Ben was a new lumberjack who swung his ax with great power. He could fell a tree in 20 strokes, and in the first few days he produced twice as much lumber as anyone else. By week’s end, he was working even harder, but his lead was dwindling.

One friend told him he had to swing harder. Another said he had to work longer. Neither idea worked. Finally, an old fellow asked Ben how often he sharpened his ax. Ben said he had no time; there was too much to do.

The lesson of this parable contains the remedy to ineffectiveness in today’s workplace.

Dedicated executives may work enormous hours not realizing how much their failure to sharpen their ax by taking time off reduces their effectiveness. As one exceeds the limits of intellectual and physical stamina, both the quantity and quality of work suffer. Fatigue affects judgment and mental acuity, and soon the time and energy needed to fix errors offsets the extra time devoted to the task.

Organizations fail to sharpen their ax when they give short shrift to screening job applicants and training new hires. Burdened with heavy workloads, managers consumed by a sense of urgency to fill open positions succumb to the “warm body” fallacy – the false idea that anyone is better than no one.

You need three things in a good employee: competence, commitment, and character. Shortcomings in any area will be costly, consuming time and resources and damaging morale. Sharpening your ax in this setting means being more diligent in background checks, more selective in hiring, more serious in training, and more demanding during probation.

Without the right tools, hard work isn’t enough.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comment (4)

I’ve talked before about the ethical obligation to treat others with respect by attentive listening. Today, I want to talk about the flip side of respect: the duty to back off and accept the fact that while others should listen to us, we can’t demand that they agree with us.

Such unreasonable demands are especially prevalent when someone in authority (boss or parent) lectures, criticizes, sermonizes, or berates an employee or child well past the point of legitimate communication. But it isn’t just people of authority who seek to impose their ideas through bulldozer tactics.

The common thread in disrespectful communication is going beyond reasonable attempts to inform or persuade. At that point it becomes a harangue. It’s as if the speaker’s trying to beat us into submission rather than simply conveying a point of view, pummeling us with repetitive opinions, complaints, or demands. And if we don’t give the desired response, the speaker restates the point louder or more aggressively.

Telling browbeaters that we understand their position and will consider what they said rarely stops the onslaught because the only way they’ll believe we understand their point is if we agree with it. They can become so self-righteous that they think disagreeing with them is proof of confusion, ignorance, stupidity, or a closed mind.

No one has the right to impose his or her opinions on others or to demand to be listened to until he or she is done. The moral obligation of respect requires that we learn when to back off and that we learn when to listen.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comment (4)

According to a survey of parents, 93 percent want schools to teach basic values like honesty and respect. The problem is, schools are left to contend with the 7 percent who disagree. In any enterprise that seeks to avoid conflict and find consensus, that small minority may often dictate policy.

Too often, aggressive objectors bully administrators into quick surrender with the threat of contentious and prolonged opposition. This has created a tyranny of the minority. The way it works is that 5 percent make so much noise that they seem like 25 percent, and when it comes to a decision, they’re treated as if they were 55 percent.

I strongly support the right of all people to speak their minds and the corollary duty of administrators to listen to and consider what everyone has to say. My concern is, we seem to have elevated the right to be heard into a right to win. We seem to be turning the basic democratic principle of “the majority rules” upside down so that “the minority controls.” That’s not how democracy’s supposed to work.

Of course, the will of the majority never should be allowed to trample basic human rights of a minority. But I’m not talking about persecution or discrimination. I’m talking about how we deal with disagreements.

Just as we must always guard against oppressive majority opinions, we must also guard against dictatorial minority philosophies. That means we need leaders who have the moral courage to stand up to those who would thwart the will of the majority with demands, protests, and backdoor politicking.

We also need more people who are willing to lose and subject their personal preferences to the will of the majority. Democracy requires respect from all sides.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comment (9)

I frequently address people who are highly successful. They’re at the top of their field and often have all the comforts that wealth can afford. Most seem to enjoy their success.

