What is qualities of a person?

Personal qualities are the characteristics, attributes or personality traits that make up and reflect who you are. Examples include honesty, dependability or having a good sense of humor or being dependable.

• Warm.
• Friendly.
• Clean.
• Honest.
• Loyal.
• Trustworthy.
• Dependable.
• Open-Minded.

“Your mindset is about what you see, think, and believe. … It is the internal lens through which you see and navigate life. Mindset influences everything you see, as well as everything you do.”

Mindset is who you really are at your core. It’s your habitual way of thinking. While it’s not easy to change, the purpose of life is to evolve and become better a human being. So you should think about these human qualities from time to time and always endeavor to do better. Your mindset is what really differentiates you from your peers. If you work hard at developing what Jo Wong likes to call your human qualities, you’ll set yourself up for success in work and in life.

“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.”—Aristotle

Having the right mindset can be a competitive advantage when you’re seeking employment or advancement. According to Reed and Stoltz:

“Given the choice between someone with the desired mindset who lacks the complete skillset for the job and someone with the complete skillset who lacks the desired mindset, a total of 96 percent of the employers surveyed picked mindset over skillset as the key element in those that they seek and retain.”

These employers also believe that it’s much more likely that a person with the right mindset will be able to develop the required skillset than that a person with all the hard skills would develop the right mindset. Plus, the tactical skills that jobs require change over time, while the desired mindset is a constant. This is especially true of user experience jobs. The tactical skills that it takes to be a UX professional are forever evolving.

There are several qualities that it is especially important for UX professionals to have. These qualities are at the core of what makes UX professionals successful: empathy, intuition, creativity, passion, and the desire to learn throughout their career.

empathy—“The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” —Oxford Dictionaries

First and foremost, UX professionals must be empathetic. As a UX professional, the primary focus of your work is on the wants and needs of the people who use the products that you create. Empathy enables you to understand other people’s motivations, needs, and emotions more deeply, and you can use that understanding to create better products for them. Having empathy lets you accurately perceive people’s needs—without your own lens introducing any distortions or occlusions. Whether you’re a UX researcher, strategist, or designer, empathy is an essential quality for you to develop. Being empathetic lets you look at things from different people’s perspectives and internalize what you see.

Having empathy—whether for colleagues, family, or friends—comes from focusing on someone else’s needs, struggles, and feelings. It requires that you open your heart to them and put their needs before your own. That you be fully with them in the moment. That you look deeply into their eyes and really see them for who they are. You need to be open to many different types of people from many different cultures. But you can’t connect with people when you’re feeling worried, defensive, angry, frightened, or ashamed.

“Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.”—Daniel H. Pink

“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle, as well as from your own.”—Henry Ford

intuition—“The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.”—Oxford Dictionaries

Having intuition is being open to the mysterious workings of your own mind—seeing what is or what might be clearly in your mind’s eye. Sometimes, through intuition, holistic solutions to problems may arise fully formed—or very nearly so—from your subconscious mind. At other times, your intuition may give you just the seed of a great idea. Intuition lets you draw connections between diverse inputs without conscious thought. The effort lies in gathering the relevant data for your subconscious mind to work on.

Intuition often plays a strong role in decision making. You rely on intuition when you must make decisions and take action on them very quickly, the problem or the solution is ambiguous, or there's no precedent to follow.

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”—Albert Einstein

“You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”—Steve Jobs

“Sometimes making a decision is hard, not because it is unpopular, but because it comes from your gut and defies a technical rationale. Much has been written about the mystery of gut, but it’s really just pattern recognition, isn’t it? You’ve seen something so many times you just know what’s going on this time. The facts may be incomplete or the data limited, but the situation feels very, very familiar to you.”—Jack Welch

creativity—“The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.”—Oxford Dictionaries

Being creative is allowing your intuition to reveal possibilities to you and following them in the moment—in other words, it’s being in flow, which Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,as follows:

“The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something we make happen. … a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it. … achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which in turn is made possible by a discipline of the body.”

