We always hear that people are judged based upon their character. This word is used to speak to the characteristics of a person. Generally speaking, we associate good character with traits such as honesty, reliability, responsibility, and integrity. On the other end of the spectrum, we have poor character traits, which are the antithesis of the good character traits. A third interesting application of the term character is when we describe someone as “quite a character.” This generally means that that individual is quirky, flamboyant, overenthusiastic, or unique. 

There are many ways that the idea of character slips into our everyday conversations, and we use it as a frame of reference for judging others and deciding with which people we would like to be friends or work, or even for which to work. Good character is a very important trait of good leaders. There is one frame of thinking that says, “People don’t quit jobs; they quit bosses.” Bosses and leaders have power and influence over their followers and employees. With this power comes responsibility to be good and just leaders. People look to the leaders in their lives to uphold these good character traits. 

It is very hard to work for a leader with poor character. I believe that the reason young employees jump from job to job so frequently nowadays is because the business world (to an extent) rewards leaders who act with poor character. Because of this, we are seeing more and more leaders who act unethically in hiring/firing procedures, financial management, inclusion, and partnership agreements. While not all of this is immediately public information, it all comes out over time, and it can create a very toxic work environment for the rest of the staff. 

-        Bria