Hello, again, readers!
The overarching topic of week one was
self-awareness. As a way of exploring that topic, one of our assignments was to
complete a number of assessments that would help identify some of our
personality characteristics.
As a leader, self-awareness is extremely
important. As quoted in our text on page 57, Messenger reminded us; "He
that would govern others must first master himself." Whetten and
Cameron (2011)
Before one can be a master of himself or herself, one must garner
an understanding of their own values, emotional intelligence, cognitive style,
attitudes toward change, and core self-evaluation. The assessments we took were
aimed at providing a baseline of information for us to build a learning plan.
The assessment topics were:
Self-awareness Score:
55
Emotional Intelligence Score:
85
Defining Issues (opinions about controversial social issues) Score: Varied
Cognitive Style Score:
3.3
Locus of Control Score:
3
Tolerance of Ambiguity Score:
48
And a Core Self-evaluation Score:
4.6
I could understand the results and believe them to be accurate. What
I noticed initially was that I fall in the mid-range of a number of the
assessments: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence, in particular. I also
noticed I was at the edge, or off, on some of the assessments: Cognitive style,
tolerance of ambiguity, and core self-evaluation.
I was surprised by the emotional intelligence score. I, apparently
incorrectly, felt I was quite the emotional intelligence guru. Instead, more
energy will be directed toward expanding my knowledge and application of
emotional intelligence. The
self-awareness score was also unexpected. After years as a senior manager,
receiving feedback of all types in a very dynamic environment, my expectation
was of a higher score. The good news is that this information is excellent
motivation to improve my skill-set.
The locus of control score was expected, as was the tolerance for
ambiguity. That I am in control of my life and future is one of my core
beliefs. The jobs I have held for the last six years provide little in the way
of certainty and unambiguity. As a result, I have become fairly comfortable
with having to divine information and make decisions based upon limited data.
The core self-evaluation score was not much of a surprise. The statements all
felt like they were aimed at self-confidence. I am very confident, and the
score reflects that fact.
Where I work, people are fond of saying, “What gets measured gets
changed.” I am happy to have had the opportunity to get some measurement of
these parts of my personality. By seeing the information I can focus on
refining and polishing areas that could impede future success as a leader.
I will work to expand my knowledge on emotional intelligence and
on defining my values more clearly. Of all the topics this week, the values
questions evoked the most personal inquisition. If I can’t quickly define my
values, how can I expect to be a leader in which followers can have faith?
This is an excellent start to the class. There should be
questions. There should be some easy answers. To grow, there will be stress and
discomfort. I’m glad for the opportunity!
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S.
(2011). Developing Management Skills
(E. Svendsen Ed. 8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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