Organizational Character Development – Leadership and Culture Change

Introduction

Let’s cut to the core of the work of leadership consultants, executive coaches, and Organization Development (OD) practitioners and call it what it really is – character development. Whether it is leadership development, teambuilding, or culture change activities, the ultimate aim is to help clients identify, discuss, and change behavior – the last thing that any of us really want to do. Most of us seem okay with proverbial water cooler talk about someone else’s behavior, but when it comes to examining our own behavior and how we might be more effective “leaders” and “team players,” it is very uncomfortable. The tendency is to run away as fast as we can, or to deny and rationalize what we do and why we do it.

Unless executives, business leaders, and managers are willing to take a hard look at how they contribute to the current level of organizational performance and state of the culture, then they should save the time and money they “invest in people programs” and just keep doing what they do. Nothing will change until senior managers realize that the only way we can change or “motivate” others, whether it’s our employees or our kids, is to change our own behavior to have a different affect on them. Period.

Character Development

Character is often defined as “what you do when no one else is watching.” That’s part of it, but whether in our schools or our organizations, it is more complicated than that.

Think about character development programs in our schools that attempt to reduce bullying and prevent violence, and increase inclusion, respect, trust, communication, and teamwork. There is a very close parallel between culture change in our schools and in organizations of all kinds. While noble in their purpose, the problem with these efforts is the same – we can’t “fix” anybody! Managers can’t fix employees, and school administrators, teachers, coaches, and even parents can’t fix kids.

The underlying premise is fundamentally flawed that the problem is with “them” (e.g., our employees “don’t care” or kids “these days”), and the challenge is the same in our organizations and in our schools when it comes to bringing about meaningful and positive change that will improve performance and the bottom line.

A Different Starting Point

However, if we start with the assumption that we are all part of the problem – managers, employees, school officials, kids, and even consultants, maybe we can make some progress toward improving school and organizational climate. The goal is the same = to bring about meaningful, lasting, and fundamental change in how people are treated and how we interact (i.e., “culture change”) to improve individual and organizational performance, however it is measured. We are all part of the problem, so we are all part of the solution. I believe that leaders in any context reap what they sow, and if they want to find someone to blame they need not look any further than the mirror.

Now, I’m no angel, and practicing what I preach is hard, too (just ask my wife!), but I approach my consulting work with the attitude that I have just as much to learn as I have to offer. I can’t fix you or your organization, but together I think we can figure out how to improve quality, safety, productivity, teamwork, and customer satisfaction through targeted reflection, self-assessment, and strategic planning.

School Violence Prevention

After the horrific Columbine massacre in April 1999, many school systems embarked on bullying prevention initiatives, and a variety of character development programs have ensued ever since. In September 1999, just five months after Columbine, renowned author Dr. James Garbarino of Loyola University Chicago (former Co-Director of Cornell’s Family Life Development Center) came to speak at our school just before the release of his 2000 book, Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. He had a profound impact on me that spurred my interest and involvement in bullying prevention, and reinforced my views about organizational culture change.

As a part of my own research on the topic in 2000, especially as it pertained to youth sports programs, I met with Dr. Thomas Lickona at the SUNY Cortland School of Education to pick his brain. In 1994, he founded the Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs (Respect and Responsibility) at SUNY Cortland. In my research and volunteer work over the years as a youth coach, youth sports program administrator, and in the bullying prevention program at our school, it became clear to me that school administrators, teachers, parents, coaches, and all adults involved are a critical part of the equation.

During our conversation, I asked Dr. Lickona a very direct question, “How can adults who scream at little league referees and umpires develop character in our kids?” He was pleasantly surprised that I understood that we are all part of the problem, therefore, we must all be part of the solution! He agreed that they can’t, and acknowledged that real change requires a willingness of adults to learn, change, and grow along with the students.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many great school principals, teachers, athletic directors, coaches, and parents out there, but there are also many, many kids, young adults, and student-athletes who can teach us adults a thing or two about character.

Core Values and Principles

As I pointed out in my blog post of March 30, 2017 on Mission and Vision, many organizations articulate their core values to help set expectations for how people should be treated and to guide behavior, such as the typical basic standards of “respect, quality, inclusion, and teamwork.”

Since my early days of involvement with youth sports when my kids were young, I have always had a special appreciation for the CharacterCounts! Coalition and its founder, Michael Josephson, of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. CharacterCounts Coalition’s “Pursuing Victory with Honor” sports program is based on Six Pillars of Character that closely resemble many organizations’ core values statements.

The Six Pillars are:

The Six Pillars of Character are universal in sports, schools, and our organizations, and provide a more detailed and useful definition than merely "what you do when no one else is watching.”

Culture Change

So, what can we do to change the culture in our organizations and in our schools? Get better at getting better. Programs and slogans are not enough. Everyone in positions of authority in our schools, communities, and organizations must find a different way to engage stakeholders in the process of change and improvement, and look inward for solutions to these plaguing issues that never seem to go away.

All we can really do is learn and grow together. It is a long-term, never-ending commitment. As long as we continue to seek simple solutions to complex problems in our schools and organizations, we will get the same results – mixed at best. Nobody else can fix it for you.

My advice… stop trying to fix people, and find a trustworthy Organization Development consultant who will challenge you and help you stay off the primrose path to culture change. Good luck!

#CharacterDevelopment #LeadershipDevelopment #CultureChange