A520.2.6.RB_Time Management

Time management hasn’t always been on the top of my importance list until I turned 18. When I was a kid I was very free and never worried about time but something clicked once I graduated high school and became an adult entering college. I suddenly realized how important time management really was and I knew I needed to learn the skills on how to make that a strong skill in my life. Now as a graduate student and a full time employee at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, time management skills are of the utmost importance.

I would like to think that over the past 7 years I have mastered some of the important time management skills but I am sure I fault in certain areas. When I began integrating time management skills into my daily routine I also began to work on my organizational skills which I believe both of those skill sets go hand in hand and both have assisted me in gaining employment where I would be multitasking (for example my current position).

My destiny is important to me and I know that I am in control of where my life goes, what my ultimate career path will be and what steps in my educational journey will have to be met in order to obtain the end results. My time management skills have been able to mold and increase my locus of control. Without the skills I have learned I would not be inclined to understand what I have to do next in order to guarantee professional and personal success.

Some of the major faults I feel that I have in regards to time management are knowing when to say no, speed (I tend to want to do things fast and that can cause error in my work) and knowing when someone wants something done right away (urgency). Saying “no” to someone, even my boss, has been something very hard for me to do at time. I am the type of person who likes to say “yes” and then complete the task at hand but in reality it is okay to say no (when it is appropriate). Speed is also a problem with me because like I mentioned I like to do a lot of things and help as many as possible so I find myself completing tasks too quickly and I leave short trail or errors attached with my work (that is something I do not strive to do – I am very much a perfectionist). Also knowing the urgency of a task is not easy to know or to assume. Not everyone will tell you when they need something completed and unless you assume correctly 9 times out of 10 when you complete the task and when they wanted it completed are very different.

Action Plan: Since I utilize time management skills on a daily basis I think over the next year I plan to start using the word “no” when it is appropriate, slow down on the tasks I am completing and begin to ask more questions when tasks, jobs or projects are asked of me.

A520.2.3.RB_Conflict Resolution

Conflict or situations where conflict will arise are areas I like to avoid. It is not that I don’t like confrontation it is that when confronted about certain things my style of resolution isn’t always professional, especially if I am very passionate about the topic. I would like to think that I am very professional most times and I try to examine the situation from all perspectives before stating my opinion but I won’t lie and say that happens every time; we are all human and at times situations of conflict can get out of control due to personal beliefs or views.

Having been in the workforce but the better part of 10 years now, conflict is something you just cannot avoid although most days we want to. Working in the Higher Education sector also has more and unique challenges in areas in which conflict can arise.

My professional career so far has been a combination of different positions within Higher Education and currently my title is the Administrative Assistant for the Chief Technology Officer. In my current position each day brings new challenges and recently I have been adding additional projects to my plate of work. Project management is something I do well in due to my high levels of organizational skills and in the past few months I personally took on my own project as well as was asked to provide project assistance to a project my boss was leading. The conflict started about 6 weeks ago when I realized my performance levels were slipping due to my time being spread so thin between both projects. At the time of this conflict I knew that the most important area I needed to be focusing on was the project I was assisting with because it is more in depth and required extensive assistance. I chose to sit down with my boss at a weekly meeting and explain to her my conflict. I had to be diplomatic and state to her that as much as I want to lead my own project right now I know that I am not able to split my time up equally between both projects and I wanted to know if I could step down from my project until this other project was completed. It is not easy for me to do that because I like to think of myself as a sponge and enjoy getting as much experience in different positions and projects as possible. My boss was very understanding and she understood that I was trying to effectively prioritize. We both were able to come to the agreement that once this larger more in depth project was completed that I could go back to the project I had started as then I would have more time to devote to it.

It is not easy for me to step away from a project or task because I am the type of person who likes to see things to completion but I think as a strong leader you must understand your limits. If you over extend yourself there will be areas in which your performance levels will diminished. I think I made a responsible decision in asking to take a break from one project to focus on another and I think my level of professional was noted; I can only be an effective leader if I manage my time properly.

I do not think this situation could have been handled any differently because from my stand point and that of my boss’s everything was handled properly and professionally. I do understand not all situations will be handled that way but if you go in knowing the facts and can present the information in a diplomatic fashion, the results should be positive.

A520.1.6.RB_Self-Awareness

Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness

Definitions

Emotional Intelligence: “the ability to manage oneself and to manage relationships with others – has been identified as among the most important factors in accounting for success in leaders and managers.”

Personal Values: “the core of the dynamics of behavior and place so large a part in unifying personality. Identifies personal standards and moral judgment.”

Cognitive Style: “refers to the manner in which individuals gather and process information… individual differences in cognitive style influence perception, learning problem solving decision making communication and creativity.”

Orientation/Attitude toward Change: “focuses on the methods people use to cope with change in their environment.  Identifies adaptability and responsibility.”

