Meetings

Erin and Kyle presented this week on holding meetings and I think this was one of my favorite lessons so far because it's so relevant. Meetings are tough because gathering people in your workplace, club or organization together in one room at the same time isn't always an easy task. Everyone has different schedules, and the timing is sometimes difficult. Once you've managed to get everyone in attendance, it's another matter to keep them engaged and contributing effectively throughout. I loved the video they showed about "every meeting ever"(linked below), and the different personality roles that people can have during meetings. It's easy for personalities to clash and for people to get offended in environments like this, so as they told us, it's important to establish ground rules and meeting etiquette.

I know I have not attended many formal business meetings yet, but my summer job at a restaurant has mini-meetings at the beginning of every shift run but the manager. They're really effective because they're quick and concise and they manage to get everyone on the same page as to what needs to be changed or accomplished that day.

Change

I accidentally clicked on an article about "staying married" when browsing the NY Times online, but ended up reading through and in a strange way, it reminded me of the relationship some people have with their professional careers.

"A couple of years ago, it seemed as if everyone I knew was on the verge of divorce.

“He’s not the man I married,” one friend told me.

“She didn’t change, and I did,” said another.

And then there was the no-fault version: “We grew apart.”

Emotional and physical abuse are clear-cut grounds for divorce, but they aren’t the most common causes of failing marriages, at least the ones I hear about. What’s the more typical villain? Change.

Feeling oppressed by change or lack of change; it’s a tale as old as time. Yet at some point in any long-term relationship, each partner is likely to evolve from the person we fell in love with into someone new — and not always into someone cuter or smarter or more fun...

Continue reading the main story

Sometimes people feel betrayed by this change. They fell in love with one person, and when that person doesn’t seem familiar anymore, they decide he or she violated the marriage contract. I have begun to wonder if perhaps the problem isn’t change itself but our susceptibility to what has been called the “end of history” illusion...

Nostalgia, which fuels our resentment toward change, is a natural human impulse. And yet being forever content with a spouse, or a street, requires finding ways to be happy with different versions of that person or neighborhood."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/style/modern-love-to-stay-married-embrace-change.html?action=click&module=InCaseYouMissedIt&region=Lists&pgtype=collection

Maybe this is a bit of a stretch, but I feel like oftentimes people become frustrated with professional roles or jobs because they change from their original state or end up being something that the individual didn't expect. Unwanted change, whether it be in a personal relationship or a professional role, is tough to adapt to, and it causes us to weigh our options to determine if it's worth sticking it out, working through problems and trying to make the best of the situation, or to move on and find something that suits your needs in a more appropriate manner. I know I've had to leave jobs over time for a few different reasons; it was great at the beginning, but after a while I either needed a higher salary, different hours, or something else that that job couldn't provide for me anymore. It was a change that negatively effected my experience at the job, causing me to find another option.

Customer Service Lessons from Lyft

I recently read an article by Zeynep Ilgaz from entrepreneur.com that I thought was kind of cool. There's lessons about leadership everywhere we look, especially which the overwhelming presence of media today, but this woman actually said she learned one of the best lessons from an experience she had with a company after an injury that put her in an extremely inconvenient position. Successful companies today realize that bad news will always spread faster than good news, and bad news can swallow up your reputation in an instant. Take United Airlines as an example. The best way to succeed is to ensure above all else that customers have a positive experience and keep your name away from any sort of negative publicity. The excerpt from the article is as followed: 

"Recently, I garnered some new customer service lessons from an unexpected source. I had fractured my right foot, and doctors told me I wouldn't be able to drive for nearly three months. I began using Lyft for rides to and from work. And, en route, my amazing Lyft drivers revealed three key customer service concepts all entrepreneurs should apply to their business:

1. Leverage the employee effect: Nearly all drivers told me they loved working for Lyft. They said the company treats them fairly, and they especially appreciate the many incentives provided by the brand's Accelerate rewards program. As a customer, I felt great supporting a company that conscientiously works to reward its employees. Knowing my drivers were happy, in fact, made me happy -- which is actually a scientifically proven phenomenon

2. Focus on proactive improvement: According to the Harvard Business Review, the easier you make your customers' lives, the more likely they are to be loyal to your brand. This theory rang true in my experience with Lyft. The app was quick and easy to use, and the drivers proactively made sure the cleanliness of the car was first rate, and the temperature and even the music were all to my liking. I never once had to ask them to turn up the heat or turn down the music. 

