Self-Projection Project - Essay Example

? Self-Projection Clarity Project Word Count: 2500 (10 pages) One might ask, “How does one eat an elephant?” The answer is simple: piece by piece. Completing this self-projection clarity project has helped me move towards bigger and better things in my future. Completing the RBS (Reflective Best Self Exercise) has helped me learn and grown as a person, which is so integral to who I am. This has helped me explore a deeper side of myself that I never knew was possible. It has helped me see how others view myself, and that is one of the most valuable lessons that I take away from this. I tend to think that I know myself well. I have a very good sense of self. I know what I am good at and what needs improvement. I am constantly making self-improvements. To a certain extent, I really motivate others, and it has been shown through the interviews that I have garnered from friends, family, and colleagues, that I excel in almost anything I do. I guess one might say that I am a very high-strung (at times) individual, but that I make sure to keep all of my commitments. I have several hard and soft skills which I feel will serve me well in the future. One of my best assets is my leadership. I have good leadership skills which set me apart from the crowd. I also have amazing public speaking skills and can dazzle a crowd with my linguistic stylings. Really, it depends upon the particular audience, but I know how to adapt myself to almost any setting and it shows. I am somewhat of an extroverted person; I enjoy making new friends and acquaintances, and am somewhat of a socially motivated person in that sense. I don’t pull any punches and am very honest with people about what I expect of them and how I expect to be treated in return. Another great feature I like about myself is that I have been able to use my outgoing nature to win friends, make money, and influence people. Meeting new people and seeing the world is part of what makes me who I am today. I have a real zest for life and believe you shouldn’t take life for granted. So, I eat life for breakfast, and I don’t mean the cereal! (Lol.) It is totally possible to learn something new from anyone that I meet and therefore, in business as well as in my leisure time, I always make sure to develop a solid list of contacts and social networks, since social networking is the wave of the future. I know that I can count on my friends and family to be there for me when things get difficult. Something else about me is that I am a very positive person. This has served me well in the past, as I definitely believe in karma and the phrase, “What goes around comes back around” (Janin, 2004, pp. 152). Like Anne Frank, I believe in the general goodness inherent in people. Everyone should be able to help everyone else out. Currently, one of the books I am reading is very inspiring. It’s called Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning. It talked about how Frankl survived Auschwitz, one of the worst concentration camps, by using logotherapy—also known as talk therapy. Frankl talks about the importance of prisoners to maintain their human dignity in the face of conditions that were worse than inhumane. I am the sort of person who likes solving problems, yet at the same time, I don’t have patience for things like crossword puzzles and so forth. I enjoy challenges, but sometimes I admit I can be a bit intellectually lazy, not fully taxing my mental capacities to their hilt because I am reserving brainpower for truly important and difficult tasks. I don’t like to use my energy unnecessarily; therefore, I keep a very tight rein on my time and how I control it. I always make sure that I know who I am going to be spending time with and what I should do to manage this time. My ability to tackle challenges, combined with the fact that I am a positive person, helps me to avoid bad situations and difficult people. This is part of what breeds success in my life and in my living environment. About me, I am definitely a team player, which has always been a strength of mine. This has most certainly allowed me to make important contributions to others’ work with whom I cross paths. My team-building and teamwork skills are awesome. I truly feel that I really add value to any group in which I am a part. Whenever I was in school, I always felt that working on a team, I was always helping others out because that is just my nature, and I happen to be a very nice and likeable person. I am always able to ensure, that, when I work in a group, everyone works in a cohesive manner and that people are doing what they wish to do as well as do something that they excel in as well—which are both equally important. In addition, another factor that helped things move smoothly in the past was that there was never really any sort of friction or hostility among us in the team setting. After having found various traits of my own that seem to be the elements of a recipe for success, and which also assist in defining myself—I believe that it is only right to see how these traits measure with the assessment of those who know me best. Of course, some personality traits that are shown within the responses that people have given me, but many of these responses have been overall positive and good things that people have to say—some of which I wouldn’t have ever thought of myself. The most important element that keeps being revisited by several people is my uncanny ability to maintain excellent interpersonal skills. That is a dynamic element which makes me a great people person. Even though I do like teamwork, I didn’t think this would be focused upon that much—but apparently it is one trait that people seem to have ‘picked up on,’ so to speak. Of course, the ability to take control of oneself and be able to collaborate with others is a majorly important skill and I am fully cognizant of that fact. I was just so surprised to hear this be echoed over and over again that I did really start to see what people meant when they said I was a genuinely nice person. Not only that, but it is generally encouraging to develop relationships that have some give and take. I encourage everyone to feel like they are part of teamwork when I am working in a team. I take delight in having leadership, but I do not wield it over people like a scepter, abusing my powers. That is not the right way to lead. Instead, I gently guide people towards the end goal in sight. I enjoy helping others and I think this is where I truly find the most personal fulfillment. An very similar skill is that I am a great motivator. There are several responses which help support the notion that I am definitely somewhat of an encourager. I like to encourage my team when they (the team members) are having a difficult time. When I think about this side of my persona, it makes me realize that it is possible that other inidivduals would let situations or problems bring them down to a very low place. However, being able to bring people to feeling like they have a sense of hope and purpose with the project or task at hand, this is when I feel I have been most successful. More than anything, what people really want is for others to be able to empathize with them and listen to them about how they feel they are doing their job. Getting feedback is also important and a critical and crucial piece of solving the jigsaw puzzle that is management. Taking into account that many other people around me may also have an opinion which