A520.1.2.RB_DellElceCamila

A520.1.2.RB – Self-Awareness

   1.     What do you notice in your results?

   2.     How much of this rang true for you?

   3.     What did you see that you were expecting in the results?

   4.     What were the surprises?

   5.     How will you make use of this information?

            After taking the Diagnostic Self-Awareness survey, I was able to recognize some unknown areas of myself and also observe others where I have managed to improve.  The survey consisted of measuring emotional intelligence, defining issues, cognitive style indicator, locus of control, tolerance of ambiguity, and core self evaluation. Each area was design to comprehend where do our inner skills stand and later compare results with the optimum results gathered after studies have been collected. Emotional self-awareness is “an understanding of one’s own mood and emotions, how they evolve and change over time, and the implications for task performance and interpersonal relationships” (Yukl, 2013, p. 155).

            The results concluded that my self-awareness lands between the top quartile scoring a 59. I believe the results are accurate since most of the times I take feedback well. In the past I have encountered situation in which my managers had to correct me in some areas where I was not doing good. Thankfully, as embarrassing as it might sometimes be, I was able to take the best out of their points of view and use it to my advantage. There was no real surprise with this portion of the survey; instead, I was expecting to score as I did. With this information, I plan on keep on asking my superiors for their feedback and learn as much as possible from them.

            Consequently, the emotional intelligence score was 75, which shows I stand in the second quartile group. According to Gary Yukl, emotions are “strong feelings that demand attention and are likely to affect cognitive processes and behavior” (2013, p. 155). The emotional awareness part indicated that I am most likely to be aware of alternative points of view but not my own emotional reactions. Additionally, my emotional control, diagnostic, and response concluded: I am sensitive and empathetic to other’s emotional feelings and issues; I do not acknowledge different emotional commitments; and overall, I have emotional control. These results were expected with exception of not been aware of different emotional commitments, which I did not understand. Been aware of my emotional control provides me encouragement to retain that skill and acknowledge my capacity to lead.

            On the defining issue section, I encountered three scenarios and responded according to my moral believes and ethics. I have always considered myself an ethic and moral person and many coworkers and superiors have been able to see it. I was really not sure what to expect from this sections since some questions and answers were not as clear as I would have hope to. Moreover, I was unable to understand the scoring process of this section and therefore, I am unaware of how good or bad I did.

            The cognitive style indicator tested my ability or my knowledge about knowing, planning, and rating style raking me on a lower level than the mean average from young managers. On the other hand, the locus of control portion advised my total score was a 3 resulting in second quartile. These results were very comparable to the students using Development Management Skills sample that scored a standard deviation of 3.4. Standard deviation is defined as a “measure of the dispersion of a set of date from its mean. The more spread apart the data, the higher the deviation” (Investopedia, 2013). Therefore, I really believe I have control over any situation but I lack the control skill. This information makes me realize that sometimes, I need to let things be and not stress over everything pretending I can control it.

            Moreover, the Tolerance of Ambiguity section scored me with a 35 on the bottom quartile level. “High scores indicate an intolerance of ambiguity. Having high intolerance means that you tend to perceive situations as threatening rather than promising. Lack of information or uncertainty would tend to make you uncomfortable. Ambiguity arises from three primary sources: novelty, complexity, and insolubility” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 102). As mentioned before, I tend to keep myself calm and find a positive outcome in everything and when under stress, I have a high tolerance level. My current job’s manager is always commenting on how calm I remain while we are working on high demands.

            Lastly, the Core Self-Evaluation section indicates that my results compare to the third quartile sample with a score of 4.16. Consequently, I am above the mean average score. Nevertheless, this contradicts the results on the emotional awareness section because this section shows a stable personality, which represents my subconscious abilities and individual control.

            Overall, this survey assessment was very interesting and helped me learn more about myself. Every detail of this information is useful for my future and will only make me better. Luckily, I was not really surprise with most of the results. On the contrary, I was very pleased on how accurate the survey described me.  

