Learning for Business Success - Essay Example

Running header: Learning for Business Success Student’s Name: Name of Institution: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Unlike most of the other modules that run for a semester, Learning for Business Success was set to run for a whole year. I consciously took note of that allocated time and tried to understand why it got that much attention, even wondered if it deserved it. But it was only after it began that I started to understand the real significance of the course (Alain, 1995). Generally, the main aims and objectives of the module included: to provide us with learning concepts; show us how to plan our personal developments, such as confidence and positive attitude necessary for success in not only business courses, but also career; teach us how and help us improve on our strengths and other development needs, and acquire skills that would enhance our employability (Alain, 1995). All this hinged on self-awareness. Now I began to see the significance of the module. It is central to everything business. After attending the class for a while, and reading, I realized that all that we were being taught hinged on mainly one thing; self-awareness. As it were, without self-awareness one loses direction. The classes kept reminding me that doing the right thing does not mean doing what others have done before and succeeded, but that it only needed ‘me’ to be ‘me’. And that I could only do that if I knew who I am. This module has therefore been, above all, my ‘learning-me’ experience (Blue Lotus Living (BLL) 2010). This paper is my personal description of and reflection on this experience and how it has so far influenced my thought, perception and ambitions as elements of my development plan. Self Awareness Probably like many others do, before this class I always thought I knew myself. I just assumed that knowing ‘me’ was the most natural thing. But upon reflection, I started to feel that I did not know myself that well - at least, not as far as my dreams and career fo choice are concerned. Although a business person constantly deals with others: clients and business partners, among others, he or she must first and foremost deal with him/herself. The double standard of this is that, in order to be better at serving others, I must first be good at serving myself. My interest in myself got me researching and reading on not only what it is about me I should be aware of, but also how to achieve this awareness (BLL, 2010). After researching from a number of books and journals, I adopted one major method for my self-awareness journey; self-interrogation. Morin and Everett (1990) suggest ‘inner speech’ as what links one to self-awareness, consciousness and knowledge. Inner speech here refers to one’s conscious interrogation and interaction with him/herself. This, they further contend, helps one tap into his/her cognitive tools and helps the acquisition and processing of knowledge. In the same of argument, Alain (1995) argues that ‘self-talk’-as she calls ‘inner speech’- helps one acquire self-information as a process of solving problem(s). By focusing one’s attention to task, self-talk promotes accurate formulation and approach to problem-solving. She suggests that self-talk involves taking the perspective of others, possessing a right attitude toward oneself and paying close attention to the content of that ‘talk’. One such way of carrying out ‘self-talk’ or ‘inner speech’ is through writing a reflective journal. This is a journal in which one records his/her inner speech or self-talk, especially regarding achievements, development needs and how such needs can be achieved. Writing a good journal, suggests Riley-Douchet (1997), involves a three-step process: critical appraisal of oneself, discussion with peer group and self-awareness. This means that self-awareness involves not only the ‘self’, but also the ‘self’s’ relation with others. The personal development plan I handed in last time was part of my reflective journal. Self awareness gives one the clear picture of who he/she is and boosts confidence. The combination self-awareness, including in relation to others, and confidence is what Goleman (1995 & 1998), refers to as Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI is a four-phase: self and social awareness, and self and relationship management, four-fold: self and social recognition, and self and relationship management. This class has allowed me to reflect upon what I am, my goals and how best I can attain these goals under the prevailing circumstances. One, I have become better at sizing up my expectations. Coming to the university, I had some sort-of “overblown expectations” (Lennon, 2012). I looked forward to being under the tutorship of people who had made it, who had written big books. The problem is that I put too much hope in them I forgot about what I personally could do, my role in the whole process. But now, I realize that expectations can only be interpreted in context. It is my duty to find out the aspects of my context and formulate realistic expectations. Through critical appraisal of myself, during which I try to be honest about me as I can, I have learnt to supervise myself, to view myself as both the subject and the object of a task. I must put myself on the receiving end to best be on the giving end; see myself as a recipient to best give, and grow confident to the point that I am no longer afraid to share my thoughts with others. I am aware that these thoughts may not necessarily by right. But I am also aware that they ‘make me’ who I am, and expose me for better learning and more knowledge. Two, I have had to deal with my peers in group projects. These have helped me work on my interrelationship with others, especially what it means to manage ‘me’ for the sake of the group; that is, knowing the significance of ‘I’ in the group, but equally aware of the point where the ‘I’ becomes imposing and unproductive to other people. I have become better at controlling my emotions, transparency, achievement and adaptability, among others. For instance, as I mentioned in my personal development plan, initially, it always took me a while to adapt to new people. Where ‘new’ means those I had not directly interacted with. Group work made me see how limiting this aloofness was, especially in my studies, and consequently, my future. Now I warm to people much easily. I’m still working at it. However, being aware of it, including the fact that I need to work