A few years ago, the Australian military sanctioned a study of which character traits were more likely to make a candidate successful during the grueling six-week Commando Selection and Training Course (CSTC).
The Australian Commandos are a unit similar to the U.S. 75th Ranger Regiment. It specializes in direct action, special reconnaissance, and counter-terrorism, among other tasks.
The Character Strengths and Hardiness of Australian Army Special Forces Applicants study was conducted by Captain Scott D. Gayton of the Australian Army Psychology Corps (AAPSYCH), and Dr. James Kehoe of the University of New South Wales.
The study followed 95 Australian servicemen undergoing Commando selection. Before the selection process began, respondents ranked themselves on 24 character traits. Capt. Gayton found the highest-ranked character traits were:
- Integrity (45 percent)
- Teamwork (41 percent)
- Persistence (36 percent)
- Love of Learning (25 percent)
Interestingly, the four lowest-ranked attributes were Loving, Forgiveness, Prudence, and Appreciation of Beauty.
What’s Left After the Smoke Clears
When the smoke cleared after about 44 brutal days, during which the CSTC aspirants were pushed to their physical, mental, and emotional limits, the authors asked the successful candidates to re-evaluate their character traits with the hindsight of their experience.
Those who succeeded ranked teamwork first — and the difference in teamwork ranking between successful and unsuccessful applicants was 65 percent versus 32 percent.
The study thus concluded that individuals who valued teamwork more — and consequently were team players themselves — were more likely to pass the selection course.
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