I know what you’re thinking: “It’s already March 12. Why is Nash just now posting the Character Quality of the Month?” Hey, I was in Cancun! Give me a break…!
Here’s a great working definition of Tolerance from the Character Training Institute in Oklahoma City:
“Realizing that everyone is at varying levels of character development.”
When you take the time to think about it, this definition really makes sense. We are all works in progress. Hopefully we are progressing to better character, not worse…
We call character definitions like this “working definitions” because they can be used in the workplace to identify and commend observable behaviors that result from good character. A wise supervisor, or a wise parent, can use definitions like this to make the “character connection.” This is a huge paradigm shift because it forces you to focus on the character quality that produced the achievement (the seed) rather than on the achievement itself (the fruit).
It is a fundamental maxim of character development that if you focus on achievement to the exclusion of character, you actually encourage bad character. I examine this concept in more depth in the training videos “The Law of the Harvest“, “Character v. Achievement“, and “Making the Character Connection“.
Although this site is designed primarily for police, the principles are timeless and universal and can apply to virtually any relationship. The 49 Character Qualities as defined by the Character Training Institute provide a powerful tool for any leader…