3. Personalize the experience: It may sound simple, but seeing my name on a neon sign every time I entered a Lyft car made the experience feel extra special. It confirmed to me that the company recognized and valued me as a customer. This is no small thing: Microsoft’s 2016 U.S. State of Customer Servicereport revealed that 66 percent of consumers surveyed said they didn't want to reintroduce themselves every time they interact with a brand. They expected companies to consistently provide personalized support and service."

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/293038 

Handling Mistakes

It's no secret that in both our personal and professional lives, we're going to make plenty of mistakes throughout the course of our lives. While it's great to try to prepare for every situation as best you can, everyone falls flat on their face sometimes, and there's a few different ways I've found that people typically respond:

1) Get Defensive: I know this is a human tendency to try to explain yourself and try to deflect blame for something that occurred.

2) Avoid the situation entirely: Also known as denial. Some people just choose to ignore when they fail and act as if it didn't happen at all.

I know that each of these are easy coping mechanisms, and are sometimes seen as an "easy out" of a situation. Though it may definitely be harder, the best things I've found that you can do is simply own your mistakes. When others see that you acknowledge your mistakes and have a plan in place to either render and fix what you've done and move forward, they'll be less likely to be upset with the fact that you made a mistake in the first place. I know for myself, I have a greater amount of respect for people who admit that they're not perfect, are human and do indeed make mistakes. People who's ego's are too large to admit errors are sometimes hard to work with. Mistakes are human, and the faster we can accept that life happens, the faster we can work through it and strategize plans for forward movement.

Crisis Situations

This week Colleen and David presented on crisis management and I found their lesson interesting. I think a great test of leadership is ones ability to act responsibly and efficiently in crisis situations and make decisions that ensure safety for all.

Their activity was very engaging and really made all of us think. The questions weren't always easy but they were legitimate situations that some of us may find ourselves in when we're in leadership roles someday.

I remember last summer, I was at work one night at my waitressing job. A fellow employee had arrived for her shift earlier in the evening complaining of a headache, and just didn't look like herself. Later in the night she ended up fainting due to dehydration and a high fever, and at the same time, the restaurant was a mad house with a 2 hour wait for a table.

The manager on duty was the owners son, only a year older than myself. I was extremely impressed with the way he handled the situation. He tried as best he could to divert attention from the situation and helped Sue off the floor as soon as he could.. He brought her back to the office and got her water and crackers while she waited for 911. She was extremely embarrassed, but he assured her that everyone was just concerned for her safety. He directed the ambulance to the back door of the restaurant so sue didn't have to exit the building in front of all of the customers and other employees. He brought a free dessert to all of Sue's tables, apologized for the situation, and thanked them for being so patient. As soon as the crowd died down, he called in another manager and went to the hospital to make sure Sue was doing okay.

He made sure that the feelings of both Sue and the customers were taken into account and treated as a priority. He remained calm when the crisis occurred and handled it in a very responsible manner.

These are skills that every leader should have, and I was impressed that he handled it so well being such a young leader.

Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness

After watching the Ted Talk that Chris Armijo sent to us, I do agree that most people have a hard time asking for help and genuinely taking advice and constructive criticism for what it is. I find it often times with myself that I take criticism way too personally and I'm constantly worried that I'm letting people down, especially employers.  I've always preferred to work through something on my own before admitting I don't know how to do something and ask for help or instruction. I'm very stubborn in that sense.

But over the past few years in work and in school I've come to realize that this is a trait I really need to work on. Though I've never really had a tragic mess-up due to "working it out on my own", I know now that people don't usually get annoyed when you ask them something to clarify that you're completing a task the way they want it to be done. If anything, they'll be grateful that they won't have to go back and fix something that you've done incorrectly. It also allows you to complete the task with confidence, not having to second guess if you're doing it right, and this can save you time and stress that isn't needed.

People who ask for help are not weak, they are seizing an opportunity to learn and grow, and there is no shame in that.

To the girl at the front desk..

This past week I unfortunately had to take a friend to the emergency room who was experiencing severe pain and discomfort. We checked into the waiting room, and the young girl at the front desk apologized in advance for the wait we would experience. We thanked her, and proceeded to find a spot to sit on the floor since the waiting room was completely full, and then some.

