As I begin my third class in my Masters program in leadership I can already notice some changes in myself. How I learn, how I learn it, how I view issues and follow through to prove or disprove assumptions, and how I gauge my personal development are new arenas of change I detect in my everyday life. This blog entry will evaluate how far I have come since the beginning of my journey to be a Master in Leadership.
In our first week of Management Skills for Leaders we are building a foundation on self awareness. Moreover, we are focusing on the five core aspects of self-awareness to benchmark ourselves and appraise how we view our thoughts, values, emotional attachments, fear of change, learning styles, and our self-worth. Using the five core aspects of Values, Cognitive Style, Attitude Toward Change, Emotional Intelligence, and Core Self-Evaluations I can Map out my progress thus far.
Starting with my values I can say that the more I learn, sacrifice, and continually include furthering my education the more closely I feel attached to my core values. I value God and the direction He has given me in my life. I value my family and their well-being, comfort, and happiness. I value my desires to continually challenge myself to improve as a person and a professional to provide a better way of life around us. These values have not changed much since I began this journey. Instead, they have become more steadfast in my heart. I am reminded of my values more often which keeps me on track towards accomplishing my goals.
In the area of Cognitive Style I have been exposed to many new methods of incorporating and evaluating information through this program. I feel as though I have been thrust into a higher sense of learning through information technology like the Brain concept mapping software, researching peer reviewed articles and publications, and the books I have read. I have, in essence, discovered a whole new realm of learning and knowledge. I am still a fledgling in this program, but I do see how all of these new methods are intertwined together and useful. I feel as though I am getting better at compartmentalizing all this knowledge to be retrieved later down the road. I can't wait to see where I will be in the aspect of cognitive processing when I emerge from this program.
My Attitude Toward Change is also a developing process since beginning this program. I think back to learning about critical thinking, proving or disproving assumptions and why this is important, and broadening my collective thought process to uncover the real meanings for questions and problems. Honestly, I am pretty used to change. For the better part of the last decade I have lived in five states, changed careers three times, got married, had two children, made a lot of money, lost a lot of money, finished my bachelors, started my masters... the list could go on. However, I still have a fear of the unknown and sometimes doubt my abilities to provide for my family. I don't always react well to changes I don't understand or see coming. But, I have developed some useful tools recently to manage my fears more effectively. I realize their are things I can and can't control, but I can always manage how I react to them.
The fourth aspect of self-awareness is emotional intelligence. OK, I have a ways to go here, and I I can see how this aspect is paramount to becoming the leader I want to be. Since immersing myself into this graduate degree i have taken on more responsibility for myself and my future. I have to admit that I am challenged almost daily as a 36 year old Petty Officer in the Navy largely comprised of younger people with a very broad spectrum of intelligence. I see this as an opportunity to learn how to deal with a variety of people from various cultures and backgrounds. I learn valuable lessons weekly on how to manage people and their problems. I have a ways to go to master this aspect, but again, I have developed some valuable tools to maximize the time and efforts of myself and those whom I work with.
Finally, to mark my progress in self-evaluation I feel I have made strides in believing in myself and my abilities. I have never really had issues with self-doubt or a lack of confidence, but I am learning to fine tune these trait to be a better fit for broader uses. Currently, I am not very satisfied or happy with my current job, but I did volunteer for this service and I will make the best of my time left in the Navy. I am happy with what I have accomplished in my service. My family has grown stronger together from enduring deployments and time apart. We now know what is most valuable to us as a unit. And, I am making progress in bettering myself to broaden my horizons when my time is up in the Navy. I know I am not where I want to be in this core aspect, but I do recognize the improvements I have made thus far. I am in charge of my destiny, and I feel good about where I am as a person and where we will be going in the future.
Overall, I feel I have made some significant improvements based on these five core aspects of self-awareness. With only two classes under my belt and a genuine excitement for those following I feel confident I will be a much better, well-rounded, knowledgeable, patient, and powerful Leading Machine.
JP
In our first week of Management Skills for Leaders we are building a foundation on self awareness. Moreover, we are focusing on the five core aspects of self-awareness to benchmark ourselves and appraise how we view our thoughts, values, emotional attachments, fear of change, learning styles, and our self-worth. Using the five core aspects of Values, Cognitive Style, Attitude Toward Change, Emotional Intelligence, and Core Self-Evaluations I can Map out my progress thus far.
Starting with my values I can say that the more I learn, sacrifice, and continually include furthering my education the more closely I feel attached to my core values. I value God and the direction He has given me in my life. I value my family and their well-being, comfort, and happiness. I value my desires to continually challenge myself to improve as a person and a professional to provide a better way of life around us. These values have not changed much since I began this journey. Instead, they have become more steadfast in my heart. I am reminded of my values more often which keeps me on track towards accomplishing my goals.
In the area of Cognitive Style I have been exposed to many new methods of incorporating and evaluating information through this program. I feel as though I have been thrust into a higher sense of learning through information technology like the Brain concept mapping software, researching peer reviewed articles and publications, and the books I have read. I have, in essence, discovered a whole new realm of learning and knowledge. I am still a fledgling in this program, but I do see how all of these new methods are intertwined together and useful. I feel as though I am getting better at compartmentalizing all this knowledge to be retrieved later down the road. I can't wait to see where I will be in the aspect of cognitive processing when I emerge from this program.
My Attitude Toward Change is also a developing process since beginning this program. I think back to learning about critical thinking, proving or disproving assumptions and why this is important, and broadening my collective thought process to uncover the real meanings for questions and problems. Honestly, I am pretty used to change. For the better part of the last decade I have lived in five states, changed careers three times, got married, had two children, made a lot of money, lost a lot of money, finished my bachelors, started my masters... the list could go on. However, I still have a fear of the unknown and sometimes doubt my abilities to provide for my family. I don't always react well to changes I don't understand or see coming. But, I have developed some useful tools recently to manage my fears more effectively. I realize their are things I can and can't control, but I can always manage how I react to them.
The fourth aspect of self-awareness is emotional intelligence. OK, I have a ways to go here, and I I can see how this aspect is paramount to becoming the leader I want to be. Since immersing myself into this graduate degree i have taken on more responsibility for myself and my future. I have to admit that I am challenged almost daily as a 36 year old Petty Officer in the Navy largely comprised of younger people with a very broad spectrum of intelligence. I see this as an opportunity to learn how to deal with a variety of people from various cultures and backgrounds. I learn valuable lessons weekly on how to manage people and their problems. I have a ways to go to master this aspect, but again, I have developed some valuable tools to maximize the time and efforts of myself and those whom I work with.
Finally, to mark my progress in self-evaluation I feel I have made strides in believing in myself and my abilities. I have never really had issues with self-doubt or a lack of confidence, but I am learning to fine tune these trait to be a better fit for broader uses. Currently, I am not very satisfied or happy with my current job, but I did volunteer for this service and I will make the best of my time left in the Navy. I am happy with what I have accomplished in my service. My family has grown stronger together from enduring deployments and time apart. We now know what is most valuable to us as a unit. And, I am making progress in bettering myself to broaden my horizons when my time is up in the Navy. I know I am not where I want to be in this core aspect, but I do recognize the improvements I have made thus far. I am in charge of my destiny, and I feel good about where I am as a person and where we will be going in the future.
Overall, I feel I have made some significant improvements based on these five core aspects of self-awareness. With only two classes under my belt and a genuine excitement for those following I feel confident I will be a much better, well-rounded, knowledgeable, patient, and powerful Leading Machine.
JP
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