It is vital for any person, particularly a manager, to understand himself. As I read through the chapter, I was very interested in how the different areas relate to each other – no one component functions alone, neither giving nor receiving influence from the other aspects of self-awareness. I can humbly state that I have experience in self-evaluation in all areas and have consciously considered my shortcomings when I recognized them. For, while I value myself as a unique and beautiful person and tell myself I value others in the same way, I sometimes find myself judging someone else. They may be an acquaintance, a co-worker, or a stranger. The criticisms I place on them (in my mind!) are generally based on a fleeting impression from something they said or did. My mind immediately wants to place them into a category that frequently is not favorable. Then, if our contact persists, it is almost impossible for them to rise out of this classification. I am making an effort to stop doing this, because I wouldn’t want someone else to do it to me.
The five areas discussed in the area of self-awareness are considered to be the core of self-concept. As I focus on the area of understanding and appreciated the diversity in contemporary workplaces, I recognize the importance of appreciating them rather than viewing them as challenges that must be overcome. As a non-Caucasian in a predominantly white culture, I am especially cognizant of how others view my nationality. There are preconceptions of Asian people perpetrated by the media and I sometimes find myself placed into classifications that do not apply to me. This is an excellent example of how I must learn about other people with using stereotypes or misconceptions derived from external sources.
As a manager, I may be tempted to squeeze my employees into a mold of how I want them to be rather than how they really are. Life has impacted each adult in individual ways, creating the mind set, maturity, insight, and skills that present in the workplace environment. Differences in race or cultural background will present opportunities to explore viewpoints to which I have not been exposed. Gender and age variations present frames of references not available to me. Every individual has the ability to bring to the table unique perspectives based on his or her experiences. An effective manager embraces the dissimilarities of those in his sphere of influence rather than seeing them as obstacles to be overcome.
On the other hand, I will attempt to take a frequent inventory of my own strengths and weaknesses and seek personal improvement. I also have personal contributions to make to promote optimum performance for my employer. I plan to continuously improve my skills in all areas and share my experiences with those around me when appropriate.
Tony Robbins has a DVD series that walks you through structuring your life with short-intermediate-, and long-term goals. It also helps you think about the important things in life. I plan on doing this instructional series at least once a year and record my thoughts in order to see how I have progressed. It is my intention to begin keeping a journal and initiating conversations with my friends concerning self-evaluation. I believe the insight I may obtain will make me a better manager.
It is a wonderful time to be a manager as companies welcome employees from many countries, backgrounds, and experiences. An efficient manager appreciates each person with whom he works and strives to discover the exclusive benefits he or she has to offer. Developing employee relationships boosts production and creates a work environment conducive to sharing of ideas and creativity. This is possible only by first realizing my own value and how I determined it. Through conscious introspection and discussions with others, I will cultivate myself into the effective manager I want to become.
Works Cited
Whetten, David A, and Kim S Cameron. Developing Management Skills. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
Posting from you:
My name is Megumi Nakamura and I am taking the management course because I have an interest in rising through corporate ranks as quickly as possible after graduation. I know this will happen faster if I am competent in the skills beyond those that are technical. The concept of a good attitude toward change is the areas of self-awareness that interests me the most. The business world is constantly changing and managers must be able to adapt as well as making sure the employees can, also. In a previous job, I had a bad experience with adapting to change and I ultimately quit. I still don’t know if the issue was with my manager or me. I would like to learn more about adapting to change to prevent this from happening in the future.
Reply to Paulina Mielnicka
Paulina, I absolutely agree with you! It is so easy to let life’s hectic pace get the better of us. I sometimes cope by isolating myself, but that can be seen as moping. I handle stress by organizing my tasks and prioritizing them, being careful to schedule in time for relaxing and backing away from the chaos.
Reply to Anthony Blanco
Hello, Anthony! I imagine after 6 years in the Navy, you have learned a lot about controlling yourself and being a leader. You seem very busy. I sometimes make a list of the activities that are most important to me. You cannot give top priority to family relationships when you also want to succeed as a manager with the long hours that are sometime required. I believe you have a spinning wheel and on a daily (hourly?) basis, the top priorities will change. But as long as you keep the top ones on the wheel, you can apportion some time to each.
