Business Community Commitments

The Character Council...Focus on Business

BUSINESS OF CHARACTER
and
MODEL BUSINESS OF CHARACTER

COMMITMENTS

Introduction

It is an objective of the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky to make character encouragement and development standard business practices. This document is intended to guide businesses in their efforts to encourage and develop good character in the workplace.

As such, it describes the three general commitments necessary for a business to become a "Business of Character." It also describes an opportunity to go even further and commit to implement the Character Council's model twelve point plan to become a "Model Business of Character." In either case, the commitment is considered to be for one-year, permitting annual renewal.

Commitment: Business of Character

The commitments of a business organization to be recognized as a "Business of Character" by The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are the following:

(1) Initial commitment to encourage good character in the workplace.

(2) Commitment to encourage all individuals within the business organization to practice the monthly character quality.

(3) Commitment to encourage good character development in the community.

Businesses which make this "Business of Character" commitment are asked to post their commitments and their logos on the Character Council website. This will encourage their employees, customers, vendors, shareholders, owners, etc. in the development of good character.

Commitment: Model Business of Character

Following is the "Model Business of Character" plan. This plan is intended to fully implement the commitment to be a Business of Character. Businesses are encouraged to consider the numbered items in the model plan individually and re-fashion each to suit their individual business situations.

Each "Model Business of Character" is asked to post its plan and logo on the Character Council website. This will give access to the plan for the businesses' employees, customers, vendors, shareholders, owners, etc. Also, it is intended to encourage others businesses to adopt character encouragement and development plans. Indeed, postings will be in a downloadable format for other businesses to copy and build on.

Initial Commitment To Encourage Character In The Workplace

1. The senior leader commits to personally trying to practice, model and encourage others to practice, the monthly character qualities, and openly encourage other leaders in the business to do likewise.

2. Distribute to employees in the newsletter, or otherwise, an article introducing the "Model Business of Character" initiative. The article cover topics including:

The general community-wide initiative and the business community participation.
The nature of good character, its development and general benefits.
Special benefits stemming from good character within business organizations.
The ways in which the practice of good character will be encouraged within the business.

3. Create a plan for distributing Achieving True Success to each employee as a gift or purchase.

4. Create a plan for providing each employee with a Character Pocket Guide.

5. Incorporate character encouragement and development into human resource management practices, including:

Character-based hiring.
Character recognition.
Evaluating for character.

Commitments For Monthly Encouragement Of Employees

6. The senior leader devotes a few minutes of each month in any employee meeting to the monthly character quality. The goals of this are to:

Explain the monthly character quality as an essential business practice.
Encourage the employee group to personally practice the character quality of the month and to encourage others to practice it.

7. Encourage managers and trainers and other employee meeting leaders to devote at least a few minutes of each meeting to encouraging the character quality of the month, especially through personal practice. The goal of this is to:

Heighten awareness, understanding and motivation for practicing the monthly character quality.
Provide opportunity for self-evaluation.
Encourage re-commitment to practice the character quality of the month regularly.

8. Place posters or character bulletins highlighting the character quality of the month in important locations throughout the workplace.

9. Include an article in a monthly newsletter, or other employee publication, featuring the character quality of the month and encouraging its practice.

10. Provide access to the Character First! Bulletins for the monthly character quality to all employees and, if feasible, their families.

Commitments For Encouragement Of Good Character In The Community

11. Feature the monthly character quality in the business's external communications.

12. Carry out a business-sponsored project annually to openly encourage the practice of good character in the community. This might include, for example, a voluntary all-employee day-in-the-community on a specific Saturday each year.