TRAITS

In this work sheet primer aimed at junior and high school students, a business owner outlines the qualities needed to succeed in professional and personal life.

Harvin, a business owner for more than 40 years, says, “If you wish to have success and excel in a career or relationship of any kind, you have no option but to master the traits outlined in this book.” In the following pages, he maps out 32 traits—as the author admits, they’re not all traits—evenly distributed among four categories: personal (integrity, honesty, humility, patience, self-control, correct motives, having a positive attitude and sense of humor); employee (being goal oriented and a hard worker, punctuality, personal responsibility, being ambitious, and being a team player and a self-starter,); leadership (taking ownership, confidence, being calm, concern for others, leading by example, good listening, planning for success, persistence); and family (generosity, understanding sowing, being nonjudgmental, faithfulness, trustworthiness, managing money, respect for others, thoughtfulness). Each trait merits a discussion generally a page in length, followed by a list of its three top advantages (“You will have many true friends” is the third point for the honesty trait) and a final “thought to ponder”: for instance, “It is much easier to be a Hard Worker than it is to work hard at getting out of work” is the takeaway for “Hard Worker.” Harvin then offers space to rate yourself on the trait on a scale of one to 10 and to sign and date that you have “read, understand and believe” the information outlined. He also provides a separate page to write out why you gave yourself the rating you did, how you think you can raise it, and why you think this trait is important to have in your life. One could quibble that Harvin presents too many traits—as compared with, for example, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People—or that some circle similar themes (e.g., “Ambitious” and “Goal Oriented’’) or that there’s not enough work-related detail. Still, his work sheet approach offers students or indeed anyone a solid starting point for exploring accountability and better behavior in life.

Simple yet effective self-assessment guide.