Learning Log - Diary of Discovery - Essay Example

Learning Log (Diary of Discovery) Exercise H: Journey into Self-Awarness Responses to Reflection Questions: I realized that the areas I am most strong are in manifesting positive attitudes towards endeavors; and in so doing, one’s personality has gained continued growth through developing more skills from academic and interpersonal experiences. The area deemed needing improvement is in enhancing problem-solving skills and in conflict resolution. To improve in these areas, I realize that I would have to enroll in courses that focus on problem solving and conflict resolution and be exposed to real cases and situations. Making this change would result in positive personal and professional growth and in enhancing interpersonal relationships with diverse people from various walks of life. If I did not change these areas, it would affect personal and career growth as problems and conflicts need resolution to avoid negative outcomes. Self-Reflection: The concepts focusing on one’s ability to assess personality, attitude, and emotional intelligence are relevant as these affects all facets of relating with other people. The lessons learned from this section would assist in one’s interpersonal relationships in various situations by acknowledgement of personal strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, a journey in self-awareness provided me with the opportunity to gauge the areas I am strong in and to address those that need improvement. Exercise 2-J: Intrapersonal Effectiveness: Understanding Yourself Responses to Reflection Questions: I think that feedback is a necessary element in all communication processes. Self-disclosure however is given only in appropriate situations and to people one completely trusts. Trust should be earned and could not be assumed that all people are trustworthy. Honestly, I am not comfortable with self-disclosure because it exposes aspects of one’s self that could be prone to criticisms. Trusting others should only be practiced when trust has been earned. It is therefore more difficult to disclose oneself rather than learn to trust others. Since I am more apprehensive to disclose oneself to others than to trust other people, then, I welcome feedback more from others; rather than me giving feedback to people that I know would hurt them or betray their trust in me. I have established complete trust to my family and close friends and the relationship is symbiotic; therefore, the relationship has been bonded through trust and self-disclosure. To enhance relationships with friends, my weakness in self-disclosure could be slowly addressed to be more open to them and to communicate what needs to be addressed. If I am more willing to disclose some facets of oneself that is outside of my comfort zone, then I could be assured that I would gain complete trust from my friends and family members. Self-Reflection: The lessons on self-disclosure and trust are relevant in interpersonal relationships; as well as in one’s future profession. Friends and family members expect a level of self-disclosure to enable them to validate the trust given me. The system of trust and self-disclosure actually works both ways. However, I believe that there is a portion of privacy and confidentiality that must be adhered and respected in certain situations, especially those that expose one to risk, safety and security. Exercise 4-H: Self-Management Responses to Reflection Questions: The areas I am most strong are in both time management and stress management such as ability to prioritize activities and to address challenging and stressful ones. I believe I need more improvement in the area of emotional intelligence as it is difficult to control one’s emotions. To improve in this area, I think I should do additional research and find out programs or modules to improve one’s emotional intelligence. Making this change would definitely result in personal and professional growth as one enhanced the ability to manage and control one’s emotions. If I did not change or improve this area, I would not be able to address situations that require an objective and balanced judgment. Self-Reflection: The topics are deemed important to prioritize activities, meet deadlines and address stressful situations. These are useful and applicable in various situations and settings and are needed to assume a professional stance by acknowledging the importance of time and by being in control and calm in addressing challenging activities. Exercise 5-I: Understanding and Working with Diverse Others Responses to Reflection Questions: 1. As I acknowledge that I understand the need to work with people from diverse cultures and demographic backgrounds, I realized that there is still the need to improve in understanding diversity in work ethics and in understanding messages relayed due to language differences. 2. To improve on this area, I would have to research more on topics of cultural diversity as well as in working and interrelating with people of diverse backgrounds. 3. Making this change would result in more holistic personal and professional development. If I do not improve this, there would be tendencies for miscommunication and potential conflicts could ensue. Self-Reflection: Understanding and working with diverse people is importance since contemporary organizations and academic setting accommodates cultural diversity. Although there are various course modules that focus on this, I believe it takes time to accept working with diverse people due to stereotyping and established social and cultural norms. Exercise 6-F: The Importance and Skill of Listening Responses to Reflection Questions: The areas in which I realized I am most strong are in listening attentively and in reading nonverbal communication cues such as gestures, body language, even distance and silence. I recognize that the areas that need improvement are in incorporating cultural differences in modes of nonverbal communication. If I did only one thing to improve in this area, it would be reading and researching more information to enhance my personal knowledge on cultural diversity in nonverbal communication. Making this change would definitely result in improvement in understanding messages from people of diverse cultural orientations. If I did not change