           

References

Investopedia (2003). Standard Deviation Definition. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/standarddeviation.asp

Whetten, D. and Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations. (8^th ed.) Dorling Kindersley / Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.8.3.RB_DellElceCamila

A511.8.3.RB – Gender

            Rosabeth Moss Kanter (2010) raised great awareness regarding gender-based discrimination. Although this type of discrimination started many years ago, today we can still see it and very little progress has been made. There are many laws that were created to establish equality between men and women. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created against any basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex discrimination. Moreover, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.) states that The Equal Pay Act of 1963 amends to “make it illegal to pay different wages to men and women if they perform equal work in the same workplace.” Ms. Kanter believes not much change has occur in the last sixteen years. According to her, the reason women have not shockingly made an improvement is because positions require a dedicated person 24/7. The only portion Yukl did not mentioned or coincided with Ms. Kanter is about the fact that women are expected to have other priorities in life, such as being a mother and raise their kids. 

            Additionally, I agree with Ms. Kanter’s point of view on discrimination happening “informally behind the scenes.” According to Gary Yukl, “gender stereotypes have been slowly changing, but the belief that men are more qualified to be leaders still persist in segments of the population and it remains strong in countries where it is supported by cultural values” (2013, p. 383). Woman are not given a choice and they voice is silenced. Both Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Gary Yukl believe there is greater found in the overlap of men and women than on their differences. Ultimately, Kanter (2010) would like to find equality for both and look after the greater good of an organization.

            Moreover, although Gary Yukl found a way to describe advantages over being a women or a men, I disagree there should be such a difference when both individual perform the same tasks. As the Harvard Business Review showed in their interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, she refuses to compare men and women. She believes, “men and women cannot be compared because they are disproportionately found, but men are found on higher risk jobs than women” (Kanter, 2010). In continuation to her interview, she reflected on one of the recessions the United States suffered once. When that happened, she remembers how men were the first ones to be laid off, more than women. She cannot explain the reason why that happen but she speculates it could have been they like how women work better, maybe women were cost effective to have in an organization, or maybe women were really good at negotiating. Nevertheless, “greedy and demanding nature of the very top jobs” (Kanter, 2010) that causes gender-based discrimination.        

            Today, organizations hold individuals accountable to their characteristics and they have a preference for “social similarity” as Kanter (2010) mentioned. Consequently, Yukl (2013) finds, “women are more concerned with consensus building, inclusiveness, and interpersonal relations; they are more willing to develop and nurture subordinates and share power with them. Women are believed to have more empathy, rely more on intuition, and be more sensitive to feelings and the quality of relationships” (p. 383). For that same reason, Ms. Kanter stated that her goal is to “give women more voice and have them speak up” (2010). Interestingly, Alice Rivlin the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), shares her thoughts about the importance of letting your voice be heard. Ms. Rivlin supports the act of saying what you want and meaning what you say, especially when it comes to women. Towards the end of the video, Alice Rivlin quotes Warren Buffett saying, “I have often been sorry that I didn’t speak up, I have never been sorry that I did, even when I was wrong” (2011).

            In conclusion, I support the idea to help any kind of minority to reach their goal and exterminate discrimination once and for all. Rosabeth Moss Kanter points out excellent ideas and she is right when she mentioned diversity playing an imperative role when it comes to organizations. Since it is believed that women do not always have the “same stature as authority men do,” this could easily affect women. Because they are not valued in the same extent and as a result, resentment is created. “To make full use of the talent represented by the diverse members of the organization, it is essential to eliminate constraints that prevent qualified people from selection for important positions” (Yukl, 2013, p. 389).  

References

Kanter, R. M. (2010), Women Ambition and (Still) the Pay Gap, Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhquUOlBuOY&feature=youtu.be&t=5s  

Laws Enforced by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/index.cfm

Rivlin, A. (2011). On leadership: Speaking up [video film]. Micromanagement Stories. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/national/on-leadership-alice-rivlin-on-speaking-up/2011/08/04/gIQA29nOuI_video.html  

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations. (8^th ed.) Dorling Kindersley / Pearson Education, Inc.

