With all of the exposure and study in Grad 702 in regards to the four lens perspective, the most comfortable by far is the Collaborative lens. I look at organizations as more than just numbers, and try to relate a personal outlook to my goals and objectives each and every day. The cornerstone of any organization is the people within that organization, and the cornerstone of my present and future work ethic will center around this point. The area where I need to improve on is the system lens. A combination of the technological aspect and analyzing vast amounts of data to come to a solution or answer has always been a weakness at all levels in my professional career, and additional training and exposure will be necessary in order for me to keep up with the ever-changing global markets.
My personal competency sorts appears to relate very closely to my strengths and weaknesses in the four lens model. I have found that the conceptuals are the same, but the actual tasks that need improvement are displayed in the card sorts. Simply put, this exercise drew a specific picture on what I need to improve on versus the 4 lens model that gives me a broad realization of what I need to improve on.
One firm example of when I used Emotional Intellegence was during a short speech I gave to all of the loan officers in the Ohio Market for Chase. Out of 300 people, there was a combination of loan officers, management, and key decision makers for the company. The topic was "incentive plan changes" and the majority of the crowd was discontent with the decisions the company made, but I still had to use Emotional Intellegence to relate to the entire crowd. I had to speak in such a way to make it appear I was not giving the "Corporate Answer" and take managements side, but yet not speak too negatively to relate to some of the crowd and offend others. After given feedback after the speech, I was told I remained very "politically correct" and was able to relate to everyone in the crowd in regards to the recent company changes. This speech was a good use of Emotional Intellegence, and is how I attempt to relate to others in many aspects of life.
I really enjoyed the readings this week, and took a lot of information out of the text that relates to me at many levels. In the office and at home, I attempt to always think outside of the box, and my actions reflect this. I always attempt to put an interesting twist on daily or major tasks, and the readings described my line of thinking perfectly and gave me a better understanding about myself than I had before. Also, the readings was more specific on the creativity aspect of a persons personality, and I took a lot from the authors reflective thought as well.
The concept of the third Alternative is a theory that many people should practice more so than they do. So many tasks or projects have been halted or eliminated in my professional career just because nobody could look outside of their opinion or solution to find a mutual, if not better solution. One situation in particular that stands out was about 3 years ago between a client and a mutual business partner of mine. Simply put, we lost the client because we could not agree on a solution to his financial strain. The client just lost his job 3 years before he was set for retirement, and his current portfolio needed to be adjusted to compensate for his job loss. This client used to be one of my most prestigious clients, but because he could see the internal struggles that I was having with the other gentleman that was managing his portfolio, he pulled his business and went to a competitor firm. The lesson learned here was a painful one, and it taught me that my way is not always the best or only way.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
GRAD 702 – Reflections on Module 2 Concepts
When given my HBDI results, I was expecting a strong "A" score, but was very surprised to see that I was actually a "B". Organization has always been in a part of my life, but I didn't feel it was a dominant trait to my overall personality. However, Quadrant A did rank second on the list, but nevertheless was surprised.
When the knowledge of being a "B" quadrant, I will try to take on more of the organizational aspect of my group assignments and determine if this is where my true strength lies. Our group is constantly learning more about each others strengths and weaknesses with every meeting, and this HBDI test allows for an outside technological source to aid the group process.
When it comes to the lasting legacy that I want to leave to my family, I want them to look at me with the same level of respect that they looked at my grandfather when he was alive. His leadership even in our family circle was inspirational to me as a child and throughout my adolescence, and I aspire to give my family as much guidance and love that he gave to all of us. When it comes to more of a countrywide or global perspective, I want as many people as possible to learn from my financial teachings. Much of the country and the world don't pay enough attention to their finances and live a rougher life than they should be if they simply would have done some simple preparation during their professional life. I want to teach people a few basic steps that will allow them to lead happier lives both during their careers and during those Golden retirement years.