So, in a way, it surprises me how deeply many of them respond when I talk about the difference between success and significance. Invariably, I see knowing nods when I describe Alfred Nobel’s disillusionment when he read his obituary that was printed by mistake after his brother died. Although it was complimentary, describing him as a brilliant chemist who’d made his fortune inventing dynamite, he was struck by how hollow and inconsequential his accomplishments seemed as the summation of his life. Determined to leave a more worthy legacy, he established the Nobel Prizes to acknowledge great human achievements.

Mr. Nobel realized there’s a transitory quality to success but immortality in significance. A life devoted to attaining personal goals can be admirable and satisfying, but it can be enormously enriched when we use our talents and time to improve the lives of others.

In his book Living a Life That Matters, Harold Kushner wrote, “Our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it.”

If we realize this before it’s too late, we’re less likely to dishonor our families and our legacies with dishonesty or selfishness. Success isn’t enough.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comment (6)

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage,
or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comment (26)

Frank is a new supervisor who wants to do well. Maria consistently comes in late. When he confronts her, she makes a joke out of it.

Hoping to win friendship and loyalty, he's painfully patient with her, but Pat, a conscientious employee, urges him to do more. Soon others begin to come in late, and Pat quits. Frank feels victimized, but he has no one to blame but himself.

A frequent workplace complaint is waiting for the boss to make a decision or take needed action. It might be about a pending promotion, filling an open position, giving an overdue performance review, pricing a new product, or dealing with a customer complaint. Whatever the issue, failure to make a decision can make big problems out of little ones. What’s more, indecisiveness generates resentment and undermines confidence in the manager’s ability.

It was Frank’s responsibility to set the tone of the work environment. In management (or parenting, for that matter), what you allow, you encourage. As Frank learned the hard way, indecision and inaction can cause as much harm as a poor decision.

Sure, it’s important to be careful, and it’s sometimes wise to put off a decision or delay action (to get more information, to get buy-in, to let things cool off, etc.). But failing to make a needed decision is not acceptable just to avoid an unpleasant confrontation or because one is too busy, is procrastinating, or hopes things will work themselves out.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comment (6)

Here’s the bad news:

Virtue isn’t a golden ticket to a pain-free life. Bad things happen to good people as often as they happen to bad people.

It seems unfair, but in the natural order of the world, suffering is random. To expect otherwise is to sentence oneself to despondency, disillusionment, bitterness, and anger.

Here’s the good news:

The magic power that comes with our humanity isn’t a shield protecting us from misfortune but an inner strength that helps us deal with it, overcome it, and learn from it so we can still find love, laughter, and joy despite it.

At our lowest moments, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. All we need is the faith and moral courage to find the spark within that, with just a puff of hope, can become a flame bright enough to show us the way out.

But what can we do if despair is feeding on the soul of someone we love?

We can’t carry their burdens or make their pain or grief go away, but we can be a friend so they don’t suffer or grieve alone.

Simply by being there – with a shared tear, a kind hug, or an outstretched hand – we can be a living answer to despair’s dark question: “How can I go on?”

In the midst of despair, being reminded that tomorrow is another day provides no comfort because it’s hard to believe tomorrow will be any better. But it will be. Tomorrow is the doorway to the future, and that’s where we’ll live the rest of our lives.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Here are a few more thoughts:

“We could bear any burden if we thought there was a meaning to what we were doing. Have I made it harder for people to accept their illnesses, their misfortunes, their family tragedies by telling them they are not sent by God as part of some master plan? Let me suggest that the bad things that happen to us do not have a meaning. They do not happen for any good reason which would cause us to accept them willingly. But we can give them a meaning.”
– Harold Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People

“The facts of life and death are neutral. We, by our responses, give suffering either a positive or a negative meaning. Illnesses, accidents, human tragedies kill people. But they do not necessarily kill life or faith. If the death and suffering of someone we love makes us bitter, jealous, against all religion, and incapable of happiness, we turn the person who died into one of the devil’s martyrs. If suffering and death in someone close to us brings us to explore the limits of our capacity for strength and love and cheerfulness, if it leads us to discover sources of consolation we never knew before, then we make the person into a witness for the affirmation of life rather than its rejection.
– Harold Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People

“God, who neither causes nor prevents tragedies, helps by inspiring people to help.”
– Harold Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comment (9)

In 1927, Max Ehrmann gave us timeless advice in the following poem called “Desiderata,” which means “things to be desired.”