A511.7.3.RB_DellElceCamila

A511.7.3.RB – Self-Awareness

            On this week’s module, the opportunity to reflect on self-awareness and the effect it has on your behavior and how it helps living and acting on the basis of your core values has presented itself. Having self-awareness can provide anyone so much feedback of his or herself. Understanding your background as a leader will help you in avoiding common mistakes that unaware leaders do. Moreover, when a leader is in charge of an organization, it is imperative to evaluate your inner skills to contribute morally ethical-based behaviors. “Authentic leaders have positive core values such as honesty, altruism, kindness, fairness, accountability, and optimism” (Yukl, 2013, p. 361).

            In the article, Getting personal on the topic of leadership, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones (2006) emphasize the large amount of leaders who are incapable of self-examining themselves; and therefore, their sense of what works for others is null. Anthony K. Tjan, the author of How leaders become self-aware, point out the importance of self-awareness. He believes that, “it is self-awareness that allows the best business-builders to walk the tightrope of leadership: projecting conviction while simultaneously remaining humble enough to be open to new ideas and opposing opinions” (2012, para. 3). In a similar manner, Goffee and Jones (2006), find that leaders develop self-awareness skills from interacting with their followers. In that regard, leaders tend to learn how people observe them and in the same way, how their knowledge can be utilized to manipulate other’s perception, while attempting to create an identity for them. In other words, “they know who they are and what they believe” (Yukl, 2013, p. 361).

            When we concentrate on what we truly believe and where our passion comes from, the leading path becomes more attainable and we truthfully become inspirers. Learning to identify our core values help to, “motivate authentic leaders to do what is right and fair for followers, and to create a special type of relationship that includes high mutual trust, transparency (open and honest communication), guidance toward worthy shared objectives, and emphasis on follower welfare and development” (Yukl, 2013, p. 361). Therefore, the biggest core values I hold myself truthful to are being honest or having integrity, humility, and being a team player.

            Being honest or having integrity is one of my biggest core values I live by and tend to expect the same from others. In my short experience as a leader, I have come across many circumstances where my honesty has been appreciated rather than penalized and I believe that helps followers into following the same path. I certainly believe there is no excuse for not being honest with someone. Honesty provides a person with honor, someone who is willing to take charge of his or her own responsibilities. Additionally, if you are honest, that means you take your job or your duties seriously and in return, you are a trustworthy leader. Leaders with honesty qualities, “have a high degree of self-acceptance, which is similar to emotional maturity” (Yukl, 2013, p. 361).

            Another core value that I like to pursue is humility. I am a true believer that respect for others goes a long way and followers truly appreciate it. In my current position as a leader, all my followers know me for always asking please, for being polite, and also for working hard and doing everything they do as well. Every night, we are responsible for cleaning our department and that includes taking the trash out inside and outside the building. It is never a pleasant job since you may find yourself with dirty bag and strong smells, not counting if you come across a broken bag and spill unknown liquids on you. But the truth of the matter is I need to teach them that no title will stop them or me from getting the job done. Not only that, but I encourage them to do it with a smile in their face.

            Lastly, it is all about being a team player or in other words, a servant leader. “A servant leader must attend to the needs of followers and help them become healthier, wiser, and more willing to accept their responsibilities” (Yukl, 2013, p. 359). While guiding a group of followers, it is important to remind myself that whatever I do, it is not about me anymore, but about seeing my subordinates succeed. A team player is a bridge between a goal and reaching it.

            To conclude, by analyzing my main core values, I am developing a close understanding of what distinguishes my differences. Goffee and Jones stated that leaders that work at this art, “in particular they become aware of what is different about them that makes them attractive to others. They learn to use these differences to their advantage in a leadership role” (2006, para. 5), and that is what I intend to do.

References

Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2006). Getting personal on the topic of leadership. Human Resource Management International Digest, 14 (4), 32-34.

Tjan, A. (2012). How Leaders Become Self-Aware. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/07/how-leaders-become-self-aware/

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.