SELF
AWARENESS
Over
the past two years, my level of self-awareness has increased significantly. Since I first began the MSLD program back in 2011
I have learned how to embrace the five core aspects of self awareness:
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
According
to Whetten & Cameron (2011), “emotional Intelligence has come to encompasses
almost everything non-cognitive including - social, emotional, behavioral attitudinal
and personal factors”. To embrace emotional intelligence, one must be able to
interprets his or her feelings and emotions; as well as, the feeling and
emotions on others.
The concept
of emotional intelligence has always been a very difficult concept for me to grasp.
Why, because I constantly struggle with interprets the feelings of others. And,
I sometimes find it difficult to embrace the view point of others. It wasn't
until learning about emotional intelligence and realizing my own feeling and
emotions, that I became more aware of how to evaluate the emotions and feeling
of others. Before learning about emotional intelligence, I was known for jump to
conclusions and assuming the worst. Now, I tend to ask questions in an effort
to understand the others person point of view before making assumptions. I have
learned that by forming an open dialog and providing positive feedback, I can create
a mutual understanding between myself and others.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS CHANGE
In
order for a person to recognize his/her attitude toward change, he/she must
first start by fully understand his/her own cognitive style. Meaning that in
order for a person to adapt to change, he/she must understand how to perceive
and remember information.
I
truly believe that in order to grow one must embrace change. Change, although
scary, is essential for progress. In
order to cope with change, one must become aware of his/her own orientation
towards change. How one perceives and remembers information is an essential prerequisite
for embracing change. For me change id
non-threatening, I am the type of person who is capable of learning and adapting
to change well. For example, when Embry Riddle changed its operating system
from DataTel to Campus Solutions, I was quick to learn the new system and as a
result, was able to help my team through the transition process.
COGNITIVE STYLE
Cognitive
style refers to the way in which a person perceives, interprets, and
responds to information. A person’s cognitive style is often habitual, meaning
that is does not involve conscious effort. However, it is important to note that a person’s
cognitive style is not always habitual; for he/she suppresses different
information over time.
A
person’s cognitive style is formulated by two key dimensions: 1) the way a person
gathers information and 2) the way in which a person evaluates and acts on information.
According to Whetten & Cameron (2011), there are three dimensions within a
person’s cognitive style. Those dimensions are: Knowing (facts, details and
data), Planning (organization, plans and preparation) and Cheating (creativity,
risk and innovation).
Because
I am the type of person who must be interested in a topic to remember it, it
has always been very difficult for me to retain random information. For
example, if I was asked to recite each US president and the number of year he
served in office, it would be almost impossible for me to do so. Why, because I
simply not interest in the topic. However, if I was asked to recite the various
components within a camera, I would be able to do so without a problem.
VALUES
For
the most part, a person’s values are determined by his/her culture (the environment
in which he/she grew up in); however, values have the tendency to change over
time. Throughout a person’s life, he/she is influenced by different people and
as a result, new values are formulated. According to Whetten & Cameron (2011),
“values are among the most stable and enduring characteristic of individuals. A
person’s values are the basis for intellectual decisions, personal guidelines
and personal tastes.
Two of
the values that I cherish most in myself and others are: sincerity and honest.
I learned at a very young age that if I told the truth, I would not be in as
much trouble as if I told a lie. Call me old fashion, but I believe that people
are only as good as their word.
CORE SELF-EVALUATION
Core Self-Evaluation
can be referred to as positive self-regard – the degree in which a person
values him or herself. A person’s Core-Self-Evaluation is made up of four
components: self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, emotional stability, and
locus of control. All of which determine a person’s personality, job
satisfaction, job performance and overall happiness.
Within
the past year, I have begun focusing on my emotional stability and locus of
control. Not that I am a crazy person, but I tend to get defensive when
conversing with others and do not always take constructive critics well.
Sometimes, I feel as if I am being personally attacked, when in reality, that
is not the case. In an effort to gain emotional stability and locus of control,
I have begun paying attention to my behavior, attitude, emotions, and thought
patterns when conversing with others. I have learned to formulate my thoughts
are reactions on solid facts instead of delusional assumptions.
REFERENCE
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K.
S. (2011). Developing management skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
N.J: Prentice Hall/Pearson. (pp. 57-82)
