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By Adam Grant
I remember going to the market a few days ago with my friend to get some foodstuff and we decided to get it from a woman who sells kiosks. When we were done getting what we wanted, we asked her to get a better bag to put those things in as the bag she gave us was too small for those things but she refused to say the bag was okay.
I wasn't in a mood to talk, so I and my friend took our foodstuffs and left the place, but we were not able to go far as the bag tore and all our things went sprawling on the floor. We gathered them all up and returned them to her to give us a better bag but she still insisted that the small bag was all she has got and do not even have plans of getting a bigger bag for selling.
I was shocked but didn't say anything, I guess she could read my thoughts on my face as I was still quite refusing to say anything while my friend showed her dissatisfaction with the bag she gave us.
Funny enough before we left, the woman had to turn and told us to please come back to get things from her when next we want to buy something and not stop coming because of the incident that took place and I smiled at her and left but the truth was, I had made up my mind never to get anything from her when next I am visiting the market to buy anything. Not because I am angry but because she did not see the need to get a bigger bag even when we told her at first that the bag was too small for such items we bought. She blatantly told us that she wasn't going to get a bigger bag for such a thing and that was rude coming from her as a seller to her customers.
Many people have lost people that were brought their ways because of their attitude towards them, many have lost reliable customers that were supposed to help skyrocket their businesses to a higher position because of their character. While others think that their talent and skill are all that matters to people forgetting that nobody wants to associate with people whose attitudes towards humans are worst than one can imagine.
Your talent brings people your way but your character retains them and that is why it is easy for a man who thrives to get up falls just after a few months of being up there because while he was down, he never thought to build his character and when he has the opportunity of being up there, he was overwhelmed with what he's got and forgot that how he relates with people counts too.
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I guess Adam knew that there will come to a time when people will cherish and build their talents or skills over building their character because they feel that their talent or skills can fetch them money but they forget that their services are to humans and although they are good with what they do but no man will love to recommend a man whose character isn't presentable.
Many do not know or understand what integrity is, I am not even sure they've got that in their dictionary the key to a success, all they think is their talent and how they can make money out of it, different people with different and beautiful talents and skills but what keeps people with a particular person is their character towards them.
People admire talent or skills, you can impress people with your skill but what keeps people with you is your character towards humans just like yourself.