CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa

Our Job, Not Just the School’s

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:07:00 +0000

We're pleased to invite Iowans to contribute to our mission through submitting a guest blog. Today’s guest blog is from Grant Griswold, Vice President-Director of Marketing for Bankers Trust Company.

The majority of elementary schools in Iowa include programs focusing on CHARACTER COUNTS! and the Six Pillars of Character. Thank goodness! As parents, that’s wonderful for us — or is it? Is there ever a time when too much of a good thing allows us to be complacent in our own duties?

Educators and parents wear many hats and some of them we share. Developing children who are trustworthy, respectful and caring is a shared responsibility and one that, I would say, starts at home, with the behavior we parents/adults model for our children.

Teachable moments abound and not all lessons are positive lessons. For example, standing in line witnessing a shopper being angry and rude with a customer service person may be awkward, but provides an excellent situation to discuss with your child later. As parents, what about our own behavior? How do you handle being pulled over for a speeding ticket, or receiving too much change back from a cashier?

And finally, developing character is critically important. After all, civilizations are built — and destroyed — on the integrity of their leaders. Reputations are built — and destroyed — by personal choices. So there’s a lot at stake. As a father of an 10-year-old daughter I can tell you there’s an interesting twist, almost a paradox, to successfully connect on just about any topic, including character. It involves taking the topic seriously, but yourself — not so much.

Have fun, live the life you want your children to model, and remember: While our schools do an outstanding job, we wear and share the hat for developing children with character.

Do You Have A Responsibility To Be A Role Model?

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Haven't we all seen a child mimic their parents or older siblings? Children seem especially eager to emulate those who are older than they.

Many of us have a child in our lives. Maybe it is our own children, other relatives or a neighbor. It could just be a child who sees us out in our community.

The point is that we are all a role model to someone - whether we know it or not. If we remember that others may be learning from our behavior - will that make us strive to be our best selves?

What do you think? Do you have a responsibility to the children in your community to be a good example?

"I'm not paid to be a role model. I'm paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court."
- Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns, 1993 Nike Commercial

"Charles, you can deny being a role model all you want but I don't think it is your decision to make. We don't choose to be role models. We are chosen. Our only choice is whether to be a good one or a bad one."
-Karl "The Mailman" Malone, Utah Jazz, 1993

What is Responsibility to You?

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:43:00 +0000

Life is full of choices. Being responsible means being in charge of our choices and, thus, our lives.

Responsibility requires us to recognize that what we do and what we don't do matters and that we are responsible for the consequences of our choices.

Responsibility reaches far and wide - maybe into areas of our life that we hadn't considered. Being responsible is more than just doing what you are supposed to do.

Responsibility also includes:

Be accountable - for what you do and do not do
Exercise self-control - take charge of your own life
Plan and set goals - identifiy what success means to you and plan to achieve them
Choose positive attitudes - choose to be enthusiastic and optimistic
Do your duty - acknowledge and meet your legal and ethical obligations
Be self-reliant - manage your affairs and enable yourself to 'pay your own way'
Pursue excellence - do your best, persevere, be diligent, work hard
Be proactive - take iniative
Be persistent - stick to it and finish what you start
Be reflective - think ahead to anticipate consequences
Set a good example - you teach what you do, not what you say
Be morally autonomous - decide for yourself what is right and wrong according to universal principals and develop a reliable conscience

Maybe you hadn't thought of those actions as part of responsibility. What does responsibility mean to you?

What if Everyone Did It?

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Most everyone has heard of the Golden Rule - and often times we associate it with Christianity's "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

But, the Golden Rule, in varying versions, has been a part of many major religions and philosophies.

Judaism: What you dislike for yourself, do not do to anyone.
Confucius: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others.
Aristotle: We should behave to others as we wish to others to behave to us.
Hinduism: Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee thereafter.
Islam: No one of you is a believer unless he loves his brother what he loves for himself.
Buddhism: Hurt others with that which pains thyself.

Now, take the Golden Rule one-step further. Do only those acts which you want for yourself, but are also willing to become universal standards of behavior. In short - ask yourself, if everyone did it, would it be a good thing?

What if everyone cheated on their taxes? What if everyone ran red lights? What if everyone took 30 items in the 10 items or less lane? Obviously some of those examples have more serious consequences than others, but the question is still a good tool for strengthening our decision-making skills.

