The Crucible of Character
The crucible reveals what's inside each of us as we go through the challenges, struggles, and obstacles of life.
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The crucible.
A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.
The purpose is to convert a solid ore to a liquid state where it can be poured into a mold to take on a pre-determined shape. Sometimes other ingredients are added to the ore to make it stronger, more rigid, more flexible, or to enhance the performance of the original ore in some fashion.
During the heating process, the ore liquifies, and various components within the ore begin to separate. This process helps to remove impurities from the mixture so what remains is a more pure, useful version of the metal than the raw ore taken from the earth.
A few years ago, when met a young couple in Texas who are master artisans of designer jewelry. They create and design some of the most exquisite, custom jewelry I've ever seen. As they showed me some of their intricate designs, they explained if the impurities are not properly removed from the gold or silver they are working with, the design could become structurally flawed, and fail.
Imagine paying tens of thousands of dollars for a one-of-a-kind, intricately designed pendant, ring, or bracelet, only to have it shatter into pieces because of a structural flaw due to impurities in the underlying metal. And what of the precious stone bound within the metal if it separates or falls apart?
The loss could be staggering.
There's a leadership lesson here, and one with very practical application to our lives. It starts with another definition of a crucible we often overlook or ignore.
A crucible is also a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.
This type of crucible reveals what's inside each of us as we go through the challenges, struggles, and obstacles of life.
It reveals our character.
It reveals our values.
I'm hearing a LOT about character and values, not only from families but from organizations as well. As businesses are becoming aware of the importance of organizational health, and the myriad of problems that can arise when it's not, the conversation almost always leads to a company culture.
A company's culture defines WHY it exists. It takes into account WHO the organization serves, WHAT they provide as a value-added product or service, and HOW they serve their audience - their clients and customers.
But, it all comes back to that overarching WHY that defines who they are.
It's essential for the leaders of an organization to define a company's culture; otherwise, the overarching WHY is defined independently by every single person within the organization. And when there are multiple definitions of culture within an organization, no one really knows what the entity really stands for.
That's a recipe for, at best, mediocrity, and at worst, failure.
Why?
Because just like an individual, an organization's character and values are going to be tested. Under stress, what's important to an organization, it's character and its values are going to be revealed. What your organization believes is going to be revealed in the actions of those who work there, for better or worse.
Great organizations take the time to define culture, and to engrain it into every strategic element within their company (starting with hiring and training), so that the character and values the organization wants to see on display are being continually honed within each and every team member.
Sadly, very few organizations do this at all, and even fewer do it well.
A company's culture defines the organizational non-negotiables. What the organization wants to be known for, how it wants to be perceived in the marketplace, and how it wants to create an exceptional experience for the clients and customers it serves.
Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or an organization. Values define a person's (or organization's) principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
Closely aligned to character and values are morals. Morals are defined as a person's (or organization's) standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do. It's your non-negotiables in life.
Combined, character, values, and morals are the "Rules for Right Living".
Unless these are clearly defined and strategically aligned into every element of an organization's culture, everyone gets to set their own rules - which ultimately leads to confusion, chaos, and potentially destruction.
I see this in organizations all the time, and you likely have too. I was recently in Branson visiting "The Landing", a collection of mostly high-end retail stores. As I entered a store, I would watch to see how I was greeted and treated. I wanted to see if the company's culture, as portrayed on its website and advertising, was lived out in the lives of its team members.
Short answer, sometimes YES, but a lot of the time, NO.
And when I look at customer reviews online, I see I'm not alone in my observations. Yet businesses large and small ignore information and feedback like this to their own peril, as there are many options available to consumers today. If customers don't feel valued and appreciated, they will take their money somewhere else.
I ask employees about their jobs, about the leaders in their organization, and whether or not they feel valued and appreciated, and whether or not they can define the company's culture. Again, short answer, sometimes YES, but a lot of the time, NO.
Why are we failing at the crucible of culture?
Before an organization can define its culture, those who lead the organization must have settled this for themselves. If the leaders within a company don't have good character and good values, neither will their organization.
If a leader doesn't have non-negotiables, clearly defined moral absolutes, in his or her life, neither will their organization. If a leader is willing to stand for everything or chooses to stand for nothing, so will the company he or she leads.
Organizational culture is an extension of the culture of those who lead. By extension, it will attract those of similar character, values, and morals. That culture (belief system), as it is lived out by the leaders, will permeate into every nook and cranny of the organization, for better or for worse.
Why? Because people do what people see.
Organizational culture will be tested and tried. And, the organization's character, its underlying values and morals, will be revealed.
Now, let's get personal as we wrap up this week's leadership lesson.
If organizational culture is an extension of the leader's culture, what does that say about you? What character values and morals do you embrace and live out? What do you believe, and why? Do you have non-negotiables in your life? If so, what are they?
I remain amazed, and shocked, at the number of individuals across America who don't define culture for themselves or their family. When I talk about character, values, and morals, I'm often met with stares of dumbfoundedness.
I visit schools and see children, staff, and teachers treating each other with disrespect and disdain. It's even worse on social media. It's a sign of a much deeper problem in our country today.
Democracy can only exist within a culture with good character, values, and morals. When those erode, what's left is tyranny or anarchy.
When individuals have no values, society suffers as a whole. We're seeing a leadership deficit in America that has reached epidemic proportions.
When society fails at the Crucible of Character, it creates amoral or immoral people. That happens at the family level, in our schools, in our churches and synagogues, in our businesses, and in our communities as a whole. Ultimately, society breaks down, as each person does what is right in his or her own eyes.
No morals, no values, no character.
In many of the larger cities in America, we are seeing what happens when values-based leadership is forsaken and good character and values become a relic of the past. Crime becomes rampant, unchecked, and society crumbles.
Remember, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. If we don't define culture, amoral and immoral people will define it for us, and society will suffer as a result.
But, it doesn't have to be that way.
Character is defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or an organization. Values define a person's (or organization's) principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.
Combined, character, values, and morals are the "Rules for Right Living".
Who we are, and what we believe, is revealed when we go through the Crucible of Character. This type of crucible reveals what's inside each of us as we go through the challenges, struggles, and obstacles of life.
It reveals our character.
It reveals our values.
The good news is we get to define these for ourselves, and then model them before others. And, as leaders, it's important to remember that people do what people see.
If we want a better, more vibrant, prosperous, harmonious society, then it has to start with YOU, and it starts with ME, modeling the character, values, and morals that make our world a better place to live and raise a family, educate our children, operate a business, or provide for the welfare and wellbeing of those in our community.
Tony Robbins says, "What we focus on expands." May we focus our energy and efforts on becoming men and women of good character and values.
And when we face the next Crucible of Character, it will reveal what's on the inside of us. As we continue to learn, grow, mature, and focus on becoming a better version of ourselves daily, what is poured out after the fire has refined us will be a better version of what went into the crucible in the first place.
This is how we change our community, one life at a time.
In the Crucible of Character.