on it, is the first important step. As Goleman (1998) asserts, it is not only about “our training and expertise… but also how we handle ourselves and other people” (p. 3). Feedback from my professor on my submitted ‘personal statement plan’ and my peers on my participation in group work have helped me learn some things about myself that I couldn’t otherwise have learnt on my own. The implied irony here is that while self-awareness is meant to help appreciate myself for what I am and find a way to exploit the ‘I’, I have also undergone change, dropping some parts of me that would be detrimental to my academic and future career development plans. Although I may not describe it so explicitly, I believe I have undergone some degree of what Roberts and Caspi (2002) refer to as ‘personality-change’, such as dropping my aloofness. Indeed, this change has been necessitated mainly by what the two call ‘contingencies’. Being ‘part’ of a group has more benefits than apart from it. To reap these benefits, I realized, I had to give ‘something’ away if I were to gain ‘something’ in return. Roberts and Caspi (2002) further mention the role that the description of ourselves by others plays in this. Although my friends have mostly described me as ‘a loner’, I don’t think it did help me change. If it did, then I am not aware of it, and definitely not as much as the need to gain out of group work. More than the personal growth, many contend that self-awareness improves one’s judgment and helps ones identify fitting opportunities for professional growth and development. Because I am beginning to see clearly who I am, I am equally starting to see even clearer what/who I want to be. It has helped my intuitive judgment and decision-making. But I’m yet to put this to practical use. Obstacles My journey to self-awareness is ongoing. The successes I have had have not been without obstacles. As I have mentioned, knowing me has partly depended on the response of others: my teachers, family, friends and fellow students, to me. But the question I must ask myself is how valid and credible their responses are (Alain & Everett, 1990). It is very possible that they may not be accurate in their assessment of me. Perhaps, as the say goes, people see what they want to see; people who see me in one role can only respond to me and describe my .personality or behavior in that light. Equally, people are mostly synthetic to others, and are hardly ever candid in their assessment (Alain & Everett, 1990). Another obstacle that we faced in the group had to do with the different backgrounds: racial, cultural and other such socially-defined aspects, from which the group members came. Some of these elements of social backgrounds sort-of affected the group in the initial stages. I have to say there was a sense of tension between us in the earlier days. Perhaps this was helped even further by the fact people of different races and cultures tend to stick together outside of settings that necessitate otherwise. I don’t know what model I eventually employed to deal with this. But I do know that I realized there was a part of me that perceived some identity aspects negatively, especially based on sexuality. I was initially unaware of this part of me. In fact, it was not until I read of Sanchez’s (n.d.) R/CID integrative Model that I became conscious of it. I do not know in which of the five stages of R/CID: Conformity, Dissonance, Resistance and Immersion, introspection and Integrative Awareness, I am. However, I know I am making effort to deal with my negative perceptions. Conclusion Some of my self-awareness, I realize, have come as a result of my experiences and my effort to cope with them. This is akin to the Experiential Learning Theory (Kolb, et al., 2000). But I have to admit that this module has made me conscious of me and the need to assert the ‘I’ in a way that helps, not hurts, my personal development. I am more aware of who I am now. And so, I have a clearer picture of what I can do and want to be. Bibliography Alain, M 1995, Characteristics of an Effective Internal Dialogue in the Acquisition of Self-Information, viewed 2 March 2012 from http://cogprints.org/2485/ Alain, M. & Everett, J., 1990, Inner Speech as a Mediator of Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness, and Self-Knowledge: An Hypothesis, New Ideas in Psychology, 8(3), pp. 337–356. Viewed from http://cogprints.org/2559/1/NIP.PDF Blue Lotus Living (BLL) 2010, Consciousness, Self-Awareness, and Spiritual Awakening for Success in Business, Art, and Life, viewed 2 March 2012 from http://bluelotusliving.com/2010/01/21/consciousness-self-awareness-and- spiritual-awakening-for-success-in-business-art-and-life/ [Accessed 1 March 2012]. Goleman, D 1995, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bantam New York, Dell Pub Group, viewed from http://www.affirmativeactionhoax.com/pdfs/Goleman.pdf Goleman, D 1998, Working With Emotional Intelligence, New York, Bantam Books, viewed from http://totalinteraction.com.au/Articles/Working%20With%20Emotional%20Intelligence.pdf Kolb, D.A., Boyatzis, R & Mainemelis, C 2000, Experiential Learning Theory: Previous Research and New Directions. In: R.J. Sternberg and L.F. Zhang, eds., Perspectives on Cognitive, Learning, and Thinking Styles. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1-40. Viewed from http://www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert/educ5165-731/Readings/experiential-learning-theory.pdf Lennon, Dawn 2012, Fixing Your “Boss Problem” with Self-Supervision. Business Fitness, viewed 2 March 2012 from, http://dawnlennon.wordpress.com/ Roberts, B. W. & Caspi, A 2002, The Cumulative Continuity Model of Personality Development: Striking a Balance between Continuity and Change in Personality Traits Across the Life Course, University of Illinois, Champaign, viewed 2 March 2012 from http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~broberts/cumulative%20continuity%20cha pter.pdf Riley-Douchet, C. & Wilson, S 1997, A Three-Step Method of Self-Reflection Using Reflective Journal Writing, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(5), pp.964– 968, viewed from http://cms.kcn.unima.mw:8002/moodle/downloads/chilemba/My%20Documents/PhD%20articles/A%20three%20step%20method%20of%20self%20reflection.pdf Sanchez, C., n.d. Racial/Cultural Identity Development: Integrating Various Models into One, The University of Iowa, viewed 2 March 2012 from http://www.uiowa.edu/~epls/faculty/pascarel/papers/sanchez.pdf Read More