Last week, we talked about the cost of bad character and how bad character brought down Enron and Arthur Andersen. An event that caused thousands to lose their jobs and wrecked the financial lives of many more.

We also discussed that there is a long-term return or benefit to having good character. There are even studies showing that businesses led by leaders of high character outperform their peers.

This is leading me, and hopefully, you, to feel that character is a good thing. But what is character?

Merriam-Webster defines character as “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group or nation.” If we go with that definition, it means that we all are “people of character.” We all have character, but we think highly of some people’s character and not the character of others.

So, what is good character? If we want to be people of good character, to raise children of good character and to lead organizations known for our good character, we must agree on what good character is.

Turns out the concept of good character has been studied and debated by philosophers, educators and leaders of all types for a very long time. As a Christian, I turn to the Bible to find the definition of good character. Unfortunately, no one has pointed me to a recurring, consistent definition of character in the Bible though there are several verses that can point us in the right direction. More on that later.

The lack of a consistent, universal definition of good character is what has caused so many people and organizations to lack it. Because an individual’s definition of good character is often linked to their faith beliefs we often avoid the topic completely. We revert to generic terms like integrity and then fail to train our people on how to act with integrity. No wonder we have so much bad behavior in business today.

In the early 2000s, scientists began to study positive character traits throughout time. Their goal was to find a universal definition of character that could be agreed to across geographic and religious boundaries.

In 2004, Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman published the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues based on the detailed scientific research. They found 24 universal positive character traits that they summed up into six universal virtues. Those virtues are:

Transcendence: The appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor and spirituality.

Wisdom: Creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning and perspective.

Courage: Bravery, perseverance, honesty and zest.

Temperance: – Forgiveness, humility, prudence and self-regulation.

Justice: Teamwork, fairness and leadership.

Humanity: Love, kindness and social intelligence.

The idea is that regardless of where you come from or what God you serve you would agree that these traits are good. I think they succeeded. I can’t find any traits that I would find negative in an individual.

As a Christian, I can find the positive character traits outlined in the Bible in these 24. 1 Peter 2 outlines the traits of virtue, knowledge, perseverance, self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. 1 Timothy 6 tells Christians to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness. Galatians 5 says that a Christian’s character should consist of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.

I don’t know enough about the other major religions to speak for them but I bet their list is covered as well.

What can we do with this universal list of good character traits? Why should we care about it in business? We’ll dive into those topics next week.

Curt Fowler is an organizational growth expert and president of Fowler & Company, a business advisory firm dedicated to helping leaders create and achieve a compelling vision for their organization. He has an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.

Have a business growth topic you’d like me to cover? Send suggestions to cfowler@valuesdrivenresults.com.