John G Miller, a motivational speaker and author says this: “Outstanding organizations hire and promote character over credentials and college degrees.”
I believe that this statement is true. Believe me when I say that I believe an education is important, whether it is college, a trade school or some other non-traditional form of higher education. There are so many things we gain by going through the process of becoming ‘book-smart’. And in some professional career fields, it’s virtually impossible to succeed without earning a degree in some higher education college.
However, in my 35 years of working, managing and owning a company, I believe there are many “intangibles" that may or may not be gained in educational settings. These intangibles are the makeup of how we behave and the content of our character. You might call these the “Skills You Did Not Learn in College.”
For example, common courtesy. People will arrive or leave throughout the day at my software company, most will say hello or goodbye. To some that may seem unnecessary To me, it indicates a care and concern for others in the office and a willingness to think of someone other than their self. Cleaning up after yourself is another example of common courtesy in the workplace. These are aspects of character that are not taught in traditional education but can play a huge factor in your success in the workplace and in life.
How about being truthful? Does it really matter what size of fish you caught, or how many? No, not in the big picture of life. But as an employer I do care about if I can trust the people that work for me. Many decision have to be made in a company based on information from multiple sources. Wrong decisions are made when bad information is received. Truthfulness can be hard to ‘learn’ in an education setting outside the idea of cheating.
How about someone that owns up to their mistakes or to the results when they are less than satisfactory? That type of person is an amazing person to have around because you can trust them to tell it like it is. If they are busy covering up for their mistakes, then how can you trust them? Personal responsibility is so important in all aspects of life.
Other intangibles that come to mind: hard work, courage, teamwork. There are so many!
I believe that our character program for the Dragons and Juniors promotes the importance of such intangibles (and many more) that are just as important for development as the physical skills and the education that they receive. Learning the skills for the next belt isn’t enough. Our students have to demonstrate characteristics that indicate that they can be trusted with knowledge that could be used to hurt someone. We don’t want any of our students becoming bullies!
We utilize this type of thinking when it comes to promotions for our Adults as well.
Many kids have been held back at their current belt because they showed disrespect to their parents, teachers or siblings. Some kids have had to wait at their belt because they have had too many missing assignments at school. Some have waited because they are not yet a team player.
Our goal is to reward the best characteristics and to insure that the black belts we produce are top notch in trustworthiness, empathy, are team players, have a desire to learn, willing to serve others, respect for others and themselves, and many other traits.
I personally want to be in the business of making better people not just someone who knows front grabs 1-12. A good attitude and hard work make a great student, a great future leader and wonderful part of our world!
Train Strong to Remain Strong!
-Professor Kelly