Next time you have an ethical decision to make, ask yourself "Would it be acceptable to me if everyone did this?"

Respect 101

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:25:00 +0000

The essence of respect is to show regard for the worth of people (including yourself). Our ethical duty is to treat everyone with respect.

Treating them with respect means showing others that they are important and worthy simply because they are fellow human beings.

In a nutshell:

Honor the individual worth and dignity of others
Be courteous and civil
Honor reasonable standards and customs
Live by the "golden rule"
Accept differences and judge on character and ability
Avoid actual or threatened violence

Which ones on this list are the toughest? What about "accept differences and judge on character and ability"? There may be plenty of people in the world that you don't agree with. There are probably even some who act in a way that makes your blood boil. You can show them respect without approving of their actions.

Thomas Jefferson said it best, "Sir, I will treat you as a gentleman, not because you are one, but because I am one."

We'll continue the discussion on respect later this week. We will even try to answer our parent's favorite question "If everyone jumped off of a bridge, would you?".

Want more on respect? Here is a recent blog post on respect from our friend and founder of CHARACTER COUNTS!, Michael Josephson.

Good Character Can Be Contagious

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:22:00 +0000

We're pleased to invite Iowans to contribute to our mission through submitting a guest blog. Today’s guest blog is from Trent Grundmeyer, Principal at Hampton-Dumont High School.

Hampton-Dumont High School teaches what it means to have good character as well as rewards students when they are caught doing things that display high character.

Our goal is not only to create students who are smart but also students who will make good neighbors. We provide solid examples of role models to the students who will address them on an array of topics. Not only will these efforts promote student character but also teachers and other staff may also benefit and be held to high standards of character. Good character is becoming contagious at HDHS.

A committee of 3 lead teachers and ten student leaders comprise our CHARACTER COUNTS! Committee at HDHS. These students and teacher drive our program and initiatives. The students have had the courage to stand up to teachers and their peers about why we plan and carry out the lessons and speakers that we do each week. They have also had the courage to introduce speakers who are hosted 3-4 times throughout the school year to address the student body on a topic of character.

Some of the character speakers we have hosted at Hampton-Dumont High School include Dan Gable, Thomas Hill, Miss Iowa, VJ Smith, Rick Neilsen, Simon Estes, among others. These same committee members also help during routine Award Assemblies at the high school. They help hand out t-shirts to students, who receive character nominations throughout the quarter, introduce honor roll and perfect attendance recipients, and help organize the assembly all together.

This committee has given CHARACTER COUNTS! at HDHS merit and helped provide a character education curriculum and lessons that are most relevant for high school students. I would encourage other schools (especially high schools) to get teachers trained and set up a CHARACTER COUNTS! Committee.

The staff and students continue to promote CHARACTER COUNTS! and I look forward to guiding all students and staff in the pursuit of being the best people they can be.

Check out Hampton-Dumont High School's website.

Lies - Part 2 (The Granny Scenario!)

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:11:00 +0000

In a recent post, we asked a few questions about when it was okay to lie. We received lots of great feedback and discussion on the issue, and so we will continue the discussion over the next few weeks.

When is a fib okay?
Many readers pointed out that a lie is okay when the situation critically demands it. For example - if your life depends on it. We won't argue with you on that one, but lets put the question in terms of some everyday examples.

The Six Pillars of Character can seem pretty straight forward. But in everyday life, the Pillars often come into conflict with one another. We may need to break one Pillar to uphold another. We may need to lie so that we can avoid hurting someone's feelings.

Additionally, "white lies" often look very different from the perspective of the person being lied to. Here is a good test: upon learning of the lie, would the person being lied to thank you for caring or feel betrayed or manipulated?

A classic example that many of us have experienced is receiving a gift that we didn't like. Granny has knitted you a sweater. Not only is it bright orange, it has red kittens on the front of it and it is 2 sizes to small. Granny, who is beaming with pride over her creation, carefully watches you unwrap the gift. She is eager to hear how much you love your new sweater. Do you tell Granny that you don't like the sweater and risk hurting her feelings or do you lie to her and make her feel good?