Over the past year I've had a few accidents of my own and have spent a fair amount of time in hospital/doctors office waiting rooms. If there's one thing I've noticed, it's that these settings bring out the absolute worst behavior in people. Selfishness to the upmost degree.

It seems obvious that everyone is in the hospital waiting room because they're experiencing discomfort, poor health or some sort of injury. Nobody is there for fun. But the behavior I witnessed the other night was unlike anything I had seen before. You could tell just by the looks people were shooting each other back and forth around the room, that everyone assumed their problem was worse than everyone else's. There was actually a verbal confrontation that broke out because a woman who was there with her daughter, after waiting 20 minutes states loudly "This is f****** ridiculous. No one in this G** D*** waiting room is in more pain than you are. We better be next". At this point, we had already been waiting for 2 hours, so as much as this angered me since my friend was doubled over in pain, I bit my tongue. Other people didn't have the same self control.

And the poor girl at the check in desk, I wouldn't have traded places with her for a million dollars. She was getting verbally assaulted and questioned by people waiting, wondering why they weren't receiving care yet.

We unfortunately had to stay the night, and when I left in the morning, she was STILL sitting at the desk. I made a point to go over and say hello to her, and express how terribly I felt that people had been so nasty to her the night before. She wasn't much older than myself. She kind of laughed and commented on how the job has definitely given her thicker skin.

In a year or so, these are the kinds of entry level jobs that some of us may find ourselves in. It's a shame that some people struggle to understand the demand for care sometimes; yes, everyone in the waiting room was obviously there because they needed urgent attention, but there was nothing this girl could do to move them through any quicker. She was doing her job and notified every person that came in that it would be a little longer than normal because they were short staffed. Bottom line, I think she had a great attitude and I commend her for keeping her composure in a situation like that when people much much older than her got in her face and demanded something she couldn't give to them.

Ethics

Regan and Caroline recently presented on the topic of Ethics, and I have to say it was one of my favorite ones so far, just because it relates to closely to both professional and personal relationships. They asked how we would define ethics, and I've always thought of it as "who you are when you're all alone, and how you act when you know nobody is watching". Its your moral code and how you act on it, almost instinctively. It's having the devil on one shoulder and an angel on another and how you act when push comes to shove and a "right or wrong" decision has to be made.

So often in the news when a workplace scandal comes out, we hear "United Airlines is corrupt", "Pepsi is corrupt" etc., but really, it's (usually) one or two individuals at the top making a poor decision that has a trickle down effect on the rest of the company.

Being in a sorority, they always tell us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and our everyday actions reflect not only ourselves, but the organization as a whole and everyone else involved. They emphasized to us that before acting upon something, saying something, posting something or doing anything to ask ourselves "Is there pride in what I'm doing? Would my parents and teachers be proud of me for doing this?" and I think that this is a great motto to live your life by. If you'd be embarrassed that someone found out you were doing something, you shouldn't do it at all, even if you know you won't get caught. Acting ethically both in your personal and professional life means you will never have to cover your tracks or conceal a lie, and there's a lot to be said for living an honest life. People do not forget when they are lied to or mistreated, and having a tarnished reputation in the workplace can follow you. It's a small world and the professional world is even smaller; employers always talk and you never want anyone to have a negative thing to say about you.

Though it's sometimes innate, behaving ethically may not always be the most tempting or easy choice, but it's a matter of maturity and respect and being able to live with the decisions you make.

Holacracy

Jason and I presented our third and final lesson of the semester on the concept of Holacracy. This is a management method that we both found to be very interesting and thought it would spark an interesting conversation with the class, especially looking at it through a healthcare management lens.

With Holacracy:

• Roles are defined around the work, not the people.
• Authority is distributed to teams and roles and decisions are made locally
• The organization structure is updated regularly and every team self-organizes
• Everyone is bound by the same roles, CEO and upper management included.

This concept is very different from traditional organizational structure where roles are clearly defined and day-to-day tasks of individual employees usually don't vary too much. There's also some sort of hierarchy in the traditional workplace, where upper management makes the rules, and lower level employees follow, no questions asked.

Most of the class seemed to think that achieving a true holacracy in a healthcare organization would be very difficult, simply because everyone in a hospital has such a specific role and is there for a particular reason, to provide their trained service. However, I believe it was Colleen that mentioned maybe on department levels (ex., within just the nurses) you could try to practice holacracy, where no one nurse is above or below another, and you work together to complete tasks.

