how do challenges build character essay
Katie Walgren
Mrs. Laurie Gill
English 3-Period 3
10 October 2014
Why look at Crucibles as a Negative? Moments in an individual’s life have changed their perspective or helped them learn how to solve problems as a result of the difficult situations they face. No one has a completely smooth road to success, and it is often the obstacles that shed light on to what is truly important to that individual and leads to growth. The obstacle is not as important as how the individual overcame the obstacle and the lesson they learned from it. Examples of aspects of how challenges build character include learning to be more responsible and learning to have faith in oneself, depending more on others for support and putting trust in those willing to help, and making a person reevaluate themselves and realize what’s really important in their life. As humans we make mistakes all the time, but we don’t recognize them as being useful lessons. The mistakes build character and an example of how they build character is by teaching an individual to be more responsible and teaching them to have faith in oneself. Many times in life we don’t know what we are capable of until we are faced with a challenge that brings us out of our comfort zone. As humans, we are forced to rise to the challenge whether mentally or physically. In Crucibles of Leadership, Robert J. Thomas and Warren G. Bennis conclude that what matters most is what one makes of an experience, particularly the traumatic and often unplanned crucible events that challenge one 's identity as a leader. Sidney Harman was faced with a difficult situation when his company’s factory in Bolivar, Tennessee, was having a crisis. The crisis had erupted in the polish and buff department; when the workers rebelled because they did not work for a buzzer. Due to this crisis, Harman refurbished the factory by turning it into a kind of campus (Bennis). The challenge he faced made him become a more responsible man and he also put faith in
Mrs. Laurie Gill
English 3-Period 3
10 October 2014
Why look at Crucibles as a Negative? Moments in an individual’s life have changed their perspective or helped them learn how to solve problems as a result of the difficult situations they face. No one has a completely smooth road to success, and it is often the obstacles that shed light on to what is truly important to that individual and leads to growth. The obstacle is not as important as how the individual overcame the obstacle and the lesson they learned from it. Examples of aspects of how challenges build character include learning to be more responsible and learning to have faith in oneself, depending more on others for support and putting trust in those willing to help, and making a person reevaluate themselves and realize what’s really important in their life. As humans we make mistakes all the time, but we don’t recognize them as being useful lessons. The mistakes build character and an example of how they build character is by teaching an individual to be more responsible and teaching them to have faith in oneself. Many times in life we don’t know what we are capable of until we are faced with a challenge that brings us out of our comfort zone. As humans, we are forced to rise to the challenge whether mentally or physically. In Crucibles of Leadership, Robert J. Thomas and Warren G. Bennis conclude that what matters most is what one makes of an experience, particularly the traumatic and often unplanned crucible events that challenge one 's identity as a leader. Sidney Harman was faced with a difficult situation when his company’s factory in Bolivar, Tennessee, was having a crisis. The crisis had erupted in the polish and buff department; when the workers rebelled because they did not work for a buzzer. Due to this crisis, Harman refurbished the factory by turning it into a kind of campus (Bennis). The challenge he faced made him become a more responsible man and he also put faith in
Cited: Bennis, Warren G. and Robert J. Thomas. “Crucibles of Leadership.” Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2002. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton Books, 2012. Print. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. London: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.