Many of us will tell Granny that we love the sweater and compliment her knitting skills. We are willing to lie to spare Granny's feelings, because we assume that if she ever found out about our fib, she would thank us for considering her feelings.

Before we close this post, lets do a pre-emptive response to those who would suggest a "Granny Middle Ground." In this scenario, we come up with a reaction to Granny's sweater that isn't technically a lie. For example, "Wow, Granny! That is quite a sweater. I'm sure I'll get a lot of attention by wearing it." or "This looks like it was a lot of hard work! I'll really enjoy this sweater."

Maybe what you SAID wasn't an actual lie. However, your intent was still to DECEIVE Granny into thinking you liked the sweater. Omitting the truth is still a lie.

Ethics aren't easy and often times we are required to make tough choices. (And we didn't even discuss what happens when Granny continues to make you a sweater year after year because you said you loved it so much.)

What do you think? What are other good examples of Pillars conflicting with one another? Do you have a good way to reply to Granny?

Public Figures Behaving Badly

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:11:00 +0000

It is a big week for apologies.

A few public figures (Rep. Joe Wilson, Kanye West, Serena Williams) are saying sorry for their bad behavior. Before we are too quick to judge these celebrity outbursts, how many of us have made remarks or acted in ways that we quickly regret?

But why? Is it just a lack of self-control? Maybe Rep. Wilson could not simply keep this thoughts to himself. What about a sense of narcissistic entitlement? Maybe Kanye thought that his views were more important than anything else and he deserved to share them.

In any case, it wouldn't hurt any of us to think more before we act (or speak). A quote from Frank Outlaw sums up how quickly our thoughts and words can define us:

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

A Ray Character Award & a Nobel Peace Prize

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Some days begin or end with news that has the power to make our hearts feel heavy. Such was the way we began our morning yesterday, September 13, 2009.

As we awoke to the morning news, we learned that our friend, Norman Borlaug, had passed away from lymphoma late the previous evening.

If you would like to find out more about Mr. Borlaug, we encourage you to visit his foundation's web page to learn more about the Iowa native, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and the father of the Green Revolution.

In 2001, we were honored to present Mr. Borlaug with the Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award to recognize his lifelong commitment to demonstrating good character.

As one of the first recipients of the Ray Award, Mr. Borlaug certainly was a great example of an Iowan who strived for excellence and ethics. We are proud to consider Mr. Borlaug a part of the CHARACTER COUNTS! family.

Photo: Wikipedia

Trustworthiness - Is it ever okay to lie?

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Over the next several weeks, we'll be highlighting each of the Six Pillars of Character - trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Maybe we'll all think about the Pillars differently after spending time focusing on each one. Let's get started with trustworthiness.

First, it is important to remember the difference between trust and trustworthiness. Trust is something you put into someone else, while trustworthiness is being worthy of trust from others.

Being worthy of trust comes from:

Integrity
People with integrity stand up for their beliefs, have the courage to do what is right and they build good reputations.

Honesty
An honest person tells the truth, is sincere and is forthright and candid.

Promise-Keeping
People who keep their promises honor their commitments, keeps their word, and are dependable.

Loyalty
People who demonstrate loyalty stand by, stick up for and protect their family, friends, school and country.

Here's a few questions to ponder:

When is a "white lie" or a fib okay?
How many lies does it take for you to become a liar?

Share your thoughts in the comments and we'll tell you what we think in a future post.

The Cooperative Way

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:47:00 +0000

We're pleased to invite Iowans to contribute to our mission through submitting a guest blog. Today’s guest blog is from Kathe Breheny, Director Corporate Communications at Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO).

For me, character is a matter of knowing the difference between right and wrong and reflecting that in one’s actions. It may seem intuitive, but we all know there can be disconnect between even the best of intentions and one’s behavior. And that is where character development comes in.

In today’s changing world, I am reminded daily why building good character, particularly at a young age, is so important. We hear and read about it in the news – people from all walks of life who lack a basic foundation of values to guide their actions. Whether it’s the corporate executive who defrauded millions for personal gain or some local youth engaging in senseless acts of violence, the need for character development is widespread.

We are fortunate to have a great program here in Iowa striving to help us practice good character.

