英語流行話題閱讀:語境識詞4500 69 Why Character Counts?

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Unit 69

Why Character Counts?

Some time ago I was asked to consult for a bank that was having a problem with employee morale. "I don't know what's wrong," complained their young president. Bright and ambitious, he'd risen through the ranks only to see his institution faltering. He blamed his employees. "No matter what incentives I provide," he said, "they won't shake off this gloom." He was right. The atmosphere seemed poisoned with suspicion and lack of trust. But no one would tell me the source o this distrust. Finally the truth emerged. The boss, who was married, was having an affair with an employee. And everyone knew it.

It was obvious now that the company's poor performance was caused by his conduct. But the greatest damage the man was doing was to himself. He was thinking only of his own gratification, disregarding long-term consequences. Moreover, he had violated the trust with his wife. In a word, his failing was one of character.

Today it is out of vogue to speak in terms of character. But there is no more essential aspect of any person. Character is made up of those principles and values that give your life direction, meaning and depth. These constitute your inner sense of what's right and wrong based not on the rules of conduct but on who you are. They include such trait as integrity, honesty, courage, fairness and generosity -- which arise from the hard choices we have to make in life. So wrong is simply in doing wrong, not in getting caught.

Yet some people wonder if our inner values matter anymore. After all, hasn't our noted bank executive succeeded in every visible way, despite his faults? This question demonstrates a quandary of our modern life. Many have come to believe that the only things we need for success are talent, energy and personality. But history has taught us that in the long run, who we are is more important than who we appear to be. During the nation's first century and a half, almost everything in the literature of success and self-help focused on what could be called the character ethic. Such famous figures as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson made clear their belief that we can only experience true success and happiness by making character the bedrock of their lives.

After we moved into the industrial age, the basic view of success shifted to what we could call the personality ethic. Success becomes more a function of charm, skills and techniques that, at least on the surface, smooth the process of human interaction. Rather than struggle with thorny issues of right and wrong, we turned to making things run smoothly. Some of that philosophy expressed itself with harmless but superficial maxims such as "smiling wins more friends than frowning". Other ideas were clearly deceptive -- faking interest in other's hobbies so they will like you, for instance.

With a value system based solely on skill and personality, we find heroes in athletes, musicians and in powerful business executives. But despite the admiration we feel for these achievers, we shouldn't necessarily look upon them as role model. While skill is certainly needed for success, it can never guarantee happiness and fulfillment. These come from developing character.

What become of the bank president who was involved sexually with an employee? He confessed to his wife, who forgave him. Then he called a meeting of his staff and addressed their morale problem. "I have found the cause of the problem," he said. "It is me. I'm asking you to give me another chance." It took time, but eventually employee morale -- a sense of openness, optimism and trust -- improved. In the end the executive was finding his own path to character.