We talked a lot about Zappos and their workplace philosophy. They practice holacracy, but again, they are a retail distributor, not a healthcare provider, so it would be a little bit different. However, I commend them for doing things the way they do and it seems that most Zappos employees are very satisfied with what their job does for them.

Online etiquette

Warning, this is a little bit of a rant...

Maybe it's just me, but nothing is more irritating when than when I take the time to write out a well-worded, thoughtful email, signed "Best regards, Erin McNamara" to someone, and all I receive back is "ok" or "k" or "Thanks, Sent from my iPhone".

I've noticed this more this year than ever, and it's made me really think about online etiquette and what it says about me as an individual. I think it just goes back to having pride in yourself and respect for the people you interact with. Even something as simple as proper grammar in a quick text or email, reiterating to someone that you're grateful for their help, or even taking the time to make a phone call or write a handwritten thank you note can make all the difference.

These skills are seemingly becoming a lost art, and it's a shame. Communication and professionalism go hand in and and I've found that the ability to write and speak well can get you very far.

Overcoming self-doubt

After receiving some less than ideal news this week, I found myself a little down about my potential to succeed this summer and after graduation. I was online doing homework not too long after and stumbled across this article from the Huffington post and it seemed very fitting for what I was going through. It's inevitable that at some point, professionally or socially, we are going to face disappointment and rejection. It's a part of life, but it shouldn't disrupt the understanding of your self-worth and qualifications. These were the 5 points that the article focused on to help overcome self-doubt.

1. Embrace a little self-doubt.

Don’t worry about a little self-doubt, because slight insecurity could actually bolster your performance. A 2010 study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that individuals who experienced a little self-doubt actually performed better compared with people who were completely confident in their skills. Other studies have found similar results.

So rather than waste energy worrying that your self-doubt is really a sign from the universe warning you that you’re about to fail, recognize that self-doubt can be helpful. Perhaps you’ll spend more time rehearsing or maybe you’ll put in more effort when you’re aware that there’s a chance it might not go smoothly.

2. Examine the evidence behind your thoughts.

When you encounter serious self-doubt, examine the truth behind your thoughts. Ask yourself, “What evidence do I have that I can’t do this?” Then ask yourself, “What evidence do I have that I can do this?” Write down your answers on a piece of a paper.

Looking at the facts can help you see things in a more realistic manner. Although this exercise may not eliminate all of your self-doubt, examining the facts can help reduce your insecurities to a more helpful level.

3. Consider the worst-case scenario.

Self-doubt is fueled by catastrophic predictions like, “I’m going to mess everything up.” When you find yourself guessing things will go poorly, ask, “What’s really the worst thing that could happen?” If you do make a mistake, would it really be that bad?

Remind yourself that even if things go terribly, it’s unlikely to be life altering. Losing a game, stumbling over your lines, or failing to get a promotion probably won’t matter that much in a few years. Keeping things in proper perspective can help calm your nerves.

4. Monitor your emotions.

Your emotions play a major role in how you think and behave. Anxious feelings can fuel doubtful thoughts and impair your performance, unless you take steps to regulate your emotions.

Pay attention to how your emotions influence your choices. If your anxiety skyrockets, calm your body and your mind by taking deep breaths, going for a walk, or distracting yourself with mundane tasks. Don’t allow your short-term discomfort to convince you to bail out, give up, or cave in.

5. Focus on your present performance.

Whether you’re stepping on a stage or running out onto an athletic field, telling yourself, “I’m going to embarrass myself” will distract you from your performance. So rather than allow your inner monologue to drag you down, stay focused on the present.

Before you take the giant leap into whatever you’re feeling doubtful about, give yourself a quick pep talk. Saying, “All I can do is my best” will remind you that you don’t need to strive for perfection. With that reminder, you’ll be better equipped to put your energy where it needs to be — on your performance.

Physicians vs. Administration

This week Jason and I presented our second lesson on the topic of the separation between physicians and administration in healthcare. In our research, I came across an article from kevinmd.com that I really enjoyed, and found a lot of merit in. It discussed how physicians and administrators viewed patient satisfaction scores very differently and how that effected the organization as a whole. At one point, the article stated:

"We all knew that a patient might be happier if we order up that MRI his brother-in-law recommended for his backache, if we hand out antibiotics for likely viruses, or write a narcotics prescriptions for malingering addicts, or decline to tell obese problem drinkers that they need to quit the vodka and eat fewer Big Macs. Giving patients exactly what they want will score satisfaction points, but it’s often costly to the system and detrimental to individual and public health...I found that although everyone’s priority is quality care for our patients, ER docs and nurses spoke a different language than the quality geeks. Sometimes they talked right past each other. “A hospital isn’t a hotel; patients shouldn’t expect to be pampered,” said the ER nurse. “We should learn from the hospitality industry, and patients should be treated like guests at a four-star hotel,” said the quality administrators.The disconnect was profound". 

