Self-Awareness Surveys

In the beginning of every new endeavor it is important to take note of where you are in order to track your personal and professional progress. As we chart a new course in our journey for our Master's of Science Degree in Leadership we have begun by completing a diagnostic survey for scale self-awareness. The survey consists of a self-awareness and emotional intelligence assessment, cognitive style indicator, Locus of Control and Tolerance of Ambiguity Scales, and Core Self-Evaluation. It is acutely helpful to "know thyself" before endeavoring to know and manage others.

As I finished my surveys and gathered up my initial results I have marked a starting point for my progress during this class. My results are as follows:

• Self-Awareness - With a mean score of 51.47 I scored a 60 which placed me in the top quartile. This is not too surprising for me because I lean towards an honest approach to my self as well as with others. 
• Emotional Intelligence Assessment - With a mean score of 70 I placed smack dab in the middle of the bunch and in the high 3rd quartile with a 70. This does not surprise me, as my wife would be more than happy to share, I could stand to grow further in my emotional department. There is room for advancement here.
• Cognitive Style Indicator - This part breaks up into three categories; knowing, planning, and creating. Knowing I scored 4.2 (mean for MBA students 4.06), Planning was a 3.9 (mean - 3.81), and Creating yielded 4.9 (mean 4.16). I anticipated scoring a tad higher on the planning and knowing parts, but I hit right on the money where I expected in the creativity department  as I tend to be spontaneous and quick to respond to information.
• Locus of Control Scale - Out of a mean score of 5.19 I scored a 4.0 and in the lower second quartile. Not surprisingly due to my current service in the Navy i feel I have very little control over my future. I feel there are more than a fair share of obstacles outside of my control. However, I do believe I do the best with my inner locus of control and find ways to stack my deck to better my future. All in all, the advancement system in the Navy leaves a lot to the imagination.
• Tolerance of Ambiguity - I scored fairly low in this area as well landing in the second to last quartile with a 54 (mean - 56.47). I probably have some "whooped dog syndrome" from doing things logically in the Navy only to find out this is completely unacceptable. I find it more effective to ask enough questions to do a job the way my leadership wants it done rather than improvising and lending reason to the situation. This is one aspect of military life I look forward to leaving behind when moving on to my next chapter in life.
• Core Self-Evaluation Scale - I was middle of the road in this area and will be looking to grow as I build my self worth. There are some hurdles in this arena like making the decisions to leave the Navy and work elsewhere as the sole provider for a family of four. This ties in with my tolerance for ambiguity as well. Both aspects I seek to improve on.

Overall I feel OK about where i am in the beginning of this journey. I have plenty of room to grow as a person, manager, and a leader. I will make good use of this information and follow my progress through out this class as well as this degree program. Stay tuned for some eye-opening results at the end of this class!

In the words of General George Patton, " If we aren't moving forward we are moving backward."

JP