Is Personality an Excuse for Mediocrity?

I know the word 'mediocrity' might sound quite harsh; however, I use it intentionally to draw attention to an issue that is close to my heart. On one end, I will borrow from my personal and own lived experience; on the other, I will explore concerns within my home country of Ghana. Ultimately, the goal is to show that we sometimes mistake the outcome of poor performance as stemming purely from the limitations of our own personality rather than from the lack of cultivation of the right habits, skills and practices.

When I was growing up, everytime I tried to defend myself in an attitude I displayed towards somebody or something, I expressed myself crying out - 'but that's how I am!' I remember my mother correcting me and making me realize that 'that's how I am' is not a fixed concept. She would always remind me that there were always things I could do better: perhaps a different mindset about things, or a different approach. It may have taken several years (and this is probably still ongoing) for me to see the real implications of this in work and in life.

For the most part, I lean more towards the introverted side of the scale: my experiences, people who know me and Myers-Briggs type tests have shown me this over the years. I have learnt that the easiest way to explain the difference between the introvert and the extrovert is to think about where each archetype draws its energy from. Whereas the introvert draws energy from within, the extrovert draws energy from outside experiences, people and things. I am no expert in this field but I am aware that there are many variations and extensions of this that have been developed over the years. Thus, it is unlikely that anyone is either fully introverted or extroverted, and a person could be introverted in their natural thought process whilst being extroverted in natural expression, and vice versa. Nevertheless, I would say that the predominant introvert I have been for a long while shaped some of my academic and professional experiences to the extent that I may not always have gained the most from some of the social aspects of these contexts.

Fast forward to today, I am now acutely aware of the tendencies of my personality and, thus, the additional effort I need to put in to build the skills required for me to engage effectively and be more 'present' in business and social settings, not only when I am comfortable, but in the difficult moments of these as well. However 'mediocre' I may have been in interpersonal relationships before, my new outlook allows me to recognize that my personality may explain some of the experiences of my past but does not need to wholly justify the choices of my present and my future. The new and improved mindset I adopt and learned behavior I apply can be the basis of a new character that I can be proud of and that can take me to positive new places.

By one stretch of the imagination, think of a nation as a person and thus having a personality. What personality would you describe your country as having? There is a word that jumps out to me when I think of my nation of Ghana - easy-going. This is just my opinion and one may choose to agree or not. I will use the recent Africa Cup of Nations group stage competitions to present a case. My husband got me following Ghana's progress until elimination with the game with Comoros, which we didn't actually watch. We had watched portions of the game with Gabon and Morocco and my observations led me to certain conclusions. From a lay-woman's point of view, our passes and shots were less than precise and I wondered what more could have been done to make them more accurate.

Is this a question that goes beyond just football, and do we need to ask ourselves what we can do to more precisely address the nation's problems? There has been an ongoing debate as to whether we need to fix the country or we need to fix ourselves. Could the answer be - both? Granted, the easy-going aspect of ourselves gives us a reputation that makes us quite amenable to visitors and we are often described as a very friendly people. However, I would presume that this personality trait perhaps may need to be coupled with certain new attitudes that enable us to 'do all that it takes' and use all diligence to achieve our specific goals and to 'perfect' our game. I know that this is easier said than done and this argument is not meant to steal away from so many other successes we have achieved as a nation, whether in the past or in the present. I simply present a case which may at best help us to reflect on we are and who we hope to be.

So, if you happen to be an introvert and are not used to or comfortable with speaking in public and unfamiliar spaces, I challenge you to go outside of your comfort zone and begin to practice being the loud one for a change. I am not advocating doing this disrespectfully or obnoxiously, but simply being deliberate about letting your voice be heard and giving full expression to your clear thoughts. Don't let the limitations of your personality get in the way of your success.