Join Jeff Van Fleet, Lighthouse’s President and CEO, as he delves into what makes “character” such a defining characteristic in our personal lives, in the workplace, and in our relationships.
| The concept of “character” can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as empathy, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits. I think of people with character as upstanding, trustworthy, and genuine — people you can count on |
Each month I have the opportunity to write down my thoughts about something that’s happening in my life. I really hope they resonate with you, and I thank you for reading, listening, and offering your ideas and suggestions.
Today I’d like to talk about character. Wikipedia says that moral character is an evaluation of a particular individual’s stable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as empathy, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits. I think of people with character as upstanding, trustworthy, and genuine — people you can count on. These are attributes that I continually strive for and that I encourage in our employees.
Empathy is your capacity or more likely your willingness to feel for another. It’s about putting yourself in their shoes and recognizing that sometimes people have things going on that you don’t know about. Letting people know that you care means opening up and trusting them. Expressing your feelings and sharing with others isn’t always easy, but it’s OK to do that in the work environment and it will really help you connect with your team. It lets them know that you honestly care.
That brings us to Honesty. You can’t fake your feelings because people can see right through that. You have to be “real”, and be willing to talk about the good and the bad. If someone’s not performing well, it’s often a hard conversation to have, but if you ask them what’s going on and talk about how it’s affecting their performance, and if you really listen to them (and look them in the eyes), then you will connect and make real progress. This won’t just improve their performance; it also builds loyalty.
Loyalty means giving folks a chance. It doesn’t mean that you have to be blindly loyal, but it does mean that if you want loyalty from your team, you need to set the example and demonstrate it to them first. Be the leader. When you have a new position to fill or a new project opens up, go to your existing team first. By giving them the opportunity to step up into the new role, your employees will see your commitment to them — which reinforces their own commitment to you.
As a leader, it’s your responsibility to pay attention to the employees who show signs of wanting to grow and who have the Courage to step into the unknown and take on risk and uncertainty. Be sure to support them as they do so, and encourage them to drive things forward, promptly report issues, and complete projects. These are the people with the Fortitude and gumption to gut things out and do what they need to deliver.
As you can see, all of these “character” traits are connected together. Look at yourself and look at your teammates and encourage them to build character. By doing so, you will build a team that counts on each other, trusts each other, and enjoys working together. You will accomplish whatever you put your minds to — and you will have more fun than you ever thought possible.
I’d love to hear from you on this topic and hear how you encourage character in your teams. I hope you have a great month!
Keep having fun,
Jeff Van Fleet
President and CEO
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
