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The dictionary’s definition of conscientiousness is: “/kɒnʃɪˈɛnʃəsnəs/ (n) the quality of wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly.” Of course, as a Dux, you know that simply wishing is not enough. To be a conscientious individual requires self-discipline, carefulness, thoroughness, and deliberation. It means you can be depended upon to fulfil your duties, be efficient and organised, and take obligations to yourself and others seriously. In other words, being conscientious makes you highly employable! Not only that, but having a reputation for being reliable, hardworking, and organised makes it more likely that you'll earn a higher salary and enjoy greater job satisfaction throughout your life. (Because you can be trusted to work remotely, to manage your professional development, and to work on significant or sensitive projects.) Being Conscientious is Good for Your Health The personal attribute that correlates most consistently with good health is conscientiousness. Studies have shown that: “People who were rated as conscientious as 8-year-olds by their parents and teachers tended to live longer. There are correlations between conscientiousness and lower blood pressure, lower rates of diabetes and stroke, and fewer joint problems. Behaviours that are among the leading causes of mortality - alcohol use, disordered eating (including obesity), drug use, lack of exercise, risky sexual behaviour, risky driving, tobacco use, suicide, and violence - are all predicted by low conscientiousness. Conscientiousness may shape career choices, friendships, the stability of marriage, and many other aspects of life that affect health and, ultimately, longevity.” How Conscientious Are You? Answer “Yes” or “No” to the questions below: Now you can score yourself: If you scored 13 – 16: Well done on your high level of conscientiousness! Please be careful not to let your conscientiousness become perfectionism and/or workaholism. Give yourself permission to fail and stop worrying so much about what others think of you. Allow yourself to be creative, spontaneous, and flexible. If you scored 9 – 12: While you are generally conscientiousness, you slip up occasionally. You would benefit from the steps below in order to maintain a more consistent level of conscientiousness. If you scored 5 – 8: Your creative spontaneity makes you very popular, but your low level of conscientiousness is holding you back from fulfilling your potential. Follow the steps below to give yourself a better chance of success. If you scored 1 – 4: Well done for being conscientious enough to complete the quiz! Your lack of conscientiousness makes even simple tasks feel like an uphill battle, so do yourself a favour and commit to improving your level of conscientiousness using the steps outlined below. How to Become More Conscientious Know thyself. You can't improve without knowing where you currently stand and what areas you need to work on. Personality change research has learnt that people can positively change their personalities by doing more activities that fit three these criteria: important, enjoyable, and in line with your values. Use this to help you keep your promises and commitments. Slow down. This may seem like counter-intuitive advice, but it pays to pause and reflect every now and again. Ask yourself, “Am I doing the thing right, or the right thing?” In our current world, there are so many distractions – from social media to ringing phones to demanding colleagues – that it can be easy to put your conscientiousness into tasks that are not worthy of your attention. Learn to say “no” to unreasonable requests with authority and grace. By slowing down, you will become less harassed and more productive. Narrow your focus. This is two-fold: 1. Making a resolution to be “more conscientious” lacks the specifics needed to achieve your goal. Setting yourself smaller goals – such as being punctual or keeping your desk organised – as steps towards increasing your conscientiousness increases your chances of success. Multitasking is a myth. Not only does it force you to keep switching your attention, but multitasking lowers your efficiency and increases your stress levels too. Focus on one challenge at a time to improve your productivity and the quality of your work. Get organised. Consider how much time you could put into completing quality work if you didn’t waste it looking for files on your laptop or pulling all-nighters because you forgot about an assignment. The heavier your workload, the more essential order is to conscientiousness. Making your own schedule daily and then sticking to it goes hand-in-hand with being organised. Use the tools on your computer or smartphone to keep track of your to-do lists, remind you to back up your data, or tackle the most important tasks during your most productive time of the day. Concentrate. Distractions make it harder to achieve your goals. By improving your ability to concentrate, you can lift the standard of your work and focus more clearly on your responsibilities. Try training your attention through meditation and mindfulness, and by improving your environment, nutrition, and mindset. Bonus: Not only is conscientious about holding yourself accountable to meet your objectives, it’s also about your responsibilities to others and how you interact with them. Make the time to understand other people's needs and to put more thought into how you communicate. Next… Complete the quiz below. The second attribute of Self-Regulation is trustworthiness. You are trustworthy if you: Behave ethically and above reproach Build trust through your reliability and authenticity Admit your mistakes Confront unethical actions of others Take tough, principled stands even if they are unpopular. About Trustworthiness Can you imagine a life without trust? On one hand, that is a good thing – it is why we lock our front doors and pull Malania-eyes when Donald Trump makes a speech. The flip side is that, without trust, we would be paralysed by inaction. Trust is an essential part of life. And yet trustworthiness is such a delicate commodity. From days gone by similar to Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding to current celebs persuading us that we need lighter skin/ butt implants / penis enlargements, we have grown weary and distrustful. Harness your scepticism with our Critical Thinking course while learning how to act with integrity, in line with your values, and guided by an inner moral sense of what is right. Being someone who does the right thing will make you stand out from the crowds like a true Dux tertiary student. Ethics and Ethical Behaviour “A (wo)man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon