How Well do I Respond to Turbulent Change?

I scored a 66 which means I would probably find a current manager’s job unpleasant and overwhelming. This does not surprise me at all. After going through the questions, most of them sounded like a nightmare job I would never want. Having to deal with multiple situations at once is really hard for me because I have a very one-track mind. I knew when I was younger that I could never work fast food because I would be overwhelmed with taking orders, getting food, being nice, and taking payment all at the same time. 

A time I dealt with a lot of change is when I was designing lighting for a show that was meant to be filmed and performed in the theater. About two weeks before the performance, our lead actor dropped so the show was reduced to just a film. I had to completely change everything I was doing and constantly adjust for new decisions that were being made because of this. It was extremely stressful, and I had to pull a few all nighters to get the job done. I am still amazed that I survived that experience. I think if I was put in the same situation again I would avoid putting in so many extra hours and ask for more understanding from management. 

I suppose I could be less resistant to change if I could acquire better skills to deal with it. I usually avoid change, but if I embraced it for once I might learn to deal and handle it better. Accepting it in the first place is my difficulty.

How Good am I at Giving Performance Feedback?

According to the assessment I have strong feedback skills with a score of 6/2. I think this is somewhat wrong because I have a really easy time giving positive feedback but am hesitant to give negative feedback. I think it is difficult to give negative feedback because you have to present it in a way that doesn’t damage them but also motivates them. When pointing out flaws I have always practiced pointing out two positive things for every negative. This supports the person while letting them know where the need to improve. It is important to keep a positive relationship with employees so they perform better and respect you too.

What’s the Right Organizational Culture for Me?

Based on my score of 18, I am definitely attracted to a more formal and structured environment. I’ve figured this out previously through certain situations in my life. When I am given clear, precise and detailed rules and descriptions I tend to perform better and receive more recognition. However, when I am left without details and encouraged to be more innovative, I fall short and am ultimately disappointed in myself.  I feel like that is why I generally do well in an academic setting, because it is so structured. This is very helpful as far as determining where to work. I know now that certain places may not value me as highly because I work better under specific circumstances. It has nothing to do with better or worse, just different.

How Willing Am I To Delegate?

I scored a 53 which means I still need improvement on my delegation skills. I know that the few times I have had to delegate, the job had to be done over at least twice. I even tried to delegate another group to complete the project but it was no use. I ended up having to do it myself. I think people don’t feel comfortable delegating work because it seems like no one will get the job done the way you want it. The up-side to this is that sometimes you will get a better result from delegating than you could have alone. Another reason it is difficult is that it feels like it takes more time to explain how do to something to someone else when I could just do it myself. The good thing about delegating, however, is that once you’re done explaining, you have time to work on other things.

I think I would feel more confident delegating to others if I was older and had more experience. Right now I feel like I should be the delegatee because I am young and don’t have a lot of work experience. Not just knowing how but when to delegate is significant as well. Delegating should be used when your employees have proper knowledge of the task. It is not a way for people to get out of work. It is a tool to help free up time in order to complete other tasks that only you should accomplish or work on.

What’s my preferred conflict handling style?

My highest score was a 16 which was the accommodating style. I do find this to be true most of the time because I let my needs come second to others all the time. I thought this was a big weakness so it is weird to see it as a management style. I do think that the style used varies on the situation. On topics I am passionate about I can get pretty competitive. I catch myself avoiding conflicts a lot which is explains why it has a score of 15. I would like to become more aggressive and competitive when it comes to conflict management. Most of the time I find myself giving too much up in order to compromise, avoid, or accommodate conflicts.

How good am I at playing politics?

I kind of figured before taking this that my score wouldn’t be great. I already know that I am not very good at networking and I don’t think I’ve developed the skill to get people to do what I want. What I do have, however, is genuineness and sincerity. I want people to like me and I aim to please others. I strive to maintain a good reputation and get upset when someone threatens it. I scored a 68. The assessment suggests that I am still naive about politics. I know this to be true because I have trouble advancing myself in the workplace. Politics is pretty much unavoidable at work. People need to be connected, build rapport, express their own opinions, and be able to read others.I hope this is something that can be built up with maturity and experience.

What’s my leadership style?

I scored a 9 for the people-orientation which is high and a 7 for the task orientation which is low. I do think a leader can and usually should be proficient in both areas. This will promote a better working environment and increase productivity. However, in situations where the group members may be very experienced, it would be better to leave the task to them and be a people-oriented leader. Leadership style can definitely change with experience and training. Especially now that I know my scores I will work harder to be a more task oriented leader.                                                                                                                                                                                                

How good are my listening skills?

I always considered myself a good listener but as I was answering the questions I realized how many bad habits I have when listening to others. I scored a 43. I guess I’d be at the low end. I noticed that I tend to pay more attention to non-verbal cues rather than what the person is actually saying. A good example of this is when introducing myself and shaking hands I can never remember their name…ever. What I do remember is the handshake and what their face did. This is important because I’m missing critical information. I know that when I’m not listening I’m usually not looking at the speaker, I fidget, and tend to change the subject abruptly. The funny thing is when I notice people doing that to me I get offended. I need to concentrate more on truly listening to people. A good goal would for me would be to listen and try to paraphrase back to myself what was said and then add to the conversation if I could. It is very difficult for me because I am a very visual person. I remember sight more than auditory information, that is why I pick up easily on non-verbal cues.

How good am I at building and leading a team?

This test was difficult to respond to. I’ve never had to put together and manage my own team. I based my answers on what I would probably do to set up a team with my current knowledge. I scored a 63 so I’m in the third quartile. The assessment itself was a learning tool for me. It covered areas about managing a team that I wouldn’t have thought or cared to do before. Things like promoting excellence, not mediocrity and encouraging team members to share their visions with outsiders. Now I can see how these suggestions would be beneficial to a team in brainstorming and success. I think I can improve my score by actually getting some real life experience and taking pointers from the text. It is important to find team players because they know how to work well with others, take responsibility and share responsibility.

Do I have a negative attitude toward working in groups?

Before I took this, bad memories of working in groups already started popping into my head. I scored a 22 meaning I do have a negative attitude toward groups. I feel that I have good reasons for wanting to avoid group work, at least in a student context. Every time I’m in a group I get stuck with the people who don’t want to put forth any effort. I try be friendly and to assign duties and deadlines but they are rarely met. So, in order to avoid getting a bad grade me and maybe one other person end up doing all the work. I do understand the importance of group work. It brings multiple talents and experiences to the project creating a better result. I also think it is important to go in with a positive attitude or no one will want to work with you. I just don’t think I’ve been a part of the right groups yet. Perhaps a groups work ethic changes when people are getting paid instead of receiving a grade.