30 April 2019

Constructive people

Recently, I've been thinking about constructive people, that is, people who improve their environment - be it at work or at home - and thus, their life and the life of the people around them. I've looked at it in the context of hiring, personal relationships and self-improvement.

In my eyes, a constructive person is a person who satisfies three criteria:

• They aptly and correctly recognise problems in their environment
• They are genuinely bothered by them
• They effectively address those grievances of their own accord

Note that all three are necessary: The work of a person who cannot recognise problems will often be directionless and wasted. Even worse, if the wrong problems are recognised and diligently worked on, a lot of damage can be caused. A person who is not bothered by problems will lack the drive and energy to fix things. I don't mean that anyone should ruminate on problems and become depressed, what I mean is the state of being irked and thinking "we can do better here, this has to be fixed". The extent of this feeling may also serve as a prioritisation. Lastly, a person who is bothered by problems, but does not solve them is stuck in place and generally unconstructive. They are also often chronic complainers and become unhappy. A precondition to being constructive is that the person must not be prevented from solving the problem, but empowered instead.

People who are such constructive problem solvers are pleasant to be around for more than just professional reasons. It is surprising how many good character traits follow if the above three are given. Being a constructive person instantly allows for personal growth. People who are good at recognising and addressing problems will often figure out their own flaws and improve themselves.