What matters most in a child’s development, they say, is not how much information we can stuff into her brain in the first few years. What matters, instead, is whether we are able to help her develop a very different set of qualities, a list that includes persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit, and self-confidence. Economists refer to these as non-cognitive skills, psychologist call them personality traits, and the rest of us sometimes think of them as character. Paul Tough, Canadian writer.
I’ve long been stumped by those surveys which demand, “define yourself with one word.” Who is only a one-word person? After much deliberation, I have settled on “appreciative.” I work toward development of a grateful heart. I know that I’ve been blessed in many ways.
But the newest catch phrase of this year caught my attention. Perhaps, we all should consider claiming it as our one-word definition. Conscientiousness: “the condition or quality of being conscientious.” Don’t you hate it when an esteemed dictionary like Merriam-Webster defines a word with its own root? Conscientious means “meticulous, careful.”
Other sites define “conscientiousness” as “the quality of wishing to do one’s work or duty well and thoroughly.” Another says “it is a trait where you act based on what you know is right and with great care and honestly.” Cambridge Dictionary says, “Feeling a moral responsibility to do your work carefully and to be fair to others.”
It turns out to be one of those words which we tend to define by our own experiences. I like the last definition best: “a moral responsibility to do work carefully AND to be fair to others.”
The University of Minnesota recently released the results of its study spanning more that 100 years of research. Researchers compared the relationship of admirable traits to 175 occupational variables such as job performance, behaviors, job satisfaction, leadership, career adaptability, life satisfaction and quality of life along plus multiple other traits. The conclusion: Conscientiousness is the one trait that best predicts work-related success across the board in life.
Deniz Ones, co-author of the study and professor of industrial-organizational psychology, says “Conscientiousness is much more than being orderly and neat. It reflects motivational tendencies - to set goals, work towards them, in a consistent, reliable manner.”
Experts suggest dozens of ways for each of us to become more conscientious. One particularly spoke to me: “Meet deadlines.” In journalism, it is a must. Each deadline missed not only reflects poorly on oneself, it also hinders everyone else down the line in production.
During the Civil War, prisoners were captured before the troops had built camps for them. Housing them in tents, before fences could be erected, the guards had the prisoners dig a trench around the encampment and told the captives if they crossed that line, they would be shot dead: the dead line. The Confederate prison at Andersonville claims to be the first to use the term, but not the last. The 19th century journalists covering the war adopted the term as their own. The profession continues to live by it.
Dr. Shen-Li Lee, writing in Nurture for the Future, makes suggestions for parents to help their children become more conscientious. She begins with a Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program) for teaching children responsibility. “Assign chores. Offer opportunities for them to help out. Set rules and consequences. Be a good role model. Provide clear and positive feedback on how chores are completed. Talk about responsible acts. Illustrate responsible behaviors. Use story characters to reinforce ideas about responsibility.”
Lee says, “The end result should be to instill a sense of intrinsic satisfaction (internal feelings of pride and happiness) rather than using extrinsic rewards (external bonuses like candy, money or toys) to encourage responsible behavior.”
As we begin another year once again with great hope that life will return to a more normal way of living, may we be conscientious, nurturing a sense of moral responsibility, not only about our own jobs and their tasks, but also in how we treat one another in the work place, at home, on the street, around the world.
Happy New Year.
2021
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