Personality in Business

One drawback of a large corporation, in my opinion and in our own industry. I believe we can safely claim that distinction—the Head of Affairs tend to lose personal contact with many of their associates is increasing. This is true even of major national corporations, and the chasm is compounded by location in the case of international corporations like ours.

From the top to the bottom of our organisation, I've always believed in the importance of close human touch. This is the finest, if not the only, way to truly understand and appreciate one's partners, as well as to identify individuals with the requisite personality and initiative for encouragement and advancement.

The personalities of individuals who direct and participate in the affairs of any business, large or small, define it. They are in charge of its growth, advancement, and reputation. As a result, if you ask me what the most essential individual attribute in business is, I believe I would place personality at the top of the list. The type of personality that strives to keep a business running smoothly; the type of personality that drives an executive to demand the best from himself before demanding it from others, and to set an example for his peers via his own conduct.

We have a tendency to overlook that people in every organisation may be, and are, judged from multiple perspectives. From his position as head of affairs, the "Boss" must assess those under him. His partners, on the other hand, may have a quite different viewpoint, particularly when it comes to them. Furthermore, they frequently hold strong opinions about the Head of Affairs and those in higher positions. As a result, it is incumbent on all executives, in all capacities, to ensure that these judgments or opinions—provided they are unbiased—primarily reflect their own positive traits, and the example they set day after day is worth far more than an occasional lecture.

Every firm, whether as a buyer or a seller, has critical interactions with people beyond its immediate context. None of us can afford to ignore the impressions and judgments produced by these outside sources; in fact, knowing them is often as intriguing and instructive as knowing the perspectives of people within the organisation.

This does not imply that we should place undue reliance on others' perspectives. Those who have responsibility must, in the end, make judgments based on their best judgement, but they should not automatically assume that these decisions cannot be improved. On the contrary, I believe we should all be thrilled and gratified when we have assistants who have the bravery of their opinions or customers who will freely and without rancour voice opposing viewpoints.

I am confident that most of us can recall situations where such thoughts or ideas, provided without regard for personal reputation, resulted in helpful revisions to a plan or programme, and how new and important personalities were discovered as a result.

Every business has two sides: the human and the material. Only when both are intertwined into one harmonic whole, in my experience, is the highest result achievable. This goal is easier to achieve in a small firm when the Head ff Affairs and his managers and personnel are in regular touch than in a larger corporation that must be divided into numerous areas. Nonetheless, the Head of Affairs’ core role remains unchanged. He still has ultimate responsibility for everything that occurs in the company, good or bad, but he must employ several strategies to promote optimum harmony and collaboration.

To begin, he must choose capable subordinates to whom he can distribute authority. This tends to limit his personal interaction with his closest colleagues, and he must increasingly rely on them to carry out the larger concepts and goals without sacrificing their particular initiative or creative abilities.

The situation is much more complicated in our instance since the divisions or subdivisions are not only internal or departmental but also external through connected firms that are usually departmentalized. In these conditions, it is critical that each department or unit be guided uniformly to some extent so that they can work together easily wherever and whenever it is required. However, I believe that this just emphasises the significance of personality, since if the incorrect sort of person is picked for a crucial job anywhere down the line, the result can be destructive to the entire system as well as the component in question.

A competent Head of Affairs, whether he is in charge of a business, division, department, or sector, should be an expert in his field and willing to learn more. He should seek to surround himself with the greatest possible helpers and be able and ready to provide them with all the assistance and support they need to succeed. If a head is ever frightened of urging his subordinates to be as excellent as, if not better than, himself, he has lost his usefulness. Instead of thinking broadly and objectively, his entire mentality shifts, and he becomes egocentric, authoritarian, and narrow-minded. Pleasure in work, initiative, and acceptance of increasing responsibility by others fade away, and their personal growth is slowed, if not completely halted.

Nothing, in my opinion, is worse for a firm than a person who cannot see anything but his own point of view. Such individuals are usually preoccupied with their own personal esteem. They are unable to absorb the thoughts and information of others; they lose contact with their peers and fail to capitalise on others' initiatives. I would urge every leader in our organisation, as well as those who desire to lead in the future, to avoid that attitude like the plague, since it just leads to difficulty, and we already have enough of that commodity to deal with without adding to it.

As I previously stated, the personalities of individuals in charge of the company's operations define it. They establish their predominant tone and spirit, for better or worse, and this applies equally to any portion as well as the entire. No Head of Affairs, in whatever role, should ever forget this, and he should always be prepared to assume responsibility for whatever happens in his department, division, or business. The mistake is his, and he must be large enough to own it when ideas or initiative are missing and when little forethought is shown in preparing forward or in providing competent understudies to himself.

It's amazing how many excuses some men can come up with when things go wrong in order to avoid admitting that they've made a mistake. Any firm that operates under this attitude is doomed. We are all human and make errors from time to time. Subordinates will quickly recognise this feature and want to mimic it in their own areas if the leadership personality is strong enough to accept it and always act unselfishly in the best interests of the group. It is scarcely necessary for me to point out that they will be as quick to recognise the reverse and respond accordingly.

Of course, in a huge company, effective organisation is essential since collaboration is impossible without it. This leads me to a key point: the development of individual personality and organisational structure are frequently hostile. We want to support the one, but we can't do it without producing chaos and uncertainty.

No corporate segment or division can run completely freely, since this leads to anarchy. If unified management is to be maintained, we must have certain plans, principles, and general policies to which everyone subscribes, and I am sure you will agree that this can only be achieved through the willing and thoughtful cooperation of all, Head of Affairs and staff alike, regardless of their position or type of work. In short, the greatest potential development of human personalities will determine whether these plans and programmes succeed or fail in the end.

At the same time, we should never regard the organisation as an end in itself, only a means to an end. The organisation is a lifeless entity, and without the vital spark of human initiative that comes from personality, it may strangle development and suffocate the creative spirit on which all growth is based. As a result, we must all make sure that our own organisation, although robust enough to retain vital basics, is flexible and never becomes so rigid that our colleagues become robots.

These awful years of war have vividly proved the necessity for and importance of individual individuality united with wholehearted collaboration in various fields, with their myriad and far-reaching issues. Without attempting to predict the future, I feel that many of our issues in the post-war years will be far more severe than they are now, requiring these same qualities as never before.

As a result, I believe that individuals who currently hold the responsibilities—and here I am mostly referring to top executives—should focus much more than normal on grooming potential successors. As far as I can tell, it is up to them to pass on the benefit of their broader experience with men and methods to the younger generation; to build soundly and wisely now, attempting to bridge the current difficulties in such a way that, when the time comes, the newcomers will be able to confidently move forward to new horizons.

This is the season of good cheer and new beginnings. As a closing message, I would suggest that we should all pledge to work for the common good, regardless of rank. Let us vow to reject egoism, personal prestige, and amour propre in favour of developing the kind of personality that fosters mutual trust and respect. With this as our aim, and if we all work hard enough, I am confident that we can find enough talent within the ranks of our great Company to give men and women of exceptional personality, initiative, and skill to ensure its success in the future, just as others have done in the past.