Listening Skills, Followership, and Personality - Essay Example

Self Assessment Listening Skills The following are responses that best describes the frequency of personal behavior. The responseswill be in a format that uses the following symbols and what they represent. These are; A- always, U-usually, F-Frequently, O- and S-seldom (Lussier & Achua, 2010). 1. U - I take time to listen to people talk. I encourage the others to talk by showing interest, smiling, nodding and so forth. 2. F- I pay closer attention to people who are more similar to me than I do to people who are different from me. 3. O - I evaluate people’s words and their verbal communication ability as they talk. 4. U- I avoid distractions; if it’s noisy, I suggest moving to a quite spot. 5. S- When people come to me and interrupt me when I am doing something, I put what I was doing out of my mind and give them complete attention. 6. U – When people are talking, I allow them time to finish. I do not interrupt, anticipate what they are going to say, or jump into conclusions. 7. F – I tune people out who do not agree with my views. 8. O – While other person is talking, or professors are lecturing, my mind wanders to personal topics. 9. S – While other person is talking, I pay close attention to the non-verbal communication to help me fully understand what they are trying to communicate. 10. F – I tune out and pretend I understand when the topic is difficult for me to understand. 11. A – When other person is talking, I think about and prepare what I am going to say. 12. U – When I think there is something missing or contradictory, I ask direct questions to get the person to explain the idea more fully. 13. A – When I don’t understand something, I let the other person know I don’t understand. 14. U – When listening to other people, I try to put myself in their position and to see things from their perspective. 15. O – During conversations, I repeat back to the other person what has been said in my own words to be sure I correctly understand what has been said. The people I talk to would give the same responses as I have given above. However, there are possibilities of minor deviations due to the differences in opinions. Comparison: My Score for statements 1 (U), 4 (U), 5 (S), 6 (U), 9 (S), 12 (U), 13 (A), 14 (U), and 15 (O) A =1, U = 5, F = 0, O = 1, S = 1. My score = 28. For items 2 (F), 3 (O), 7 (F), 8 (O), 10 (F), and 11 (A) My score = 22. Total score- 50. An average listener : (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Self Assessment 2 For each area, determine how the information relates to you. This will help you better understand your behavior strengths and weaknesses. Identify areas you want to improve. I am usually an outgoing individual who has no difficulty in initiating and maintaining a conversation with other people. At times, I become dominating in our conversations depending on the status of the other individual and the motive of our conversation. The area I need to improve on is my listening skills. I need to accommodate more other people’s ideas and give them time to pass their opinions across during our conversations. Secondly, I can easily control my emotions during a conversation irrespective of the topic. I am good in giving feedbacks to the other people. I have the ability to usually return messages as required to the respective people who need the information. At this point, I only need to maintain my character; otherwise, there is not a lot to be improved. On the other hand, I really enjoy coaching people. I have a good reputation among my friends due to the portrayed capacity to guide others. The area I need to improve on is leniency. Due to the high regard expressed to me by my friends, I am normally compassionate towards people who do me wrong. I possess a high need for both my individual achievement and that of my friends. Moreover, I am good at listening to other people and make changes. However, I need improvement on this area since I need to be more concerned with my own success. When it comes to conflict styles, I normally use the collaboration style to resolve them. I have the ability to confront others when in a conflict as I try to pass across my opinion on the issues regarding the plight. The area I need to improve on is avoiding the usage of force since being assertive may be mistaken for passing my opinions forcefully. During a conflict, I am normally quick in adjusting towards the solution of the issue or issues at hand. I do this to ensure that I meet other people’s needs too (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Self assessment 1 (Chapter 7) Dyadic Relationship with My Manager 1. 1 - I have a quick, easy access to talk with my manager any time I want to. 2. 1 - I get along with my manager 3. 3 - I can influence my manager to get things done my way – to get what I want. 4. 4 - When I interact with my manager, our conversation is often relationship-oriented (we talk on personal level), rather than just task-oriented (we talk only about the job). 5. 2 - We have a loyal, trusting relationship. We look out each other’s interest. 6. 2- My manager understands my job and the problems that I face; he or she appreciates the work I do. 7. 1- My manager recognizes my potential and gives me opportunities to grow on the job. 8. 2 - My manager listens carefully to what I have to say and seeks my advice 9. 5 - My manager gives me good performance evaluations. 10. 4 - My manager gives me rewards (raises and other perks) in excess of the minimum. The total evaluation = 25. This shows that I have an In-Group relationship with my manager. This means that we have a strong relationship that is guided by respect, mutual understanding and trust (Lussier & Achua, 2010). In-Group – My manager and me. Out-Group – All other employees Self assessment 3 My LMX Relationship with My Manager: My score is 24 indicating a relatively high quality LMX relationship with my manager. Self assessment 4 Effective Followership: 1. 3- I offer my support and encouragement my boss when things are not going well. 2. 5- I take initiative to do more than my normal job without having to be asked to things. 3. 4 -I counsel and coach my boss when it is appropriate, such as with a new, inexperienced boss, and in a unique situation in which the boss needs help. 4. 5- I seek and encourage the boss to give honest feedback, rather than avoid it and act defensively when it is offered. 5. 4 -I try to clarify my role in tasks by making sure I understand my boss’s expectations of me and my performance standards. 6. 5 -I show my appreciation to my boss, such as saying thanx when the boss does something in my interest. 7. 5 -I keep the boss informed: I don’t withhold bad news. 8. 4 -I would resist inappropriate influence by the boss; if asked I would not do anything illegal or unethical. The total score is 39. This shows that I am an effective follower. Self assessment 5 Followership and Personality My personality affects my dyadic relationships, followership and delegation. I have the agreeableness Big Five personality. I have always had the need for affiliation where I create a good relationship with my managers in order for them to assist me in achieving some of my job-related needs. I have a low need for power and this explains my good relationship and potential promotions that I enjoy while working. Climbing the corporate ladder has been one of my objectives when creating a good working relationship with the manager. I have the ability to adjust myself and handle new things that may be delegated to me (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Reference Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development (4th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Read More