Saturday, August 17, 2013

A520.1.6.RB - Shuck, Allison

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)

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