24 Character Strengths… (Part 4)

October 3, 2022

Last month we had a look at how our “Humanity” is associated with enhanced life satisfaction. Part 4’s character strength looks at how our sense of justice and our leadership attributes can directly influence our goals by increasing our motivation, conditioning our teamwork skills and affecting our commitment. Apply this to your training (and your life!) and see what happens!

4. Justice

• Teamwork: Are you a good citizen? Not just of your country but of your close community? Regardless of whether it’s community, family, friends, your sports team or fellow gym members, our sense of commitment to teamwork can bolster our own goals. Someone that prioritises the value of contribution to a team success has a developed sense of social responsibility, not only for their chosen groups, but for Humanity at large. In this way of acting, they are relied upon, trusted as being committed to the good of the group and dedicated to both the groups and their own goals. They are loyal and so experience not only more trust from others but gain a more positive view both from and of others.

• Fairness: Do you let your personal feelings cloud your judgement and affect your decisions about others? Are you able to understand that what may appear fair to one person may not be fair to another? This goes beyond mere open-mindedness and wanting to give all people a fair go and into realising that there should be equal opportunity for all. “Fairness is a cognitive judgment capacity that involves reasoning and making judgments. It involves 2 types of reasoning: Justice reasoning – which emphasises logic and weighing principles to determine moral rights and responsibilities. Care reasoning – which includes empathy and compassion; the ability to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. Fair-minded individuals are more likely to engage in positive, prosocial behaviours and less likely to engage in illegal and immoral behaviour.”

• Leadership: Are you able to organise people? Encourage them to get things done? If you are committed to the goals of the group (and therefore your own), you no doubt also have a tendency to build effective coalitions, enlisting efficient help for the betterment of the whole. You are a competent liaison, able to calm hurt feelings and stave off building adversaries.

 “It is a social phenomenon that can be distinguished into two areas:

1. Practice- defining, establishing, identifying or translating direction
2. Personal quality- the motivation and capacity to seek out, attain and carry out leader roles.

There are two types of leaders:

1. Transactional leaders- this type of leader clarifies responsibilities, expectations, and the tasks to be accomplished.
2. Transformational leaders- this leader motivates their followers to perform at an extremely high level, fostering a climate of trust and commitment to the organisation and its goals”

Successful leaders dispense positive messages; have vision that motivates dedicated supporters and have an uncanny ability to make people feel inspired and empowered. They don’t give to get, but in this way more often than not they receive what they give in life. To paraphrase Paul J Meyer’s “Mastermind Alliance” – Two or more people dedicated to a common goal, in the common good, in the spirit of harmony. Or, if you help others attain their goals – you in turn will attain yours. If you trained with or encouraged someone else/s training – would you in turn find yourself training harder?

Next Month Let’s See How Our “Temperance” Measures up.

Until Then – See You At FH! and don’t forget “Bring A Mate Monday” for Members.