Smart & Good High Schools - The Flippen Group

CHAPTER 2: Performance Character and Moral Character2. A person of character embodiesboth performance characterand moral character. Both carryobligation.Performance character, like moralcharacter, has an ethical dimension;it is a moral failure, for example,when we do shoddy work. Allof us have a responsibility to developour talents, realize our potentialfor excellence, and give ourbest effort as we perform the tasksof life (performance character).We have this obligation for tworeasons: (1) respect for ourselvesrequires us not to waste our talentsbut to use them to develop as personsand to perform to the best ofour ability in whatever we undertake;and (2) caring about othersrequires us to do our work well,since in life the quality of our workaffects other people’s lives. Whenwe do our work well, someone typicallybenefits; when we do it poorly,someone suffers.In a similar way, we have a responsibilityto be our best ethical self(moral character)—both out ofself-respect and because our ethicalconduct affects the lives of those around us. If we treatothers with respect and care, we contribute to their welfareand happiness; if we do the opposite, we demeanthem and subtract from the quality of their lives.A person of character embodiesboth performance character andmoral character.Performance Character:3. Whereas moral virtues are intrinsically good, performancevirtues can be used for bad ends.A terrorist might use performance virtues such as ingenuityand commitment to carry out the bombing of innocents; aCEO might use performance virtues to pursue self-interestat the expense of employees, stockholders, and customers.By contrast, moral virtues such as justice, honesty, and caringare intrinsically good—good in and of themselves. Theycan’t be pressed into the service of evil goals.Awareness(Cognitive)✔ Can identify excellence in many areasof endeavor.✔ Understands the performance virtuesrequired to pursue excellence.Moral Character:✔ Recognizes the ethical dimensionsof situations.✔ Grapples with important moral questions(e.g., ìHow will thi s decision affect others?”“How would I like to be treated if I werein this situation?”)The 3 A’s ofPerformanceCharacterand MoralCharacterPerformance Character:✔ Demonstrates the skills and habitsrequired for excellence.✔ Practices in order to improve in the skillsand habits required for excellence.Moral Character:Action(Behavior/Habits)✔ Acts upon ethical convictions.✔ Takes a stand for what is right; assumesleadership for influencing others to dowhat is right.Attitude(Emotional/Valuing)Performance Character:✔ Is strongly motivated to givebest effort.✔ Is committed to high-qualitywork.Moral Character:✔ Cares deeply about doing theright thing; makes the moralself central to identity.✔ Has the courage of consciencein the face of socialpressure.4. Both performance character and moral character havethree psychological components: awareness, attitude,and action.The field of character education has long recognizedthree psychological dimensions of character: cognitive(“the head”), emotional (“the heart”), and behavioral (“thehand”). In a similar way, performance character andmoral character can be viewed as each having three psychologicalcomponents, which we refer to as the 3 A’s:awareness, attitude, and action (see figure above).Performance character and moralcharacter have three components:awareness, attitude, and action.To have performance character is to know what excellencerequires (awareness), to care about excellence (attitude),and to strive for excellence (action). Similarly, tohave moral character is to know what ethical behavior20Smart & Good High Schools