This document discusses building and sustaining a character-based culture. It provides an overview of developing a character-based business culture and how to build character. Some key points include: - Developing a character-based business culture through training managers, using character guides to praise employees, and holding monthly character training sessions. - Building character by introducing a new character quality each month for employees to focus on and providing character development resources. - The importance of making the decision that character is important in the workplace, families, education, and communities.

1. BUILDING AND SUSTAINING A
CHARACTER-BASED CULTURE IN
OUR WORKPLACE, FAMILIES,
EDUCATION
AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
Mario Denton PhD
Let's network. Tel (w) + 27(0) 82 88 29903.
E-mail address: marden@mweb.co.za
Website: www.strongmessage.co.za
www.characterfirst.co.za

3. Overview Session Two
Developing a Character based
Business Culture.
How to build Character?

4. Character First Breakfast session – Spectacle World

5. Character First at George Hospital

6. Character First - Nigeria

7. City Of Cape Town: Water and Sanitation

8. Character First in Ghana

9. Metropolitan Namibia

10. Pocke
t
Guide
Available Resource

11. Mario’s research interest on Spiritual
dis-ease(s)
1. Career stagnation and lack of meaning
2. Hostile work environments
3. Scarcity mentality/ Materialism
4. Compulsive thinking/irrational paradigms
5. Frustration and hopelessness
6. Depleted workplace immune systems
7. Disconnected from others in the work
8. Relationship problems

12. Overall people change approach
CREATE PICTURE THE EXPLAIN THE EXPLAIN THE READINESS
DISCOMFORT FUTURE BENEFITS JOURNEY ASSESSMENT
Drivers End state Business case Road map Survey
Gaps Architecture Diagnosis
Threat
AWARENESS PHASE
EXPLAIN ‘SNIGGER’ CREATE PREPARE FOR IMPLEMENT
CHANGE PLAN TESTING EXPECTATIONS REALITY REALITY
Learning new
Release plans Exposure to Comm. pilot People
skills/knowled
Object plans prototype site results Systems
ge-ge/attitude
Change plans Celebrate Infrastructure
successes
TRANSFORMATION PHASE
RETRAINING REWARDS
MEASURE SUCCESS DEPLOYMENT PROBLEM SOLVING RECOGNITION
KPI’S Remedial Small teams Rewards
Feedback Recognition
PA
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PHASE

13. Visible Challenges Poor Attendance
Low Productivity
Low Productivity Alcoholism/Drug Abuse
Disorganization Own Agenda Poor Quality
Negligence Avoidable Accidents
Anger/Bitterness
Stealing Personal Problems
Resistance
Restlessness Covetousness
Tardiness Distraction
Rejection
Inconsistency
Inconsistency Self-indulgence
Deception
Carelessness
Unreliability
Root Causes

14. What is
CHARACTER?
The American Dictionary of the
English Language defines
character as “the stable and
distinctive qualities built into an
individual’s life which determine
his response regardless of
circumstances.”

15. CHARACTER FIRST!
®
Character Qualities
•Alertness •Diligence •Hospitality •Resourcefulness
•Attentiveness •Discernment •Humility •Responsibility
•Availability •Discretion •Initiative •Security
•Benevolence •Endurance •Joyfulness •Self-control
•Boldness •Enthusiasm •Justice •Sensitivity
•Cautiousness •Faith •Loyalty •Sincerity
•Compassion •Flexibility •Meekness •Thoroughness
•Contentment •Forgiveness •Obedience •Thriftiness
•Creativity •Generosity •Orderliness •Tolerance
•Decisiveness •Gentleness •Patience •Truthfulness
•Deference •Gratefulness •Persuasiveness •Virtue
•Dependability •Honor •Punctuality •Wisdom
•Determination
The Definition of Character

16. The CHARACTER
FIRST! Bulletin
®
series is a monthly
periodical designed to
aid those desiring to
build character in their
organisation or home.

17. Bulletins
The CHARACTER
FIRST! Bulletin
®
series is a monthly
periodical designed
to aid those desiring
to build character in
their organisation or
home.