The author eventually concluded that from his own expereiences and observations is that real quality is not a zero sum game. People remember the overall way they were treated during the time spent at a facility and that is what resonates through the patient satisfaction reports. If overall, they patient and their family have a pleasant experience and there's no specific event that stands out to them as poor service, they will most likely be pleased. But it goes without saying that you simply cannot please everyone.

Though I don't have any clinical experience trying to please patients and their families, I have had several customer service based jobs and if it's given me anything, it's thinker skin. People will exert their anger on you when things are not your fault, and sometimes emotions can spike at unnecessary times based on other things that are going on in someones life. I think in order to succeed in any position you have to learn to take criticism or insults constructively and realize that sometimes, there's nothing you can do to change someones mind. If you do the best job you can, and are confident in your work, you should not always change your actions just because someone has something negative to say about it.

Employee Evaluations pre work

I found the Employee Evaluation pre work that Regan, Caroline and Carly provided was pretty interesting, and the following quote was one that stood out to me the most.

"Self-evaluations are often critical to your good performance rating. Managers cannot possibly know everything you do every day. So a well-written self-evaluation with successes and complex projects listed can inform, or remind, your manager about the goals you've accomplished and the contributions you've made during the year.

By writing this up, you can influence your manager's final decision about your performance rating. If you've received praise from clients, either internal or external, include them in your self-evaluation to let your manager know that others appreciate your work."

I don't know if i totally agree with this statement. Yes, in a perfect world this would be true, but i would assume that if most employers cannot see the work that you say you are doing, or don't see the effects of it, they won't take it into consideration. Why would they reward you for something that wasn't making an impact on the organization or they weren't even totally sure you were doing? I'd venture to assume that most employers are focused on productivity and they're looking to reward behavior that produces positive results, not busy work.

Saying "good job" isn't enough

I found an interesting article from the Huffington Post that discusses how employees feel about receiving a "good job" comment after a job well done. It seems that for the most part, that's not  a compliment that really makes employees feel appreciated for the work that they do and their performance professionally. It comes off as a bit insincere, and employers should be sure to make sure that their employees feel good about going above and beyond. The article offered suggestions on how to overcome this challenge as an employer and explains how the SBI method can be used.

"Guidelines for Delivering More Effective Feedback
These four essential guidelines will help you deliver impactful feedback:

1. Make it timely. Provide feedback as soon as possible after the behavior has occurred. When you delay, you run the risk that the feedback you do provide will lose its impact and meaning.

2. Be specific. Provide clear, accurate information. Be direct about the situation, the behavior and the actions, and how the behavior impacted others or the organization. This type of feedback shows the person what behaviors should be repeated. In cases where expectations went unmet, specific feedback will help show the person what should be changed (and why).

3. Focus on the facts.One of the most challenging aspects of providing feedback is to withhold your own personal judgments and interpretations. Feedback should be all about the observable behavior, actions, and interactions - not about the person.

4. Show that you’re sincere. Feedback that sounds insincere will most likely not have any meaning or impact for the recipient. Worse, insincere feedback typically backfires. State feedback with conviction and honesty - say what you mean and mean what you say.

Using the SBI Framework to Provide Effective Feedback
SBI is an acronym for situation, behavior, and impact - it’s a model used to deliver feedback effectively that was originally developed by the Center for Creative Leadership:

1. Describe the situation where the behavior was observed.
2. Describe the behavior- the specific and factual actions or interactions that were observed by you or others.
3. Describe the impact - the effect the behavior had on others such as clients or team members, and/or the results."

Lessons from a CEO

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245725

An interesting article I found from a 7 time CEO-
"When things get complicated, go back to basics.

