February 2005 Newsletter
Hiram’s Folly: Unforgiveness and Lost Freedom
Bob Rhinestone, a successful manufacturer, agreed to secure an auto loan for Hiram Bartellow, one of his foremen.
Hiram's wife, however, unexpectedly fell ill, and the extended hospital stays, visits with
specialists, and extended time off put Hiram nearly $500,000 in debt. The Bartellows had no
major assets, and Hiram fell months behind on his payments. 
One morning, Bob received a frantic call. The bank had come to repossess Hiram's new Envoy. Bob understood the family's predicament and agreed to pay the debt so that Hiram could keep his vehicle. Bob also dug deep into his savings and paid off Hiram's other obligations. Bob intended these efforts as a gift, but Hiram insisted on signing a promissory note.
After his wife recovered, Hiram once more assumed his responsibilities around the factory. One day, however, Bob walked out on the floor and overheard Hiram demanding that Pedro Miguerez, a junior supervisor, repay the $500 he had borrowed to help with his grandmother's recent funeral. Pedro asked if Hiram could wait until payday, but Hiram required Pedro to sign over his 1990 Geo Metro.
Bob called Hiram in and asked him why he did not have mercy on his coworker. Bob then required Hiram to make a large minimum payment each month until the entire debt was repaid.
We all regularly need forgiveness. Gain the freedom to overcome obstacles and move forward in life by freely forgiving your offenders.
Only if...
If you want to live free, forgiveness isn't optional. Why should you forgive those who wrong you? Only if...
you would be someone others can respect.
you want healthy relationships with those you love.
you hope to sleep in peace.
you want to live life free from hate and bitterness.
you want to appreciate the good in others and see the lighter side of life.
you want others to forgive you when you fail.
Why should you seek forgiveness when you wrong someone? Only if...
you desire to set a good example.
you want to build strong relationships.
you want to heal the hurts you have caused.
you would take responsibility and overcome the obstacles in life.
you want to be forgiven.
When you do fail, saying "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it because it offers only a token of remorse. It means much more to say "I was wrong, and this is where I was wrong." Then you can show respect for others by asking "Will you forgive me?" and leaving the decision in their hands.
Your example will point others toward a more successful future. Think about it!
Building Quality and People
"I'm in business because it's a passion of mine, and basically my business is an extension of my hobby as a kid," said Don Begneaud, owner and CEO of Begneaud Manufacturing Inc. "From the very beginning, I have always felt that it was important to have a good family culture," he said, as he recalled working out of his parents' backyard during high school. Thus, when he "stumbled across" Character First! during a conversation with Kimray Inc. COO Tom Hill, "it was a good fit."
Now, every Wednesday morning at 7:30, the company provides breakfast for all employees and then
holds an employee meeting. These meetings include quality audit reviews, at which particular
issues are pointed out for adjustment. The meetings also include a safety session which could
feature photographs of a particular safety hazard and action items to correct the situation.
Once a month, employees watch the video presentation of the month's character quality and receive a copy of the Character First! bulletin. On the remaining weeks, employees are nominated by their fellow employees and recognized for demonstrating good character.
Because the locality does not have a large reserve of skilled manufacturing workers,
Begneaud looks for people, many of them entry level, who have the motivation to learn
"the Begneaud way." Welding and press brake supervisor Gary May has watched the company
grow from four welders, one secretary, and one finishing man to a precision sheet metal
job shop with 60 employees. In particular, he mentioned two welders who started not too
long after his own hiring in April 1984, one hired right out of high school and the other
hired directly out of the armed forces. These two learned to weld in the Begneaud shop,
and today they are "second to none," he said.
Before working for Begneaud, May worked at a meat plant where coworkers would not help one another improve because they viewed one another as competition. "It's not like that here," he said, "And the flaws? we can work on that."
This past year brought particular challenges with training and quality control. "At first it was hard to get everyone 100% on board because we did change," said quality manager and CAD supervisor Myra Robin, but she said the situation has improved as the new measures started improving quality.
As the team at Begneaud Manufacturing moves forward, their commitment to personal integrity and high product quality promises to see them through the process.
Changing the Culture
There is no doubt that culture influences young people. You see its impact in the way students dress, the way they talk, the way they treat one another, and the way they relate to authorities. The challenge for parents and teachers is to build a positive culture around their students—one that encourages students toward good character instead of destructive habits.
1. Have the Right Focus
Outward appearance, athletic ability, popularity, material gain, and academic achievement
receive so much attention that we often forget the importance of character. Invest the time
and energy necessary to teach character and to live out each quality so that students have
a good example.
2. Follow a Plan
Students learn best from a systematic method of instruction. Character First! provides
a systematic framework so that you can teach each character quality to your students and take
advantage of the opportunities to apply the lesson during the day.
3. Work Together as a Team
Character is not a topic for one class or one teacher. It must be reinforced by everyone who
influences the students. This task includes parents, siblings, civic leaders, religious leaders,
teachers, individual mentors, school administrators, school staff, news reporters, and TV
programmers. Use every opportunity to influence young people constructively and help them
make the right decisions.
By Robert Greenlaw
Building a Better Breakfast
Last month, interest in the Oklahoma City Business and Community Leader’s Breakfast exceeded the capacity of the meeting place. In response, the Character Training Institute and the Character Council of Central Oklahoma have announced they will begin holding a monthly luncheon on the Thursday after the Tuesday breakfast.
During both events, attendees will enjoy a meal and fellowship with others who value good character.
Each month, a video presentation introduces the monthly character quality, and a speaker discusses
practical ways individuals can incorporate good character into their lives and workplaces.
Since its inception, the breakfast averaged 50-70 attendees on the fourth Tuesday of each month, but increasing the number of invitations from 700 to 2,000 has increased average attendance to 200.
Janae Jantz, marketing coordinator for the breakfast, said many service and community clubs participated by notifying members about the event. Flyers and postcards were created to mail or hand to potential attendees. Public service announcements aired to promote the event, and Jantz sent press releases to local news organizations. "Once there was growth, people became more excited about participating," Jantz said.
John Burnett, director of the International Association of Character Cities, believes there are three primary benefits to holding the monthly event. "First," he said, "it provides opportunity for business leaders to learn about the character quality of the month and be better equipped to take it back to their organizations. Next, it provides the ability for introducing new individuals to the process of character development. Finally, it allows for the expansion of business through follow-up on the leads generated by individuals who attend and seek help incorporating character development in their organizations."
If you want to learn more about hosting a successful monthly character event in your community, the International Association of Character Cities can provide sample invitations, postcards, emails, and response forms, as well as pointers for hosting the event. Call 405-815-0001 ext. 276 for more information.