KIDS OF CHARACTER 1/12/2009 - This Week's Character Mentoring Mesage

KIDS OF CHARACTER 1/12/2009

This Week's Character Mentoring Mesage
Personal Integrity Assessment

"Each time you are honest and conduct yourself with honesty, a success force will drive you toward greater success. Each time you lie, even with a little white lie, there are strong forces pushing you toward failure."

Joseph Sugarman

The Josephson Institute, one of America’s premier voices in ethics education, is encouraging adults throughout the United States to participate in the Personal Integrity Assessment. I took a look at the online questionnaire this last week. The assessment is an excellent self-reflection tool that allows adults to think about personal behaviors that shape the direction of a life of honest conduct and provide a personal barometer for character mentors to measure their own character compass.

Here are 10 questions from the survey. As you read each statement, you can respond to how you agree with each one: Agree Strongly; Agree; Disagree; Disagree; Strongly:

1. In today’s society, one has to lie or cheat at least occasionally in order to succeed.

2. People who take ethical shortcuts are more likely to succeed than those who don’t.

3. I am satisfied with my own ethics and character.

4. I am more ethical than most people I know.

In the past 12 months, how many times have you engaged in or experienced the described conduct? Never; Only One; Two or Three Times; Four or More Times; Not Applicable

5. Was given too much change and kept the money.

6. Inflated an expense claim for reimbursement.

7. Concealed or distorted significant information in communicating to my boss.

8. Lied to my boss about something significant.

9. Misrepresented a material fact in a job interview (in past 5 years).

10. Used the internet for more than 15 minutes for personal reasons during work time.

Kids of Character can learn from their parents, grandparents and teachers, our nation's community heroes, what it means to show up with behaviors that reinforce the core ethical quality of acting with integrity.

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