Character Is Everything

Experts agree that you make up your mind about whether you like someone or don’t within the very first 15-30 seconds of meeting them.

Whether we care to admit it or not, we all judge the book by its cover, and once we’ve made up our minds, it is pretty hard to change them.

That’s why when someone gets off on the wrong foot with us, chances are they will most likely remain there unless they somehow manage to WOW us.

But it also works the other way too – if someone starts off on the wrong foot and continues to live up to that negative image, then they did themselves a deeper hole, so to speak.

Take the Marketing Manager where I work. She started on the wrong foot with me right from the start. She seems to think she is special, and has these executive banker type hours – or less. Actually, most of the marketing department has screwy hours – no one ever knows if they are working, or when they are working.

For the past two-weeks, the marketing manager has been out of the office – supposedly because her husband is very ill.

Now, normally if someone says their spouse or a loved one is very ill, you take their word for it and give them all the personal time they require to deal with the situation.

But this goes back to the first impressions the marketing manager has made on me – and most others in the office. Because those very first impressions were negative ones, that she is a slacker, that does whatever she can to avoid working at any cost, most doubt the authenticity of her sick husband claim.

It wouldn’t surprise me if her hubby is actually quite well, and she’s been vacationing with him in her personal time – instead of having to deal with a sick person.

She doesn’t respond to emails or meeting requests – I had sent her three meeting requests earlier, and she only turned one down. She never responded to the others. Then, she is like that even when her hubby is supposedly healthy.

First impressions come out of character. We all judge people based on the character or lack of character they embody. In a professional office environment, if someone carries the title of “marketing manager” I expect them to have a certain degree of character which fits with that high level title. Just as if someone is a stock person, I expect them to have a certain level of character for their job.

I’m not talking qualifications or expertise – that’s a given. I’m talking about CHARACTER – how they present themselves, how they handle business and personal situations, how they go about interacting with their colleagues and external parties in their work.

If someone lacks the level of characteristics that they should have for a specific role – then they will never be taken seriously.

Few take our marketing manager – or the whole department for that matter – seriously. Sadly, the whole department requires a major housecleaning. I’ve mentioned this countless times, and many agree – still nothing is done.

Everything comes from the top-down. If the managers are permitted to act like lazy-ass slackers, than guess what – so too will everyone else.

But hey, maybe the top brass like to slack off – takes less effort and energy than actually working for a living.