Understanding Character: Building Trust Part 1
Leadership...Finding Your Own Superpower
Character and Trust are intertwined. To be a person of high character is not simply acting like a person of high character, it is to be of high character and trustworthy!
How do you know if you are a person of high character? If you are a person of high character, you are honest and almost always place the well-being of others ahead of yourself.
I want you to reflect on the people in your life that you consider a person of high character. Consider what behaviors they specifically and consistently show that sends that message to you.
“The Six Pillars of Character” below have been officially recognized and endorsed by the U.S. Senate and The President of the United States since 1995. These core ethical values come from the foundation of Character Counts, a youth-ethics initiative. These values also relate to the workplace and will later interlace with our look at trust.
Trustworthiness
Be honest. Don’t deceive, cheat or steal.
Be dependable, do what you say you’ll do.
Have the courage to do the right thing.
Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country.
Respect
Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule.
Be tolerant of differences.
Use good manners, not bad language.
Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten.
Responsibility
Do what you are supposed to do.
Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best.
Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences.
Be accountable for your choices.
Fairness
Play by the rules.
Be open-minded; listen to others.
Don’t take advantage of others.
Don’t blame others carelessly.
Caring
Be compassionate and show you care.
Express gratitude.
Forgive others.
Help people in need.
Citizenship
Do your share to make your community better.
Stay informed, Vote.
Be a good neighbor.
Obey laws and rules.
Respect authority.
Protect the environment.
In a leadership training class I attended, the trainer asked the class to raise their hands if they thought that they were a person of high character. Nearly every hand went up. She asked if we knew about the “shopping cart character test?” A couple of people raised their hands, but most did not. She reminded us that a person of good character usually thinks of others first, before they think of themselves. She then asked, “What do you do with the cart AFTER you have loaded your purchases into your car?”
-If you take your cart to the cart corral, that shows that you are thinking of others and are probably a person of high character. In the cart corral, the cart is confined, less apt to be stolen, less apt to roll into another car, and less apt to block another parking space. It's also easier for the store employee to retrieve it and keep it available for other customers.
-If you roll it into the landscaping or leave it blocking spaces where it can roll free and possibly into other cars, causing damage, you are most likely NOT thinking of others.
Did you know that cart loss, damage, and the time to manage & execute cart
collections are expenses that contribute to retailer operating costs. Those
expenses are recovered through raising the cost of the products we buy.
Since that class, I always take my cart to the cart corral, rain or shine. What do you do with your shopping cart?
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