Issue # 2 Spring 2011
Competency, Commitment and the third “C” of Leadership: Character
by Allan Hoyle
Recently, I have been exploring the literature on leadership and what it takes to be an effective leader today. A rather
significant industry has developed in the last two decades that researches leadership. The literature converges on the need
for a skill set that is essential, combined with significant knowledge about the organization and what authors have called
‘effective emotional intelligence’. Just what is ‘effective emotional intelligence? It is a euphemism for being able to relate to
a wide range of people and to get along with them in the hustle and bustle of everyday work life.
In a seminal study, author Jim Collins examined the top performing companies over decades in his book Good to Great. Three
things stick out in my mind from that book. First, all leaders at these companies had a ‘hedgehog’ concept; this was their
vision, their belief about the company, and their integrity at the very least. It was the one thing that when all else failed, no
one could touch. Second, it was always essential that the leader get the right people on the metaphorical ‘organizational
bus’. Third, the leader had to make sure that those same people were also in the right seats on that bus. This is gripping stuff
that feeds the idea of leadership in successful situations.
Skills and competencies can be used or misused as history attests. Skills and competencies as well as commitment are not
enough. Many strong leaders have had these, and have not led in a direction that helped others grow in respect, empathy,
responsibility or the many other attributes that create community and understanding. The partnership between competence,
or skill, and commitment, has to be deeply connected to the third ‘C’: Character. In their recent study of what caused the
recession that the world has just been through, Ivey Business researchers found that character – or its lack – played a big role.
This is no surprise to those of us who see good character as foundational. Indeed, it is this holistic triumvirate of
commitment, competence and character that makes leaders great. Recent literature supports the hugely significant
importance of character in leadership. The next question is how to make this understanding an operational norm moving
forward, and to ensure that everyone plays a part as character is embedded in healthy, effective leaders.
“Leading with Character”
Breakfast session
with
Gerard Seijts of
the
Richard Ivey
School of Business
Angus Glen GC- Feb 3, 2011
Compassion, Courage, Fairness, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Initiative, Integrity, Optimism, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibilit y
Noteworthy Articles Gleaned from other Character Sources We Monitor
L I V E
A PROMISE I S A PROMISE
Michael Josephson Commentary
I've been doing these commentaries for almost 14 years, so they chronicle the lives of my four daughters. Feeling wistful
watching Samara, my eldest, applying to colleges, I recalled a story I told about her when she was only five.
She saw me packed to leave on an overnight trip, and she pleaded, "Please don't go, Daddy." I told her I had to go, and she
threw a tantrum. When she calmed down, she took a new tack: "Then take me with you." When that didn’t work, she made
her final offer: "Then promise to wear the tie I made you."
To find out what happens next, CLICK HERE!
L E A R N
COURTESY IS KINDNESS IN ACTION
Michael Josephson Commentary
As a society we have become almost obsessed with identifying and asserting our rights – to think, say, and do what we want.
That's not surprising, given the history of our country and the prominent role the Constitution and Bill of Rights have played
in shaping our culture.
We have a right to be unkind, thoughtless, and disrespectful – but it isn't right. Ralph Waldo Emerson pointed out, "Life is
short but there is always time for courtesy."
To read more from this article, CLICK HERE!
W O R K
WHEN LEADING OTHERS, WHAT WORKS FOR YOU?
The Charmm’d Foundation
Being a leader doesn’t mean we always know the right way to do everything every time. Leadership is a position of authority
that affords us the opportunity to make decisions on what we feel is best for our team or our situation. This means a fair
amount of trial and error. What ends up working for some, may not work for everyone. Often times, what works for us in
one situation may not work in the next. How are we effectively communicating to our team members, coworkers, family or
peers? What are we doing to attribute to the success of our mission/objectives?
To read more from this article, CLICK HERE!
P L A Y
IF YOU LOVE COMPETITION, YOU NEVER LOS E
Michael Josephson Commentary
Suppose you're an Olympic athlete and you hear that the only person who has a chance to beat you is ill and may have to
withdraw. Are you overjoyed at your good luck or disappointed that you will not be able to compete against the very best?
If you really love and understand sports, you ought to be disappointed. John Naber, winner of four gold medals in swimming,
says that a true sportsman wants to compete against his best competitor on his best day. Yes, that makes winning more
difficult and less likely, but it also makes the event more exciting and a victory more meaningful. Being declared the winner is
not real victory; being the best is.