Core Self-Evaluation: “a recently developed construct that captures the essential aspects of personality. Identifies underlying personality attributes.” 

I would like to think that my self-awareness has not changed but instead has switched position or focus. I just recently started the MSLD program in January 2012 and when I started the program my self-awareness was still trying to focus itself. Many different things were going on in my life at the start of the program and through the duration of the first 9 weeks but I managed to stay focused on what was important.

As I stated earlier, when I started the MSLD program many changes were taking place in my life. My long term relationship was ending and I was learning to be independent again as well as my grandmother was ill and passed during the 7^th week of class. My emotional state of mind was everywhere but I was able to stay centered and manage everything that was taking place around me. My emotional intelligence was tested during the start of the program but because my self-awareness was focused on the greater goal (completing my Master’s degree in 2 years with nothing less than a 4.00) I was able to complete the task at hand.

Personal values have always been very important to me regardless of what I was doing in my life. When I started the MSLD program my heart and mind where in a different place and I had to become centered again; for example, when I start a new venture whether it is for pleasure or educational gain I go in 150% and will not allow myself to quit or fail. My personal standards are very high and now they are even higher because I know I can achieve anything when I set my mind to even if I kill myself achieving it.

I tend to think of myself as someone who is relatively grounded when it comes to gathering and processing information but all it takes it for an event in your life to through you off balance and change that process. My cognitive style of gathering and processing information has become more in depth. I am trying to think more critically now of other things and ideas and not as much on myself. I have learned from MSLD 500 that it is okay to take an idea and run with it and not ask 1,000 questions. That was something very new to me and very exciting at the same time. I enjoy being able to express what I keep stored in my brain, expressing my thoughts and opinions is a very empowering feeling.

The 4^th core aspect, Orientation/Attitude toward Change, was very much put to the test since the start of my Master’s degree. Learning to be flexible and adapt to change was something I knew I didn’t like to do. I am not a person who enjoys change and I love my routines (I have a ton of them).  I have started some new paths and I am learning to relax more but I can’t say this has been easy for me but it was a part of my self-awareness that I was thrown into and I didn’t have a choice. The life events that took place that didn’t allow me to have a choice I feel are some of the most important for experiencing personal growth as an individual.

The last aspect of self-awareness, core self-evaluation, has not changed much since starting the MSLD program or it has not changed enough for me to notice. I believe my personality attributes have not changed in the last 10 weeks.

I believe that self-awareness and understanding each component of self-awareness is extremely important and I would like to think that when I complete my Master’s degree I will look back to this blog posting and hopefully see lots of positive change and growth.

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills. (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

A520.1.2.RB_Self-Awareness

I believe that self-awareness is a very important component a person should embody. People should be aware of who they are regardless if they feel that way about themselves because understanding who you are will empower you as a person to be better, want more for yourself and essentially be a stronger leader (if being a leader/manager is what you seek out to be). Fortunately for me I have always practiced self-awareness and at all costs I made sure that I understood who I was and what was going on around me. I never wanted to be the person that woke up one morning and regretted things from their past because they lacked self-awareness. I also want to make sure I know who I am and that I am able to live every day to its fullest potential.

The results I got from the Diagnostic Survey for Self-Awareness are the same results I get on most self-awareness surveys and I am never ashamed of the results nor surprised. From a very early age I always felt as though I knew who I was and nothing could ever strip me of that. I have always been very strong minded, strong willed, outspoken and sometimes downright blunt but that is who I am and I can honestly say those things about myself. On top of those characteristics I am the poster child for those who embody A-Type personality traits, I am a planner and I like to know the facts. I don’t want to sound cocky but I like to think of myself as a very confident woman.

Throughout the survey the only area that was the hardest for me was the “Defining Issues Test” section because that starts to put my better judgment against my morals and at times those two areas of my personality are already going against each other. A good example of that can be referenced in the ‘Newspaper’ article/section. To me I am the type of person who believes you should stand up for people and let information be uncomfortable; if everything was comfortable change would never be able to take place. Personally for me if someone was to take something away from me because it made them or others feel uncomfortable I would sit outside of their door (figuratively speaking) until I got back what was mine because if something is there and in your face change can take place; silence does make a good leader and unfortunately at times people have to be made to feel uneasy to make a difference.

I think the information I gained from this survey will be something I will want to expand on throughout the course and I also want to focus in on identifying how I can prioritize issues. I want to make sure I am using the best judgment at all times and not only using my heart to make decisions. Reading over some of the responses I chose I can see where my heart made more of the decisions than my brain or better judgment (which at times can be the right decision but not always). I want to continue to grow in and with my self-awareness and learn to come off less blunt at times and address thoughts and ideas with more diplomacy; a good leader has to be diplomatic especially in their rhetoric.