Richard Diviney, a Navy SEAL Commander who was involved in the SEAL selection process studied core attributes through observation research. The traits in which a person performs in a team and individually which can be used in personal and professional lives. The book 'The Attributes' focuses on hidden drivers for optimal performance.
The Attributes focus on attributes within to achieve optimal performance under stress. Referring to the pandemic (2020) as everyones own involuntary SEAL training, people were put to the test and training. 'Check your engines' is saying used by Diviney to understand ones unique capabilities, what makes us up and our own attributes. In the short clip above Diviney mentions a 2 minute rule and the importance of laughter. The two minute rule relates to when something good or bad happens, you have two mins to wallow, celebrate process and then get back to it. Laughing creates a chemical response, it masks pain and creates bonds. It can bring you back in painful times and help remind you of the joys.
"Attributes are wired into out internal circuitry, always running in the background, dictating how we behave and react and perform".
The Attributes website, https://theattributes.com , involves an assessment tool with three quizzes which focused on four attributes in each quiz.
Grit Assessment
Attributes: Courage, Perseverance, Adaptability and Resilience.
From my responses I did not have a favoured or least favoured attribute. I scored medium for all 4 attributes.
Courage is the ability to manage fear in order to confront danger, difficulty, or pain. Your Courage score is in the average range. You have no problem stepping up and doing what needs to be done in uncertain, frightening, or challenging situations. Additionally, you probably step outside your comfort zone once in a while to try new things. This is a great balance - and up to you as to whether or not you’d like to develop it even more. Keep in mind that although the fear response can be unconscious and automatic, courage is largely a choice, a decision we make. Keep exploring your courage and utilizing it for optimal performance!
Perseverance is constancy in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Your Perseverance score is in the average range. To persevere does not mean simply to endure. There are three ingredients in perseverance. It is equal parts persistence and tenacity, with fortitude thrown into the mix. You clearly have the right combination of all three and this will serve you well when overcoming adversity or facing challenging situations. Whether or not you want to develop your perseverance is up to you. If the answer is “yes,” then seek more challenges that require the three ingredients. But know that you already have what it takes to persevere when you need to.
Adaptability is the ability to quickly and calmly adjust to changing circumstances and situations. Your Adaptability score is in the average range. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden put it best, “Adaptability is being able to adjust to any situation, at any given time.” You are naturally able to change tactics, expectations, and strategies as circumstances require. You are able to reactively shift in response to external changes. Most people would simplify this attribute as the ability to go with the flow without getting rattled. The faster you can do that under stress or in an uncertain situation with no obvious outcome, the higher your level of adaptability. You know that optimal performance sometimes means nothing more than adjusting to your surroundings.
Resilience is the ability to rapidly return to one’s baseline emotional and mental state after a stressful, traumatic, or even triumphant event. Your Resilience score is in the average range. Imagine your life represented by a line plotted on a page. The line moves from left to right, from the past into the present, and it extends a little bit more with each passing day. If your life was uniformly calm and pleasant, neither aggravating nor exciting, that line would be flat and level. We’ll call that your baseline, and it’s where you’re most comfortable emotionally, mentally, and physically. You are able to return to your baseline at about the same speed and efficiency as most people. Remember, the less time you spend dwelling on the lows or perhaps over celebrating the highs, the faster you can intentionally get yourself back to that baseline and be ready for the next rise or trough in your life. Optimal performance is all about recovering and “refueling” for the next curve life throws at you. Keep developing your resilience attribute whenever and wherever possible
Mental Acuity Assessment
Attributes: Situational Awareness, Compartmentalisation, Task Switching and Learnability.
Again, I didn't have a favoured or least favoured attribute and I scored medium for all but Situational Awareness (low).