The most creative thing I have been a part of is developing the training plan for over 7000 Personal Bankers for Chase. I was one of the leading factors and decision makers on how Chase bankers will be trained to sell and solicit Chase products and services. I have been a part of training videos and literature that guide bankers all over the country on how to service their customers and grow their own personal wealth at the same time. This gives me constant gratification and self fulfillment at work, and allows me to shine within this large organization.
When it comes to conflict, nobody deals with it perfectly every time. for the most part, my method of patience seems to be effective and it allows the problem to work itself out versus feeling that I always have to get the last word in. Groups in all forms have individuals that act and think differently, and once I came to terms with this, the amount of conflict seemed to decrease around me.
Week two's assignments gave me a firm understanding of what to expect from the PDP and allowed me to work on certain sections that will be incorporated into this paper. At first, the assignment seemed overwhelming, but now that I am realizing that as the weeks progress, I am constantly coming one step closer to completion, I feel much better about this task.
Covey's readings helped me to gain an even better understanding of how to win the respect of both your peers and management to the point where the company will look to you for advice, and that natural leaders can essentially manage the managers. This also gave me an understanding of how I personally operate in the office by using the "Modeling" approach to train and guide colleagues to accomplish a central goal.
When the knowledge of being a "B" quadrant, I will try to take on more of the organizational aspect of my group assignments and determine if this is where my true strength lies. Our group is constantly learning more about each others strengths and weaknesses with every meeting, and this HBDI test allows for an outside technological source to aid the group process.
When it comes to the lasting legacy that I want to leave to my family, I want them to look at me with the same level of respect that they looked at my grandfather when he was alive. His leadership even in our family circle was inspirational to me as a child and throughout my adolescence, and I aspire to give my family as much guidance and love that he gave to all of us. When it comes to more of a countrywide or global perspective, I want as many people as possible to learn from my financial teachings. Much of the country and the world don't pay enough attention to their finances and live a rougher life than they should be if they simply would have done some simple preparation during their professional life. I want to teach people a few basic steps that will allow them to lead happier lives both during their careers and during those Golden retirement years.
The most creative thing I have been a part of is developing the training plan for over 7000 Personal Bankers for Chase. I was one of the leading factors and decision makers on how Chase bankers will be trained to sell and solicit Chase products and services. I have been a part of training videos and literature that guide bankers all over the country on how to service their customers and grow their own personal wealth at the same time. This gives me constant gratification and self fulfillment at work, and allows me to shine within this large organization.
When it comes to conflict, nobody deals with it perfectly every time. for the most part, my method of patience seems to be effective and it allows the problem to work itself out versus feeling that I always have to get the last word in. Groups in all forms have individuals that act and think differently, and once I came to terms with this, the amount of conflict seemed to decrease around me.
Week two's assignments gave me a firm understanding of what to expect from the PDP and allowed me to work on certain sections that will be incorporated into this paper. At first, the assignment seemed overwhelming, but now that I am realizing that as the weeks progress, I am constantly coming one step closer to completion, I feel much better about this task.
Covey's readings helped me to gain an even better understanding of how to win the respect of both your peers and management to the point where the company will look to you for advice, and that natural leaders can essentially manage the managers. This also gave me an understanding of how I personally operate in the office by using the "Modeling" approach to train and guide colleagues to accomplish a central goal.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Blog- complete URL for your blog
When looking at my professional rate of effectiveness today, I would rank it high. My career at JP Morgan Chase has allowed me to shine at many levels, and I have been fortunate enough to not only produce great results by company standards, but to also act as a role model and mentor for many other bankers in Central Ohio. This has given me the exposure that is needed to be a respected leader in my organization, and this will hopefully trickle to the Franklin MBA program as well. My intent is not to sound arrogant by ranking my effectiveness high, but I do take my job responsibilities very seriously. However, I am at a stage in my career where I believe I have proven myself as much as possible, and now I strive for something even better by going back to school.
