Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 12, 2016 16 EXECUTIVE SERIES RECRUITING FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS? O er positions to over 200,000 Members Highly targeted advertising Immediate matching resume database access FOR MORE INFORMATION, cpacanada.ca/CPASource TELEPHONE•416 204 3284•EMAIL•TGardiner@cpacanada.ca 14-126a_EN_CPAsource_fullpagead_9.625x7.indd 1 1/5/2016 3:24:31 PM Leader character in action Consider a few of the business scandals that have plagued our time: Wells Fargo, Volkswagen, the fi nancial crisis of 2008 — and consider the re- sulting horrifi c loss of shareholder value. How did these missteps happen? e communities served by these organizations (customers, con- sumers and citizens) judged these as scandals as much on lack of "good" character as lack of competence. Yet, good character continues to elude us as a capability by which we judge leaders. Gerard Seijts is on a mission to change that. He and his colleagues' research into character and leadership resulted in an evidence-based conclusion that good character is as impor- tant a part of eff ectiveness as com- petency and commitment (the traditional "skill and will"). Seijts calls upon us to "make sure we elevate the importance of leader character to the same level." What do we do with this in- sight? How do we, as citizens, consumers and human capital professionals, create a new gold standard of performance where hitting the financial goals and demonstrating good character be- come the measure of an eff ective leader? e means to do so must come from society, from our orga- nizations and from us. Societally, we need to advance the conversation by socializing the topic using, for example, Seijts' vo- cabulary of character dimensions. Collectively, we must make it explicit that strong fi nancial re- sults do not forgive bad character. Specifi cally, as shareholders, we must agree on the perspective that value be linked to higher pursuits than purely short-term fi nancial gains. is not only im- plies greater transparency, but also vigilance in order to hold to account the generators of this new gold standard. Organizationally, "values" can no longer be perceived as words on the wall of the reception area. e diverse drivers of culture must be explicit about how organiza- tional values intersect the values of shareholders and the communities served. Staff must be clear on the "non-negotiables" and the conse- quences of crossing the line. Individually, what can we as human capital professionals do to put leader character into ac- tion? We can integrate tools and processes that measure and de- velop character alongside com- petencies, meaning we provide objective feedback mechanisms for leaders to gain self-awareness, strengthen character dimensions and leadership accountability. But let us not fall into the trap of being the ethics police — the job of line managers who will do so using their own good charac- ter. Let us play the long game by bringing up character at every opportunity during recruitment, retention and development dis- cussions, and leading by example. Michael Clark is director of business development at Forrest & Company, an organizational transformation fi rm with 30 years of experience de- veloping capacity in organizations. Deborah Jann is an independent con- sultant specializing in learning experi- ence design and the facilitation of ac- tive learning programs with 20 years' experience in elevating organizational performance. Michael Clark and Deborah Jann So, good for you, Seijts. anks for the model, and the language around it — very helpful. It took a lot of work. And I do believe it can be helpful in an organizational context, if only to focus conversa- tions and guide development. I hope it grows legs in the areas where Seijts is working — govern- ment and the social arena. Heaven knows, we need it; but, at the end of the day, the court of public opin- ion, propelled by social media, renders quick (if not always fair or informed) decisions. Increas- ingly, bad behaviour gets publicly shamed; after all, the EpiPen folks got pretty quick feedback on their pricing strategy, didn't they? Tracey: I agree no one sets out to be a greedy or immoral leader. is is not just a problem (for broader society) for the business world, it also extends to public life and it seems to be an issue at all levels where individuals hold "leadership" positions. I define leadership here as people with the power to make decisions, in no matter what con- text they operate. What character traits or values are they modeling? Think of recent news of the young man held in solitary con- fi nement, with lights on for 23 hours a day, in a under Bay, Ont., prison. How could this hap- pen in Canada? How could prison leaders not know that was torture? Why didn't anyone at any level of the decision chain not stand up and say, "No, this is wrong"? My guess is the people making decisions were not in senior-level roles. ey are everyday people with the power to make deci- sions, but somehow they lost their moral compass, just as Wall Street bankers or Enron executives have done. What do their actions say about character? Perhaps we have worked so hard to single out the qualities that make great individual leaders that we have neglected the social context in which they operate. If so, then followership needs much more consideration. Ian: ose of us who attended this SCNetwork event have the opportunity, and perhaps even the obligation, to keep the importance of character fresh in our minds. For those not so fortunate, for a lesson on leadership — whether it be for teenagers, a work team or an ex- ecutive team — take Seijts' advice and revisit the movie Invictus, por- traying the brilliance and humanity of Nelson Mandela, a man centred on strength of character. Every person, from a CEO, down through the chain of com- mand, can see how leadership character shows itself. Take the opportunity to personally refl ect and hold up the mirror. It will lead to better organizations and governments. Framework a start SCN < pg. 15

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