Speak your truth quietly and clearly
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery,
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is.
Many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune,
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comment (11)

Whenever I can, I take each of my four young daughters on an out-of-town trip so we can spend special alone-time together.

When my youngest daughter Mataya was 7, she accompanied me to a speech, and we took a train to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. We had a great time touring and talking about American history, the Liberty Bell, the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln, and the first moon walk.

Mataya told me it was the best trip of her life, and I told her it was my best trip, too. She smiled, then looked at me with great earnestness. “Daddy, do you say that to all my sisters?”

You should know Mataya is extraordinarily principled. When she was 4, she learned that some of the food she was eating was once a live animal. She decided on the spot to become a vegetarian, and she’s never wavered from that decision.

So her question was like an uppercut to my conscience. I tried to finesse my answer by saying how I loved every trip with my girls, but this one really was special.

She still wasn’t buying it and nailed me with a family code we use. Whenever one of us wants a positively no-nonsense, truthful answer, we say, “Really, really?” It imposes an absolute obligation on the other person to be totally honest.

I’d been “really-really-ed,” so I confessed: “Yes, I’ve said that before.”

After a moment, she said, “So you lied to me.”

I tried to weasel out of it by telling her how much I did love our time together, but she stopped me cold with a line that made me proud of her and ashamed of myself: “Next time, just tell me it was one of the best trips of your life. I don’t like it when you lie to me.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comment (9)

Martin Luther King, Jr. never reached the age of 40, but his speeches and writings document his legacy of wisdom and eloquence. He was an effective leader and a modern-day prophet.

He was only 29 when he said, “Human progress is neither automatic or inevitable. No social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Every step requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

Later he said, “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.”

And, “We will never have peace in the world until men everywhere recognize that ends are not cut off from the means because the means represent the end in process, and ultimately you cannot reach good ends through evil means because the means represent the seed and the end represents the tree.”

The night before he was killed, he uttered these prophetic words: “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comment (1)

I grew up in the Sixties and remember the tumultuous times in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made his historic mark on American society. Dr. King was always one of my heroes. So I was delighted a few years ago when I was asked to deliver an address about his legacy.

I wasn’t ready, however, for the range and depth of emotions evoked during my research. Reading old news articles and viewing black-and-white photos of the problem of racial discrimination and the struggle against it made me realize how much I’d forgotten or repressed my country’s awful legacy of slavery, bigotry, and government-sanctioned segregation.

Time had dulled my memory of heart-wrenching and conscience-burning images of lynchings, murdered civil-rights workers, church bombings, cross-burnings, screaming mobs, white-hooded Ku Klux Klan members, police dogs attacking demonstrators, and Dr. King’s assassination.

It’s hard to believe that just 47 years ago, Governor George Wallace of Alabama declared, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” It’s hard to believe that just a short time ago there were neighborhoods where black people couldn’t live, hotels where they couldn’t stay, restaurants where they couldn’t eat, and drinking fountains they couldn’t use.

I hope parents and teachers will take some time on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to paint a vivid picture for children that conveys not just the facts but the feelings of outrage and injustice that fueled Dr. King’s courageous leadership and motivated tens of thousands of people to follow him on marches, boycotts, and to sit-ins.

Without this context, one can’t truly appreciate the importance of Dr. King’s contributions to American life and the distance we’ve come because of him.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

If you’d like to read a speech I gave in 2003 at the 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast sponsored by the Los Angeles YMCA, click here.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comment (7)

The dictionary defines a hero as “a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.” On a personal level, a hero is someone we hold in especially high esteem. For me, Martin Luther King, Jr. is both a national and personal hero.

