Learning Goal #1 Plan for Improvement
To improve my interpersonal skills, I will specifically focus on peer interactions and team building. The plan to improve my facilitation of peer interactions is to lead by example. I will work to get to know the members of STAR on a personal level and plan events with a social atmosphere. This will show the club members that I truly believe getting to know someone will help on both the professional level as well as the personal level. The next way I plan to improve my interpersonal communication is through team building. Again, by providing STAR members with a positive place for club bonding, I hope the club members will become such a tight knit group that more and more people will want to become active in STAR.
Reflection – Learning Goal #1
While working to complete my Leadership Certificate I have succeeded at my goal to develop interpersonally through the vehicle of STAR. Throughout the year, I have become good friends with peers that I met through STAR. Some I did not know their names in the first meetings, but after talking with them I was able to form a bond that allowed us to interact outside of the school setting.
I have been self-aware of my tendencies to put task over relations. With this in mind, I made it a goal during my leadership application class to get to know the group members on a personal level before diving into the project at hand. In the beginning of the STAR Party planning stages (I was agency contact and program manager for the STAR Party), I was all over the spectrum. Initially, I was leading by facilitating all social interactions with minimal focus on the results. About a quarter of the way into the project I realized not much was getting accomplished. From here, I switched to a strictly task-oriented approach. This yielded results, but I noticed the group was not having any fun in planning for such a fun event. Half way through the project I found the winning combination. I started out our group meetings and interactions casual and social, and then I directed their attention to the task at hand. When tasks were complete, I made sure to have time at the end for socialization and shenanigans. This method worked great for this specific situation because the team members were very social to start. From this experience, I realized that I need to be an adaptive leader. If I noticed that the followers were dragging or they seem to avoid me, I took this into consideration and reevaluated my leadership style. I will apply these findings immediately. During my internship, I will have to work with people from many different backgrounds, all of which will respond differently to different leadership styles.
Learning Goal #2) To increase my self-confidence by more frequently asking questions and voicing my opinions during class and discussions during the 2012-2013 school year.
Learning Goal #2 Plan for Improvement
To improve my self-confidence, I will work to raise my hand during each of my classes once a week for the fall 2012 school semester. In order to remind myself of my goal, I will wear a bracelet, and every time I hold back the urge to state my opinion or as a question, I will switch the wrist in which I am wearing the bracelet. My working goal is to decrease the amount of switches per day from the beginning of the semester to zero at the end of the semester. Also, when participating in special class discussions or STAR group activities, my same bracelet rules will apply.
Reflection – Learning Goal #2
On the journey to complete my Leadership Certificate I have learned to trust myself. A leader must be willing and passionate enough to pursue a cause. If the leader does not speak up for what they believe in or act accordingly, then why should any of the followers? A true leader is someone who is devoted to the cause and can guide the followers because of similar or past experiences. Learning to trust myself and knowing what I have to say is important because it will help me become a better leader.
When I began the Leadership Certificate, I was battling within whether or not to voice my opinion; but, once I decided to, the chance was well behind. Now, in my last semester, I have become the person that I had hoped to become. My peers, faculty and staff are confident in my abilities and are open to my opinions, questions and comments. Just recently, I was in a class with student presentations and, without hesitation, I gave my opinion on multiple occasions.
Achieving this learning goal helped to boost my self-confidence. This is a great feeling to have when in an employment situation or even in an extracurricular activity. With increased self-confidence I know I can assertively voice my opinion. What I now have to work on is taking the suggestions that others will have about my opinions. I must remember that their suggestions are not directed toward me as a person, but rather at my thought process. Those who are giving me this feedback are most likely people who have many more years of experience and have been in the same scenario before. Instead of brushing off their suggestions or comments, I need to filter through them and find the message they are trying to provide me.
Knowing that I am no longer fighting within will help me to focus on the next step instead of being stuck in the moment. Moving on to my final internship with the Mid-American Junior Golf Tour and my professional career I need to constantly be thinking about the future and not be stuck on what might have been.