the world.” Albert Camus When you behave ethically, you evaluate the moral implications of your actions in any given situation. Applicable in both your personal and work relationships, ethical behaviour is evidenced through integrity, transparency, honesty, and fairness. It respects the dignity, diversity, and rights of individuals and groups of people. “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” Potter Stewart Reliability “A (wo)man who lacks reliability is utterly useless.” Confucius After that pearl of wisdom from such a wise man, is there even anything else that we need to say? Dux doesn’t back down from a challenge though, so here we go… If you say you are going to join your friends for a date, how often do you cancel or reschedule? As mobile phones have made on-the-spot communication easier, so society has become more and more commitment-phobic. It is all too easy to change plans when something better comes up. Doing it by text even shelters ditchers from the ditchees' disappointment. This epidemic of constant cancelling and rescheduling has made being reliable a valuable quality. A quality that will make you stand out and highlight your trustworthiness: “Reliability is the precondition for trust.” Wolfgang Schauble Download some additional reading on the topic of reliability HERE From now on, pledge to not make any promises unless you will keep them. Commit to yourself that if you say you are going to do something, you do it. Authenticity “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let out true selves be seen.” Brene Brown Hands up if you know someone who acts one way in private with you, but then changes completely when surrounded by an in-crowd? Isn’t it maddening? Don’t they make you feel betrayed? Does it seem dishonest? Authenticity means being true to who you are. Or even being true to who you want to be. Either way, it is genuine, honest, and comes from within. Authenticity requires vulnerability. Think about self-help books that you have read. Why did some make more of an impact on you than others? Was it because the author’s way of writing connected with you? This is an example of authenticity. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the other authors aren’t being authentic – they (hopefully!) resonated with other readers. Dita Von Teese famously pointed out that, “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” When you are living authentically, you won’t be everybody’s cup o' tea. But by being true to yourself, you will attract the kind of people who will be good for you. To be authentic, you need to align yourself to your values and goals all. the. time. Do not give in when faced with conformity and mediocrity. Don’t trade authenticity for approval. “Ignore the critics… Only mediocrity is safe from ridicule.” DvT Admit Your Mistakes As an authentic individual, you will have no choice but to admit your mistakes. A bonus is that it is only possible to grow and improve yourself when you can pinpoint your errors and then work to rectify them. No-one is perfect, but how you handle your mistakes is the difference between surviving and thriving. As an emotionally intelligent Dux, you will use your mistakes as learning opportunities. What you may not realise is that by admitting your mistakes, you not only lift up yourself, but you allow others to feel more comfortable about their own mistakes. Your vulnerability can inspire those around you to take ownership of their mistakes and rise above them. Confronting Unethical Behaviour “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Desmond Tutu If the Arch said it, it's a gem! Seriously, though, being a passive spectator in life is not living. Being trustworthy, ethical, reliable, and authentic is easy when things are going swimmingly. A true test of your emotional intelligence is what you do in sticky situations. Can you stand up for what you believe is right in the face of adversity? Not every fight needs to be fought. However, when you become aware of someone behaving unethically, do you have the courage to call them out? It can be risky. It will make you unpopular. But perhaps a better question is, can you afford not to call unethical offenders out? Before you fight the good fight, ask yourself these questions: Do I know enough about the situation? Are the behaviours of the offender a matter of opinion or fact? Do I have proof? How can I handle this in a The second attribute of Self-Motivation is commitment. You are a committed person if you: Can see the “big picture” and can give up immediate gratification to achieve the larger goal Find a sense of purpose in the larger mission Use core values when making decisions and clarifying choices Actively seek out opportunities to fulfil your mission. 10/10 Before we start, give yourself a quick score out of 10 as to how committed you think you are. (You can compare this score to your commitment rating after completing this lesson.) What Does Commitment Refer To? When it comes to self-motivation, commitment refers to your ability to do what it takes to be the best version of yourself. It is a pledge that compels you to carry out a specific course of action. Commitment involves an inner determination which overcomes negative external influences and gives you a sense of accomplishment which generates its own positive energy. Why is Commitment Important? Making and keeping commitments is the foundation on which you build your everyday life, studies, and career or business. It is a fundamental aspect of success. The power of commitments lies in how they influence your thoughts and behaviour. No doubt there are bumps (or even mountains) on the road to achieving your goals, and this is where your commitment gives you the boost to overcome hurdles rather than giving up. Whether you are committing to a relationship, career, fitness, or other personal improvement goal, the temptation to quit will always arise. Commitment is when you can anticipate it and then make a promise to yourself that the feeling of wanting to give up will not overpower your progress. A distinctive characteristic of success in leaders is their perseverance of commitment: “Commitments separate the doers from the dreamers! People follow doers.” John Maxwell How to Increase Your Commitment Some goals are easier to commit to than others. Here are some steps to take to boost your commitment for all the others: Don’t overcommit. In the heat of the moment, saying “Yes!” to things is easy. The thing is, if you say yes, you need to be willing to commit. With only 1440 minutes available to you each day, consider what impact each of your commitments will have on the others. Be selective about what you commit to. Remember that saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to something else. By making commitments only to the people and things that are truly valuable to you, your relationships will improve, you will be more successful in achieving your goals, and you’ll have more time to enjoy your journey. Be SMART. Ensuring that your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound is the first step in keeping your commitment on track. Write it down. There is plenty of scientific researcher proving that simply putting something on paper leads to greater commitment. Go public. By sharing your goal with others, your commitment level increases. Yes, it’s sad that we value to opinion of others, but the fear of embarrassment is a huge motivator – leverage it. Woop! Yes, you will whoop with joy when your commitment pays off, but this refers to an additional step in your goal setting. Using scientific tools called mental contrasting and implementation intentions, revisit your goals to boost your commitment. W stands for wish – the goal you want to achieve. Example: “I want to finish this assignment by next Wednesday.” O stands for outcome – visualise the best possible outcome that would result from you achieving this goal. Example: “I am relieved and feel proud of myself.” O stands for obstacles – you know - the hurdles that separate you from your goal. Example: “I procrastinate and get distracted by Facebook.” P stands for plan – what are you going to do to overcome your obstacle? Visualise what actions would help you when your obstacle looms large. If / When _________ (obstacle), then I will __________ (action to overcome obstacle). Example: “If I get distracted during my work, then I hide my phone in my cupboard, block all distracting websites, and get back to work.” Next Take the quiz below... Achievement drive can be defined as a “personality trait characterised by an enduring and consistent concern with setting and meeting high standards of achievement.” You may be driven to achieve by the pressure of others’ expectations (extrinsic motivation), or from within yourself (intrinsic motivation). Either way, your drive to achieve motivates you to succeed and excel in activities important to you. Why Does Achievement Drive Matter? There’s this leprechaun called Murphy who loves to throw a spanner in our works. Do you know him? Because of his law that “anything that can go wrong, will”, life rarely goes according to plan – no matter how passionate or well-prepared you are. Quitters are his most vulnerable victims. If you have a solid achievement drive, you keep your eye on the prize, while swiftly and creatively overcoming any obstacles in your path. Simply put, the stronger your achievement drive, the greater your chances of success. Achievement drive is a pivotal characteristic that can help you achieve your dreams. Research done by the University of Colorado at Denver Business School identified character traits that distinguished high performers in each type of job role from average to low performers. Achievement drive was a distinctive trait of high-performers, successful entrepreneurs, and leaders. Achievement Drive Characteristics What Strengthens Your Achievement Drive? If your parents encouraged you to be independent in childhood. If your successes led to praise and rewards. If you associate achievement with positive feelings. If you link achievement to your own competence and effort rather than luck. If you desire being effective and challenged. Interpersonal strength The desirability of the goal. The feasibility of the task. Your ability to set goals. 1. and 2. are extrinsic factors and cannot be changed in retrospect. The power to boost your achievement drive lies in 3. – 9. – all of which are within your control. How To Boost Your Achievement Drive The ultimate trait of those with a powerful achievement drive is their unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Like a modern-day renaissance man, knowledge is a mark of distinction. Being open to innovation is your passport to the future. Next Let’s set some goals... Service orientation is the second attribute of Social Awareness is. You are service-oriented if you: Understand customers’ needs Seek ways to increase customers’ satisfaction and loyalty Gladly offer appropriate assistance Grasp a customer’s perspective – acting as a trusted advisor. 10/10 Let’s discuss who exactly your “customer” is while you are a student. There are two ways of looking at this lesson. The first is to picture a fussy housewife in a high-end store and gloss over it. That would be a mistake. Even in a corporate environment there are external and internal customers. In a nutshell, everybody who you want something from is a customer – the product you are selling is yourself. (Tip: you never know who you will want something from in the future!) As a Dux, it should be easy for you to apply the skills taught in this lesson to the people in your life. What are the Pillars of Customer Service? If you want to increase your customers' satisfaction and loyalty, you need to: 1. Form relationships with them. Why? Because this helps you to stand out from the crowd and lubricates business going forward. This is easily done by treating your customers with respect – be punctual, greet, use “please” and “thank you” liberally, admit when you are wrong and fix your mistakes. Be motivated to serve. 2. Know your product i.e. you. Why? Service orientation does not equate to selling your soul to the devil. Once you have established that the relationship is in line with your values and goals, you then need to know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can sell yourself with confidence. (Aside: See how all those links prove that learning about “Customer Service” is useless unless you are emotionally intelligent!) Be flexible and creatively align what you have to offer with daily challenges. 3. Communicate like the emotionally intelligent Dux you are! Why? Because you might be the perfect fit for whatever your customer needs – e.g. bursary recipient, intern, ambassador – but if you can’t decipher what they are looking for and how you fill that need, you will lose out. Use your listening skills to find out what’s really important to them; and your non-verbal skills to affirm that you are deserving of their time/ money/ job/ service. Have an energetic and enthusiastic attitude. 4. Take responsibility for both the good and the bad. In other words, be proactive, accountable, and available. Why? Because you are emotionally intelligent, you have a vision for your life, and you won’t let life just “happen to you”. Take ownership of your customers, situations, and problems. Next An introspective quiz awaits you below!