DIRECTIONS
NOTE: Remember that your discussion response must include the following:
- A reflection on the concept we are discussing. Give us a summary of things you learned about this concept from your assigned chapter readings.
- A thorough example/discussion to support your reflection.
- A final statement that tells us what you take away from this week’s lesson.
- Properly formatted in-text citations and references.
- Strong grammar, spelling, and mechanics.
- In total your discussion should be at least 250 words.
When responding to your peers, be sure to connect on both personal and theoretical level by reacting to what was said, supporting your reactions with scholarly sources (e.g., your textbook), and identifying potential additional concepts or communication strategies to consider. End your responses with open-ended questions to extend conversations.
Kashayla Holmes
RE: Journey into self-awareness
Dr. D. and Classmates,
Good evening everyone! How are you guys today? I pray that my message reaches you all in good health and spirits! Our first weeks discussion asked us to preview our assigned readings and gain understanding about one of four discussion topics. The one I chose is about the importance of self awareness. Our textbook, Interpersonal Skills in Organizations, defines the term self awareness as the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile self as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals (de Janasz, Dowd & Schneider, 2018).
From gathering empirical and professional experience, I have come to understand that self awareness allows us to fully flourish and more effectively in any setting. Being able to identify who you are as an individual, and your uniqueness allows you to reflect on adversities, negativity and find that sense to control themselves, in a different manner as far as reactions, behaviors and thoughts that are exhibited in the process. Personally, enduring traumatic experiences that life threw my way, from losing my father as a child, the only man I knew that loved me unconditionally, having a strained relationship with my mother and sister, the two leading maternal figures in my life, and having experienced two near death experiences.
Recognizing that everyone is not for you nor do they always have your best interest, really pushed me to find my true self and learn to love, respect and be true to me, since all I have had to rely on to never disappoint myself was, me. While enduring these hardships, I was gifted the opportunity of learning the relevance and the effect of optimism, positive thinking and constructive criticism, while also gaining sense of and also becoming more knowledgeable about my worth, all while improving my interpersonal communication skills that included my strengths, weaknesses which also helped me to really empathize with others in their times of need.
Researchers from Wright State Universitys, Department of Management, stated in a article titled, Self Awareness and Personal Development, that self awareness is one of the most essential factors for enhancing our management skills because it allows us to enhance our discernment abilities when looking for ways to excel both personally and professionally mainly through self assessing to identify our personality traits, personal values, habits, emotions, motivations, and psychological values and needs that push us to behave in certain manners (Williams, 2021).
Even with everything that I have experienced in my life, I still maintain a full life and motivate myself while guiding others to be more optimistic in hopes of reaching their optimal state of a healthier mind, happier lifestyle, and better decision making skills. Also, when I found myself in need of a little pick me up spiritually, I would confide in my very tight knit group of two very close confidants who allowed me to freely vent and when I allowed my weaknesses to make me feel at my lowest, those individuals were always there to empower me with inspirational scriptures, reminding me of the things that they admired, appreciated, and loved most about my perseverance, strength and resilience.
POST2 BELOW
RE: Establishing goals consistent with your values and ethics
I remember in my late-teens, hearing the term “glass ceiling” and actually having to look it up to understand the meaning. I attribute this to the values I was raised with. On the surface, I seem like not only the average person, but the majority. I am a middle-America, white, middle class female. Which means that by the U.S. Census Bureau, I fall under a number of “majority” categories. However, as in everyone, when you scratch below the surface, everyone has situations that set them apart culturally (US Census Bureau, 2021).
I was raised in what people refer to as a “broken home.” Both parents having been divorced prior to marrying one another and children coming from those marriages. I was also raised in a home in which my father was the only male. In addition, we were not considered middle-class until late in my teenage years. We fell in the lower-class category. None of these things are what I would consider bad things. They are just part of what formed myself and my sisters. We didn’t understand the term “glass ceiling” because we were raised in a home in which we were never taught that being female would be a disadvantage. In fact, quite the opposite. We have all been described as strong, independent women and have each managed to be successful in what we have pursued. We were always told that we could be anything we wanted to be and no challenge couldn’t be overcome with hard work and determination.
I chose to join the military. At 18 I joined the Army. In 2008 I was called up for a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq. At the time, I was an E-4 (Specialist). At the time, we were considered over-strength, meaning that they were going to have to choose between myself and another person on who would be going on the deployment. Because of my rank, age and gender, I was not favored to be chosen. I was taken aside and it was explained to me that the other person was, on paper, the better suited candidate for the job. However, a higher ranking person had made the suggestion that I be chosen based on my work ethic. The caveat being that within three months of being in Iraq, I had to be promoted. This would mean quite a bit of work on my part. In addition to the usual deployment work that was extensive, I would need to study and pass my board to become a sergeant. I agreed and off I went. Within two months of being there I “got my stripes.”
I felt like not only had I personally accomplished a lot, but I felt like I had lived up to the expectations of those people who fought to have me on the deployment. I felt justifed and vindicated and I knew that my hard work had paid off, both the immediate hard work, but also the work I had been putting in for years that gave me that opportunity. I was motivated not only by my own personal standards, but those set before me by my leadership.
On that same note, the next deployment I had set the goal to once again be promoted. I did not acheive this goal and actually didn’t acheive it for quite some time. I could say that the stakes were lower and I lacked the leadership I had in the first, but realistically, by that time, me attitude had changed and my motivation had changed. I did not put forth the effort I needed to in order to obtain that goal at the time. A number of factors played in to that, but in all honesty I can say my self-awareness was impacted by a number of influences at the time. I lacked aggreeableness, motivation, emotional stability, conscientiousness and even openness to the experience. I was closed off. It was not the appropriate time to set that goal and the harder it became to acheive it, the less motivated I was to do so and the more jaded I became at the situation. I learned from that experience though. I learned a lot about self awareness that I utilize today (C., Dowd, & Schneider, 2022).