Situational Awareness is the ability to absorb and process meaningful information about our current environment. Your Situational Awareness score is below average. Part of situational awareness involves predictions and projections. We do this all the time without thinking, overlaying memories onto current circumstances to predict an outcome or alter our behavior. Traffic is stalled and you immediately recognize you’ll be late for work. The sun is at high noon on a cloudless day, so you put some sunscreen on your nose. It’s all about vigilance. You have a tendency to become lost in your head or hyper focused on one detail, barely noticing the larger picture. How do you get better at Situational Awareness? Pull the headphones out of your ears, put away your smartphone, and start paying attention to the world around you. Through a deliberate practice of paying attention to the world around you, you’ll strengthen your Situation Awareness muscle. The more new information you absorb, the more scripts and patterns your brain will create, which will allow you to be more comfortable and more aware, in more situations.
Compartmentalization is the ability to effectively chunk an environment or situation into meaningful pieces, then focus on that which needs immediate attention. At its best, this attribute is an important key to cognitive efficiency and, in turn, optimal performance. In very simple terms, your brain is constantly deciding which information is relevant and which is irrelevant, and shuffling those bits to their appropriate compartment. You are right where you need to be with Compartmentalization as compared to others. It’s important to remember that the criteria your brain uses is always changing. Relevancy shifts with each update of the running script. If you are also high or medium on situational awareness, your brain is able to rapidly and efficiently process this information and make the necessary adjustments.
Task Switching is the ability to shift focus between tasks or contexts. Your Task Switching score is in the average range. Even when we are focused on one thing, our brain is updating scripts for the next thing. As long as we are not in a state of deep stress—when we are calm and alert—our brain is cognitively prepared to shift priorities. How effectively and quickly we do that is a measure of task switching. You are right where you need to be when it comes to task switching—which is to say that you are able to effectively and efficiently switch tasks at the appropriate time— not too soon and not too late.
Learnability is the ability to absorb, process, and apply new information to a current or future context. Your Learnability score is in the average range. Among the mental acuity attributes, the most important is learnability. It is a catalyst that allows those other cognitive traits to be put to effective use. As an attribute, learnability doesn’t involve what you know. It’s not about your education or your study habits. Learnability is a measure of how quickly you are able to receive, process, and integrate new information into your cognitive system. Like you, the majority of us fall in a midrange, comfortably building those new circuits as needed, accelerating the pace when we want to.
After reading the definition of Situational Awareness, I do believe I could work on becoming more aware. Day to day, I tend to walk around with music in my own head which may delay any process of information. However, I do feel comfortable in most situations, even new ones.
Drive Assessment
Attributes: Self-efficacy, Discipline, Open-mindedness, Cunning and Narcissism.
Within these five attributes, I favoured narcissism which I scored high for. I scored low for open-mindedness which did surprise me as I do feel like I am open-minded but maybe in a life / personal context, not work.
Self-Efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to achieve a goal, especially when the path is uncertain or unknown. Your Self-Efficacy score is in the average range. Self-Efficacy is a combination of confidence, initiative, and optimism. It’s not as simple as “I got this.” That’s usually bravado. Self-efficacy is thoughtful and serious. It’s “I know I can do this because I am willing to take the first step, and even though I don’t yet know all the answers or how this will unfold, I’ll continue until I am successful.” As someone in the average range, you’ll find that Self-efficacy is extremely useful when it comes to making decisions. It’s also helpful in dealing with adversity. Not only does it allow you to stretch boundaries, explore your potential, and take risks, but it also enables you to successfully charge through unanticipated challenges, even when the outcome is highly uncertain. Optimal performance is about doing the best that we can in whatever environment life throws at us. A big part of performing optimally is knowing that we can.
Discipline is the ability to remain focused and steadfast to achieve a result. Your Discipline score is in the average range. Discipline is about accomplishing external goals. In terms of optimal performance, to be disciplined means understanding the elements required to achieve an objective, and then dutifully executing those elements. But it’s not only about remaining steadfast and committed through the lows, it’s also about avoiding being seduced into stopping during the highs. It's about staying the course, no matter what. It’s highly likely that in most circumstances you are able to remain focused until your goals are accomplished. This attribute will serve you well as you strive for optimal performance.