or improve on this area, it would affect the way I interact with other people from different cultures as I could misinterpret the messages they send. Self-Reflection: I realized that the skill in listening is crucial to ensure that more accuracy in understanding communication messages are acknowledged. As such, listening skills are needed in day-to-day interactions and the more skills are developed, the greater the benefits in one’s future career. In this regard, I would exert more efforts to focus on developing listening skills and in researching on other modes of nonverbal communication across different culture. Exercise 10-G: Building Teams and Work Groups Responses to Reflection Questions: I recognize that the areas I am most strong are working as part of teams or groups; while the areas that need improvement are those in assisting in ensuring group cohesiveness. To improve on this area, I believe that I have to participate in group dynamics and programs that would enhance teambuilding. Making this change would help in building group cohesiveness and in attaining group goals. If I did not improve on this area, there are possibilities that I would contribute to group conflicts and would not be able to assist in the achievement of identified group goals. Self-Reflection: Working in groups is challenging yet rewarding. Much as the group exerts pressure on the individual and the organization to perform better, its adverse effects cannot be discounted. Therefore, the lessons from the module assisted in understanding how one could improve skills in team building and working in groups. Exercise 11-H: Understanding and Working in Teams Responses to Reflection Questions: As I have identified before, I still need some improvement in conflict management as it takes human effort to address it. I therefore need improvement in developing conflict resolutions strategies to avoid third party mediation. If one thing is needed to improve on this area, I would pursue conflict resolutions courses and modules that would assist in developing my conflict resolution skills. I know that making this change would also assist in developing problem solving skills. If I did not improve on this area, conflicts and problems would not be resolved. Self-Reflection: I acknowledge that conflict management is an important facet especially in different work settings. I learned that the way to deal with conflict in an organization is to maintain it at a certain level so that the organization can avail of its beneficial effects without incurring too much costs. Knowledge of the sources and effects of conflict will enable practitioners to manage it in a productive manner. Exercise 12-G: Achieving Business Results through Effective Meetings Responses to Reflection Questions: The areas identified where I am most strong are in acknowledging that planning would result to effective meetings. The area which needs improvement is developing an appropriate agenda that would effectively tackle relevant issues at the most concise and accurate manner. To improve on this, I believe that more practice using case scenarios or actual needs for business meetings should be pursued. If I did not improve on this area, I would have some shortcomings and would not contribute to effective meetings. Self-Reflection: I learned that planning is a crucial function that contributes to effective business meetings. At it is a function of a manager, all participants in a meeting must be able to participate to ensure its effectiveness. Therefore, more exposure to meetings (whether group or business) would assist in improving skills related to being an instrumental participant to this endeavor. Exercise 13-G: Understanding and Working in Teams Responses to Reflection Questions: The areas acknowledged to be strongest are in being a participative member of a working group. I have identified some weakness in collaborating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, not similar as mine. Therefore, to improve on this area, I would have to be more open minded and accept that cultural diversity would enhance the performance of groups as more inputs from different perspectives could be taken into account. Making this change would assist in enhanced achievement of group goals. On the other hand, if I did not improve on this area, the achievement of group goals would not be facilitated and I would be deemed as a member lacking in interpersonal and group cohesiveness skills. Self-Reflection: I recognize that through increased understanding of the elements that could assist in effectively working in teams, identified group goals would be achieved easily. The concepts under this module are relevant in diverse work settings especially when the nature of one’s responsibilities require collaboration with teams. By sharing positive feelings about one’s group, goals and values are shared and internalized. Exercise 14-G: Making Decisions and Solving Problems Creatively Responses to Reflection Questions: I have previously acknowledged that I have a need to develop more skills in problem-solving and therefore, also in the area of decision-making. Due to the various problem-solving techniques and analytical tools needed to become more competent in the decision-making process, there is a need to immerse oneself in more problem-solving cases to improve selecting the most appropriate option for decision making. To improve on this area, more courses or cases requiring solving problems and making decisions would assist in the development of identified skills. Making this change would significantly help in resolving problems with little time and costs. If I did not improve on this area, I am sure that it would take too long for me to solve problems and would therefore affect one’s ability to come up with the most appropriate decision given a set of options or alternative courses of action. Self-Reflection: I learned and realized that there are tools that would assist in correctly identifying problems and in analyzing a set of alternative courses before the most appropriate recommendation could be made. By being more exposed to problem-solving and decision-making scenarios, the skills would be appropriately developed and would significantly help in one’s future career. Acknowledging one’s weakness in the area has assisted in identifying