Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is the personality trait of being thorough, careful, consistent, vigilant and self-disciplined. Conscientiousness is positively correlated to a desire to perform a task well. Conscientious people are highly efficient and organized. They also exhibit: achievement oriented behavior; planning skills; organizational skills; and dependability.

Conscientiousness is one of the Big Five personality traits. Generally speaking, conscientious individuals have a strong work ethic and are reliable.

Research indicates that the character trait of conscientiousness can be increased through simply practicing conscientious behaviors.^[1]

The personality traits of a good diplomat are: conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and extraversion.^[2]

Benefits of developing conscientiousness

The only major personality trait that consistently leads to general success in life is conscientiousness (People who test high in conscientiousness: get better grades in school and college; earn higher salaries; are happier at work; live longer; commit fewer crimes; stay married longer and tend to be more influential).^[3]^[4]