18. Typical graph of forgetting.
100
70
55
50
% 40
30
20
15
10
0
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7

19. Reinforcing Learning through value added coaching
100
% remember
50 30 mins. 10 mins 5 mins
revision revision revision
without revision
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Days after conference learning
Typical graph of forgetting

20. How do people learn?….
100 95
80
70
50
50
%
30
20
10
0
Read Hear See Hear & See Discuss Experience Teach
Source: Mario Denton

21. Sample Worksheet and Certificate
next
Page 21

22. Energy givers, Energy
takers and Energy Wasters

23. Energy-Giver Energy-Waster Energy-Taker
Smiles at everyone Smiles at friends Does not smile
Enthusiastic
_________________; Complacent; Negative
_________________;
fervent in duties lacks initiative murmurs / whispers
Praises and Listens to gossip, Criticizes others;
encourages, does _____________;
nothing attacks the person,
good
looks for __________; takes up offenses not the actions
deflects praise
Looks for ways to Waits to be served; Serves self;
serve
___________ others avoids
___________ work reacts
___________ to work
Does more than Does only what Does less than
is required required
is __________ required
is __________
Grateful; expresses Presumptuous; takes Expecting;
thanks
__________ for granted ____________
unthankful

24. Energy-Giver Energy-Waster Energy-Taker
Grateful, expresses Presumptuous; takes Expecting;
thanks
__________ for granted ____________
unthankful
Learns and applies Learns, but does Does not learn;
life
to __________ nothing
_____________ rejects teaching
Resolves
___________ grudges
Holds ___________ Looks
_______ for revenge
conflicts
Generous Spends
___________ extra Squanders
___________ or
with resources resources on self hoards resources
humor
Enjoys __________ Enjoys silliness Enjoys foolishness
__________
bright eyes
Possesses ____________ Possesses sly eyes
__________ Possessesdark eyes
__________

25. Encouragement
 This ten-year study of
200,000 people found
dramatic business
results when managers
gave constructive praise
and meaningful rewards
in ways that motivated
employees to excel.

26. What Supervisors Think
Employees Want
1. Wages 6. Employer loyalty
2. Job security 7. Tactful discipline
3. Promotion 8. Appreciation
4. Working 9. Sympathy for
conditions personal problems
5. Interesting work 10. Being “in” on
things

27. What Employees Want
1. Appreciation 6. Interesting work
2. Being “in” on 7. Promotions
things 8. Employer loyalty
3. Sympathy for 9. Working
personal problems conditions
4. Job security 10. Tactful discipline
5. Wages
Survey conducted by Glenn Tobe & Associates

28. The “Ethics Check” Questions
1. Is it legal?
Will I be violating either civil law or company policy?
2. Is it balanced?
Is it fair to all concerned in the short term as well as
the long term?
Does it promote win-win relationships?
•How will it make me feel about myself?
Would I feel good if my decision was published in the
newspaper?
Would I feel good if my family knew about it?

29. CHARACTER -BASED TEAM
DEVELOPMENT
 What are the skills, gifts, talents, competence
and character you bring to the team?
 What is stopping your team from
delivering peak performance, and why?
 What are the conflict areas you believe,
that if the team could only talk through
these conflict areas, would improve peak
performance?

30. TEAM HEARTBEAT
QUESTIONS
If there were any message you would
like to give to this team, what would
it be?
Our blue ocean team strategies: What
do we need, as a team to Eliminate,
Reduce, Create and Raise:

31. 360 DEGREES CHARACTER
CONVERSATIONS
As a manager to the rest of your
team:
What would you do if you were in my
position?
What is stopping you from delivering
your peak performance?

32. What is GOLDEN about your
team?
What do your team do well, what
character makes them stand out and
what are the team known for?
What are your team assets? What
are your advantages/credentials?
What experience do the team have?

33. RUSTY
 What looks a bit RUSTY inside your team
in terms of way of doing things?
 Where are the team not focused right
now? Where are they loosing your edge?
 What do the team need?
 What can the team do better? What is
done badly? What could be improved?

34. RED ALERTS
 Where are the RED ALERTS in your team
right now?
 Where are the team vulnerable? What
problems are the team currently having
that may develop into crises?
 What current opportunities may soon
disappear and never come the teams way
again?
 Where are you “under pressure”?
 What obstacles do you face in the team?

35. BLUE SKY
Where is the BLUE SKY and
opportunities in your team?
What new needs of the people could
the team meet?
Are there opportunities to cooperate
with other like minded people? What
could be developed?

36. Make the decision—Character
is important!
 Start training managers and supervisors
 Use the Character Determines Success pocket guide to
help you praise others for character.
 Initiate monthly character training sessions. Establish a
consistent time for public character
recognition each month.
 Introduce the new character quality for the
next month.
 Require all employees to attend. Provide a CHARACTER
FIRST!® Bulletin for each person in the organisation as
a resource for character development.
 Encourage each person to take the
bulletin home.

37. Make a
difference
wherever
you go?
Be significant –
stand out.
Mario Denton