Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020 - 36

Case Study
A large health care company with decades of success suddenly experiences extreme pressure from external competitors that
are faster to market. The culture has become conflict-avoidant over time, and non-performers have experienced decades of not
being held accountable. Turnover is low, but profits have declined to unacceptable levels and innovation has all but disappeared.
Market pressures cause the board to hire a new CEO to change the culture. This requires a major shift in focus on results-driven
versus consensus-driven decision-making, especially about performance. Unrest escalates as a result of accountability.
Use of the framework for balanced character helps people understand why the shift is necessary. Those who are agile
quickly learn how to perform. Those who are rigid end up leaving or are exited. People adopt a common language for
agility, and the culture tilts intentionally to adapt to market demands.

biases or measure competencies that tell
you what you already know. You might be
competent and knowledgeable but still
unknowingly trigger counterproductive
behaviors that arise from hidden fears.

stop nurturing thoughts about others
not recognizing your potential. Just
having those negative thoughts will
ensure you're not going to show up at
your best.

Here's the deal: When we merely treat
symptoms, the problem inevitably
surfaces again. A sustainable solution
must address cause and effect in a
way that is memorable, actionable and
sustainable. The best way to enable
these essentials is to teach learners how
to operate from inner strength and give
them a culture where they can thrive. In
short, a culture where everyone takes
personal responsibility for ensuring a
culture of psychological safety. To make
it memorable requires a framework and
common language for character strength
development. Indeed, those who have
experienced a healthy workplace climate
are not likely to tolerate anything less.

Each of these situations has one thing
in common: Healthy self-esteem can
only come from leadership character.
Some call it "the blind spot of our time"
because of an absence of language
around it. Despite being a core part
of leadership training in the military,
business and psychology, industry
leaders have virtually ignored the
topic for decades, relegating it to the
philosophy and religious domains as if it
was not their problem.

Reflect on these character dilemmas:
* How do you get someone to trust
you? You can't, but you can practice
being trustworthy. Then people will
more often trust you.
* How do you get someone to stop
blaming and complaining? You can't, but
you can provide education about what
causes people to deflect responsibility.
Then hold them accountable.
* How do you persuade others to
promote you? You can't, but you can

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Those who have
experienced a healthy
workplace climate are
not likely to tolerate
anything less.
A universal language and framework of
organizing principles that help leaders
understand their journey of character
strength development has been missing
from our human resources training
and development solutions. We can
no longer use our personality as an
excuse for how we show up. Character
development requires a lifelong

commitment to self-awareness, selfknowledge and self-responsibility. The
coaching profession has arisen to solve
the problem but is expensive and needs
reliable measures that provide evidence
for change.
Character development is crucial to our
future and is the lever to solve many
of the complex problems of our time.
Furthermore, the modern workforce
is knowledgeable and intolerant of
unconscious leaders that are blind
to how their ego-fears play out in
extreme dynamics. Power plays, status
moves, popularity contests and selfpromotion are distinctly associated
with outdated corporate politics.
Today's savvy workforce is educated,
feedback hungry, radically honest and
intolerant of poor leadership. They
consume what they want to know
with their devices and vote for good
leadership with their feet.
Will
organizational
learning
and
development professionals notice this
severe gap in knowledge and meet the
challenge? All new awareness starts
with education and training. Only then
can we cultivate the alert sense of what
lurks under the surface of a culture that
is unable to operate in the flow of agility.
Until then, our lightning-fast reptilian brain
will remain in charge of our destiny.
Pam Boney is the founder and CEO of
Tilt365.com. Email Pam.

http://www.Tilt365.com

Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - March/April 2020