Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness - Research Paper Example

Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness In the world, different people have different habits that define their social standing. Indeed, scholars argue that habits are the defining factors of humans. In psychology, habits refer to the routine behaviors repeated regularly and often occur subconsciously. Experts and other researchers reiterate that habitual behavior occurs unnoticed to the individual displaying it, as the individual does not necessarily need to engage in self-assessment and analysis when performing routine tasks. Essentially, a habit may be good or bad. Interestingly, every person has a particular habit he or she would like to change or improve uponi. This reflection paper focuses on the seven habits of highly effective people, as well as their association with personal growth. Question One According to Covey, people should ponder and examine their aims before initiating anything, which includes the rest of their lives. In other words, people should consider the consequences of their actions before indulging themselves. Personally, I consider this as the foundational habit. Convey highlights two levels of application for this: for our domains in life and what we desire to achieve, as well as when examining our goals and how we may put them on a scale. Self-assessment and analysis is among the most difficult tasks upon an individual. Nonetheless, analyzing a particular pattern of habit may provide meaningful information about an individual’s habits. For instance, home ownership is not high on my priority list. Actually, it comes under the “others” list. Similarly, I do not desire a better job as I enjoy my current employmentii. On the other hand, my family is not essentially taxing, which means a few, if any, complex games going on between family members and few political ballet dances. Likewise, no member of my family is severely sick, or perhaps in dire need of help. All are more or less thriving. In this sense, details of my life dictate my priorities. Personally, I have few pressing needs, thus I have room for pursuing other desires. According to Covey, an individual must emphasize on conscience needs, which are our moral obligation to help others and alleviate them from suffering. However, there is a challenging question: will there be a conflict between seeking to fulfill personal desires and seeking to alleviate others from suffering? Personally, there is no conflict. Kicking suffering out of the world is among my personal desires. Therefore, to begin with the end in mind, to position my desires and the goals that result from them in a hierarchy would incorporate alleviating suffering. Personally, the beginning with the end in mind is very important, as nobody lives forever. I seek to make the world a better place for the little time I have on earth. Another habit that makes me proud is the ability to put first things firstiii. After working out the course of direction, I prioritize my activities, carefully planning to avoid activities that fritter with my time and do not contribute to personal goals. For instance, I tackle assignments, as well as other career and objective related activities first, such as engaging in volunteer services in children’s homes, hospitals, and other institutions for the less fortunate. Other activities that are less relevant to my personal goals in life come after, including daily routines and activities that may be rescheduled to another period in time. Lastly, I consider myself a good listener, a habit I learned from my grandparents. In all situations, whether good or bad, I listen and try to understand before jumping to conclusion. The “look before you leap” strategy helps me in understanding other people and being understood in returniv. Question Two For starters, I have poor conflict management skills. In other words, my think win-win habit is low and inconsistent. Despite the fact that this habit is not always applicable, it is very important in the day-to-day life. In the contemporary world, conflicts occur literary everywhere. Therefore, a person requires efficient and effective conflict management skills to survive in this world. According to Covey, the main idea of the think win-win habit is to find solutions to conflicts and other problems that do not need compromise. Thus, a mediator of such a conflict needs to lose face on part of both parties and work together with them to find a different alternative to the problem: a creative solution that genuinely satisfies both the parties without prejudice. It is important to note that the relationship between the two parties and the mediator must be irrelevant to the case at hand, thus biased judgments and solutions are out of the picturev. Some few years ago, I was caught in the middle of a conflict between two of my friends, John and Grace. According to John, Grace was spreading rumors about his social life, including other personal matters. On the other hand, Grace was denying any involvements in the acts, arguing that she had no reason to do such. The conflict elevated significantly such that they both drive friends and other people into their sides, creating an intergroup-like conflict. Considering that the activities were taking place in an institution, learning and academic achievement of both the “groups” was at stake. As a friend, I engaged the two principals in a conflict resolution program to solve the worsening problem. Personally, many challenges occurred while trying to restore their previous relationship. First, both Grace and John expected me to take their sides, arguing that the other was the primary cause of the conflict. While seeking to find solutions, both insisted that the other apologizes firstvi. Eventually, we sought to find the source of the rumors, which turned out to be another friend of the two. Nonetheless, both John and Grace felt satisfied with the solution, but were reluctant to apologize at first. Despite the solution, many factors presented challenges personally as a mediator. The lack of experience and the friendship ties was quite challenging. The second personal weak habit is pro-activeness. Covey describes pro-activeness as acting rather than waiting to be acted upon. A proactive person always assumes that she or he can do something in any given situation to improve the state of things. Honestly, some situations seem very difficult to tackle, such as forsaking some objectives or carrying out an activity with