Wanted: employees who are good at getting things done
If you want to be successful at work, there is one trait that you need above all others. It isn’t creativity, or emotional intelligence, or people skills, or experience, or judgment or even native wit.
It is conscientiousness.
However, now it turns out that being conscientious yourself is only a starter. What you also need is a husband or wife who is conscientious too.
According to a study soon to be published in Psychological Science, the character traits of the person you marry have an effect on how well you do at work – a fair or foul wind from him or her can determine whether you get promoted or get a pay rise and whether you find your days in the office relatively tolerable – or not.
Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have spent the past five years studying married couples – most of whom both work – and matching the success of each against five personality traits of their other halves: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. They found that the last one had a large positive effect: people with conscientious husbands and wives simply did better.
[article requires a free registration but the relevant part is quoted]
If you want to be successful at work, there is one trait that you need above all others. It isn’t creativity, or emotional intelligence, or people skills, or experience, or judgment or even native wit.
It is conscientiousness.
However, now it turns out that being conscientious yourself is only a starter. What you also need is a husband or wife who is conscientious too.
According to a study soon to be published in Psychological Science, the character traits of the person you marry have an effect on how well you do at work – a fair or foul wind from him or her can determine whether you get promoted or get a pay rise and whether you find your days in the office relatively tolerable – or not.
Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have spent the past five years studying married couples – most of whom both work – and matching the success of each against five personality traits of their other halves: extroversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. They found that the last one had a large positive effect: people with conscientious husbands and wives simply did better.
[article requires a free registration but the relevant part is quoted]
