YD's Diary #19 The Secret to Fixing Flaws as a Senior Professional


As the old saying goes, "A habit formed at age three lasts until age eighty" (세 살 버릇 여든 간다), and the same seems to be true in professional life. Initial habits in the workplace significantly influence one's attitude and performance throughout their career. I was fortunate enough to meet many junior colleagues early in my professional journey, and observing their diverse paths of growth over time led me to discover a common characteristic.

Borrowing from my own 'New Hire Nature Theory,' I believe new employees embody all three philosophical concepts: Goodness of Human Nature, Evil of Human Nature, and Neutrality of Human Nature.

  • Goodness of Human Nature (Approx. 15%): Those who act kindly in any situation.

  • Evil of Human Nature (Approx. 5%): Those who display poor behavior even in the best environments.

  • Neutrality of Human Nature (The Majority, 70-80%): Those who join the company with a neutral disposition, neither inherently good nor evil.

However, a key factor I noticed in those who achieved remarkable growth was where and with whom they worked initially. It's as if the 'three-year-old habit' rule applies to a professional's 'work attitude DNA.' If they go through a period of being thoroughly and properly trained early on, when they are highly motivated, that attitude influences their entire professional life. Ultimately, this sound attitude leads them to become high-achievers.

The Flaws That Emerge with Time

The inspiration for writing this article came from undergoing the Hanyang MBA program, which led me to deeply reflect on my professional life and engage in philosophical contemplation about myself. As a senior professional, I realized that it is becoming increasingly difficult to fix my flaws. Upon careful consideration, a significant number of these shortcomings were habits I had since joining the company, or more precisely, they were inherent aspects of my nature that I brought with me before I even started working. Although I believe I was fortunate to meet many great people and start my career properly, leading to good growth, I feel that the fundamental nature I was born with is not easily changed.

As years accumulate and the initial tension and 'masks' of a new employee fall away, poor habits begin to surface without restraint. What's surprising is that not only me but also my colleagues of a similar age are gradually exhibiting flaws they previously concealed. Furthermore, these shortcomings often overlap with the very traits we criticized in the older generation when we were younger. I got a strong feeling that these were things that couldn't easily be fixed just because someone pointed them out now.

Recently, inspired by tools like Gallup, I had concluded that focusing on strengths and spending time further developing them would lead to better performance, rather than trying to fix weaknesses.

The Power of 'Learning' That Forced Self-Reflection

However, while taking the MBA, particularly the 'Leader to Leader' course, I unexpectedly found a new opportunity for self-reflection. I was fascinated to see myself examining those very flaws I had given up on, and even striving to correct them. That's the realization I want to share.

I was giving up on correcting my flaws out of difficulty, exhaustion, or sheer inconvenience. What motivated me to revisit and attempt to correct these shortcomings?

It was 'the act of studying'—specifically, the two years I spent pursuing my MBA.

The two years of MBA study—a challenge I undertook using my own time and money, and often against the advice of others, all in the pursuit of better work performance—surprisingly enabled both my colleagues and me to look at ourselves objectively. Through this process, I faced my shortcomings and recovered the will to make even small improvements.

Having partially given up on fixing these flaws, realizing that they could be addressed was a truly fascinating and fulfilling discovery.

Conclusion: An Unending Journey of Growth

Next week marks the final session of the MBA. It has been a truly long and meaningful two years. Fortunately, I have been able to apply most of what I learned to my current work, achieving results beyond expectation, which makes me incredibly happy.

I want to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude to Hanyang University, my MBA colleagues who studied alongside me, and my wife, family, and company colleagues who supported my studies over the past two years.

I hope everyone reading this has also had a meaningful year of growth and enlightenment in 2025, and I wish you all a joyful conclusion to the year.


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 '세 살 버릇 여든 간다'는 옛말처럼, 직장 생활에서도 초기의 습관이 평생의 태도와 성과에 영향을 미치는 것 같습니다. 저는 운 좋게도 사회생활 초기에 많은 후배들을 만날 기회가 있었고, 시간이 지나 각기 다르게 성장하는 모습을 지켜보며 한 가지 특징을 발견했습니다.

저만의 '신입사원 천성론'을 빌리자면, 신입들은 '성선설', '성악설', 그리고 '성무성악설'이 모두 존재합니다.

  • 성선설 (약 15%): 어떤 상황에서도 선하게 행동하는 사람들.

  • 성악설 (약 5%): 어떤 좋은 환경에 가도 악한 행동을 하는 사람들.