limited resources. My family is not relatively rich, thus striving to alleviate suffering in the world with the limited resources becomes a problem at times. Lastly, I have do not possess excellent teamwork skills. In other words, my synergy habit needs some refining. Covey defines synergy as the act of working together to increase productivity and improve quality. A good example is the class workgroup, which seems to bother me at some instances. Nonetheless, my teamwork skills and cooperation are constantly improving, but require farther refiningvii. Question Three In efforts to improve and grow the above three habits, I have three SMART goals. Rand argues that successful people set realistic targets, are objective, and know what they want and why. They create and pursue SMART goals. The author further states that a SMART goal is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timeliness. Concerning the think win-win habit, I have enrolled for conflict management classes and attend classes two days a week for two months. Secondly, I plan to engage in conflict management clubs at the school, which provides practical examples of conflict management twice a month. This will provide rich experience and knowledge on the field. Lastly, I have selected five-conflict management texts that I plan to read over the next one month, with a daily reading of 30 pages per dayviii. On pro-activeness, the three SMART goals include engaging in volunteer groups, which often lack adequate resources to handle particular situations. These groups visit disadvantaged institutions such as children’s homes and other facilities, and carry out activities with the limited facilities and resources. They cultivate the philosophy of doing something to the situation despite the limitations and barriers involved. Second, I plan to read three books containing literature on effective pro-activeness despite situational and circumstantial barriers. Reading 30 pages a day for the next two months, the books will offer a library of skills and knowledge on being proactive. Lastly, enrolling in the military school as a volunteer for six months will refine my proactive skills. Military school is challenging, but it provides a lot of perseverance and respect to an individualix. Improving my synergy skills is the easiest in the group. The major idea is to understand and appreciate teamwork, as well as create a sense of team spirit. Therefore, joining the military school for six months, conflict management club, and volunteer groups will provide the necessary skills and lesson that may improve my proactive habit. As habits are repeated behavior patterns over time, I believe engaging in teamwork activities and challenges will provide the right combination of skills, knowledge, and experience. Question Four As far as think win-win is concerned, the identified SMART goals are enrolling in a conflict management class that offers two classes per week for two months, join conflict management clubs at school that provides practical examples twice a month, and read five books on conflict management within one month. Each of the three SMART goals seeks to foster and improve the think win-win habit and conflict management skills. In essence, the three SMART goals combine to provide a reliable and comprehensive strategy of improving on the think win-win strategy. In improving personal pro-activeness, the goals are joining a volunteer group, reading literature materials on improving pro-activeness, and enrolling in military school for six months as a volunteer. Similarly, the central aim is to garner adequate and effective skills and knowledge as far as being proactive is concerned. These activities will improve and enhance personal reaction to situations regardless of barriers and limitations. Lastly, the engagement and enrollment in groups and teams will foster a sense of team spiritx. Experts in psychology reiterate that constant repetition of a behavior makes it a habit. In this sense, engaging in teamwork activities more often will improve my teamwork spirit. Question Five Following the “beginning with the end in the mind”, I will initially pursue conflict management classes, join clubs, and read books. Based on priority, these activities represent objectives that align to my long-term goals and objectives; alleviating suffering in the world. Moreover, these activities may occur simultaneously with my academic objectives, thus will not deter my educational achievements. Indeed, I stand to benefit from such activities. Nonetheless, joining the military school as a volunteer is part of my goals, though it may contradict with the educational objective. Therefore, the decision to join military school may occur later, perhaps after successful completion of education. Alternatively, I may initiate a group that emphasizes on teamwork building, including organizing teamwork activities such as games, group activities and tasks, and other important strategies that enhance communication and interaction among membersxi. This reflection paper analyzes personal strengths and weaknesses as far as habits are concerned. The paper highlights three strong habits, including considering and acting on first things first, beginning with the end in mind, and seeking to listen and understand first and then being understood later. Similarly, the paper highlights personal habits that require improvement, including think win-win, pro-activeness, and synergy. The paper concludes by analyzing three SMART goals for each of the three habits that require improvement, as well as a plan to achieve the goalsxii. References Andler, N. (2011). Tools for Project Management, Workshops, and Consulting. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Covey, S. (2004). Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Tampa, FL: Free Press Publishing. Covey, S. (2007). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. Salt City Lake, UT: Franklin Covey Company. Haimes, Y. (2011). Risk Modeling, Assessment, and Management. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Hoeger, W., and S. (2011). Fitness and Wellness. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Robertson, D. (2010). The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy. London: Karnac Books Ltd. Schmidt, V. (2008). The Algorithm of Success: How to Create A Career You Love. Manassas, VA: Lulu Publishers. Vurnum, G. (2010). Goals and Objetives: 92 Affirmation that Apply Smart Goal Setting to Achieve Your Goals in Life. New York: CreateSpace. Read More