Character determines success at work place

CAREER  EMPLOYMENT  JOBS

Creating a solid, professional reputation is essential to developing a successful career plan. Showing a good character at the workplace sets you apart as a trustworthy individual and can help attract allies, gain the support of colleagues and superiors and improves your career. 

Good character can endure through whatever circumstances one encounters at work.

A character that distinguishes someone can be evident even in the methodologies of their work and their allegiances in the workplace. 

Abraham Lincoln, former US president and one of America's most gifted writers, once stated: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Good character is doing the right thing because it is the right to do what is right. A person with a personality that is truthful is much more likely to report the facts in the given situation than a person who tends to be characterised by deceptiveness. 

Lincoln also adds that someone who has a character trait of alertness will be more likely to be a better, safer employee of an organisation, than a person, who does not recognise the potential dangers around him. 

Edward Mutabaazi, the human resource consultant for United Nations in Uganda, says character is a two-way thing. It is also the response to a situation in the organisation, like poor policies, bad supervisors, favouritism and many others. 

When good employees start working in organisations with bad policies and supervisors, their attitude changes. He adds that managers should also change their perceptions and attitudes. 

With good attitude and character in organisations, employees will also change their attitudes.

 Mutabaazi also says character is the primary determinant of success, for both an individual and the organisation. You can do everything because you have a positive attitude, which promotes hard work.

He also explains that with good character, you become a team player, because you are successful in whatever you do at the workplace, which paves a way for promotion. 

But without good character, you cannot reach anywhere. Qualifications cannot help you, It is only character, which will maintain you in a place. It is a driving engine for success. 

Employees with good character easily learn because of their willingness to be trained. He advises that organisations should always bring mentors and coaches to interact with badly behaved employees, to foster positive change, and protect the name of the organisation. 

They should also make sure that their employees work in the positions of their qualification because it is familiar ground. 

Nicole Long, a writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio in the US with a bachelor's degree in economics, says operating in an ethical manner and hiring those who have the same beliefs lies at the heart of encouraging the demonstration of character in the workplace. 

When employing new workers, a small business must ensure it hires someone with integrity and honesty, to continue to achieve a high level of character in the workplace. 

She adds that in small businesses, owners and management must set the example which promotes a teamwork environment and also provide a positive overall experience of employees. 

It has been said that character is the foundation for all success. A person may have money, position or power, but unless they have good character, they are not considered to be truly successful. Our character is what determines our success in any area of life.