grief), it is alarming that less than .003% of job vacancy advertising is given over to character requirements*

Example: Of 250 advertisements in the Sydney Morning Herald 21 July 2004, there were only 25 jobs that apparently required character qualities. Even those character qualities were drawn from a feeble lexicon of HR jingoisms; ‘self starter’, ‘reliable’, ‘self motivated’, ‘can do attitude’ and ‘team player’ (none of which were valued by anyone in our surveys).

* 100 words per ad on average, 25,000 words, 75 character qualities mentioned in total = .003%

These statistics are repeatable for ‘The Press’ New Zealand, The Adelaide Advertiser, the Weekend Australian, the Melbourne Age and so on.

Reason Five: It is important to focus on character because it shows up on your bottom line

With more honesty there will be less tardiness and absenteeism
With more care there will be less waste and damage.
With more compassion there will be less stress and disharmony
With more self control there will be less accidents and theft
With more generosity there will be less siloing and isolation
With more loyalty there will be less team turnover and territorialism

Calculate the effect on your bottom line of any of these and see if the investment in Character Works is not paltry by comparison.

© 2004 Colin Pearce