Upstanding

CHAPTER 221st-Century Ethos

“It is said that some people are born great, others achieve it, some have it thrust upon them. In truth, the ways in which your character is built have to do with all three of those. Those around you, those you choose, and those who choose you.”

—Maya Angelou

Character is the North Star by which we steer our organizations.

We are living in one of the most dynamic moments in history, and I suspect things are going to continue to evolve quickly over the coming years. Change is all around us, and it's imperative that we get ready for change rather than continue to be surprised by it. For years—actually, millennia—we have been trying to defy, deny, or slow down change. We need to embrace it. Even the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said 2,500 years ago, “Change is the only constant in life.”

It still is, all these thousands of years later.

But what's different is that the kind of change we're going through today is truly remarkable in our lifetimes. COVID-19. Financial uncertainty. Disruptive social change. Natural disasters. And all of it changing daily, not monthly or yearly, but every single day there seems to be something alarming happening. And now more than ever, we are watching to see how companies and individuals navigate these changes and show who they really are. We're asking our leaders, our organizations, our coworkers, and everyone who's important to us what they stand for, and then we're comparing what they say to what they actually ...