Primary and Secondary Greatness

In our last article I talked about the comparison between personality and character ethics. This time I would like to look at what I will refer to as primary and secondary traits of greatness.

I was suddenly able to see the powerful impact of the personality ethic and clearly understand those subtle, often consciously unidentified discrepancies between what I knew to be true and the quick-fix philosophies that surround us every day.

I understood on a deeper level why, having worked over the years with people from all walks of life, I had found that the things I was sharing as a consultant with Franklin Covey that I knew to be effective, often differed from these popular ideas. voices

I am not suggesting that the elements of personality ethics (personality growth, communication skills training, and education in the field of influence strategies and positive thinking) are not beneficial, in fact, they are sometimes essential to the success. I think they are. But these are secondary traits, not primary.

Focusing on technique is like studying in school. Sometimes you get by, maybe even get good grades, but if you don’t pay the price day after day, you will never achieve true mastery of the subjects you study or develop an educated mind.

Many people in leadership roles with secondary greatness, that is, social recognition for their talents, lack primary greatness or goodness in their character. Sooner or later, you’ll see this in every long-term relationship you have, whether it’s with a business partner, spouse, friend, or teenage child experiencing an identity crisis. He is the character who communicates most eloquently.

Stephen Covey, in his groundbreaking book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, refers to Emerson: “What you are screams so loud in my ears that I can’t hear what you’re saying.” There are, of course, situations where people have strength of character but lack communication skills, and that certainly affects the quality of relationships as well. But the effects are still secondary.

Ultimately, what we are communicating is much more eloquent than anything we say or do. We all know. There are people we absolutely trust because we know their character. Whether they are eloquent or not, have human relations skills or not, we trust them and work successfully with them.

So keep in mind the primary and secondary traits of greatness and the relationship between the two.

All the best,

John Meredith

The Learning Center: a UK partner of Franklin Covey