Read his speeches and weigh them in the context of his times. Study his actions and his ability to resist enormous pressures from those who thought he was going too far as well as those who thought he wasn’t going far enough. It’s evident he was an extraordinary inspirational leader with uncommon vision and strength.

Dr. King didn’t simply talk about his dreams; he went to the battle lines time and time again to fight for them, and what he did made a difference. He devoted his too short life to bring us closer to a more compassionate and just world where, in his words, people would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. He was murdered before he reached the age of 40 in the midst of that fight.

Like many authentic heroes, Dr. King had personal flaws, but his courageous pursuit of the noble purpose of civil justice, even at the ultimate cost of his life, is worthy of appreciation, admiration, and a special day of commemoration.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comment (1)

Racing dogs are trained to chase a mechanical rabbit that always goes a little faster than the fleetest dog. This causes them to run faster than they otherwise would.

Companies that annually set overly ambitious performance objectives for their employees employ this greyhound principle. To a point, it works. Most people achieve more when expectations are set high.

The strategy turns negative, however, when firms chasing Wall Street’s rabbit continually set “no-excuses” double-digit growth goals without regard to market realities (including multiple competitors driving toward the same goals) or systemic understaffing (part of the “do more with less” philosophy). Consequently, many corporate leaders are caught up in a ceaseless upward spiral of stress.

Yes, the financial rewards for such success are ample, but the driving motivation is usually not greed and certainly not job satisfaction. It’s fear. This can often morph into desperation, a dangerous mindset that can spawn imprudent short-term decisions and outright cheating.

It’s unwise and unethical to ignore the business and moral implications of aggressive growth strategies that put executives under unprecedented, unrelenting, and unreasonable pressure.

On one level, it’s a matter of values. Work-life balance should be more than a rhetorical ideal. A good company cares about its people. The path to career success shouldn’t be littered with the ruins of failed marriages and neglected children.

On another level, it’s long-term self-interest. Without an abundant and replenishing pool of talented and committed leaders, no company will succeed for long. The organizations that will pull away in the next decades are those that can attract and retain the best talent because the firms are places where those people want to work – and that will take a lot more than money.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comment (7)

In Echoes of the Maggid, Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells a story of a young boy with severe learning disabilities named Shaya who was walking past a park with his father when he saw a group of boys playing baseball.

He asked his dad if he thought they’d let him play. Although Shaya couldn’t even hold a bat properly, his father asked one of the boys, who surprisingly said yes.

The boy knew Shaya and reasoned that the game was almost over with his team six runs behind. He said, “He can play the outfield, and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the last inning.”

Unexpectedly, the team rallied. With two outs, the bases loaded, and the potential winning run at the plate, it was Shaya’s turn to bat. The boys kept their word and let him come to the plate.

After a clumsy first swing, a teammate held the bat with Shaya. The pitcher moved closer and lobbed the ball in softly. With his teammate’s help, Shaya hit a slow ground ball back to the pitcher.

Although he could have easily thrown him out and ended the game, the pitcher deliberately threw it over the first baseman’s head. Everyone started yelling, “Shaya, run to first! Run to first.”

Wide-eyed with excitement, Shaya ran. The right fielder saw his joy and intentionally made another bad throw. Players on both teams shouted for Shaya to keep running, and the shortstop helped by steering him in the right direction.

As everyone shouted “Run home, Shaya!” Shaya finally reached home plate to a hero’s welcome, and all 18 boys cheered him for his game-winning grand slam home run.

Shaya was deliriously happy, and his father wept knowing he’d just experienced a perfect moment in a perfect game.

This is Michael Josephson, reminding you that character counts.

