You can be whatever you want when you grow up! Well, that was what they used to say. One of the first behaviorists, John Watson, claimed that he could take any infant and raise them up to be any specialty (doctor, lawyer, janitor, or even beggar) (Harris, 1999). Recent studies have argued that Watson may not have been successful in his attempts.
Our personality is not solely created by our environment, but in combination with our genetic makeup (Harris, 1999). For example, in some cases, an individual may have a hereditary learning disability, and their unique environment may allow them to accomplish more or less than they would’ve without this environment. Motivating parents or peers could cause this individual to exceed their expectations, but this does not make the disability disappear. They have to work harder to accomplish goals, and depending on the level of the disability may not be able to complete certain goals. Although it can be molded by our environment and personal choices, heredity impacts an individual’s personality greatly. It can be compared to a person’s physical features. A man could weight train for years with very little physical improvement. Whereas, another man could do the exact same training for the same amount of time and be a professional bodybuilder. This is because his genetic makeup allowed him to gain strength and mass easily.
Does this mean an employee who shows lack of commitment should be given a break because their laziness is hereditary? No, not at all! Even if this is true, at the time of hire, the employee agreed that they could complete the job with reasonable accommodation. If they have to work harder to complete a task than others, that is what they have to do. In this situation, it would be important to first find out why the employee isn’t committed. Then, let them know that their performance is affecting the entire team. Explain that in order for a team to work efficiently every member must be doing their part. Finally, make sure it is clear that their job requires them to complete the tasks at hand, and that there are repercussions for not completing them.
-Andrew Campbell
References
Harris, J.R. (1999, May). Why children turn out the way they do. Saturday Evening Post, pp. 50-53, Retrieved September 11, 2009 from EBSCOhost Database.
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