To read more from this article, CLICK HERE!
Compassion, Courage, Fairness, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Initiative, Integrity, Optimism, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility
Michael Josephson
Here's a riddle: You can hardly ever find it anymore. Especially in
politics or business. Lots of schools don't teach it anymore. We
want more of it in our children and in all the adults who interact
with them. We want it from our bosses and the people who fix
our cars. Fortunately, most of us believe we have plenty of it.
What I'm talking about is character. Or, more precisely, good
character.
Character is the sum total of our dispositions, attitudes, and habits. So everyone,
from Jared Loughner to the late Mother Teresa, has a character. But not everyone
has character.
Don't confuse character with reputation. Abraham Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree
and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real
thing.” Some people spend too much time worrying about the shadow and too little about
the tree. Reputation is fragile; character endures.
Good character is ethics in action; it’s the ability to summon the moral strength to do the
right thing even when it may cost more than we want to pay.
People of character do the right thing even if no one is looking; they live up to their values
even when there is no advantage to do so.
Finally, no one is born with good character. It's something we all have to build and protect
day by day, decision by decision.
The good news: It's worth the work because character counts!
Something to Think about.....
TWELVE WAYS LEADERS TELL THEIR PEOPLE THEY ARE IMPORANT
This article is worth reading and printing
Leaders know the old saying, “How you act shouts so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying” is the truth. They use it to their
advantage.
Leaders know that the greatest sense of accomplishment and importance often comes from non-monetary rewards, and from
positive recognition from the person who is the boss. And they know they can do it without “breaking the rules” or incurring big
expenses.
To read more from this article including the 12 ways leaders can let their people know how important they are, click here
Compassion, Courage, Fairness, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Initiative, Integrity, Optimism, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility
2011 CHARACTER AWARDS CELEBRATION
Congratulations to our 2011 Character Award Winners
Citizens of Character
Elementary - Gavin Bailey (Aurora)
Secondary - Michael Cheung (Markham)
Adult - Mel Thompson (Richmond Hill)
Senior - Joan and Jim Doble (Whitchurch-Stoufffville)
School of Character
York Region District School Board
R.L. Graham Public School (Keswick)
Citizens of Character - Elementary
York Region Catholic District School Board
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School (Sharon)
School of Character - Alternative Educational Institutions
Pickering College (Newmarket)
Educator of Character - Donna Hackett (Vaughan)
Business Person of Character - Michael Cameron (Newmarket)
Organization of Character - York Region Critical Incident Stress Team (Sharon)
Citizens of Courage
Character Through the Arts - York Regional Police Male Chorus (Newmarket)
Character Through Sports - Paul Oddi (Aurora)
Character Hero - Sergeant Rob Cullen-#456 and Constable Sean Boyes- #603
(Newmarket)
Citizens of Courage - Heather White (Aurora)
Change our World - Environmental - Melody Ho (Markham)
Change our World - Community - Philip Aziz Centre Youth Advisor Council
(Aurora)
Citizens of Character - Adult
Rogers TV presents coverage of the 5th Annual York Region Character Community Awards Celebration on Monday, May 23 at 7pm with
repeat presentations on Wednesday, May 25 at 10pm and Saturday, May 28 at 2pm on Rogers TV, Cable 10/63.
Rogers TV serves the Regional Municipality of York. Rogers Cable 10 serves Newmarket, Aurora, Georgina, East Gwillimbury and Bradford
West Gwillimbury. Rogers Cable 63 serves Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, and King.
To read more on the winners visit the Character Community website at:
website www.charactercommunity.com
The Lunch Thief
You might want to consider reading The Lunch Thief, written by Anne C. Bromley and beautifully
illustrated by Robert Casilla, aloud or together. Here’s a simple synopsis: Rafael is a pitcher for his
school team, and his second favourite thing to do is eat. Today he’s really hungry because someone
stole his lunch; so hungry, in fact, that he could “eat the crumbs the seagulls left behind.” Rafael
saw Kevin, the new kid, sneak his lunch bag from underneath his desk and tuck it in his backpack.
He wants to confront the theft but doesn’t want to pick a fight. Inspired by his mother’s advice
to use his mouth instead of his fists, Rafael bides his time until other lunches disappear as well.
