Category Archives: Dynamic of Character
We are back to some more traditional Police Dynamics training videos from my trip to the Middle East.
Here I use the Temple of Zeus in the ancient city of Jerash in Amman, Jordan to explain the Twin Towers of Integrity and how it is possible to build a life on competence alone. But then what happens when the character test shows up? We know police officers like this. They know the law, they know procedure, they know policy. But you can’t trust them…
The character quality of the month is Sensitivity, which the Character Training Institute defines as:
Perceiving the true attitudes and emotions of those around me.
Think about it from a street survival perspective for a minute. Perceiving the true attitudes and emotions of a criminal suspect can be the difference in life or death. We call it “street savvy” or “street sense,” but the character quality of sensitivity can give you more protection on the street than your ballistic vest…!
(Which I am grateful to have when I am roaming around the streets of Afghanistan…)
Those of you who have attended Police Dynamics training in the past will recognize this image as the Twin Towers of Integrity, a model I use to illustrate how character and competence work in tandem to produce a man or woman of integrity. If the foundation is strong, the structure will stand because it has “structural integrity.” But if the pillars are weak, the structure will collapse under pressure.
The ruins of Beth Shean gave me a great opportunity to illustrate the importance of character and competence and what happens when the foundation is weak. We know officers who have tried to build a life or a career around competence alone. These people know procedure, they know the law, they can cite policies by chapter and verse. They are experts in their field…. But you can’t trust them. And sooner or later the character test will come and their lives will come crumbling down around their ears. How many careers, how many relationships, how many reputations, how many marriages have we seen disintegrate due to a character failure…?
And for you archaeology buffs, one more video from the ruins of Beth Shean…
In another video from our visit to Beth Shean, I discuss how individual character qualities serve as the building blocks of a man or woman of integrity. Without them, our integrity fails and we become “dis-integrated…”
For you archaeology buffs, here’s some more video footage from Beth Shean. You can read more about this fascinating city in the Bible. Check out 1 Samuel 31. Then to see the integrity of King David and the men of Jabesh Gilead put to the test, look at 2 Samuel 2:4-7.
My apologies to my faithful viewers (both of you) for not posting any training videos for a while. I’ve been real busy over here dealing with a number of issues in country (you may have read or heard about some of them) and getting ready for my End of Mission Leave in a few days…!
But here is another training video from our trip to the Holy Land. I hope you enjoy it…
The word character comes from a Latin word that means “engraved mark.” It also has the meaning of “symbol or imprint of the soul.” And if you think about it, it’s our character that leaves a lasting mark on others. It is our character that is our legacy.
On our tombstones will be an engraved mark that records our date of birth, followed by a dash, and our date of death. Our life is summed up by the life we live within the dash. Our character will determine what kind of mark we leave on the lives of others.
The engravers at Petra knew how to leave a mark that would last. Do you…?
We have such a limited vocabulary when it comes to character. We routinely praise people for their achievement and their achievement alone, without recognizing the good character that produced the achievement. Learning to make the character connection forces you to become a better supervisor or a better parent. This is THE paradigm shift for understanding how a character initiative works in real life…
BTW: I’m still in Cancun but we have been too “busy” relaxing and stuff for me to produce any more videos from here. But I kept some in reserve that I produced in Kabul…
My first video post from Cancun! Join me as we explore the definition of sincerity and why it is such an important character quality for a professional police officer.
Many people believe that character is not trainable, at least not as an adult. We have been led to believe that our character is set by age 7. But I want to challenge that mindset and discuss why I believe that character is, in fact, trainable and why pitching good character is so important for those of us in positions of leadership.
I use an illustration from a radio talk show that I hosted to drive home a point about character and achievement. Good character will result in high achievement but we must learn to recognize it, articulate it, and encourage it in the right way.
Character Maxim #1: If you focus on achievement (the fruit) to the exclusion of character (the seed), you actually encourage BAD character. Here’s why.