What prompted Csikszentmihalyi to do research on the flow state? According to Wikipedia:

“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his fellow researchers began researching flow after Csikszentmihalyi became fascinated by artists who would essentially get lost in their work. Artists, especially painters, got so immersed in their work that they would disregard their need for food, water, and even sleep. Thus, the origin of research on the theory of flow came about when Csikszentmihalyi tried to understand this phenomenon experienced by these artists.”

Being in flow is a sort of meditative bliss state, in which your mind is more fully concentrated than at just about any other time. Great ideas come to you when you lose yourself in your work. Some of the best creative experiences come from working in collaboration with others—especially when you can achieve a flow state together. Flow brings joyfulness to your work.

Flow is all about focus, which is the antithesis of the monkey-mind nature of most people’s experience of the Web—with the mind jumping quickly from one thing to another. Just as with meditation, you can get better at calming your mind and connecting with your creativity through practice, practice, practice.

The source of creativity is your imagination. When creating, you synthesize all of the ideas that you’ve taken in from myriad sources and, magically, all of those inputs fall into place, forming a cohesive whole. This is your intuition at work.

All creativity involves improvisation—whether you’re designing user experiences, acting on a stage, jamming with a band, doing some form of creative writing, or making up a new recipe.

“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination.”—Albert Einstein

“Creativity is just connecting things. … Creative people … able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”—Steve Jobs

“The organizations of the future will increasingly depend on the creativity of their members to survive. Great Groups offer a new model in which the leader is an equal among Titans. In a truly creative collaboration, work is pleasure, and the only rules and procedures are those that advance the common cause.”—Warren Bennis

“Creativity is contagious.”—Albert Einstein

passion—“An intense desire or enthusiasm for something.”—Oxford Dictionaries

Being an effective UX professional requires great drive, enthusiasm, and focus. To sustain the level of effort and concentration that the work demands, you must have a passion for your work. With passion, your work ceases to feel like work. Your passion keeps you focused on your goals, enables you to get things done and take risks when necessary, and makes it possible for you to realize your vision. Always strive to do great work! Don’t settle for less. Don’t compromise on quality.

Love your work and you’ll have the motivation to continually hone your skills and expand your areas of competency, as you must forever do in this field. When you work with passion, you can reach your full potential.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”—Steve Jobs

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”—Aristotle

“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.”—Steve Jobs

learning—“The acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.”—Oxford Dictionaries

Being answerable to God and at least one other person for my behavior.

Alertness

Being keenly aware of the events taking place around me so that I can have the right responses to them.

Ambition

A strong desire to do or achieve something of significance.

Amends (Repentance)

Humbly acknowledging how you have fallen short of God's standard and seeking His forgiveness to make things right.

Attentiveness

Showing the worth of a person or task by giving my undivided concentration and effort.

Authenticity

Being exactly who you claim to be with honesty and transparency.

Availability

Making my own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes of those I serve.

Belief

An unwavering trust that a promise made is a promise kept.

Benevolence

Giving to others’ basic needs without expectations of personal reward.

Beyond

Reaching farther than you ever dreamed or imagined when you initially began something.

Big

Possessing something of great significance.

Boldness

Demonstrating the confidence and courage that doing what is right will bring ultimate victory regardless of present opposition.

Bonding

Connecting with one another in an authentic way, avoiding unhealthy isolation.

Boundaries

Creating a "safe place" or limitations that protect me from potentially unmanageable temptation.

Breadth

Having depth and broadness, in words and deeds, within the heart and mind.

Exhibiting a kinship and disposition to render help because of a relationship.

Build

Constructing, assembling or creating something of great value and importance.

Candor

Speaking the truth at the time when the truth should be spoken.

Caution

Knowing to be alert in a hazardous or dangerous situation.

Cheerful

Expressing encouragement, approval or congratulations at the proper time.

Chivalry

Protecting the weak, the suffering and the neglected by maintaining justice and rightness.

Commitment

Devoting myself to following up on my words (promises, pledges or vows) with action.