Rafael finds out that Kevin is from a nearby town that was ravaged by recent wildfires. When Rafael
sees Kevin carrying a bundle of laundry into a motel room, he realizes Kevin’s family might be one of the
families who lost their homes. The next day, Rafael invites Kevin to share his lunch, subtly stopping the stealing and
replacing it with friendship and a good meal.
It offers food for thought and discussion both in schools and in families. Topics can cover: sensitivity, friendship, and conflict
resolution, character values, hunger and /or homelessness. It can lead to actions such as supporting the local food bank or
families in need.
Adapted from: charactercounts.org
Think About It: A Character Response to our Global Community
Contributed by Jan Kielven
It doesn’t take statistics, charts and graphs to tell us here in York Region that we are a highly diverse population; our daily
interactions and our local media are infused with the richness of the many cultures that make up our region. In a larger
sphere, we are a part of a province and country that is becoming more multi-cultural in a time when communications and
technology have made transparent the walls between even global communities.
How do we respond as an organization to these new levels of understanding of each other? There was a time a few decades
ago when we went to the experts on a particular culture to find that understanding. That is no longer a viable solution. We
would spend far too much time on listening to experts to have time to value this diversity. What we can do is to take
responsibility for learning a little more about the history, culture, language, background of the individuals we interact with.
They are the experts, and it is their stories that can help us become ‘educated’ about who we are as a community.
It means being open to seeing the world through different eyes – empathy. It means taking the initiative to learn more about
each individual we meet. It means taking the responsibility for being inclusive in all that we do – from our choice of language,
to being aware who is invited into conversations and decision making, to how to help in a way that maintains the dignity of all
when help is needed.
This is no more true than when we see ourselves as an integral part of the wider global community. Who do we celebrate
with? How do we respond to, for example, catastrophic events such as Japan or ongoing needs such as the reduction of HIV/
Aids in Africa, or addressing the socio-economic disparities on our own region? Do we support locally? nationally?
internationally? There are good arguments for each of these. It takes character to respond with a helping hand to any need.
It also takes heart, and it is an individual choice.
What we can do, as an organization, is to encourage learning, sharing and giving. We can help to mobilize compassion and a
sense of responsibility in individuals in whatever direction the individual chooses it to flow. Character is not political at its
core; it builds ever stronger relationships and so, builds a community of character from out of its inclusive vision of a human
family.
Compassion, Courage, Fairness, Honesty, Inclusiveness, Initiative, Integrity, Optimism, Perseverance, Respect, Responsibilit y
York Region Launches Hospitality Website
The Regional Municipality of York recently launched the HospitalityFirst.ca website, an innovative website providing tools and
resources for business owners, current professionals and people interested in a career in the hospitality sector.
The site provides information on the hospitality industry including how to start your career and how to build your own
hospitality business. In addition, the site includes an interactive module on providing excellent customer service and information
on effective employee hiring and management for business owners. The Character Community Foundation of York Region
helped to craft the Character module that is part of the E-training program.
Over the next few years, hospitality professionals will be in high demand. In fact, by 2012, it is estimated that there will be a
labour shortage in this sector. The HospitalityFirst.ca website provides interested participants with the opportunity to enhance
their skills and provides information to those interested in pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.
For more information please visit www.hospitalityfirst.ca
Character in the news…
Articles from York Region.com courtesy of the Metroland Media Group
Students Salute Character
16 Recognized for Character
Click here to read this article
Click here to read this article!
It's all Good: Character,
morality more important than Careers
Click here to read this article!
East Gwillimbury revamps code of conduct
Click here to read this article!
Have something characteristic to say or would like a quote
added to our newsletter?
Please email us at [email protected]
The Character Community Foundation both organizes and
participates in public outreach activities throughout the year
including the annual Character Community Week held during
the last week of October.
 June 5, 2011 - Aurora Street Festival
 June 8, 2011 - 10th Anniversary AGM
 October 24 - 29, 2011 - Character Community Week
Executive Director: Karen Addison – [email protected]
Administrative Assistant: Nikki Gauci – [email protected]
Phone: 877.464.9675 x 1522 or 905.895.5155 ext. 126 Fax: 905.895.7480
The Character Community Foundation is a registered charitable organization. Donors are encouraged to give to the Character
Community Foundation of York Region by visiting www.charactercommunity.com Registered charity #88722 1406 RR0001
Character Community Foundation of York Region, 17250 Yonge Street, Newmarket, ON L3Y 6Z1
website www.charactercommunity.com