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Elizabeth Cooper MGT-106 Ball May 20, 2010 Self-Assessment Reaction Paper Summary It is not easy to describe yourself and to be truly honest. The way you think of yourself and how another person might think of you could be completely different. This class has helped me to understand myself better and accurately describe me. If I had to describe myself, I would say that I am very laid back and easy going. I do not let small things bother me. I feel you should “pick your battles” sort of speak. I think I take after my mom. Growing up I never saw her really angry at anyone.
She always gets a long with everyone and I think she rubbed off on me. I am also friendly and caring. I am always concerned with how people feel and how I can help others. I enjoy talking and being around all different types of people. Another word I would use to describe myself is hard-working. I always put 100% in everything I do. I like having a sense of accomplishment. I value friends, family, loyalty, and honesty and surround myself with people who also value these things. I do have a few concerns with myself however.
Although I consider being able to trust people to be a good trait, being to trustworthy may be a bad thing. I feel that I can be to trustworthy at times. I trust everyone until he or she gives me a reason not to trust them. I feel that it is important to know if people are honest and trustworthy and I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I have had a few problems in my past with trusting people before I really know them. For example, I was at a party one of friends was having and met this lady. My friend knew her and figured she was an alright person.
A few days later I ran in to her and she asked to borrow a few dollars from me. She gave me a sad story and told me that she would be sure to pay me back the following week. The following week came and I did not hear from her. A few weeks later I ran into her and she never offered or mentioned the money she borrowed from me. I think this is a good example of being too trustworthy. Specific Strengths and Weaknesses The self-assessment exercises I did for this class really opened my eyes to what kind of person I am. I have learned a lot about myself that I was unaware of. 1)The results of The Locus of Control self-assessment exercise in chapter 2 really shocked me. I scored a twenty on the assessment, which meant that I believe that I am in control of my own destiny. Also, that I think very little is controlled by fate, chance, and other people. This shocked me because I thought I would have scored more in the middle because I do believe in fate and chance. I think that things happen for a reason but it is up to us to do something about it. (2)The Big Five Personality exercise from chapter 2 also opened my eyes. My weakest dimension was surgency.
According to these results, I am a follower and do not like to compete or influence. I on the other hand would not consider myself to be a follower. Although I do not like to lead, I do what I want to do. My strongest dimension was aggreeableness, which includes traits related to getting along with people. (3)In chapter 13 the self-assessment exercise was Your Decision Making Style. I scored a twenty on the exercise and the results showed that I have a consistent style. When I make a decision I always think about the decision and consider all alternatives before I make a decision. 4)The Networking Skill Self-Assessment exercise in chapter 11 really helped me learn just how important knowing people can help me in starting and bettering my career. It also helped me learn ways to plan my career. (5)The Openness to Change exercise proved that I am open to change. I do not mind trying new things but will do what I like to do best. (6)Chapter 4’s exercise really was a learning experience for me. It talked about techniques that can help me in time management. Making a to-do list, stop being a perfectionist, and only do one task at a time are things I learned can help me with time management. 7)Chapter 5’s exercise was a real eye opener. According to the Listening Skills exercise I am in the middle of being a good listener and poor listener. I have always thought of myself as a good listener but this exercise said otherwise. After reading the chapter and going over the exercise I agreed with the results. There are a few thing that I can do to improve my listening skills. (8)The Stress Personality-Type confirmed that I do stress. The results showed that I have a Type A personality, which means that I could end up with some of the problems associated with stress and I do agree with these results. 9)The Learning Style exercise helped me to learn why and how I learn the way I do. I scored a 16 in observing, 9 in doing, 8 in feeling, and 17 in thinking. The results concluded that my preferred dimension of learning is an assimilator, which combines observing and thinking. The book says that assimilators are skilled at creating models and theories and developing plans. They are skilled at understanding a wide range of information and putting it into concise, logical form. (10)The exercise in chapter 7 ( Use of the Assertiveness Style) concluded that my preferred style is assertive.
People who use this behavior tend to have a positive self-concept. They are not threatened by others and do not let others control their behavior. All of these exercises helped me learn how to work with others better. They showed me ways to improve how I act and control myself around others. The Listening Skills exercise in chapter 5 will really impact how I work with others. I now know that I am not as good of a listener as I thought I was. Now that I know this, I can improve on how well I listen to others. Recommendations After completing all the exercises, I have learned that I need to do things a little differently.
I definitely need to listen better and I plan too. Also I plan not to think about certain decisions too long. Although I have a consistent style, I know that sometimes I can over think things and in return make the wrong decision. I think I have good human relation skills already. So I plan to keep doing what I already do but change a few things. For example, I plan to start being a leader. I am going to step up and take control of situations I am in. Also, I plan to speak-up a little more and let people know exactly what I am feeling. Self-Reflection I have learned that life is full of surprises.
How you think of yourself and how others think of you are most of the time going to be different until you are honest with yourself. I hope that when I graduate I am able to live a productive life-style. I hope to enjoy my job, family, friends, and life. Four years from now, I want to have a career as an RN and be settled in a home that I will live in for the rest of my life with my family. This class has helped me a lot. It taught me ways to improve myself. Also helped me learn ways to help me with time management. Which is going to be a big help, considering I have 2 children and a husband and plan to have a successful career.