Character Ethics vs Personality Ethics

Some of you may be wondering why am I such a huge fan of Dr Stephen Covey's teachings?

Well, it's because of something that he has taught in this short video, which has shifted my paradigm ever since.

Stephen Covey explaining the character ethic and the personality ethic

Back when I first read about this in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", I could totally relate to it because of an experience I had in school.

There were 2 students in my class - Peter and John (both not their real names). Both of them were smart students, but with different ethics.

John was a diligent student. He had always done all the research himself and completed all his homework by his own without fail. Being an introvert, he was not the type of student that teachers would notice much in class.

On the other hand, Peter was a lazy student. He had always copied John's work. Sometimes, Peter would even cheat during exams by bringing in small slips of notes, or making secret pacts with others to copy each others' answers. Being an extrovert, he was the sweet talker who would sweet talk his way into the hearts of his teachers. All the teachers adore him.

At the end of the day, Peter had always scored better results than John. Teachers would speak so highly of Peter, citing him as a role model for other fellow students to learn from. Meanwhile, there was no mention of John, even though he was always the first to submit his homework by his own hard work.

Over the years, I had heard of others' comments on both Peter and John. Some had said that Peter studied smart, which was why he scored better results despite not being as hardworking as John, and therefore deserved the credit. Some had even teased and laughed at John for being so diligent but yet not delivering results when it mattered the most.

This example has clearly shown that most people nowadays have shifted into the "personality ethics" category. Here are more evidence:

• People reading books or attending courses to learn how to write impressive resumes to cover for their meagre skills and knowledge. (If a candidate is really good in skills and knowledge, his resume would naturally be impressive.)
• People seeking quick tips on how to excel in job interviews. (If a candidate has substance, he would naturally excel in job interviews.)
• People, who normally dress like a thug, going for makeover sessions to get themselves a "success look", so as to look impressive during job interviews. (If a candidate observes good hygiene and proper grooming, he would naturally look good under any circumstance.)

Nevertheless, let me clarify this. There is no right or wrong in terms of choosing which set of ethics to abide by. But personally, I'm a strong believer in character ethics and the inside-out approach. I buy more into John's character than Peter's personality. Call me a dinosaur if you like, but that is one thing about me which is not going to change.  :)