I have long been a supporter of CHARACTER COUNTS! and am fortunate to work for an organization that shares and supports their mission. At Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), we follow seven cooperative guiding principles; one of which is concern for community. We have a genuine commitment to seeing the communities we serve grow and prosper because our member consumers benefit as a result. And building strong character is an essential part of community growth and development.

CHARACTER COUNTS! has positively impacted the lives of countless Iowa students by reaching them at a young and impressionable age. By planting the seeds of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship in our youth; we are laying the foundation for a healthy and prosperous next generation of leaders.

We are proud of our partnership with CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa and appreciate the work they do every day!

An Alien Experience

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Take a minute today to use your imagination - pretend that you have just arrived from another planet. New to earth, you take a look around and gather information about earth and its inhabitants.

As you learn about the planet, you'll also find clues as to what our citizens value. What do you think is important to Americans? To Iowans?

Now turn your attention to your own home. If you were looking at your life through alien eyes, what values stand out? Family and friends usually top the list of values for many Americans.

But what about ethical values? What ethical values are important in our state and in our homes? Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship are among the qualities of Iowans that makes our state great.

Continuing this culture of character, however, can't be left up to someone else. Everyone must contribute by doing their best to be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring and good citizens.

Besides, we want to be good role models when the aliens drop by.

Your Moments to Give

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:22:00 +0000

We're pleased to invite Iowans to contribute to our mission through submitting a guest blog. Enjoy our first guest blog from Kristi Knous, VP of Donor Relations & Community Investment at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines.

While I was winding through downtown Des Moines last week to pick up my daughter Abbey from volunteering at Science Center Camp, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud. Abbey decided to spend one entire week of her summer vacation helping kids learn about dinosaurs and outer space. While she didn’t solve world hunger or find a cure for a disease, that week she was doing what she could, volunteering her time and talents in a way that was meaningful to her and to the campers she served.

It reminded me that we can all find moments to give back to our community. Whether it’s donating clothing to a family in need, serving meals together as a family or supporting our local arts and cultural community, all of these actions no matter how small, do make a difference.

One year ago our community came together to support those affected throughout our state by tornadoes and floods. The outpouring of donations proved once again that as Iowans, we are better when we work together.

Today I encourage you to give back, get involved and learn more about the opportunities around you. As I’ve seen in Abbey, it not only grows character but also enables others.

As vice president of donor relations and community investment at the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, I have the opportunity to match people with their charitable passions every day. Please consider how giving back to your community –whether through time, talent or donations—can make a difference for those around you.

I’m sure that you will also find we’re simply better together!

What If Everyone Did It?

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Here's a tip for Tuesday: The Rule of Universality.

Lets talk about it in simple terms: do only what would be acceptable if everyone did it.

Next time you have an ethical decision to make, start by asking yourself a question. What if everyone did it?

What if everyone littered?
What if everyone cheated on their taxes?
What if everyone did not obey the speed limit?
What if everyone was disrespectful?

Not only can this tip help our decision-making process, but it also reminds us that our values are important for keeping a civil society.

Stay tuned! We'll have more decision-making tips in future posts.

10 Best Practices for Spectators

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:33:00 +0000

The NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct has developed a series of best practices to help improve game environment.

Here are a few of their suggestions:

Encourage fans to root for their team and not against their opponent. (Give fans newspapers printed with positive cheers for their team on the inside and “GOOD LUCK!” on the outside. This will encourage them to either cheer or show the outside of their newspapers.)
Seat only visiting fans near the opposing team’s bench to reduce heckling.
Adopt and post strict fan behavior guidelines and consequences for misconduct.
Walk the talk by ejecting fans who don’t meet the guidelines.
Train gate and security personnel to deny admission to fans who are under the influence.
Develop a listserve where students and coaches can nominate and recognize specific fans who exhibit sportsmanship.
Nominate and honor a male and female “Fan of the Year” and/or group “Fans of the Year” for acts of sportsmanship.
Award T-shirts to “super fans” each game.
Offer the chance to win a seat on the “Super Fan” couch at an upcoming game. Place the couch in a prime seating area and announce the individual over the public-address system.
Host a competition for the best sign demonstrating sportsmanship and honor the individual(s) with an award.

What do you think? Do guidelines like these work? Would you be supportive of your favorite team enforcing a code of conduct for spectators?