Compassion

Investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others by the willingness to bear their pain.

Placing full trust and belief in the reliability of a person or thing.

Consistency

Following constantly the same principles, course or form in all circumstances; holding together.

Contentment

Accepting myself as God created me with my gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities.

Courage

Fulfilling my responsibilities and standing up for convictions in spite of being afraid.

Creativity

Approaching a need, a task or an idea from a new perspective.

Decisiveness

Learning to finalize difficult decisions on the basis of what is right, not on what's popular or tempting.

Deference

Limiting my freedom to speak and act in order to not offend the tastes of others.

Dependability

Fulfilling what I consented to do even if it means unexpected sacrifice.

Determination

Working intently to accomplish goals regardless of the opposition.

Devotion

Being earnestly and enthusiastically committed to pursuing something of great value.

Diligence

Visualizing each task as a special assignment and using all my energies to accomplish it.

Seeking to use intuitive ability to judge situations and people; understanding why things happen to me and others.

Receiving instruction and correction in a positive way; maintaining and enforcing proper conduct in accordance with the guidelines and rules.

Recognizing and avoiding words, actions and attitudes which could result in undesirable consequences.

Diversity

Accepting and celebrating the differences of other people.

Exercising inward strength to withstand stress and do my best in managing what occurs in my life.

Enthusiasm

Expressing lively, absorbing interest in each task as I give it my best effort.

Fairness (Equity)

Looking at a decision from the viewpoint of each person involved.

Faith

Developing an unshakable confidence in God and acting upon it.

Faithfulness

Being thorough in the performance of my duties; being true to my words, promises and vows.

Family

Being part of something bigger than yourself.

Having a sense of awe and respect for Almighty God which goes above and beyond anyone or anything else.

Fight

Learning how to deal with adversity by positively overcoming the obstacles in front of me.

Finish

Competing the task or assignment I have been given.

Firmness

Exerting a tenacity of will with strength and resoluteness. A willingness to run counter to the traditions and fashions of the world.

Flexibility

Learning how to cheerfully change plans when unexpected conditions require it.

Forgiveness

Clearing the record of those who have wronged me and not holding their past offenses against them.

Freedom

Experiencing total unrestraint from all areas of bondage.

Coming alongside another person for mutual support and encouragement.

Realizing that all I have (time, talents and treasures) belongs to God and freely giving to benefit others.

Gentleness

Learning to respond to needs with kindness, personal care and love.

Gladness

Abounding in joy, jubilation and cheerfulness.

Glory

Adoring praise and worshipful thanksgiving; a sense of wonder and elation.

Achieving maximum results toward the area where my effort is directed.

Goodness

Having moral excellence and a virtuous lifestyle; a general quality of proper conduct.

Gratefulness

Making known to others by my words and actions how they have benefited my life.

Greatness

Demonstrating an extraordinary capacity for achievement.

Holiness

Being whole with no blemish or stain.

Proclaiming the truth with sincerity and frankness in all situations.

Honor

Respecting those in leadership because of the higher authorities they represent.

Feeling that my deepest desire will be realized and that events will turn out for the best.

Hospitality

Sharing cheerfully food, shelter and life with those with whom I come in contact.

Seeing the contrast between what is perfect and my inability to achieve that perfection.

Indignation

Channeling the driving passion of righteous anger without sinning.

Initiative

Recognizing and doing what needs to be done before I am asked to do it.

Being whole and complete in moral and ethical principles.

Choosing to be pleasant regardless of outside circumstances, which ultimately lifts the spirits of others.

Justice

Taking personal responsibility to uphold what is pure, right and true.

Demonstrating a gentle, sympathetic attitude towards others.

Becoming acquainted with facts, truths or principles through study and investigation.

Leadership

Guiding others toward a positive conclusion.

Having a deep personal attachment and affection for another person.

Loyalty

Using difficult times to demonstrate my commitment to others or to what is right.

Meekness

Yielding my power, personal rights and expectations humbly with a desire to serve.

