Wharton Business School

1
Wharton Business School
Panel Presentation Rules Cannot Substitute
for Character Presenter Fred Kiel, Ph.D.
2
Three points

• Character-based business is good business
• A business reflects the world-view of its
  leaders
• Your world-view could keep you out of jail!

3
Three points

• Character-based business is good business.

4
Four Universal Moral Principles

• Integrity
• Responsibility
• Forgiveness
• Compassion

5
Character Defined

• When behavior is aligned with these four
  principles
• Integrity
• Responsibility
• Forgiveness
• Compassion

6
Applying the Principles to Organizational Life
7
Applying the Principles to Organizational Life
8
Impact of Culture on Bottom Line
Financial Performance 1977-1988
Taken from Corporate Culture and Performance,
Kotter Heskett, 1992
9
100 Best Companies

• Credibility
• Respect
• Fairness
• Pride
• Camaraderie

10
Performance of the 100 Best
250
200
Cumulative Return
150
100
50
0
Source Russell
11
Costco Wholesale

• Costco is truly a character-based
• company

12
Three Points

• Character-based business is good business.
• A business reflects the world-view of its
  leaders.

13
Beliefs Common to Organizational Life

• When it comes down to it, most people cannot be
  trusted.
• Most people want to be honest, responsible and
  kind to others.
• Sometimes it is better to gloss over the truth
  and win than to never win at all.
• Most people care more about themselves than
  anyone else.
• Most people grow and change throughout their
  adult life.
• Most people can be trusted until they prove
  otherwise.
• In the final analysis, the most powerful
  motivator is money.
• Most people want to work for a noble cause for
  some purpose larger than their own self-interest.

14
Moral Lapses

• An indication of a much broader and
• more troublesome trend in global society

15
Empirical Questions

• What view of human nature is best?
• By what criteria?
• What are the core beliefs that create
  character-based businesses?

16
Three Points

• Character-based business is good business
• A business reflects the world-view of its
  leaders
• Your world-view could keep you out of jail!

17
The Automaticity of Being

• Ninety-five percent of moment-to-moment
• thoughts, emotions and overt behaviors
• are automatic.

18
The Software in Your Head and Heart

• Most of our behavior is pre-programmed
• and regulated by ones world-view

19
The Real Business Advantage

• Know and leverage your
• subconscious software

20
Panel Presentation

• Thank you!

21
Fortunes Best Companies to Work For
20
16
12
8
4
0
Best the 56 publicly traded firms on
the FORTUNE 2005 list
Years
Year
Years
Years
Business success linked to good people practices
Source Fortune, Deloitte Consulting