The assignments provided me with a much better understanding of the Herrmann Model than I had before. Prior to this week, I had a basic grasp of the 4 quadrants, but now feel that I can use this information learned to have an even better understanding of human preferences based on their individual personalities. Eveyone is obviously differerent in many ways, but after studying the assigned readings, my effectiveness as a communicator will probably improve. Looking at all points of view, and taking into account all possible personalities in the audience is what many effective communicators are able to successfully accomplish, and this reading provided additional training in that area.
Through the team assignment, our group was able to establish solid roles and responsibilities, and individual expectations were addressed. At the last meeting, we were able to lay the foundation of what we expect from one another, and I feel the group left much more comfortable than before. Since we are now one group member short, the team was able to re-establish roles and responsibilities, and this increased overall comfort level with future group assignments.
When analyzing my leadership style, "aligning" is the model that I find the most effective. If tasks become diverted or off-course, many times I am able to effectively steer individuals in the right direction. If colleagues are seeking advice or guidance, than I am able to effectively derive what they are doing correctly and incorrectly and give constructive criticism on how to reach the desired outcome. One of my potential career aspirations is to become a corporate trainer or teacher, and this leadership trait is necessary to be effective in this role.
The assignments provided me with a much better understanding of the Herrmann Model than I had before. Prior to this week, I had a basic grasp of the 4 quadrants, but now feel that I can use this information learned to have an even better understanding of human preferences based on their individual personalities. Eveyone is obviously differerent in many ways, but after studying the assigned readings, my effectiveness as a communicator will probably improve. Looking at all points of view, and taking into account all possible personalities in the audience is what many effective communicators are able to successfully accomplish, and this reading provided additional training in that area.
Through the team assignment, our group was able to establish solid roles and responsibilities, and individual expectations were addressed. At the last meeting, we were able to lay the foundation of what we expect from one another, and I feel the group left much more comfortable than before. Since we are now one group member short, the team was able to re-establish roles and responsibilities, and this increased overall comfort level with future group assignments.
When analyzing my leadership style, "aligning" is the model that I find the most effective. If tasks become diverted or off-course, many times I am able to effectively steer individuals in the right direction. If colleagues are seeking advice or guidance, than I am able to effectively derive what they are doing correctly and incorrectly and give constructive criticism on how to reach the desired outcome. One of my potential career aspirations is to become a corporate trainer or teacher, and this leadership trait is necessary to be effective in this role.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
waves of change
To be a fully effective leader, one must be able to adapt to all of the waves. (Gray, 2006) Out of the four waves, I am most comfortable with the industrial wave, but also feel my shift is progressing to the knowledge wave. I am most comfortable at the industrial wave, because this wave relates to my life more so than any other in the sense that I feel I am physical in both my career and my personal life to accomplish many of my goals. At work, my mind is constantly challenged on a daily basis, but I don't believe this justifies plotting my activities into the knowledge sector just yet. My job at the bank is very hands-on, and given that along with the massive numbers of products and services that Chase has me distribute on a daily basis, the industrial wave is the most appropriate at this time.
However, the knowledge wave graces my daily activities more and more these days. The higher up in the company I reach, and the more decision making responsilities that are given to me, the closer I am coming to that next wave of change.
Even though my organization is predominatley in the industirial phase, my MBA workgroup has already achieved the knowledge phase. The natural flow of interactions both inside and out of the class are painless, and considering our massive use of technology to achieve a common goal, this point along with other characteristice qualifies us for the knowledge wave. (Gray, 2006)
Gray, A. (2006) The conflicted leader and vantage leadership. Franklin University Press, 45-49.
However, the knowledge wave graces my daily activities more and more these days. The higher up in the company I reach, and the more decision making responsilities that are given to me, the closer I am coming to that next wave of change.
Even though my organization is predominatley in the industirial phase, my MBA workgroup has already achieved the knowledge phase. The natural flow of interactions both inside and out of the class are painless, and considering our massive use of technology to achieve a common goal, this point along with other characteristice qualifies us for the knowledge wave. (Gray, 2006)
Gray, A. (2006) The conflicted leader and vantage leadership. Franklin University Press, 45-49.
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