Being human; being you

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. This is my religion.”

Over breakfast, a friend of mine was sharing his thoughts on what life skills could help people, in particular younger people, grow and develop into more rounded individuals. Together, we came up with the 6Cs.

Character

Let’s start with understanding whether you are a good person and getting to grips with the kind of person you want to be. Do you believe in the difference between right and wrong? Do you admit your mistakes or cover them up? Are you prepared to help someone where there is no direct or indirect benefit to you? These are important questions and will form the deep foundations of a person.

Creativity

We need creative thinkers to thrive. We need to see the value in using your mind to create something that you believe in and that could help others, help society. I’ve mentioned the need for making space for greater creativity in our education system before. It’s an essential component.

Curiosity

We cannot afford to just believe what we read or what we hear. We need to take the time to reflect, review and research everything. Be aware of just regurgitating what you think you know. In a polarised world awash with fake news – let’s have facts please, not fiction.

Critical Thinking

This is crucial and links to curiosity. It’s about deciding how you make the decisions you need to make. What is your decision making process? How do you manage your emotions in critical moments? Most leaders choose to make decisions based on what is right for them, rather than what is the right thing for the business, the people around them or the mission. Our education system needs to help break this cycle.

Collaboration

We work better together, so share what you know and help those that you can. Socialise your ideas by getting your ideas out there and see how much you can achieve when you work with others.

Communication

For me, communication underpins everything. But getting it right does not come easily. It takes practice to be able to articulate your own ideas clearly as well as to listen to others – especially when they have a different view to your own. It’s alright to disagree, we don’t need to fall out over it though. Conflict happens; it’s how you deal with it that matters. Remember the Albert Mehrabian ‘7 – 38 – 55 theory’ that says 7% of communication is words, 38% is tone and voice, 55% is body language.

History has taught me that most of the problems caused in the world are due to us, human beings. If we made decisions based on shared values rather than individual vanity, we might just make better decisions. Will the 6Cs encourage youngsters to have their own vision based on a value approach? Maybe. If so, it could help with the culture we have in society. Or am I hoping for too much?

As Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist wrote: “Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions”.