Self-Awareness: Analysis of Incident from Residential Weekend

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Summary of critical incident

In the Residential weekend which is a part of my Master’s program, I participated in a team activity named “In search of the Lost Temple” which was based on rules. Firstly, I introduced myself to others from the team and I got a warm welcome. In my team most people were from different countries and cultures, like China, Vietnam, Thailand, and France. I was challenged to understand their values, behaviors, personalities and emotions. Because of my different language, it was difficult for me to communicate with them about my ideas and views relating to the task. There was a gap that stopped me from sharing my views even though I had ideas that were relevant. Mixing up with them and opening up was a critical incident for me because I was not sure about how I would be seen and understood. I am comfortable on one-to-one discussion, or a small group of people but once the day proceeded, there was a level of well-being attained inside the group. I started to engage with other team members and analyzing their thoughts and views for task. I got confused and I was unable to understand the task, which made me frustrated. Once the task has been planned by the team leaders, they explained the process of the task by dividing the roles in the group. In that activity, I engaged as a hard worker, learner, listener, supporter, team motivator, and succeeded with a good time management. In the end, one of my colleagues mentioned that I am quiet and a less sociable person, whereas another member said that I worked like a good listener, observer, caring team player and a motivator during the activity.

How does your thinking and behavior in this critical incident reflect the findings of your chosen self-analysis toolkit?

Dealing with people from different cultures is a challenging phase for me at the beginning, because I am afraid to express my thoughts and I was feeling uncomfortable during the meeting with them. Due to lack of communication, it was difficult for me to express my views and my perspectives to others from the team, which made me to socialize less. I am not very talkative because my English proficiency is not strong. I am always afraid to ask others because I am scared of insults and I avoid arguments and conflicts. I used the Belbin toolkit to identify the strengths and weaknesses in terms of my behavior in the team work. However, as per the Belbin profile, my character represents that I am a subordinator, contributor, diplomatic, cooperative, explorer, and a sympathetic person. In the initial stage of the activity, I shared my thoughts to the team that the approach for achieving the task will be based on probability but no one understood nor accepted my view. Then I realized that I am unable to deliver my ideas to others in a proper way. However, my approach was right at that time but not adopted in the team due to their perception of me. I forgot everything at that time and engaged my potential into the team and followed the instructions given by the managers. Then I engaged myself in the team work enthusiastically and assisted other group members.

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Identify how you will use this learning in the future.

I was not aware about my communication block before this weekend. I got actually relevant feedback from the group members. In the future, I shall adopt this learning in my behavior and personality while dealing with people from diverse cultures. I shall prepare myself to learn high cultural intelligence so that the hesitation to ask in the group will no longer persist. I should be more open and socially active. This would help me to express my ideas into groups more effectively. The enhancement of my expertise requires dealing with different personalities and focus on my personal growth in the upcoming years. I have to safeguard myself that my communication barrier should not interfere in my future professional way. Furthermore, I ought to be a sociable person so that the colleagues will feel good around me. This Critical Incident was a great learning opportunity for me and it gave clarity about myself, my assets, expertise and weaknesses. In the upcoming professional period, this knowledge will help me a lot to control my behavior towards social interaction built on wan assumptions.

Critical Incident 2

  • Summary of critical incident
  • Template One: Incident in Service
  • My chosen toolkit is: Emotional Intelligence
  • My Result of this toolkit are: Personal Development

During my employment in a real estate company in India, I worked as a Customer Relationship Manager. I was working with client complaints and enquiries, taking care of master files of client records, inventories of residential apartments, recovery details, refund, establishing inter-department coordination, etc. Establishing the coordination between the Sales and Finance departments was the biggest challenge for me during that tenure. Most investors were familiar with the Sales team and they felt comfortable in that department but they forgot that firstly they were the clients of our company. A case of refund claim created a critical situation for me in that organization. A client claimed the cheques and required them to be handover but due to financial problems, we were unable to provide the cheque to the client on time. The client threatened me that he would file a legal case on the company. He thought that I intentionally did not want to give him the cheques but it was not true. In that situation I have diplomatically spoke to the client and the Sales team, because internally I knew about the financial situation of the company. The client has given all the original property documents and also provide the formal consent for cancellation of the residential apartment. The Sales Manager requested the client’s folder and I gave it to him. He returned it to me and when I checked the folder, I found that the original documents were missing. I informed the Finance Manager of that incident. He asked the Sales Manager who told him that I have taken the documents after taking the consent from me. The same statement he had given in front of the management.

How does your thinking and behaviour in this critical incident reflect the findings of your chosen selfanalysis toolkit?