Miraculous

A supernatural event which defies human explanation, logic and power.

Mission

Sharing my life experiences with someone else.

Narrowness

Staying within established boundaries and limits.

Nurture

Caring for the physical, mental and spiritual needs of others.

Obedience

Fulfilling instructions so that the one I am serving will be fully satisfied and pleased.

Optimism

Confident, hopeful and never doubtful.

Orderliness

Learning to organize and care for personal possessions to achieve greater efficiency.

Originality

Creating “new” thinking, ideas and expanding truths from an independent viewpoint.

Pain

Experiencing distress, anguish and misery for myself and possibly others through something which has happened.

Passionate

Having an intense, powerful or compelling emotion and feelings towards others or something.

Accepting difficult situations and without demanding a deadline to remove it.

Being at rest with myself and others.

Perseverance

A continuing effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure and opposition.

Persuasiveness

Guiding another’s mental roadblocks by using words which cause the listener’s spirit to confirm the spoken truth.

Poise

Being totally balanced in mind, body and spirit.

Power

Exhibiting strength and force with great intensity or energy.

Communing with God spiritually through adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication.

Flourishing or being successful, especially pertaining to financial issues.

Prudence

Exhibiting caution, humbleness and wisdom in regards to practical matters.

Punctuality

Showing respect for other people by respectfully using the limited time they have.

Speaking words that are clean, spotless and without blemish.

Freeing yourself from anything that contaminates or adulterates.

Exercising determination to stay on track until the goal is achieved.

Reasonableness

Having a sound mind by being level headed, sane and demonstrating common sense.

Reconciliation

Ceasing hostility or opposition against another person.

Renewal

Restoration of strength through recovery and replenishment.

Resourcefulness

Using wisely that which others would normally overlook or discard.

Respect

Honoring and esteeming another person due to deep admiration.

Responsibility

Knowing and doing what is expected from me.

Restoration

Getting a fresh start or new beginning.

Reverence

Giving honor where it is due and respecting the possessions and property of others.

Acting in a moral and upright way that honors God, regardless of who is watching.

Sacrifice

Surrendering something which you believe has great value.

Security

Structuring my life around what is eternal and cannot be destroyed or taken away.

Bringing my thoughts, words, actions and attitudes into constant obedience in order to benefit others.

Sensitivity

Being aware and attentive to the true attitudes and emotional needs of those around me.

Servanthood

Caring for and meeting the needs of others before caring for myself.

Sin

Missing or falling short of perfection.

Sincerity

Endeavoring to do what is right, without ulterior motives.

Stewardship

Administering and managing personal and financial affairs effectively.

Strength

Having power, force and vigor for the task assigned.

Surrender

Yielding to the authority, guidance and direction of God in my life.

Demonstrating a willingness to learn or be trained without any reservations or hindrances.

Expressing deep gratitude and appreciation to people and to God.

Thoroughness

Executing something perfectly with the realization that each of my tasks will be reviewed.

Thoughtfulness

Showing consideration for others through acts of kindness and/or words.

Thriftiness

Preventing myself or others from spending money unnecessarily.

Tolerance

Learning to accept others as valuable individuals regardless of their maturity

Toughness

Overcoming difficult challenges and hardships.

Transparency

Allowing others to shine a light on my life for the purpose of being accountable.

Trust Or Trustworthy

Believing completely and totally in someone or something.

Truthfulness

Earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts.

Exhibiting strong intelligence and a sound mind in comprehending and discerning matters.

Unity

Coming together for the betterment of everyone.

Unstoppable

The freedom to perform at your highest level without any restraints.

Virtue

Building personal moral standards which will cause others to desire a greater moral life.

Visionary

Dreaming not inhibited by the unknown. Looking beyond problems by creating successful solutions.

Vulnerability

Being open to receive constructive criticism and guidance.

Learning to see and respond correctly to life situations with keen judgment; the application of knowledge.

Worship

Honoring God reverently.

Worth