Graphic MD urges students to uphold integrity

The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, has admonished university graduates to uphold integrity in their daily endeavours, explaining that honesty was one of the key secrets to a successful career.

Integrity, he said is a value and, therefore graduates who want to be successful in their respective career choices must abide by it and tell the truth at all times.

“If you don’t have integrity, you may find it difficult to have a career rise. Greed has a way of catching up with people who then lose the power and wealth they have so fervently pursued,” he said.

Mr Ashigbey was speaking at the maiden Management and Professionals Day of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, (UPSA) for final year management students. 

Citing a study by a Minneapolis- based leadership consultancy, KRW International, he said the research found integrity as one of the key character traits that set Chief Executives Officers (CEOs) apart.

“You need integrity for your followers to follow you; you need it for your customers to give you their custom. Without integrity, you can build empires that will crumble like the Enron’s of our day. If you want to build a career that will last, build it on integrity,” he added.

He,therefore, urged the students who might have cut corners to earn academic laurels to go back and learn what they failed to, as eventually some of these failures will be exposed.

“How many of you stole or bought your degrees, you are on the part to unfulfillment but you have an opportunity to make good, go back and study what you did not learn. Else it will show,” he added.

Facing career with confidence

According to him, for one to be able to face his or her career with confidence, it was important to have a career objective that would provide a clear focus on what was being aimed at and to take initiatives to help achieve it.

“This is a professional university, so I assume that all of you going out have chosen your areas for career already. You need objectives to pinpoint your direction. But note that careers needn’t mean working for others. The best career is creating your own,” he explained. 

Another important point he also mentioned was the need for students to develop the relevant skills that the chosen career required, adding that “you can gain more knowledge in your career to improve your confidence by learning your job formally and informally.”

He also reiterated the need for young graduates to build resilience as they follow their chosen career paths. Life naturally has ups and downs and career is no exception.

“You will experience lows and highs. Enjoy the highs and overcome the lows. It is the lows that can kill your spirit and enthusiasm. But always take them as challenges you need to deal with, so that you can grow in your career. Resilience is what I call this ability to rise from the lows,” he said.