Success versus Significance

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Success and significance. Isn't the goal to have them both?

We instantly know that character is tied to significance. Character provides us with the compassion to come to someone's aid, the integrity to do what we say we'll do and the courage to be tolerant of other viewpoints. Our ethics teach us to strive to do what is right, and encourage others to do the same. It is good character that allows us to make a true impact on other people's lives and makes our community better.

Have you ever considered that character can also further your success? Strength of character will allow you to be self-directed, organize, prioritize, and adapt to new situations as well as give you the ability to lead others, collaborate, actively listen and exercise critical thinking. All of these skills contribute to success.

The hard part comes, of course, when you have to choose between having success or having significance. It will be your strength of character that helps you make the right choice.

An Easy Way to Help Iowa Kids

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Each summer we look forward to receiving information about the Festival of Trees and Lights (be sure check out their site if you're new to this great program).

It's not because we're ready for the holidays in July - but because the Festival of Trees and Lights' Book Tree gives us a tiny way to give back to our our state.

How it works:

The Book Tree serves to collect thousands of books for patients at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.
Our staff, volunteers, partners (and you!) collect new children's books for the rest of the summer.
Schools and businesses have had great success with coin drives to collect funds to purchase books for the cause.
Drop off or mail your books to our office by October 15, 2009.
We'll sort the books and drop them off to the Festival of Trees so they can be displayed.
Our goal is to collect 200 books.

Why it's important:
Child Life Specialists help young patients pass the time by reading these books to them. In addition, each child chooses a book to take home and enjoy!

Please consider donating a few books to our effort!
We're looking for NEW, developmentally and culturally appropriate books. The primary need is for books for children from toddlers to middle school, although books for older children are also needed. Please, no books about sensitive issues like divorce, abuse or death.

As the book donations come in, we'll highlight the donors by Twitter and this blog.

You may send your donations to:
CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa
1213 25th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50311

For more information on the Book Tree, contact Cheri McDaniel at 515-271-2931.

Don't forget to visit the Festival of Trees and Lights November 25-29 at the Polk County Convention Complex in Des Moines.

Struggling Visibily

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:59:00 +0000

We will not always know the answers to life's ethical questions. Doing the right thing isn't always the easy thing - and it is okay to struggle with the tough choices.

As hard as we try to get it right, we'll all eventually make a wrong choice. No one will be "Six Pillar perfect" - so just vow to do better next time.

But as you allow yourself to rebound from bad choices, remember that we owe that same forgiveness to others. Next time we're tempted to judge another person's decisions, maybe we need pause to remember that just like ourselves, everyone else is just trying to get it right too.

Just Five Minutes Could Ruin It

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:14:00 +0000

"As you go forward in life, you will be confronted with questions every day that test your morals. The questions will get tougher and the consequences will become more severe. Think carefully and for your sake, do the right thing, not the easy thing."

This isn't a quote from someone here on the CC! team, and it probably isn't from who you would expect. This is part of a graduation speech from Dennis Kozlowki, the former CEO of Tyco. Mr. Kozlowksi gave this address just two weeks before he was indicted (and later convicted) of misappropriating more than $400 million of company funds.

There are many lessons to be learned from corporate scandals and how it relates to business ethics. But, let's take a glimpse at the lessons we can learn personally from stories like this.

Reputation
Mr. Kozlowski was right. The decisions often do get tougher and hold potentially severe consequences, including damaging our reputations. Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has said, "It takes 20-years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." This is why it is so important to have a good decision making process when faced with the tough choices. We are only given one chance at doing the right thing when faced with a big decision.

Here are three guidelines to help you make ethical choices from our friends at the Josephson Institute of Ethics:

Ethical decisions take into account the interests and well being of everyone likely to be affected by your actions.
Ethical decisions put the core values of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship above others.
If its necessary to violate one ethical core value to honor another, do what will produce the greatest amount of good in the long run.

Try these three tips out the next time you have a tough decision to make. And, don't forget - your reputation may depend on the outcome.

We'll continue this topic in the next blog post, which will focus on "struggling visibly". Do we allow others to fail ethically as long as they are trying? Do we expect more some people than others?