People have a tendency to overcomplicate management when technology is involved, but sometimes your style and mindset just need to go back to basics. Having a company "elevator pitch" and clearly communicating it to your team, for example, is important because it conveys exactly what you do in a digestible way that your team can use next time it answers that question at a networking event"

Response to Erin and Kyle- Change

So far I'd have to say that Erin and Kyle's presentation on change has been one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it was because at our age our lives are changing constantly on a day to day basis- but something about it really resonated with me. The "Who touched my cheese" video- while it was silly and entertaining, held a lot of merit. What is basically boiled down to was that instead of dwelling on why you failed or why something changed when you didn't expect it to, it's best to bounce back and continue in a new direction instead of dwelling on the past and the way you did things before. Your ability to succeed in any given task, profession or situation is entirely dependent on your ability to adapt when things go wrong and change- because they will. Time and time and time again. Change is the only thing guaranteed in life, and the sooner you accept it, the better off you will be.

BAD managment

Just a short anecdote from an experience I had this weekend--

I was in a store over the past weekend to do some shopping for an upcoming trip. I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around me until I overheard something that was pretty upsetting. I heard one employee behind the register say to another "why don't you get it? I've literally explained it to you 5 times. It's not hard." I thought this was rude, but continued with my shopping. When I went up to the register a little while later to pay for my things, the woman who had yelled at her fellow employee was the one who was checking me out. She had a nasty look on her face, didn't greet me, didn't ask how my shopping experience was and was making it clear that she simply did not want to be at work that day. The real shock came when I saw her name tag said "manager".

I understand that everyone has bad days. Everyone has lives outside of work that may or may not effect us on a daily basis. But (in my opinion) no matter what is going on with you personally, when you accept a leadership position in a store, office, hospital or anything else, you need to learn to leave your problems at the door and handle yourself professionally. There simply cannot be responsible for causing "drama" in the workplace, that speaks terribly of you as a leader. Putting others down and treating people with disrespect will not create a productive environment.

I was pretty disappointed to see a grown adult act this way. When things go wrong and you feel like giving up, I've found that faking a smile can get you through the day so you don't burn any bridges.

Shayna and Logan on Personality

I really enjoyed Shayna and Logans presentation on personality. When it comes to finding success, whether it be professionally, socially, or in any endeavor, your personality is what could make or break opportunities for you. Some aspects of your personality are within your control, while others are traits you're born with that are innate to who you are and you may not even realize you possess. The Ted Talk that they showed about being a giver, taker or matcher was a good one, and it sure made me think about which one I am and how it may have effected the course of my life so far. I would say that, especially in the workplace, I am a giver. This summer at the restaurant I work at I got promoted to manager, and this is where I really noticed it. Though it was part of my duties to oversee everything in the restaurant, I found myself stepping in and helping waiters and waitresses that were flustered and even brought food to tables with my broken hand. It was outside of my job description, but it's part of my nature to take more onto my own plate for the sake of helping others. I don't like watching people struggle, especially when i know I could assist them.

Character and Personal Values Pre Work

I'm really excited to see what David and Colleen decide to talk about in their class on Monday. In the workplace and in life in general, i think character and values can most definitely make you or break you, and most times they're innate characteristics that you don't even notice in yourself, but others do. Your character and personal values come out through your actions, how you treat others, and handle yourself on a day to day basis. It's what you show the world about yourself and how they perceive you as a person because of those traits. This relates to first impressions as well; If the first time you meet someone goes poorly and you don't behave in a manner they expect or would desire, they may choose to blame your character.

Thoughts on our Identity Presentation

This week Jason and I spoke to the class about personal and professional identity.

We began by having the class think about these questions before we met, and set up a word cloud that they were able to text their answers into once we met. I thought this went well, and the cool thing about a word cloud is that the more times an answer is said, the bigger the word gets on the screen, so it was easy to see the popular answers among the class. Some of their answers are as followed:
ar


It was nice to see that, for the future, people see themselves having families, achieving happiness and success, having jobs and hopefully traveling. Family and Happiness seemed to be the most important.

For the second, it seemed that the class really values kindness and respect in their lives, be it with themselves or with others.

We went on and did a few different activities, watched a ted talk about Judge Helen Whitener, and had some good discussions. We ran a bit short on time which was unfortunate but we are looking forward to tying what we learned in this lesson into our next about the conflicts between physicians and administration.

Emotional Intelligence Pre Work

Above are the results I received from Regan and Caroline's emotional intelligence pre class quiz.

I scored somewhat negatively in some of the categories which I was a little surprised about, but scored exactly average in emotional self-control which is something that I've always thought I manage pretty well in.

