Article review: The Discipline of Building Character by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.
Submitted by – Kumar Rishikesh
We’ve all experienced times when our professional responsibilities conflict with our values:. During these defining moments, we must choose between right and—right. Unlike other ethical decisions, where the options are clearly right and wrong, defining moments ask us to choose between two ideals.
Resolving defining moments requires skills not listed on most job descriptions—probing self-inquiry, in particular. These skills enable us to craft an authentic identity based on our own, rather than others’, understanding of what’s right. Managers who brave the process renew their sense of purpose—and transform their values into …show more content…

Example: Instead of waiting for the work/family issue to catch him and his group by surprise, Adario could have anticipated the problem and defined an organizational culture that valued both family and work. But Walters preempted him and filled the vacuum his inaction had created.
3. Who Is the Company? Defining Moments for Executives
Executives running companies face even more complex defining moments that test them, their work groups, and their entire firm. They must choose actions that protect all stakeholders’ interests.
Have I done all I can to secure my position and the strength and stability of my organization?
Example: In deciding whether to market RU-486, the “French abortion pill,” Roussel Uclaf CEO Eduoard Sakiz faced a defining moment. Antiabortion groups, pro-choice groups, shareholders, and France’s government (part owner of the company) were all fomenting international controversy over the drug. Though Sakiz believed in making abortion safer, he also had a responsibility to protect employees’ jobs and security. He knew he’d need to secure his own position in the firm in order to bring RU-486 to market.
Have I thought creatively and boldly about my organization’s role in society and its relationship to shareholders?
Example: Sakiz decided to define RU-486’s role in a daring way: supporting a core group of stakeholders (women seeking non-surgical abortions, and their physicians) through astute political activism. This path resonated with his own core values