Character

Character Traits

Trustworthiness

Trust is not a trait that you are born with or acquire through education and experience. Rather, it is earned. You are trusted not because you say, "trust me on this". Your past behavior and actions will determine your trustworthiness (or, hopefully not, distrust).

Respect

Like trust, respect is an earned trait. But respect is also shown to others like parents, co-workers, managers, team members, and others. Of course, they need to earn that respect, as well.

Responsibility

Accepting responsibility for our actions is a trait that can be learned. As a child, you may have said, "he did it" or "she did it" when accused of breaking a toy. But, as you grow, you learn by watching others you respect and say, "yes, it was me and I am sorry." I am not claiming that all people learn to accept responsibility, but I am confident my readers have!

Fairness

There is always more than one side to a story, and being able to understand that concept and to empathize with each story teller will determine if you have the fairness trait. Also, understanding that fair does not always mean that decisions are made by others in your favor, is an additional element of having the fairness trait.

Caring

You don't have to be a nurse to care for others. Caring, like responsibility, is a trait that can be acquired or learned. Understanding the emotions and feelings of others are valuable elements to the caring trait. Putting yourself in another's situation (walk a mile in my shoes) is yet another aspect of caring.

Citizenship

By being a member of a community and enjoying the rights and assuming the duties of that memership will determine your citizenship trait. We take from the community and we give to the community - that is citizenship.

Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship are commonly referred to as the six pillars of character.