In front of the Management, I have clearly explained what happened but the management was not satisfied with my explanation. The customer was frustrated due to the late payment from company’s side, the company was suffering from a financial crisis, and the Sales Manager led me in allegation based on the customer ‘s documents. The company’s management did not accept my explanation. I remained calm and scheduled a meeting for establishing coordination between the Sales and the Finance managers so that the Sales Manager could understand the financial situation at that moment and the reason of not handing the cheque to the client on time. I worked with patience so that all the aspects would be fulfilled without any allegation and delay.

In that incident, I was supposed to handle the situation as a leader. Leadership is not an easy task and I was unable to manage the situation successfully. All problems arose between the sales, finance and customer service department because I was not able to understand people as they all were from different backgrounds and departments. Once I decided to solve all the problems between me and the departments, I called a team meeting and found that there was communication gap and many other issues. At that point I came to know about Emotional Intelligence. I used this tool to solve the problem in my leadership skills and the group members.

Identify how you will use this learning in the future.

With the help of emotional intelligence, I came to know numerous components which were being ignored. These variables incorporate competencies, behavior control, communication skills, team management and motivation. When I analyzed the circumstances with the assistance of this role, I concluded that all the individuals ought to be persuaded towards their work and all people’s feeling and emotions have significance, they ought to not be harmed. This implies that all individuals should be included in decision making so that they can tell what they need.

The shortcoming in that circumstance was lack of leadership knowledge and managing people.

The rules that administer the work are changing. Now we are judged not by being smart or by our training and encounter.

2. How self-awareness and continuous self-development will help you to fulfill your role as a successful leader or manager in the future

The Expression of Self-awareness and self-development are omnipresent. The idea of individual improvement applies to anything or that it may be implemented by each of us.

An organization’s future growth depends on a successful manager. Managers play an important role in the company to achieve the goal. In fact, a manager should have the abilities to bring the work efficiency up to the mark. Managers are the key element who plan, organize, direct, and control all the activities of the employees and subordinates. A Manager should not ignore the advantages behind the Self-awareness as an important factor for future success. Improvement is required at each and every stage and for effective working a manager has to be organized.

Self-Awareness implies knowing my values, identity, needs, personality, habits, feelings, and qualities, with a sense of who I am and a vision of the individual I want to become.

In order to be a successful manager, I need to be present, focused on the conversations, really listening to everyone’s comments and paying attention to what is happening. I should note that I am enthusiastic to share my thoughts. I understand clearly my thoughts, ask helpful questions, welcome others to share their thoughts and listen carefully. I am aiming to withhold my comments and instep tune into what others are saying, in spite of the fact that I truly need to share my thoughts.

Psychologist Anthony Stevens explains in Private myths the following “Consciousness enables individuals to monitor what is going on, to be aware of nature and quality of events as they occur and to perceive their meanings.”

If we are not conscious, we are unconscious, and then we lack self -awareness.

Self-awareness really helps me to become a good manager in future. It is the key element of emotional intelligence (EI) defined by psychologist Michael Beldoch and promoted by Daniel Goleman. It refers to a person’s ability to identify and manage their emotions and identify and influence others’ emotions. It helps me understand myself, my nature, my abilities, my strengths, and my weaknesses. Self-consciousness enhances improvement in myself, which will help me to deal with workmates. After knowing my improvement area, I can correct my weaknesses and this will lead to self-actualization. I can easily interact and understand the problems of my subordinates after self-identification. I shall be suggested best solutions with wider approaches in the team. Quality service shall be offered from my side to my team members.

Pedler, Burgoyne, and Boydell (2007) stated that managers who are mindful of themselves can effectively get input from their youngsters and do not get irritated, however unpleasant the feedback may be. Besides, through Self-awareness, I can be able to know how to reduce with my shortcomings and use them as walking grits towards individual objectives.

Self-mindfulness will be significant to assist me and others as well.

It is vital to note that the way individuals see their parts and identify the impact of degree in their endeavor. In respecting self-awareness will be vital to understand that I ought to be oblige others see as well.

Thus, this will offer me assistance in approaching different issues dispassionately and with an open mind. Besides, self-awareness will empower me to get individual inclination and how to bargain with them to maintain strategic distance from struggle of interface. From the words of Rollinson (2008), my qualities as a manager are improved through self-awareness.

Consequently, sometimes I need to control myself in several issues and conflicts. I shall try to overcome irritation issue in me for being a good manager.

Self-awareness and self-management lead to self-development stage for a manager. Self-management is a learnable skill, and firstly I should know the area where I want to work. Then I have to notice and reflect on what’s driving my lack of self-management, and my choices and behavior changes also effect on this. Better results for development will come if I plan the practicing and repeating the process for improvement.

