W5 Self Architecture Discussion
Nature has long practiced the art of renewal—adapting itself to changing conditions. Nature knows that homeostasis is stagnation. Organisms that are not growing are dying. Poets, who can be thought of as cultural messengers, have noted the seeming resistance of humans to alter their present state.
Nature has long practiced the art of renewal—adapting itself to changing conditions. Nature knows that homeostasis is stagnation. Organisms that are not growing are dying. Poets, who can be thought of as cultural messengers, have noted the seeming resistance of humans to alter their present state.
Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!
—André Gide, winner of the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature
This week, as you explore the concept of self-architecture, think about natural living systems and the many components that comprise the whole. Remind yourself that the process of self-architecture is an ongoing action that takes time and patience. Those around you may notice the results of your efforts before you can see the changes that have occurred within you.
All leaders have a leadership toolbox that contains resources to self-reflect, self-develop, and self-assess. Developing strong reflective leadership skills by applying proven applications of self-assessment will help ensure you add value to your organization and to your team. Leadership applications in self-reflection, development, and assessment will be critical to your success in identifying your leader strengths and areas of improvement within a current organizational culture.
This week, you will articulate ways to build emotional intelligence. You will also self-reflect and evaluate your leadership skills by taking emotional intelligence quizzes and completing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. Upon reflection, you will develop a personal leadership development plan.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you should be able to:
Analyze ways of building Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Evaluate the extent that EI is an important leadership skill within an organization
Evaluate key personal strengths and areas of personal improvement as they apply to your leadership skills
Evaluate your emotional intelligence as it applies to your leadership skills within an organization
Design a personal leadership plan to further develop your leadership strengths and goals and mitigate weaknesses
- Examine the relationship creating positive organizational culture has to Walden’s Mission of creating positive social change
- Discussion: Emotional Intelligence—A Key Leadership Skill
- Before beginning this Discussion, take a moment to participate in one of the many online assessments of Emotional Intelligence (EI) available by conducting an online search of “Emotional Intelligence Surveys.” You may also use one of the following Emotional Intelligence surveys:
Cherry, K. (2016). How emotionally intelligent are you? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm
ChopraCenter. (2017). Emotional intelligence quiz. Retrieved from http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/dH_-h3Q/Emotional-Intelligence-Quiz
The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. (2017). Emotional intelligence quiz. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quizNote: After assessing your own score, you do not need to share your findings with your colleagues in the Discussion, but you will reflect upon your results in your Week 5 Assignment. - To prepare for this Discussion, pay particular attention to the following Learning Resources:
- Cherry, K. (2016). How emotionally intelligent are you? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm
ChopraCenter. (2017). Emotional intelligence quiz. Retrieved from http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/dH_-h3Q/Emotional-Intelligence-Quiz
Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8(4), 290–300. - OpenAthens / Please wait…
By Day 3
Post a cohesive response to the following:
Describe at least two credible methods one can use to build his or her emotional intelligence.
For each suggestion, articulate the pros and cons of the method, including your analysis of the applicability of this method as a tool to increase your own emotional intelligence.
Offer an example of a time when employing one of these methods might have allowed you to have a better outcome to a situation.
Based on the readings and your own research, assess the extent to which you think that emotional intelligence can improve leader effectiveness.Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s Learning Resources, as well as other credible resources you have read; or what you have observed and experienced.
General Guidance: Your original post, due by Day 3, will typically be 3 or 4 paragraphs in length, as a general expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week 5 Discussion 1 Rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ in one or more of the following ways:
Share an insight about what you learned about emotional intelligence from having read your colleagues’ postings and discuss how and why your colleague’s posting resonated with you professionally and personally.
Seek additional clarity or ask your colleague a question, with accompanying context that will help your colleague to think more critically or broadly about the importance of emotional intelligence.
Offer an example, from your experience or observation, which validates or differs from what your colleague discussed related to emotional intelligence.
Offer specific suggestions that will help your colleague build upon his or her emotional intelligence to further his or her leadership skills within an organization or improve the organization’s culture.
Offer further assessment of how emotional intelligence could impact a leader’s effectiveness within an organizational culture.
Share how something your colleague discussed changed the way you consider your own emotional intelligence and/or its impact on your leadership abilities.Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained as a result of the comments that your colleagues made.
Kweshonte Mathews
RE: Discussion – Week 5
It’s a bazaar that this week happened to be on emotional intelligence because I was doing some research for personal reasons on how to improve my communication when it comes to my emotions.
I hate confrontation at times. I need to build my confidence and acknowledge my emotions.
My confidence- I want to practice being an alpha female. Sometimes I appear as a pushover because I do not like addressing issues. I say this because in the past I have addressed Issues and it has not gotten solved. Instead, I get talked about behind my back ( I care too much about what others think), I get lied on in situations that I am not even involved in. I keep to myself and even doing that there are still issues. I have been trying to practice being an alpha female by addressing my concerns without feeling low, speaking my mind, but respectfully, and not shying away from issues due to past experiences. When I get frustrated or upset about something I typically shut down and do not want to talk to anyone.
