Let personality guide not hinder you

Many of Freddie Sakura’s fans get surprised to discover he is an introvert when they meet him in person. Sakura, presenter of KFM’s D’HOOK, is loud behind the microphone on radio, something that surprises many of his fans.
“I am an introvert by nature. It puzzles many of the listeners. They think that a good presenter has to be noisy and talkative, which is not true,” he says. Even more surprising is that Sakura is an actor.

Like Sakura, there are many people whose personalities do not match the perceived requirements of their careers.
During a 2015 interview with Saturday Monitor’s Full woman magazine, Josephine Karungi, a news anchor and journalist with NTV, admitted to being extremely anti-social, quiet and shy.
When she was asked how she managed to read news on national television, meet new people and interview them despite her introvert traits, she responded, “No one is looking at you reading news in that studio. It is the equipment and I do not tend to think about the people outside. Even then, I am never shy when it comes to work.”

The belief that one’s persona should be in line with certain job requirement ranges from one profession to another. For instance, there are people who think that in order to make a great lawyer, one has to be aggressive and ruthless rather than soft. Or in order to be a great teacher, one has to have remarkable speaking skills.

Passion is key
Fiona Uwera, the human resource manager at Bee Natural Uganda Ltd, notes that some key positions in a company demand that individuals have particular character traits.
“For example, if it is a marketing position, one may be required to be social and outgoing. Minus these skills, it may be difficult to get hired,” says Uwera.
But at the end of the day, Uwera notes that regardless of one’s personality, it is the passion for one’s job that will see them either succeed or fail at it.

Go for your passion, talent

Robert Bake Tumuhaise, a motivational speaker and managing director of World of Inspiration, says: “Success in any field requires certain traits. Some can be natural such as personality and talent. Others can be learnt in form of skills. For instance, it is extremely hard to succeed as a salesperson when you are a reserved or shy person. The job requires that you are outgoing and can easily put up an interesting conversation with anyone.

Not many people have enough stamina to learn and master a skill that is the opposite their natural wiring. For instance, having a degree in marketing does not necessarily make one a good marketer. Many people are stuck in professions that are far from what they are meant to excel at. I encourage people to go for what they are passionate about or talented in. If possible, that what one should study in school.”

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