Importance of Character in Your Career
by Ron Kurtus (updated 17 December 2021)
Your character consists of the attitudes you have toward challenges you face in your career. Good character is important in your career.
Having positive character traits will improve your chances of success and in achieving your goals. Negative traits hinder your efforts and your job performance.
Questions you may have include:
- How do personal character traits affect job performance?
- How are positive character traits admired?
- How do negative personal character traits hinder your career?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Performance factors
Personal character traits are sometimes called your work ethic. They concern your attitudes towards performing difficult tasks, fulfilling requirements and specifications, following orders, being organized, and working up to your capabilities.
There are also other factors in your personal character traits that indirectly affect your ability to complete tasks and achieve goals, such as the manner in which you spend your money or take care of your body. They also can affect your performance.
Positive character traits admired
Having positive character traits mean that you are able and willing to do good work—both for your satisfaction and that of your employer. These traits relate to attitudes you have toward challenges at work. Typical traits are determination, organization, courage and responsibility.
Harry had an assignment that needed to be completed by Friday. It was a difficult task, but he was not afraid to work hard to complete it. His boss knew that that Harry had the type of character where he would commit to overcoming the difficulty and achieving the goal.
After the job was done, the boss gave Harry recognition for a job well-done.
Having a good work ethic will result in having good performance. Employers want their workers to have good personal character traits.
Negative traits not wanted
Negative personal character traits include carelessness, sloth and irresponsibility.
Phillip was a very skilled worker, but he often was careless in what he did. He figured his work was good enough, especially since he wasn't too interested in the task.
Sometimes the work he did had to be done over by someone else. Although Phillip was talented and skilled, he was a drag on the department's bottom line and was ultimately laid-off.
These negative character traits or attitudes can hinder your ability to achieve goals or to satisfy job requirements. Employers typically do not advance workers with negative character traits.
Summary
Personal character consists of the attitudes you have toward challenges in your career. Having positive personal character traits will improve your performance and chances of success. Negative traits hinder your efforts.
Always do your best
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Importance of Character in Your Career