needs to be voiced is also another key piece of that puzzle. That is an element that others realize I have to offer—is the ability to give others voices within an organizational. In that sense, one might consider me somewhat motivational, if you will. Of course, it is hoped that this will inspire others to be motivational in the sense that other people will develop good rapport with each other as well. This aids in deciding whose contribution to a team’s job is doing the most good, and whose is only detracting from the situation. Sometimes within a group setting, it can be difficult to assess what must change and what methods must be kept in order to maintain an organizational workflow that “just works.” I must be honest that I have a very busy life, but I would never for a second think of letting my responsibilities go untended for a minute. Although I would have probably never admitted this to myself as well, another feature which many of the responses indicated was that I can see what are the most important priorities needing to be addressed in a management situation and then be able to address those issues in the proper order. Not only this, but I also have an intrinsically good sense of time management, and how to effectively organize my time without becoming a complete basketcase. Having a routine and a system of planning that works is something that I cannot stress enough how valuable this can be. In addition, I have simply been able to manage getting things done within a reasonable time frame. I’m realistic about the time that I have and the time that I don’t have; therefore, I don’t make commitments I can’t keep, and I don’t break promises. I try to underpromise and overdeliver. In our busy lives, where time is valuable, it is important for leaders to be effective in their usage of the most precious element we have, time, and of course respect other peoples’ time and schedules as well. Of course, now having looked back at the piquant observations—not only mine but that of the feedback I’ve received from others that has been shown to me—I realize also that there are elements of my personality which exemplify what I’m very good at doing. Of course, there are also other traits which people automatically associate with myself as well. Of course, I never really imagined in my wildest dreams I would be considered a leader of any stripe. I came from a large family, I was almost the youngest, and for all practical purposes was basically the baby of the family. Even though I had some early personal struggles, I learned to tackle my challenges head-on, and this won me respect in the eyes of my family and friends. I definitely believe that having been raised in such a large family made me a master communicator. In that sense, I get along mostly well with almost anyone I encounter. This set the stage for bigger and better things to come in the future, no doubt serving me well as the fact that, little did I know that this soft skill of ‘interpersonal communication’ would really make me the dynamic personality that I am today. Of course, I do not question for a minute that this is tied up in my destiny for greatness, but of course I do not want to have a cocky or unbecoming attitude for someone of my stature in society. I try to do my best and I really believe that it is due to my hard work ethic and good-faith efforts which have helped me succeed in life thus far. The types of feedback that I collected from friends, family, and colleagues really pointed me in the direction that I know I should be going in as a future manager. This is what I learned from having read my reports: I am an encouraging person who enjoys motivating people. I usually make the right decisions, whether it be interacting or delegating. I am a great collaborator and help others to work in teams effectively. I have excellent time management skills as well as short- and long-term planning skills. I have a keen eye for organizational elements. I’m great at managing activities and social events. I can work independently and work especially well within group settings. I have a great attitude. I have an outgoing, extroverted personality with a zest for life. The capabilities pyramid The capabilities pyramid explains the following: Generic capabilities—In the future, being a manager is going to help me cultivate these elements. Area of effectiveness—Certain elements about myself will help catapult me to the top, especially including my great interpersonal skills, which is one of the areas in which I will seek complete mastery and competency. Unique contributions—My core asset is being able to manage people well with great leadership skills. Based on the RBS exercise, I now more logically realize where my strengths are as well as my weaknesses. In order to become a better leader, I definitely want to continue to improve myself and my people skills. Even though many people may have different ideas of what success may constitute, I know for me it is self-actualizing as a manager of an organization whose values and ideas I connect with very strongly. It is my hope that these skills will serve me well both now and in the future. REFERENCES Janin, K. (2004). Magic of intention: know your intention, design your future. US: AuthorHouse. APPENDIX Emergent Theme Specific Statements My Interpretation 1. Leadership skills 2. Planning and scheduling 3. Optimism 4. People skills 5. Team skills 6. Organizational capabilities 7. Problem solving abilities 8. Time management 1.1 “Help others prioritize tasks” 1.2 “Are an encouraging person” 1.3 “Help others focus on strengths only” 1.4 “Good at supporting people both financially and personally” 1.5 “Always ready to assist” 1.6 “Great delegating skills” 1.7 “Help others communicate within a group” 2.1 “Being a master planner” 2.2 “Keeps excessive documentation” 2.3 “Have a good idea of what is going on at all times” 3.1 “Add value to situations” 3.2 “Always helpful and kind” 3.3 “Handles complex and difficult situations well” 4.1 “Manages new people well” 4.2 “Is kind to strangers” 4.3 “Makes others feel good about teamwork” 5.1 “Good at guiding collaborative activities” 5.2 “Motivates a group to work as a team” 6.1 “Takes into account group dynamics” 6.1 “Is a social event planner extraordinaire” 6.2 “Has exceptionally talented and highly-developed interpersonal communication skills” 7.1 “Great a solving and resolving problems within groups” 7.2 “Able to turn around situations headed in the wrong direction” 8.1 “Is always on-time everywhere” 8.2 “Meets or exceeds deadlines” 8.3 “Excellent project manager” I always try to make others’ lives better, not only by having respect for their time, but respect for them as people. Of course, it is important to focus on the mutual understanding of all parties involved. I try to plan for everything, because one never knows how good planning can help save time and money. Every situation is unique, but whatever the case, success is always possible with a perseverant attitude. I am an outgoing person and I genuinely enjoy being part of a group and making that group function efficiently and effectively. I am a great collaborator and colleague. I like to plan and make time for everything that is important to me in life, so I take schedules and time very seriously. I like challenges that make me think in unique and interesting ways which differ slightly from the status quo. It is important to value everyone’s time and space as I know others would also do for me. Read More