By Goretti Kimani
Building a successful career is a life-long journey that requires commitment, hard work and a high level of personal discipline.
Some people, however, do not see it this way. They treat a career like a wild tree, one that will grow on autopilot till maturity with little or no intervention. Well, nothing can be further from the truth.
If you are like Judy, you may need to seek help. She has held four jobs over the last five years and is currently jobless. She lost her last job after a fight with her boss during a Christmas party after having too much to drink. This was the second such incident in the span of her career, and she is now seeking counselling to help her learn to retain control at work.
There are many people like Judy out there as bad habits manifest themselves in all sorts of ways.
For some it is foul language – they simply cannot control their tongues when upset and will lash out at just about anyone, with little regard for the consequences. As the saying goes, the mouth will swiftly put you in a hole that your limbs cannot get you out.
Others have the infamous “I forgot” disease. They do not remember to make an important call, print important minutes, shut down their computers or lock the office, much to the chagrin of those affected.
And then there are those with poor personal financial management. They are always borrowing money from colleagues and friends whom they do not pay back. Soon they are in bad books with everyone and their job security begins to hang by a thread.
Others fail to draw a line between work and their home life. They drag personal matters to the office and vice versa. Soon, the muddle is too much for those around them and they end up being kicked out of their homes or offices.
Yet others suffer from the lying disease. They will not speak the truth no matter how straightforward an issue might be. They will seek to twist every circumstance to suit their intentions. They will shift blame, make up excuses, deny the mistake and end up making a mess of their careers.
And others suffer from self-sabotage. They work hard to gain some mileage only for them to turn around and destroy it through some senseless action.
Still others suffer from poor personal hygiene that quickly attracts a dubious label and irritates colleagues and management.
While having a weakness is an issue, doing nothing about it borders on insanity.
To start, with no weakness should be treated as terminal. Rather, an objective and level-headed approach must be adopted to bring permanent change. Facing the weakness squarely and without bias is the starting point.
If you react with aggression upon the mention of your weaknesses, you are most likely in denial, which can only worsen the situation.
As you work on getting better, never lose sight of your career dream. Keep at it no matter what happens. If need be, consult a professional for expert guidance.
The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: goretti@peoplelink.co.ke