  • 성무성악설 (대다수 70~80%): 선하지도 악하지도 않은, 중립적인 천성을 가지고 회사에 들어오는 사람들.

그런데 멋지게 성장한 후배들을 보면, 처음 어디서 누구와 일했는지가 중요한 요소로 작용하는 것 같았습니다. 마치 직장인의 '근무 태도 유전자'에도 '세 살 버릇'이 통하는 것처럼요. 군기가 바짝 들었을 초기에 제대로 된 곳에서 잘 배우는 시기를 겪는다면, 그 태도가 평생의 회사 생활에 영향을 미칩니다. 결국 그러한 올바른 태도가 좋은 성과를 내는 사람으로 만든다는 것을 깨달았습니다.

시간이 흐른 뒤, 드러나는 우리의 단점들

이 글을 쓰게 된 계기는 한양 MBA 과정을 겪으면서 제 회사 생활과 저 자신을 깊이 돌아보고 철학적인 고민을 많이 해보았기 때문입니다. 고연차가 되어보니, 단점을 고치기가 점점 더 힘들어지고 있다는 것을 느낍니다. 이 단점들을 곰곰이 생각해보면, 상당수가 입사때부터 가지고 있었던 습관이었습니다. 엄밀히 말하면 입사전에 제가 갖고 들어온 제 천성 같은 부분들이었습니다. 저는 운좋게 많은 좋은 분들을 만나서 제대로 일을 시작해서 잘 성장 했다고는 생각하지만 제가 원래 부터 갖고 있던 성질은 쉽게 바뀌는 것이 아닌것 같습니다.

연차가 쌓이고 신입 때의 긴장감이나 '가면'들이 벗겨지면서, 좋지 않은 습관들이 여과 없이 드러나기 시작합니다. 놀라운 것은, 저뿐만 아니라 저와 비슷한 연배의 동료들 역시 과거에 숨겨왔던 단점들이 슬슬 표출된다는 점입니다. 그리고 이 단점들은 우리가 젊었을 때 비판했던 기성세대의 모습과 꽤나 겹치는 듯했습니다. 게다가 이제 와서 남이 말해준다고 해서 쉽게 고칠 수 있는 것이 아닐 거라는 느낌을 강하게 받았습니다.

최근 갤럽(Gallup) 등을 접하면서 저 역시 '이제는 단점보다는 장점에 집중하고, 장점을 더 성장시키는 데 시간을 들이는 것이 더 나은 성과를 낼 것'이라고 생각하고 있었습니다.

나를 다시 돌아보게 한 '공부의 힘'

그런데 MBA, 특히 'Leader to Leader' 수업을 들으면서 의외의 계기를 맞았습니다. 바로 제가 포기했던 그 단점들을 다시 한번 돌아보고, 나름대로 고쳐나가려고 노력하는 제 자신이 신기하게 느껴졌습니다. 그래서 이 깨달음을 나누고자 합니다.

단점을 고치기 힘들어서, 혹은 이제는 지치고 귀찮아서 포기하려고 했는데, 무엇이 저 스스로 그런 단점들을 돌아보고 고치게 만들었을까요?

그것은 바로 '공부하는 것', 즉 제가 2년간의 MBA를 공부하는 것이 였습니다.

제 비용과 시간을 들여 회사 업무를 더 잘하기 위해 주변의 반대와 만류에도 도전했던 지난 2년간의 MBA 공부 시간이 신기하게도 저와 동료들을 객관적으로 돌아보게 만들었습니다. 그 과정에서 저는 제 단점을 직시하고, 조금이라도 고쳐나가려는 의지를 되찾은 듯합니다.

단점 고치는 부분은 일부 포기를 했었는데 단점을 고칠수 있다는걸 알고 나니 참으로 신기하고 행복한 깨달음이었습니다.

마무리하며: 성장을 향한 끝없는 여정

다음 주가 MBA 마지막 주차입니다. 정말 길고도 의미 있는 2년이었습니다. 운이 좋게도 지금 하고 있는 업무에 대부분을 잘 적용하고 있어 기대 이상의 효과를 보고 있습니다.

이 모든 성장의 기회는 한양대학교와 함께 공부한 MBA 동기들, 그리고 지난 2년간 공부를 위해 아낌없이 지원해준 아내와 가족들, 회사 동료들 덕분입니다. 이 자리를 빌려 진심으로 감사드립니다.

이 글을 읽는 모든 분들께서도 2025년 한 해 동안 뜻깊은 성장과 깨달음을 얻으셨기를 바라며, 즐겁게 한 해를 마무리하시기를 기원합니다.

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