Adaptability didn't surprise me that I received a low score because as I've said before, I'm not very spontaneous and appreciate a solid plan, so when things change unexpectedly it sometimes throws me off a little, and I know I have to work on my ability to adapt if I want to exceed in a management role.

I hope this will spark some interesting class discussion because the concept of emotions are sometimes tough for people to accept and talk about.

Motivation Lesson- Response

I thought this weeks presentation by Carly, Sarah and Jess was really great, props to them for being the first group to go and doing so well!

They started with a group activity about what typically motivates us, and what distracts us. It wasn't overly surprising that a lot of our answers were very similar since all of us in the class come from a similar demographic (college students, hmp majors, ages 19-21, etc). Common themes were "motivated by money and family, distracted by netflix and social life".

They then got into their presentation which was well done and i thought it was clear that they put a lot of time into thinking about it. They even had a recording of a phone conversation with Carly's mentor which was cool.

My big take away was that the motivator for lots of people in the workplace was not in fact money, which I totally agree with. I know for myself, there's some days that you'd value a day spent with family or time relaxing more than any sort of bonus they could give you to come in and work. There's a lot to be said with rewarding employees with things that mean something to them because happiness and satisfaction in the workplace leads to productivity and positive morale.

Motivation Pre Work (Jess, Sarah, Carly)

This upcoming week, Jess, Carly and Sarah will be doing their first presentiation on Motivation. They assigned us some work to complete before the class which consisted of a personality quiz, similar to the big 5, which would tell us about how self motivated we are. My results are listed below:

I was very content with my results and I tend to agree with what they said. I feel that college has really helped me mature in the sense of keeping a schedule and sticking to it in order to achieve my goals and complete tasks on time. I'm an extreme to-do list maker which is a little old fashioned sometimes when i carry around my post-it note, but its a technique I've found that keeps me on track, so I'll stick with it. I'm really looking forward to their lesson, maybe they'll even have some motivation tips to inspire us during this snowy month.

Conversation with my mentor- Erin Valenti

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with my mentor for the first time on the phone. It was nice to chat about the goals of our class and what we've decided to focus on for the semester. She told me a lot about herself and her journey to where she is today and it made me realize that although we are doing a lot of great things in our education at UNH, we still have a lot of time to figure out what in ideal career looks like to us and that what we think we see ourselves doing now may change in 5 or 10 years. She has had lots of different experiences in her professional career and I really think that's great.

I explained to Ms. Valenti how Jason and I would be working together for our teaching projects this semester and gave her a rough idea of what we're interested in sharing with the class. She really helped me to solidify some of those ideas and offered some suggestions for activities we could conduct (although I don't want to give too much information away).

The comment from her that really stuck with me from the whole conversation was one regarding her career as a whole; no matter where she was working at a given time, the most valuable lesson she said she learned was to make people feel appreciated for the work that they're doing, and let them know that it matters. I think this is extremely important because even in my summer/part time jobs, things sometimes get under your skin and hearing that you're doing a good job usually makes the load a little lighter. Whether you're in a leadership position or not, it never hurts to let the people around you know that you appreciate what they're doing for you and with you.

First Post- Personality Indicators

As instructed, I took 2 different kinds of personality indicator quizzes; "The Big 5" (which I have taken in the past) and "16 Personalities".

As far as the big 5, I really wasn't sure if I agreed with the results I got. Actually, I felt that a lot of them were quite the opposite of what I would have said about myself. Below are the results that a received. Unfortunately, I would have said I am more nervous and high strung than I am calm and relaxed. I know it's not the best trait to have, but it's the truth. I would also like to think that in general, i'm more open to new experiences than this quiz said I am.

Although I wasn't so sure of the validity of the big 5, i thought that the 16 personalities quiz was pretty accurate. It decided that i was "CONSUL PERSONALITY (ESFJ, -A/-T)". "People who share the Consul personality type are, for lack of a better word, popular – which makes sense, given that it is also a very common personality type, making up twelve percent of the population. In high school, Consuls are the cheerleaders and the quarterbacks, setting the tone, taking the spotlight and leading their teams forward to victory and fame. Later in life, Consuls continue to enjoy supporting their friends and loved ones, organizing social gatherings and doing their best to make sure everyone is happy." This was almost a complete 180 from the results I got with the previous test, but I found these to be much more accurate about what I see in myself.