| So, you may be interested in knowing what happened after June’s blog focusing on good character in the workplace was released. Link to June blog. An online newspaper – Newmarket Today, published it as an opinion piece on their front page – so there were more reactions than I typically receive. There were some very interesting comments that I have been thinking about these last few weeks. Summary of The Comments. The majority of feedback was positive and congratulated me on speaking up regarding the importance of good character and specifically the importance of talking about how we treat and want to treat, each other Two people reacted to the Blog title and berated me without reading the content Two people unsubscribed from my blog as “the content was not relevant to the workplace” One person started the email by insulting me and finished by insulting our former Governor General Several people focused on whether the Right Honourable David Johnston should have been chosen for the role, even though the point of the blog was the importance of being intentional regarding how we treat each other in moments of disagreement. What to make of this? Questions that arose for me. Should we never speak up as there is a risk of misunderstandings? Should we just keep silent because there are people who are ready to judge and attack? Should we let the loudest, most aggressive voices dominate the conversation? Does the “online option” provide a venue for angry people, particularly when the attack is from an anonymous source? Do many people only read a snippet vs. all of the content? Are we overwhelmed with all the information available? Should we ignore bad behaviour because it is safer for us? Have the last few challenging years of pandemic, financial pressure, societal exposure and political upheaval tapped into anger that already existed or simply generated more rage? Has incivility become “normal”? Is it taboo to talk about character? So what does this mean for the workplace? My thoughts always turn to the workplace as my clients struggle with the same issues, although often in different ways. We know that character counts as character drives behaviour. We know that we want to work in healthy, civil workplaces. It is better for our health, our organizations and our society. (If anyone wants to read the research that supports this information, let me know.) Actions that leaders can take. Whenever possible, stop using texting/emailing/messaging etc. and talk directly to your people. One-on-One, in-person conversations with your direct reports are a powerful tool in developing mutual understanding and building trust. Questions you can potentially ask; a. How comfortable do you feel in speaking up when you see something that could be improved or requires attention? b. What is the most effective way of providing information to you? c. What voice(s) overpower your point of view? d. How are we doing at gathering different points of view in a constructive way? e. Do you feel respected? f. What can we do to create more civility and respect? g. When we talk about character, we talk about intention, thoughts, feelings and ultimately behaviour. How comfortable are you with this discussion? Asking questions such as this require leaders to listen openly and non-defensively to the answers. Click here for our “listening tool” that may be useful to you. Upcoming blogs The next blog will focus on how to respond when people have a surprising perspective, and/or inaccurate information. Have a good month and I look forward to sharing the reaction to this blog. Kindly pass on to others who may find it useful. Much appreciated,  Kathleen Redmond MA, MCC kr@centreforcharacterleadership.com 905.478.7962 If we can be of any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out at my email above.  Visit our website |
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