Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right character from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong character”. Your degree is just a piece of paper, your education is seen in your behavior, attitude and character. One thing graduates need to understand is that your employer is employing you and not your certificate! No matter how educated, talented, connected or rich you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all.
Elon Musk said, “My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality (character). I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.” Most times people don’t really buy what you have but who you are! Can you be trusted? Do people see you as being honest? Can people hold on to your words and promises? Do you show up on time for meetings? Do you have a signature of excellence on what you do? How do you handle provocations? How do your handle people with different point of views from yours? It is actually a waste of education when you refuse to see things from other people’s point of view.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right character from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong character”. Your degree is just a piece of paper, your education is seen in your behavior, attitude and character. One thing graduates need to understand is that your employer is employing you and not your certificate! No matter how educated, talented, connected or rich you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all.
Elon Musk said, “My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality (character). I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.” Most times people don’t really buy what you have but who you are! Can you be trusted? Do people see you as being honest? Can people hold on to your words and promises? Do you show up on time for meetings? Do you have a signature of excellence on what you do? How do you handle provocations? How do your handle people with different point of views from yours? It is actually a waste of education when you refuse to see things from other people’s point of view.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States of America once said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right character from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong character”. Your degree is just a piece of paper, your education is seen in your behavior, attitude and character. One thing graduates need to understand is that your employer is employing you and not your certificate! No matter how educated, talented, connected or rich you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all.
Elon Musk said, “My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality (character). I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.” Most times people don’t really buy what you have but who you are! Can you be trusted? Do people see you as being honest? Can people hold on to your words and promises? Do you show up on time for meetings? Do you have a signature of excellence on what you do? How do you handle provocations? How do your handle people with different point of views from yours? It is actually a waste of education when you refuse to see things from other people’s point of view.
You will never rise above the limitations of your character. I have come to a diagnostic conclusion that the greatest of all human problems is the character problem. There is no amount of skills and degrees that can substitute for character. Sometimes, you need character, not just the acquisition of degrees. There is more hope in life for a poor man with the right character than a rich man with the wrong character. Socrates said, “What most counts is not merely to live, but to live right”. Beware of the impression you create with your character.
You will need to do a character audit to know the pattern of behavior and the character defects holding you down from living your best life. What is your biggest character flaw and what are the steps you want to take to overcome it? Discuss this with your mentor and work seriously to build up the character that is in tandem with your destination. Take conscious effort to work on any character trait that is inimical to your destiny.
Hear this: Do not recommend unserious people to others just because you want to help them. It can ruin your name, reputation and relationships with great people. Recommend only those who are honest, diligent, trustworthy and good at what they do, not because you know them.