The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity by Robert L. Caslen Jr.

 

The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity by Robert L. Caslen Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If this is not the best leadership book I have ever read than it is very near the top. Both authors are from West Point and apply many principles from that school. Lt. General Robert L. Caslen, Jr. (Ret) was the 59th Superintendent of West Point and Dr. Michael D. Matthews the professor of Psychology at West Point. It was very hard to get quotes from the book, because the authors explained things in detail and even suggested ways to make improvement in one's company and in one's on life. I HIGHLY recommend this book for everyone. I hope the quotes below will strengthen your leadership. The very last "quote" which is an example of a creed somewhat sums up the book. 

I am aware that a man of real merit is never seen in so favorable a light as seen through the medium of adversity. The clouds that surround him are shades that set off his good qualities. ~Alexander Hamilton

A study of more than 12,000 adults in the United States and Germany revealed that the character strengths of love, hope, curiosity, zest, and (particularly) gratitude were linked to high life satisfaction. ~Caslen, Matthews

Seligman and Peterson classify 24 character strengths into six overarching categories called moral virtues. These six moral virtues, with their associated character strengths, are:

• wisdom and knowledge (creativity, curiosity, open mindedness, love of learning, perspective)

• courage (bravery, persistence, integrity, zest)

• justice (teamwork, fairness, leadership)

• humanity (capacity to the love, kindness, social intelligence) 

• temperance (forgiveness, humility, prudence, self- regulation)

• transcendence (appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope/optimism, humor, spirituality).

We each have a unique profile of character strengths. This helps define who we are as individuals.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, that he who conquers that fear. ~Nelson Mandela

Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish. ~Anne Bradstreet

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking promotes profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~Lao-Tzu

One of the most powerful strengths of the heart is the capacity to give and receive thanks in life. The greatest thing about gratitude is that practicing it may bring greater positive benefits for you than it does for the recipient of thanks. ~Caslen, Matthews

I came to believe that a leader isn't good because they are right; they're good because they're willing to learn and to trust. ~ Stanley McChrystal

Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day. ~ Francis Hesselbein, former CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA

Patrick Sweeney, retired from the army and now the director of Wake Forest universities allegiances Center for leadership and character, created a conceptual model that captures how high- performing organizations maintain excellence in the face of purple personal turbulence and curator failures. The individual- relationship- organization- contacts (I Roc) model describes the complex relationships are nine organizations, individuals, and the context in which they operate, and how these relationships influence trust and sustain high performance. The following chart summarizes the IR OC model.

INDIVIDUAL CREDIBILITY

• Competence

• Character

• Caring

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

• Respect and concern

• Open communications

• Cooperative interdependence

• Trust and empower others

ORGANIZATION SETS THE CLIMATE

• Shared values, beliefs, norms, and goals (culture)

• Structure, practices, policies, and procedures

CONTACTS INFLUENCES ALL

• Dependencies and needs

• Organizational systems

In determining “the right people,” the good-to-great companies place greater weight on character attributes then on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience. ~ Jim Collins

Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character. ~Heracleitus

That which does not kill us only makes us stronger. ~ Frederick Nitschke

Outcomes of adversity:

• Resilience-this occurs when, following a period of adversity, a person's adjustment returns to baseline.

• Disorder-this occurs when adversity results in a negative change in adjustment, and the individual does not recover over time.

• Invulnerability-this occurs when the person endures the adverse event with no apparent change.

• Growth-this occurs when a person becomes stronger emotionally, builds better social relationships, or develops stronger character strengths as a result of a challenging experience. ~Caslen, Matthews

And ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Organizational hazards to character:

1. Consumer need and suitability are not guiding product lifestyle practices. In simple terms this means that organizations that place sales over actual customer needs are prone to misconduct. The university that is more concerned with new buildings or winning sports championships than with the education of the students is an example.

2. Failing to have a balanced scorecard for your human resource decisions. This means that important personnel decisions that are driven by short-term or narrow performance indicators result in misconduct.

3. Individuals and leadership are not responsible or held to account for misconduct.

4. Failing to identify and manage conflicts of interest. There must be outside checks and balances to guard against misconduct.

5. Complex, disconnected, or growth-at-all-cost business models. Complexity breeds confusion, which can be followed by a focus on the wrong goals and objectives. A bigger is better philosophy enables focusing on short term gains, achieved at any cost including compromise of character, over long term success.

6. Manual and complicated processes and procedures. Making the job too hard leads to shortcuts. Excessive bureaucracy causes people to take shortcuts that may compromise their ethics.

7. Weak systems for monitoring and surveillance. Leaders must ensure that fair and objective systems are in place to track adherence to ethical guidelines. Failure to do so allows the perception that unethical actions will go undetected and unpunished.

8. Disparate subcultures or a problematic prevailing culture. Organizations may foster positive character, such as Johnson and Johnson, or allow unprincipled behavior to be the norm, such as the Army rugby team. Leaders must take positive and constant action to establish and maintain a positive organizational climate. This may be the most important thing a leader does. Such a strong and positive culture may migrate against other risk factors in the Character Risk Model. ~ An article by the Deloitte Center for Regulatory Strategy

Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It's about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing people, and heart. Winning is the result. ~Joe Torre 

An example of a personal creed taken from Johnson and Johnson's credo and the creed of the West Point Corps of Cadets:

As a leader of our organization, I am first committed to our clients and customers, to provide them with a high- quality, reasonably priced product that is safe and secure, and that is the best in the market.

My next responsibility is to our employees, who work with us throughout our entire organization. All are valued members, who will work in a safe and secure environment and will find fulfillment in their jobs. I will ensure their work environment is supportive to their imagination, creativity, innovation, and growth. I will empower and develop them to the limits of their potential, ensure that they have great opportunities for advancement and satisfaction, and ensure their compensation is competitive with the best in the nation. I'm committed to their development as lifelong employees and future leaders of our organization.

My organization is emboldened by the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal moral courage. These are the values that are embraced and that drive everything I do, both with my organization and in my life. I am a man or woman of great integrity, who will live a private life with the same values I will live in my public life. I will live these values not only at work, but also at home and in everything I do.

I am responsible to be a strong partner with my community, supporting my local government and my local organizations, and ensuring that I am a good citizen who supports good works, and charities, and my fair share of taxes. I will be a good steward of the environment I am privileged to use. 

I will serve our clients and our customers, maintaining the honor of our organization, living above the common level of life, having the courage to choose the harder right over the easier wrong. I will live both my public life and my private life with honor and integrity.

I am a member of an organization of excellence and will pursue excellence in our product, and our customers, and our employees, and in all we do.

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