This commentary was adapted from one circulated on the Internet under the name “Run, Shaya, Run.” The original version was published under the name “Perfection at the Plate” in the above book by Paysach Krohn, who claimed the story was true and that he heard it from Shaya’s father, a friend of his. An interesting critique of the incident, which says treating such children in a patronizing manner is disrespectful and unhelpful in the long term, can be found here.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comment (8)

A teacher once wrote telling me that a parent with a great deal of clout at her school asked her to change attendance records to make her child’s record look better. The teacher said she thought long and hard about the request but eventually refused, knowing it would make the parent angry.

I commended her moral courage. I wish it didn’t take courage to do the right thing, especially in such a clear case as this, but in the real world people with power often retaliate when they don’t get what they want. This can make our lives difficult.

Still, moral courage is the much-needed bodyguard of conscience and character. The personal costs of putting our integrity on the auction block are so high that we have to take the risk. Once we descend the slippery slope of moral compromise, it’s hard to resist the inevitable slide.

My first instinct was to think of the parent who subjected the teacher to this corrupt and corrupting request as a villain, but I suspected she was a basically decent mom so intent on helping her child that she ignored her moral brakes.

But it’s wrong to ask someone to lie or cheat. When it comes from someone with power, it’s worse. Power is intimidating even when it’s not used.

But unswerving integrity can also be intimidating. Improper requests deserve an immediate, firm, and dignified response that leaves no ambiguity that they’re inappropriate. Be careful not to be self-righteous, though. Let the person worry about what you think of them. If they persist, let them – not you – worry about the consequences.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comment (5)

Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” In a world increasingly dominated by unapologetic selfishness, this idea may seem quaint and outdated. Yet, for those who have a grand vision of their purpose and value, striving to be of service is not only a noble thing to do, it’s the best way to lead a truly fulfilling and significant life.

Poet William Allen Dromgoole put it this way:

An old man going a lone highway
Came at the evening, cold and grey,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a swollen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim.
That swollen stream held no fears for him,
But he paused when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You’re wasting strength with building here.
Your journey ends with the ending day.
You never again must pass this way.
You’ve crossed this chasm deep and wide.
Why build this bridge at the even’ tide?”

The builder lifted his old grey head,
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

“This swollen stream that was naught for me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He too must cross in the twilight dim.
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you to build bridges for others because character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comment (4)

Years ago I came across a poem entitled “The Man in the Glass” by Dale Wimbrow. I looked it up on the Internet and discovered a website maintained by his children that contains the original version written in 1934 and published in The American Magazine as “The Guy in the Glass.” It contains timeless truths about integrity.

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn’t your Father or Mother or Wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.

Judging from the devoted words of his children, Mr. Wimbrow never cheated the guy in his glass.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comment (6)

As I watched nearly five dozen eager graduates of the Los Angeles Police Academy throw their hats in the air celebrating their achievement, I knew these were the survivors of a rigorous training and their journey wasn't over.

Ahead of them would be a full year of supervised field training, and it’s unlikely all of them would make it through their probation.

It’s difficult to cut hard-working and hopeful probationers, but if an organization wants to create a culture of excellence, its gatekeepers (those in charge of hiring, training, retention, and promotion) must exercise clear-eyed objectivity and demonstrate unflinching courage by weeding out those who are unwilling or unable to excel.

In policing, as in many other fields, the stakes are simply too high to knowingly accept less. No one wants a surgeon, teacher, or cop with mediocre skills or shaky character.

Yet everywhere we see signs of declining standards. Public and private organizations regularly lower their expectations due to political expediency, misplaced loyalty, forced diversity, or perceived necessity. Adequacy has become the shifting standard defined as "the best we can get."

Two results are inevitable when we lower standards: The quality of service continually sinks as fewer people strive for the best within them, and mediocrity becomes the norm as good people move up and out, leaving behind a growing proportion of so-so performers.

Two results are inevitable when we insist on excellence: Performance increases as everyone does better than they otherwise would, and some people will be asked to leave.