which specific areas need to be improved and how to improve them. Exercise 15-F: Leading Individuals and Groups Responses to Reflection Questions: I have realized that power is an elusive process in social institutions. It is the ability to influence the behavior of others to bring about desired outcomes. In this regard, I acknowledge that it is central to the leadership process where I believe that one’s leadership skills need to be further developed. To focus on developing this skill, I should pursue other courses on leadership training and development. Making this effort would greatly assist in honing skills such as conflict resolution, peer skills, information processing and in problem-solving and decision-making. If I do not improve on this area, I would not be qualified to be a leader and assist in the accomplishment of organizational goals. Self-Reflection: I learned that leadership skills can be taught, learned, acquired, developed and practiced as everyone has the potential to become a leader. The leader should be able to provide a motivational environment where followers satisfy their needs and effective performance occurs. Therefore, from the lessons learned in this module, I have acknowledged that I can become an effective leader as long as I would pursue further training and development to hone my skills and lead future followers towards the organization’s identified goals. Exercise 16- Networking and Mentoring Responses to Reflection Questions: The areas identified in which I am strong in are in networking but need to develop mentoring skills. To improve in this area, I would have to take more lessons in both coaching and mentoring through future academic courses or enroll in mentoring and coaching programs. Making this change is necessary as part of the leadership training and development module and in improving skills that require mentoring and coaching subordinates. If I did not make any effort to improve on this area, I would be an ineffective leader without mentoring or coaching skills. Therefore, subordinates would not be completely motivated by my actions and leadership style. Comprehensive Action Plan for Change Definition of Success Success for me is being able to effectively achieved well defined personal and professional goals within the stipulated time frame and using the resources at the most efficient way. Optimizing successful output entails being least costly and maximizing the returns. Success in one’s profession or career therefore means that I am able to apply the theoretical knowledge gained from one’s academic background and has effectively contributed towards the achievement of personal and organizational goals. By balancing personal, family and professional goals, one can be deemed successful in life. Meeting with a Person a. What you believe are your three most important strengths and three most important weaknesses, as well as how they may influence your effectiveness, career success, and well-being: I believe that my three most important strengths are being organized, exhibiting exemplary analytical and interpersonal skills, and being able to balance work and family life. On the other hand, the three most important weaknesses are not being able to control and manage one’s emotions, not being sociable, and requiring improvement in leadership and problem-solving skills. These affect the effectiveness by which the most effective path to a successful career and well-being is pursued. By addressing the weaknesses through taking risks, going out of one’s comfort zone, and my developing leadership and problem-solving skills through leadership training and development programs, I would definitely be on the way to a more holistic personal and professional growth. b. What they believe are your three most important strengths and three most important weaknesses are, as well as how these may influence your effectiveness, career success, and well-being. The person I met was a very close friend since childhood and who I have shared my academic years with. That person believes that my three most important strengths are being friendly and trustworthy, exhibiting high achievement needs and being able to balance one’s time between family, studies and work. On the other hand, my friend believes that my three most important weaknesses are being timid, afraid to take calculated risks, and exhibiting preference for traditional and conventional ways. These would influence one’s effectiveness, career success and well-being in terms of not being able to adapt and adjust to the demands of the changing environment. c. What steps you can take to enhance your effectiveness, career success, and well-being: To enhance one’s effectiveness, career success and well-being, the identified weaknesses must be addressed through pursuing training, personal and professional development programs, and capitalizing on one’s strengths to manifest competitiveness in one’s career and in the achievement of defined goals. 3. Discussion of Personal Assessment: From one’s personal assessment and from the feedback of a close friend, the only common strength is balancing one’s time effectively between work and family. The same weaknesses of being timid, not sociable and avoiding risks were identified. In this regard, I acknowledge that there is a need for me to go out of my comfort zone, take calculated risks and be able to assume a more proactive stance in capturing opportunities in the environment. As competition becomes stiffer, success would only be achieved with the appropriate use personal strengths, which could be one’s competitive advantage over others who could assume the same strengths and characteristics. 4. Detailed Personal Developmental Plan: Action 1: Be more sociable by meeting and communicating with other people from diverse backgrounds. There are opportunities to do this in academic circles, work, and through friends. Action 2: Enroll in leadership training and development programs through course modules or from external sources (this would address the weakness in manifesting leadership and problem-solving skills). Action 3: Assume a more proactive than reactive stance by scanning the environment through research, reading and searching for future trends (to address weakness for preference in traditional and conventional ways).   Read More