By Diego Nascimento
Driving back to my hometown I witnessed a tragic accident. In the distance I noticed an automobile flipped over and a person stretched out on the side of the road. Immediately I stopped my car in a safe place and rushed to rescue whoever had been thrown from the vehicle. It was a young girl who regrettably breathed her last breath as soon as I got close to her. I crossed the road and removed the remaining occupants who were injured and in shock; The car was destroyed and smoke was coming out. To my astonishment there were seven people in a car made for five occupants without accounting for the practically empty whiskey bottle I found on the driver’s side floor. Some of my family who were traveling with me offered assistance to the survivors while we called the rescue personnel and police. What caused that terrible scene? Imprudence. A mixture of speed and alcohol.
I would like to use this experience to speak about professional recklessness. It is more common than imagined and can be practiced by novices and veterans. There is a lot of talk about a new generation that ignores rules and needs to be flattered; In a way I am part of it, and I do not see much good in this new way. I fully understand that times change, but proactivity, honesty, punctuality and common sense are essential characteristics in the life of an intern, manager, director, CEO … no matter the position.
Recklessness can be seen in the delivery of an incomplete report, lowering the value of the company in which one operates (even when one receives working conditions and benefits which make others “jealous”), in sowing discord among departmental colleagues, in idleness or procrastination, in the habit of constant delays in producing the urgent, in the arrogance or theoretical pride fed by one’s position, or in the simple failure to make a difference without wanting something in return.
I belong to the famous Generation Y that includes those born after 1980 and who witnessed the boom of the Internet and instant communication. This does not make me better than anyone else, and for this reason I do my best to seek my own professional development. Hard work is something I have cultivated since my adolescence, and I was able to balance it with undergraduate, graduate and completing various trainings. I prefer to be cautious than to live “recklessly” justified by many based on their birthdate. I will never agree with this way of thinking of “forever lying in a dazzling cradle.”
The Bible is full of guidance on this subject. I am a professional in the corporate world and base my choices on christian belief. The book of James in chapter 3, verse 17 says, “But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceful, moderate, tractable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Recklessness in traffic is capable of taking lives. Professional recklessness (or even for those still students) kills opportunities, destroys relationships, and erases the possibility of a good future. Beware of which steps you take.