Characteristics of a Person of Success

Characteristics of a person of success are qualities everyone who is driven by success needs to succeed in this era be he an employee, self-employed or a student. The characteristics of a person strongly determines the extent of his successes in our ever-changing world.

I wrote in one of my articles that the world is constantly changing and what is required of us is to adapt and gear up for more changing and embrace the future.

In this article, I shall explore 7 characteristics of a person who seeks to accomplish a desired end in life:

1. Social and cultural awareness

‘’ Social and cultural skills refers to the ability to work well with people, respecting cultural differences and presenting oneself in the most socially-acceptable manner‘’.

A racial group would always exhibit cultural authenticity and value-practices that reflect its true nature. Social and cultural awareness is being able to live collaboratively with individuals from diverse cultures, religions, ideologies, and lifestyles in an environment characterized by openness and mutual respect. Openness is about being responsible and transparent.

A socially-responsible person shows compassion for others’ plight and treats others with kindness, generosity, courtesy, respect and honour and subjects himself to others’ wishes and judgement.

Generosity is a good character trait to foster benevolence, and giving liberally. Benevolence is a kindly disposition to do well and promote others’ welfare. Being courteous, respectful, and honouring people in your environment indicate your value them and having an understanding that humans are inherently flawed will make a person learn to forgive others’ offences.

Social and cultural awareness is one of the basic literacy skills of our information age.

2. Adaptability

‘’Adaptability is the ability of a person to conform suitably to the demands of his new environment”

Adaptability is the quality to adjust oneself to best meet the needs of the situation in an environment. An adaptable person through attitudinal change and setting priorities, handles multiple tasks and assignments that arise due to role flexibility in order to meet up with new cultural demands.

Having openness in thoughts and showing humility; tuning in to beneath-the-surface happenings; willingness to learn more; easy adoption of new behaviours, styles and approaches; accepting varieties of views and being positive and expressing optimism in getting desired result can help one adapt easily to a new trends of life.

Though it demands more responsibility, it makes one more versatile, worthful and productive. It can increase one’s emotional intelligence unto becoming more skilled in communication, collaboration and problem-solving. An adaptive person is an opportunity-seeker and utilizer.

3. Creativity

‘’ Creativity is the art and science of transforming an idea into reality ‘’

Creativity has been described as a 21^st Century skill and quality. Creativity is about making a new valuable thing.

Many multi-billion dollars business conglomerates today started out of a little idea someone turned into another thing. It does not just pertain to artistic quality alone. It requires the use of one’s imagination, critical thinking and productive skills.

Teachers can nurture creativity in learning environments that supports questioning, openness to new ideas, and learning from mistakes and failures.

4. Leadership

‘’ Leadership is concerned with directing people towards achieving a common goal ‘’

Leadership is one of the best characteristics of a person seeking successful endeavours in life.

The quality of leadership requires the ability to direct others aright and the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a goal. Trust is the foundation of leadership. Leaders develop an environment of trust where the organizational members tend to establish a followers-leader relationship.

A good leader is a loving and responsible guide. He must be reliable, trustworthy and self-disciplined. When a leader exhibits trustworthiness as character trait, it means he can be depended on and confided in, and something can be entrusted in his care without fear.

Real leaders see the best in people and teach them to exploit their potential in all they engage in.

5. Persistence

‘’ Persistence is the quality of unwavering perseverance and determination not to give up on a course of action ‘’

It is the grit to continue resolutely with a course of action, belief or purpose, despising all forms of discouragement in order to reach a higher goal or outcome.

Grit is a character trait or quality of steadfast perseverance and determination. It is also an unyielding courage that brings about fortitude or firmness of mind and spirit.

Many past great leaders in our history books persisted on crusades against certain norms deemed as unfair and unacceptable in the society. They endured difficulties and discomfort to achieve such good fate we are probably enjoying today.

6. Initiative

‘’ It is a quality of one’s readiness to start up new ventures ‘’

The tendency of an individual(s) or well-meaning groups or organizations across the globe to proactively discover best-suited ways of human development had been a step in the right direction.

Initiative is a self-reliant enterprise and aptitude displayed in introducing a new measure or course of action with the intention of solving a problem.

Developing successful 21st century initiatives requires flexible and coordinated leadership. The initiatives have to focus on both core academic subject mastery and instruction for skills acquisition.

Instruction for skills acquisition must promote teachers’ professional development and integration of skills into students learning standards. Again, investment in ICT-based learning and content-sharing would prepare the students adequately for further schooling and work.

7. Curiosity

‘’ Curiosity is an interest-driven character of desiring knowledge ‘’

Curiosity is the quality that results in the desire and inquisitiveness to know due to developed interest in the object. It is the interest leading to inquiry into a subject area. Interest can be self-induced (intrinsic motivation) or externally-driven (extrinsic motivation).

Cooperative and collaborative learning are tools that can effectively be used to drives curiosity, potentials and creativity.

Educators, who possess curiosity as one of the characteristics of a person driven by success, use it in a task or item to determine the extent of a student’s interest in the task.