Personal Character and An Organization…

“He has lot of affairs; he was sacked by his earlier employer and has a separate arrangement for enjoying his infra dig life which very few people know in this organization.” One employee was speaking about the senior manager. “He has everything bad in him.”

“He is arrogant; he gossips a lot; he goes at racecourse on every Thursday.”

“So what? It is his personal life, does it matter you?” I asked him.

“It does not matter me, but it matters the organization. Due to his behaviour, organization’s image can be spoiled.” He said.

I always wonder that there are certain people in organizations, typically in Indian companies, who have everything bad in them, but still they survive in the organization.

It is depend upon the values of the organization. The organization values and employees’ values should match. In fact while recruiting, the integrity, character, his behaviour, his past record should be scrutinized. This is more applicable in senior level positions. Junior employees have the valid reason to object the wrong behaviour of senior employees. They always observe the behaviour and character of senior employees. This gives the room for scuttlebutt which can affect the culture of the organization.

Sometimes, organizations don’t bother what the employees are doing in their personal life, but when it comes to the organizational values and conflicts happens, then management wakes up. Once I was discussing with Managing Director on one company on certain values. She was referring the wrong recruitment of one senior level manager. There are certain practices in the Industry which may be usual for them, but her organization does not encourage such practices. Here the MD is clear on the expectations from her employees.

Employees at senior level can not differentiate their personal life with professional life. As rightly said by Peter Drucker, the spirit of an organization is created from the top, I will say it is created by all managers. Evaluate the character of all employees when considering a job offer. Align yourself with people who have integrity.