Personal Thinking Styles
My primary personal thinking style is the Achievement style, which is one of the constructive styles. Constructive styles pertain to self-enhancing behaviors and ways of thinking, which determine a person’s level of satisfaction. These styles also pertain to the capability of effectively working with people, building healthy relationships, and being proficient at the accomplishment of tasks.
In particular, the Achievement style of thinking pertains to the ability and the desire to achieve personal goals and take on challenging tasks. This style also carries with it the belief that one’s effort can make a difference.
I agree with this result as I believe myself to be a goal-oriented person. The Achievement style of thinking has manifested in my life in that I always strive to improve myself and increase my knowledge as evidenced by my pursuit of my second graduate degree. In addition, I always strive to do well in my job where I try to exceed what’s expected of me and where I try to stay focused on the task at hand while I’m at work. Specifically, as a Senior Case Technician for the SSA (Social Security Administration), I manage to complete the necessary preparations for more than 30 cases every month when the requirement is to complete only 30 cases. I also always try to complete my school requirements even before the deadline and strive to provide more than what’s required.
As well, in conformance to the general characteristics of constructive styles of thinking, I greatly value my relationships with others whether they are professional or personal in nature. Relationships have often proven to be reciprocal, and I have been very blessed to have met many good people in my life. I also have good interpersonal and communication skills, which I have developed over a long period of time.
On the other hand, the Conventional thinking style is my backup thinking style. This is one of the Passive/Defensive styles, which pertain to self-promoting behaviors and ways of thinking. These are used for maintainng one’s position or status and for fulfilling one’s security needs through task-related activities. In particular, the Conventional style is characterized by a greater importance being accorded to rules over ideas and by adherence to practices and policies, as well as by reliability and steadiness.
The Conventional style is manifested in my life in that I am a stickler for rrules. For example, I make sure that I follow the rules and regulations at work and strictly adhere to the instructions for school requirements. Moreover, my superiors have commended me for being reliable at work where I complete and correct not only my own tasks but even the tasks of my colleagues.
Limiting Thinking Style
My limiting thnking style is the Avoidance style, which is also one of the Passive/Defensive styles. This style is characterized by being non-committal, being indecisive, and by avoiding conflict, as well as by lying low when things get tough. It’s not that I’m always reluctant to try new things, but I often do not try things when the risk is high. I also find it quite difficult to make decisions when faced with something complicated or complex. An example was when I had a difficulty deciding what to do when a professor gave conflicting instructions for a school requirement.
In addition, I fear failure and feel guilty for the mistakes I have made or might make. I also listen to other people’s advice and given that I value relationships a lot, I always strive to please the people who are important to me, such as my family and my superiors.
Impact on Management Style
Given that the Achievement style is my main style, I believe that as a manager, I would be one who would greatly advocate for planning. I won’t allow my subordinates to get any surprises as everything will be planned in advance. I will make sure that goals and objectives are set and that these are properly communicated to my subordinates.
In my personal work style, the importance I acord towards planning is evident in the way I plan and organize my work at the start of each day. As such, I believe that this habit will be carried through whether I’m just planning for my own work or for the work of others as well.
With regards to organizing, I like being organized in my work and would expect the same of my subordinates. On the other hand, though, given the way I value relationships, I believe I would be the type of manager who would distribite authority among my subordinates. I would do this through the delegation of tasks and by making sure that the authority granted is bound by clear guidelines.
Similarly, I believe that my style for leading would be highly reflecttive of my Achievement style in that I would expect goals and objectives to be met and for my subordinates to perform as expected or to even exceed expectations. On the other hand, considering that I value relationships, am a good follower, and like to avoid conflicts, I believe tthat I would be the type of manager who would listen to my subordinates’ input or feedback and who would consider their suggestions, especially about difficult decisions. I would also make sure that I motivate them and that I am able to prevent or resolve any conflicts with and among my subordinates.
Finally, when it comes to controlling, I believe that I will be the type of manager who will strictly implement rules and who will have rules and guidelines for everything. This is part of my Conventional style of thinking. However, given that I don’t like conflicts and that I am amenable and greatly value relationships, I will not be so hash in implementing these rules. For example, I wil give ample warnings and will reprimand my subordinates as nicely as possible. I will also make sure that penalties and punishments for misdeeds are just and fair.
Genesis of Personal Style
I believe that I developed my personal style from the many struggles I had to deal with in life. Having been born in Poland and coming to the United States in my early twenties, I initially had to struggle to get a better education and lifestyle. It was my desire for a better life and for getting assimilated into the American society that I was driven to set goals and to plan for ways on how I can achieve such goals. In particular, the means by which I achieved these goals were to learn English, get a better education, and hold various types of jobs.
It was also sheer pleasure for me to start a restaurant with my husband where I enjoyed being an entrepreneur. Working with various kinds of customers and employees taught me valuable lessons about life. I learned to prioritize things and get work done through other people. This restaurant was not just a source of bread and butter for us, but had also become part of many pleasant memories in our lives. We ran this place for ten years and we grew very well with it.
The most challenging part of it was working with people, which included having to reward and punish employees. Implementing punishments was quite difficult for me. I never liked it but I had to do it for valid reasons like employee theft or inappropriate behaviors with customers. However, I made sure that I gave them warnings first. Overall, this experience has taught me to value my relationships with others and has helped me develop my communication skills.
Now, as a federal employee, I have developed new perspectives as I am often interacting with disabled people whose life have dramatically changed due to their illness. The compassion I have for others and my concern for their feelings make it difficult for me to say no, which is reflective of my Avoidance style of thinking.
Conclusion and Reflection
The LSI results were very helpful in making me learn about my behaviors and ways of thinking. They have helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses, as well as the ways on how I can further develop my strengths and overcome my weaknesses. In particular, I have learned that the Avoidance style is my limiting style and with the MGMT591 class, I hope to learn the proper ways of handling conflicts such that the said conflicts become constructive. I also hope to learn ways on becoming more decisive without coming off as harsh and potentially causing conflicts. Overall, I think that the LSI exercise is a good starting point for me to develop my behavior and thinking styles in order to become more effective at work.