Acknowledging my emotions- sometimes I dismiss my emotions thinking that maybe I am overreacting and that I need to grow a backbone. This is something I truly need to work on. It’s okay to feel upset or bothered. Everyone has the right to be comfortable in their own work environment.
There time recently I confronted my boss on an issue and she understood and backed off. It was hard for me to have that discussion with her because she and I were very close. I think she backed off instead of the situation because she knows that I am in my final days of employment at her organization.
Emotional intelligence can improve leader effectiveness by learning how to master stress levels and not reacting to them (Segredo et al.,2021). I have created a horrible habit of internalizing my frustration and channeling it into stress and mental exhaustion which is why I decided to quit my job. Learning how to minimize my frustration and exhaustion will allow me to operate at my best, and the people around me would actually benefit from it (Segredo et al.,2021). Our emotions influence how we react to people, opportunities, and challenges. As a leader, we need to be able to resolve come flicked and collaborate amongst our peers.
References
Segredo M., Cistone P., and Reio T. (2021), Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence,
Leadership Style, and School Culture Research Anthology on Preparing School Administrators to
Lead Quality Education Programs, 10.4018/978-1-7998-3438-0.ch039, (854-874)
REPLY QUOTE EMAIL AUTHOR
3 hours ago
RE: Discussion – Week 5
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is probably one of my favorite topics, so I am glad we get to explore it more this week. Throughout my career (so far), I have had many opportunities to attend formal leadership training and programs. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is always one of the topics discussed in these trainings. In a previous leadership program, I took an EI assessment and rated very well in all four categories; this was several years ago. I decided to take another assessment this week and found I rated as having “average” EI this time. Interestingly, I knew I was going to rate different as I answered more accurately. On the previous EI assessment I took, I know my responses were the “right” answers, and not how I would actually respond to a situation. This time, I responded truthfully on how I personally would react to each prompt presented. So, if I know how I am supposed to react in situations, why do I react differently?
There are many phenomena to how people respond to different situations. To improve our reactions, there are different methods that can be used to build our emotional intelligence. I have learned through Emotional Intelligence 2.0, by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, that you should only focus on one area to improve upon at a time. Therefore, I am going to review strategies on improving my self-awareness as it’s clear I don’t know myself as I really am. Methods to improve self-awareness are to keep a journal of emotions and seeking feedback (among many others). “With a journal, you can record what events triggered strong emotions in you and how you responded to them” (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009, p. 78). This is important for me currently as I have found myself reacting to situations at work in a not-so-favorable manner out of frustration. In addition to keeping a journal, I also need to seek feedback from those I lead in order to truly understand how they see me. “Often, there is a big difference between how you see yourself and how others see you” (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009, p. 92).
Keeping a journal of your emotions and seeking feedback from those you interact with are great tools in evaluating your self-awareness. The pros are that you are making sure to focus your thoughts on your reactions and also hearing first-hand how others view you and your reactions. One con would be that individuals may be nervous to provide you honest feedback for fear of repercussions. I consistently ask my team for feedback and for any suggestions on things I can do to improve as a leader. However, I am often provided with an “everything is great” response, but is it? Maybe I need to do more anonymous surveys to receive more candid responses.
I believe I shared this example in a previous class, but it is one that comes to mind most often as it relates to my self-awareness. If I had employed journaling my emotions prior to reacting, I would have improved my self-awareness. There was a big system issue occurring across the clinic where the front desk staff were having to repeatedly restart their computers resulting in long lines of patients trying to check in. Due to it impacting everyone, I instructed the front desk that I would work with IT on resolving everyone’s computer issues, so they could focus on patient care. I spent countless hours over the next few days on the phone with IT troubleshooting different things to determine what was happening. At the end of the one day, IT stated they would contact me in the morning, and we would continue our efforts in pinpointing the issue. Exhausted, I left for the day.
The next morning, one of my employees messaged me and stated, “I am still having computer issues, I am needing to restart my computer.” I responded and let him know that IT is aware, and I am working on it. A few minutes later I went out to the front to grab something and heard him on the phone. I looked at him and asked who he was talking to; he said IT. I lost it. With heat rising inside me, I loudly said, “I am walking away right now because I am frustrated and going to snap out.” I could not believe after telling him NOT to call IT and that I was handling it, that he was on with IT discouraging my direction. I did not react how I should have, and would have benefited from just walking away, writing down my feelings, and giving myself a minute to calm down before I addressed the incident with him. I ended up having to apologize for my actions as it was uncalled-for.
Just based on my scenario above you can see that emotional intelligence can improve leader effectiveness. If I had practiced self-awareness in that situation, I would not have reacted the way I did. My reaction caused stress in my employee as he thought he was helping me by calling IT. If I had reacted differently, I could have better understood his actions and our working relationship would not have been strained at that moment. Practicing emotional intelligence “is critical in building and maintaining relationships and influencing others-key skills that help people throughout their career and wherever they sit in an organizational structure”(Harvard Professional Development, 2019). It’s clearly necessary as a leader.
References
Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional Intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart.
Harvard Professional Development. (2019). How to improve your emotional intelligence. Harvard division of continuing education. How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence – Professional Development | Harvard DCE