Our best defense--a culture of character.

• Author: "Jack", J. Phillip
• Position: Ethics Corner

Character is a critical piece of our national security. As recent headlines have shown, security breaches, bribery, cheating, lying and sexual misconduct erode both trust in our institutions and our nation's credibility.

Likewise, unethical behavior has the potential to negatively impact our country's resilience and readiness.

A lack of character can pose a risk at any level of an organization. Just one poor decision or action by one person can jeopardize an entire organization. Organizations across the national security community can mitigate such risks by recommitting to instill and uphold a culture of character. So how is a culture of character created? What can be done to ensure that our national security starts with doing the right thing?

Organizational trust is embodied in culture, and the authority to lead comes from trust. A culture of trust also depends on having the right people. For me, the right people have positive attitudes, unquestionable integrity and a commitment to the mission.

Attitude is of utmost importance. No amount of expertise can make up for a poor or inconsistent attitude from an employee or leader.

Integrity is key because customers, partners and colleagues will not want to work with people they can't trust. Being reliable, delivering a quality performance and demonstrating good judgment to do the right thing are all characteristics that show person or a company has integrity.

Commitment is also key because a person can have the best intentions with a positive attitude and honesty, but this is all lost if the intentions are not matched with actions that are consistently and directly aligned with the values and mission of the specific project or organization. The most dedicated, trustworthy and reliable people are those who are mission-oriented and therefore prioritize the mission. Oftentimes an organization can be put at risk when team members are individually or politically oriented people, meaning they prioritize themselves over the group mission.

Successful cultures are based on ethics and accountability. Accountability is knowing and accepting that you alone are responsible for who you are, for your character and for your success--or failure--in life. It is critical to maintaining a position of leadership and strength, for a lack of accountability creates potential for great risk.

However, a commitment to accountability is not easy, especially when things go wrong. It's necessary to take ownership of our...