I am currently taking my third course since beginning the MSLD program at ERAU and I already feel a difference in my level of self-awareness. I believe it is almost impossible not to raise self-awareness; unless I avoid putting in any effort towards my courses. Otherwise, I should have no problem making some form of improvement on five of the most critical areas of self-awareness through participation and learning. These Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness consist of emotional intelligence, attitudes toward change, cognitive style, values, and core self-evaluation.
Emotional intelligence is considered “the ability to manage oneself and to manage relationships with others” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 61) and “identifies the extent to which people are able to recognize and respond appropriately to the emotions of others (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 62). I feel I have always demonstrated a high level of self-awareness and have done very well managing myself and relationships on an emotional level. However, I have learned there is always room for improvement, as evidenced in the multiple assessments I have already taken since beginning the MSLD program.
I have always considered myself extremely adaptable to people and situations. I have learned to accept that the only constant in life is change. This course has helped support my self-assessment in regards to my attitudes toward change. It has helped uncover my discomfort for ambiguity and my displeasure in realizing I tend to display an external locus of control. Typically areas that make one uncomfortable are areas that need improvement. And both of these areas in my case are no different. I will be on a journey to find ways of self-improvement to become more comfortable with ambiguity and how to try and shift towards a more internal locus of control approach.
My cognitive style, “which refers to the manner in which individuals gather and process information” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 61), has always been a strong asset of mine. Despite my strength in gathering and processing information, this course has exposed some weaknesses. A recent assessment revealed I excelled in the knowing style and planning style areas of my cognitive style. However, I found I scored much lower in the creating style. This creating style is what I consider almost everything I am not. Accepting ambiguity and uncertainty, spontaneity, and environments that lack rules and procedures are all examples of things that make me extremely uncomfortable.
We are all raised in an environment where we learn some form of values at some point in our lives. I am no different. I have a great family who instilled good values, coaches who taught me how hard work pays off, and was blessed with military experience that helped me understand the importance of strong core values. The MSLD program has covered many aspects of values and their significance. It has reminded me to continue to be mindful of my values and having an introspective approach can help with making changes to improve upon them.
Finally, core self-evaluation is a new aspect for me in terms of how it can be incorporated into self-improvement. My understanding, because of this course, is that core self-evaluation is “an underlying factor found to account for the effects of the “Big Five” personality dimensions” (2011). I am also familiar with the “Big Five” because of a previous course in the MSLD program and my interest in how these traits effected decisions. I am very confident my level of self-awareness will continue to increase throughout my learning in the MSLD program.
Reference:
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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