Management can avoid its responsibility, but it can’t dodge the consequences of shirking it. Excellence is achievable, but not without sacrifice and discipline.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comment (7)

According to an old parable, Bart was caught inside his house during a flood. The water was a foot high when a rescue truck offered to evacuate him. Bart refused, saying, “God will provide.”

The levee broke, and the water got so high he had to climb onto the roof. A man in a rowboat paddled by and urged him to get aboard. Again Bart refused. “God will provide.”

Soon the waters rose so high that Bart had to climb on top of the chimney. But it wasn’t enough, and the water swept him away. Bart shook his fist toward the sky. “God, why have you forsaken me?”

A helicopter pilot maneuvering to rescue Bart heard him and yelled back, “You fool, God sent you a truck, a boat, and this helicopter. Now use the arms He gave you and grab the rope!”

Bart reminds me of people who moan and whine about never getting the breaks other people get while passing up opportunities that could help them get what they want. Remember the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion who expected the Wizard of Oz to give them the one thing they thought they needed, only to find out they already had what they were looking for? Many of us greatly underestimate and underuse the power within us and the resources around us.

Wanting, wishing, and worrying aren’t enough. Real success and personal happiness come to those who accept responsibility for their lives. They seize obvious opportunities, search out and find hidden ones, and when necessary make their own. As golfer Gary Player once said, “It's amazing. The harder I practice, the luckier I get.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comment (1)

Watch an interview with Michael covering some of the stories that grabbed headlines in 2009.

It’s traditional to start the New Year with resolutions designed to help us live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives. But it’s also useful to reflect on some of the things we’ve learned over the years, the things that make us not only smarter but wiser.

For instance, I’ve learned that trying to be a good person is a lifelong commitment and that it often requires me to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.

I’ve learned that kindness is more important than cleverness and that carrying grudges is foolish and self-defeating.

I’ve learned that my dad was right when he told me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and that tenacity is more important to success than talent.

I’ve learned that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional and that I have a lot to say about my own happiness.

I’ve learned that a life focused on fun and pleasure rarely leads to happiness or fulfillment.

I’ve learned that in my personal relationships and in the workplace I’ve got to set limits because whatever I allow, I encourage.

I’ve learned that the things I like to do least are often the things that need to be done most.

I’ve learned that it’s easy to fall into self-righteousness and that neither the intensity of my feelings nor the certainty of my convictions is any assurance that I’m right.

I’ve learned that unless I translate my thoughts into actions, my great ideas and good intentions are like unlit candles.

I’ve learned that I cannot lie myself out of a problem and that the problems I ignore don’t go away, they just grow bigger.

What are some of the things you’ve learned? Please share them by posting comments here.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comment (11)

I hope the past year will go down in your book of life as one filled with great pleasures and grand memories. But whether the year was good, bad, or indifferent, I hope you’ll enter the new year wiser and stronger for your experiences and optimistic that the best is yet to come.

As you look forward to the future – the place where you’ll spend the rest of your life – it’s smart to look back at the immediate past and objectively assess what went well and what didn’t in your job, your relationships, your health, and your overall sense of fulfillment. What did you learn that can make your life better?

If you had a bad year, it’s possible you were a wholly innocent victim, or maybe your own actions or attitudes contributed to serious grief or unhappiness. Either way, please accept my best wishes and sincere condolences. Please be careful, however, not to wallow in sorrow, sympathy, shame, or self-doubt. Don’t allow yesterday’s pain to become tomorrow’s suffering.

Be accountable, but be fair to yourself.

Start the next stage of your life’s journey with optimism and confidence. Remember, you’re the captain of your own ship. Take the wheel, choose your course, and get on your way.

Sure, there may be more rough seas ahead, but there will also be peace, reconciliation, achievement, challenge, and true joy. You just have to find it.

Abe Lincoln pointed out that one of the good things about the future is it always comes one day at a time.

May this new year be your best year – so far.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Posted by Josephson Institute Editor at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comment (6)