Open-Mindedness is willingness to consider and accept new ideas, opinions, or perspectives. Your Open-Mindedness score is below average. Open-mindedness is the ability and the willingness to set aside our opinions, judgments, and preconceptions so that we can consider problems and environments from fresh, often unorthodox perspectives. It is about letting go of your ingrained interpretations and judgements about the world. It isn’t simply being passively receptive to new ideas as they are presented, but instead actively removing constraints on the imagination. The first step to expanding your open-mindedness is accepting that our thoughts and perceptions might not be the only ones, or even the correct ones. Stepping outside of your set boundaries can be intimidating. Yet open-mindedness can also be fostered and nurtured simply by bombarding the brain with information and ideas. Every new experience opens the mind to new possibilities; the most valuable part of discovery is that it reminds us discovery is possible. So read more, watch more, listen more.
Cunning is the ability to consider problems and circumstances from unusual and unorthodox perspectives in order to achieve a goal or objective. Your Cunning score is in the average range. Cunning can be a pejorative word. It implies sneakiness and deception, using trickery to an unfair advantage. In this case, consider it in a broader sense, as a neutral term. You are able to disregard the unspoken and often artificial rules when appropriate, to consider objects and circumstances from nonconforming perspectives. That said, too much cunning can be detrimental. Having just enough Cunning can be a key component of optimal performance. Sometimes we need to reconsider the rules, look beyond artificial boundaries, discard preconceived constraints.
Narcissism is the desire to stand out, to be noticed, to be recognized. Your Narcissism score is above average. Narcissism is another one of those words that typically is considered pejorative. An excessive amount of narcissism, in fact, is a clinically recognized personality disorder. But in the layman’s version of the term, narcissism is one of the elemental engines of human behavior, the innate attribute that urges us to strive, to succeed, to be noticed. In healthy doses, it is important for optimal performance. People who fall too high on the narcissism scale, however, can be dangerous. It's those close and trusted relationships that help us see and keep our Narcissism in check. Nurturing those that we love and trust not only helps our overall lives but also serve to tell us the hard truths and keep us grounded.
I found these results quite insightful, as I have never identified as a narcissist. I believe there is often negative associations with narcissism. However, a healthy narcissist can be manageable and it needs to remain in check. I don't believe I fall on the NPD spectrum. Healthline state '9 official criteria for NPD' sourced by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
1. Grandiose sense of self-importance
2. Pre-occupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love
3. Belief they're special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions
4. Need for excessive admiration
5. Sense of entitlement
6. Interpersonally exploitative behaviour
7. Lack of empathy
8. Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of them
9. Demonstration of arrogant and haughty behaviours at attitudes
Some of these I relate to stronger than others, I definitely don't resonate with arrogance or believing I am better than others as I don't.
Cunha, J (2020) reports 8 traits of a narcissist
1. Grandiosity
2. Excessive need for admiration
3. Superficial and exploitative relationships
4. Lack of empathy
5. Identity disturbance
6. Difficulty with attachment and dependency
7. Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom
8. Vulnerability to life transitions
After reflecting and speaking to a friend, I recognise that I scratch the surface on narcism and it depends on my mood and situation. We touched on the concept of empathy, it was interesting to get another close friends perspective on this:
Whilst this was just a quick, informal conversation it was interesting to see her view. However, I know I am impatient which definitely will need work on to help with my empathy. It is important to note this friend does not know me professionally or academically, therefore this may influence her opinion as I support her personally.
References:
The Attributes: https://theattributes.com [Accessed March 2021]
Cunha, J (2020) What Are the Nine Traits of a Narcissist? Available at: https://www.emedicinehealth.com/what_are_the_nine_traits_of_a_narcissist/article_em.htm [Accessed March 2021]
Kassel, G (2019) 11 Signs You're Dating a Narcissist - and How to Get Out. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/am-i-dating-a-narcissist [Accessed March 2021]
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