On the other hand, constant self-development suggests the methods through individual development their self-knowledge, construct or reestablish their character, create their qualities and shortcomings and fulfill their desires among other dimensions. Entryways and Hemingway (2000) argued that it is not unusual to get organization ensuring that their employees are highly trained through incorporating training facilities in their programs.

Earley and Peterson (2004) emphasized that continuous self-development encompasses the whole idea of one striving to become better than before including self-awareness. Continuous Self-development leads to increased ingenuity and creative skills thus enhancing organizational growth.

Besides, this process puts the learner at the center, hence upgrading one’s understanding of driving to fulfillment and capacity to connect well with individuals. It ought to be famous that among the characters that are vital for me as a manager, is the capacity to relate with others well, whether youngsters or seniors (Linstead, Fulop & Lilley, 2008). Moreover, as a manager I need to separate personal life from work to avoid conflicts of interest.

Through constant self-development, I will get to adjust work and life issues and at the same time learn how to oversee stress and time. According to Megginson and Whittaker (2007) these qualities are very essential ensuring that productivity is maximized and peripheral issues do not interfere with my performance.

Likewise, it is critical to note as a manager that I am gathered to be a group leader and not as a diabolic dictator. Hence, it will be anticipated to blend with other workers and direct them whereas giving them opportunity to create themselves. With this being said, persistent self-improvement is vital since it shall empower me to realize that team work is imperative.

In Summarization, Self-consciousness is the ability that help us control our actions and understand our motivations and ourselves better. As any other skill we can improve self-awareness by incorporating the right approaches with daily practice. The deeper our self-observation is, the more space we have between us and our emotions, feelings and behavior. Most people struggle to establish self-awareness because firstly they are not grounded in their bodies. To increase our self-awareness, we need to integrate the different regions of our brain which direct our instincts, feelings and thoughts. We will allign our bodies, feelings and thoughts by performing a variety of self-awareness practices and exercises . The integrated approaches are the secret to fostering true self-awareness.

Moreover, it shall offer me guidance to realize that managers are assumed to form opportunities and new challenges to other individuals within the organization. Northouse (2010) summarizes that self-development enhances career development, efficiency, productivity and quality of output.

Summarise your strength and weakness

Life is a learning process and being able to understand my own strengths and weaknesses will allow me to become a better individual in everything I want to do. Knowing myself and what I can do will help me understand my weaknesses and to resolve them.

One of the best qualities I have learned at work was the ability to be a well-organized person. I prefer to write down what I have to do on paper and give priority to what’s more important to the least. Doing so helps me to plan and carry out my research and meet critical deadlines on time. I am hard-working person and always try to use my potential to complete the work on time with great efforts and efficiency. I am always open to learn new innovative ideas and brainstorm views. I have a calm and patient personality but on other side, I am naturally quiet. From school and to my professional interactions, it prevented me from speaking up. My personal weakness is lack of leadership work. This weakness leads me to not take the initiative like a manager.

The main barriers in my nature is that most of the time I took things personally which made me emotional and angry. Short temperament is other key weakness, leading me to negative perception of me in the society and workplace. Sometimes my unproductive thoughts are not useful for me and waste my precious time. Thought process should be productive in positive for our life and helpful for our future success. I learned from all of this that although I am hardworking, kind, smart, rational, I need to work out on my weaknesses so that I would be able to achieve my goals in the future. In my personality, leadership skills need to be enhanced.

Self-assessment is the method of collecting knowledge about my own aptitude, skills, competencies and strengths, and objectively evaluating the consistency of my success and skills. Assessment is the determination and calculation of my values of interest, the importance degree and intensity of them. Once I have completed my self-assessment, I am better at setting my goals and achieve them. Self-evaluation gives me the knowledge about how to build the successful growth plan which includes creating objectives that help to determine the direction that I intend to follow. Then I force myself to concentrate on knowledge acquisition and organize my resources, thus allowing me to become more organized and efficient. As I become more successful, both my skills and my performance will improve.

When my performance improves, I achieve more and my self-confidence increases. High self-confidence leads to a happy life and a greater sense of fulfillment. Finally, I get to self-actualization and realize my full potential.

During Msc course, I attended an emotional and cultural intelligence workshop, and I assessed myself by doing questionnaires in toolkit of emotional intelligence, self-assessment of cultural Intelligence, X-Y theory questionnaire, and Honey and Mumford’s learning styles.

The self-evaluation of my behavior helped me to learn about myself and my learning style for my development. As a reflector, I know that my learning would be based on observing and analyzing what happened. I may avoid leaping in and prefer to watch from the sideline. I prefer to stand back and view experiences from a number of different perspectives, collect data and taking the time to work towards an appropriate conclusion.

As a reflector, I am careful, thoughtful, thorough and methodical, good at listening, assimilating information, and rarely jump to quick conclusions.

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