Article Summary
“The Discipline of Building Character”, by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr. explains the “defining moments” that managers and leaders face. Badaracco explains that there are three types of defining moments that are common in the business world: “Who am I?”, “Who are we?”, and “Who is the company?” Managers who learn to identity these three types of defining moments will be more able to effectively navigate the right-versus-right decisions they face throughout their careers.
The first type of moment is centered on personal identity. This requires the manager to ask the question “Who am I?” The example that was provided in the article is when a manager is faced with two “rights”, each one representing a reasonable and attractive choice. In most cases both choices are right, so the manager must make choice of “right versus right”.
The second type of moment is centered on groups as well as individuals. It leads managers to the question “Who are we?” The manager must not only look at situations as conflicts between two personal beliefs but also take into account the values of their work group and their responsibilities to the people they manage. The manager has a direct impact on a how a group’s future and values are formed by the way these types of defining moments are handled.
The final type is that of defining a company’s role within society. It presents the question, “Who is the company?” A leader who has this responsibility must be able to redefine the direction of his or her own life and the direction of the entire organization. These leaders are asked to make visible their understanding of what is right on a large scale. They not only commit to themselves or to a single work group but to the entire company with an irreversible course of action during this type defining moment.
The author provided the following guide for defining moments which can be used as reference.
A Guide to Defining Moments
For Individuals
Who am I?
• What feelings and intuitions are coming into conflict in this situation?
• Which of the values that are in conflict are most deeply rooted in my life?
• What combination of expediency and shrewdness, coupled with imagination and boldness, will help me implement my personal understanding of what is right?
For Managers of Work Groups
Who are we?
• What are the other strong, persuasive interpretations of the ethics of the situation?
• What point of view is most likely to win a contest of interpretations inside my organization and influences of thinking of the other people?
• Have I orchestrated a process that can make manifest the values I care about in my organization?
For Company Executives
Who is the company?
• Have I done all I can to secure my position and the strength of my organization?
• Have I thought creatively and boldly about my organization’s role in society and its relationship to stockholders?
• What combination of shrewdness, creativity, and tenacity will help me transform my vision into reality?
Application
This article has has provided me with a great deal of insight and I am seeing an immediate impact on the way I handle issues that I face on a daily basis. “The Guide to defining moments” provided by the author has been typed up, printed out, and placed on the wall in my office. I have also shared it with my peers. I was surprised that so many of them also faced the same challenges that I do with defining moments. They really appreciated me sharing the guide and a few of them also requested to borrow the article for their reference.
I have been in many situations that resulted in defining moments that required me to ask “Who am I?” This article introduced me to the concept of the benefit of taking a step back and evaluating the conflict not as a dilemma but as an expected tension between two valid perspectives. I have spent many hours having internal struggles on situations that have two valid “rights”. I have taken the author’s suggestion and started to ask myself “What feelings and intuitions are coming into conflict in the situation?” I need to put value in the feelings and intuitions I have with a situation and recognize that I can get important insight. I have always down played my feelings and intuition but the author pointed out that they are both a form of valuable intelligence.
The article gave me a very interesting perspective on decisions that I make and don’t make. I found value in the points the author made about defining moments of “Who are we?” I have made the mistake that my entire group views situations the same way that I do. I understand that people in my team come from different types of upbringing, religion, ethnicity, and education. The article has made me more aware of the fact I should not impose my understanding of what is right on my team but to take the time to understand how they see the situation. The differences in team members will lead to multiple interpretations of a situation and add valuable insight when making decisions that impact the group. I am also more aware that when I don’t make a decision on a controversial topic that has two “rights” it can be as destructive as a poor choice in regards to the impact on the team. I need to make sure that I fully understand what type of support I have from my employees and coworkers on choices that I make between two rights.
The points the author made in regards to defining moments of “Who is the company?” have really given me a different appreciation of the stress that executives face with the decisions they make. The choices they make have a huge impact on the entire company. Their defining moments go beyond the “Who am I?” and “Who are we?” dilemmas. The executive is chartered with bringing forth their vision of what is right for the organization in a given situation. They need to be in constant check with “Have I done all I can to secure my position and the strength and stability of my organization?” Executives can use defining moments as a chance to redefine their company’s role in society. This is a lot of pressure that I did not give much thought to until reading the article. Executives must be accountable to themselves, shareholders, customers, and employees.