Sharpening Skills and Questioning Values

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:48:00 +0000

We're proud to be hosting a Character Development Seminar from the Josephson Institute of Ethics this week on the Drake University campus. In addition to all of our Iowa staff, we've invited our trainers and some key community volunteers to join us.

We spent a good deal of time yesterday talking about values. Afterward, a school administrator mentioned that she is rethinking her school's community service program. The school mandates community service as a graduation requirement. What was the reason that prompted her to question their program? Our values discussion - specifically pragmatic values (what is useful or what works), pleasure values (what we want or desire) and ethical values (what we think is right). The administrator was questioning the worth of the community service program. Was it still a valuable requirement if the students were doing community service because it was required, not because it was the right thing to do?

Of course, in this situation students could participate both because it was the right thing to do and because it was required. Additionally, they could begin the program with one value and end with another. However, it does prompt some interesting thoughts.

Think about your values and why they are important to you. Which values are based on what is useful for you or are what you desire? Which of your values are based on what you think is right?

We took some time out to take a photo of the group participating in the training.

Oh! She Shouldn't Have Posted That to Her MySpace Page!

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:37:00 +0000

As social networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) continues to grow in popularity, we are faced with new ethical challenges when we put ourselves online for the world to see.

It could be simply stated that participating in social networking is ultimately a test of your integrity. Is what you do and say online consistent with what you do and say in real life? If we act with integrity, our values do not change when we are online.

We've all maybe heard stories about individuals who have posted something online that they "shouldn't have". Maybe it was distasteful. Would a distasteful post from a person who was a self-proclaimed distasteful person surprise us? No. It grabs our attention when someone's values are inconsistent from word to action.

Integrity aside, maybe part of the problem is that we have yet to really comprehend the powerful and global nature of the internet. By posting photos or thoughts on social networking sites (or the internet in general) we have put them out for public consumption. We can't assume that photos posted on our Facebook page will only be seen by our Facebook friends.

Ever heard the old adage "Don't do anything that you would not want on the front page of the paper"? This is a great test for our every day actions - and a great test for what we'd put online. Assume that anything you put online has the capability to land on the front page of the newspaper. Because it could.

Superheroes Win 2008 Character Award

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:17:00 +0000

With only seven days remaining to nominate individuals or organizations for a 2009 Iowa Character Award, we continue our look back at the 2008 recepients.

Meet a 2008 School of Character Award recipient, Denison Elementary School:

To nominate a school, organization or individual for a 2009 Iowa Character Award, click here to download a nomination form. All nominations must be postmarked by June 15, 2009.

Character Is Power

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Last September we were happy to have a visit from Dr. Matt Davidson and Dr. Tom Lickona, our friends at The Institute for Excellence & Ethics. It was then that we announced that the Institute for Character Development will be the first regional center in the nation to collaborate with the IEE to deliver Power2Teach and Power2Learn.

These Power2s focus on integrating moral character and performance character.

You've probably heard of moral character - it is being the best person you can be. And just what is performance character? It's doing the best work that you can do. Have you ever thought of being creative as contributing to your character? It does! Being creative - along with trying different strategies, exercising critical thinking, and adapting to changing situations - helps you think outside of the box. Click here for a great tool to get you thinking about how you demonstrate performance character everyday.

They'll be more great performance character resources coming! Learn more about our new partnership with IEE or check out their webpage!

The Dirty Dozen

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Be careful of making excuses for not showing good character.

Excuses like: You’re a bigger one!

This is the Doctrine of Relative Filth: I’m not so bad so long as others are worse. Sorry, your moral obligations are a matter of personal integrity and character. Simply because others may be worse does not justify unethical behavior. If you lie to a liar, you’re still a liar. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

We've got 11 more excuses! Click here for the more of the Dirty Dozen.

An Evening With Joe Ehrmann

noreply@blogger.com (CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa) — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:13:00 +0000

Kirk Ferentz and Nate Kaeding host an evening with Joe Ehrmann, the inspirational subject of the New York Times bestselling book, "Season of Life." As a nationally renowned educator and public speaker, Joe will share his remarkable and moving life story and discuss his current mission of building "other-centered" men and women.

The event will be held Thursday, June 25th at 7:00 p.m. in Iowa City.

This event is sponsored by Transamerica, and one hundred percent of the proceeds go to benefit the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

Click here to learn more.