Last week I had an incredible opportunity to attend a 3 day Leadership Challenge Program on Hickam offered to 26 SMSgt's. This was the very first class that was about ME! (and each of the other 25 students) They didn't teach you how to be a leader they taught you about yourself (strengths and weaknesses). It was taught by Barry Berglund and Pete Ellum from the Center of Creative Leadership out of N.C. These guys have been teaching Senior leaders from all branches of the Military and CEO's from around the world. This was by far the most comprehensive look into how I'm wired to think / react and predict how I will handle daily life and critical decisions. Below is the complete summary of my leadership abilities-style, my behavior, personality preferences and my behavior in conflict situations.
No need to continue reading unless you are just curious or bored!
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) offers an exclusive focus on leadership education and research and unparalleled expertise in solving the leadership challenges of individuals and organizations everywhere. What is creative leadership? It's the capacity to think and act beyond the boundaries that limit our effectiveness. They believe leaders are made, not born, and that they can adapt and change. They believe that strong interpersonal skills, grounded in personal reflection and self-awareness, are the key to effective leadership.
My report was a comprehensive survey from my supervisor, peers and subordinates. I had an overall rating in the very high range with the following qualities; experienced and well-informed (ability to offer long-term, big picture views), an enterprising person, dealing skillfully with complex issues and unexpected challenges. I'm seen as a leader with savvy, one who can identify new business ventures and turn them into reality. I demonstrate trust in others, which enables me to give them latitude and opportunities to learn and grow.
The purpose of the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation report (FIRO-B) is to provide a three dimensional view of expressed and wanted behavior, which define how much a person expresses to others, and how much he wants from others.
My report basically states the following; Control is my lowest priority, I won't be much concerned about order and structure until my needs for inclusion and affection are satisfied. I don't want to be closely supervised, I'm self-sufficient, I prefer to work on projects that aren't politicized, I avoid being the focus of attention in meetings, I find recognition less important than accomplishment of the task, I tend to be task oriented and businesslike, I neither seek reassurance from others nor provide it.
The Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment is an instrument used to measure opposite ways of gaining energy (extraversion or intorversion), gathering or becoming aware of information (sensing or intuition), deciding or coming to a conclusion about that information (thinking or feeling) and dealing with the world around us (judging or perceiving).
My report states I'm the following
Extraversion (
E), sensing (
S), thinking (
T), judging (
J) or
ESTJ. Only about 9% of the population are considered
ESTJ's however some successful individuals are Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Sandra Day O'Connor.
As an
ESTJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.
ESTJs live in a world of facts and concrete needs. They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems. They value competence and efficiency, and like to see quick results for their efforts.
ESTJs are take-charge people. They have such a clear vision of the way that things should be, that they naturally step into leadership roles. They are self-confident and aggressive. They are extremely talented at devising systems and plans for action, and at being able to see what steps need to be taken to complete a specific task. They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn't meeting their standards. But at least their expressions can be taken at face-value, because the
ESTJ is extremely straight-forward and honest.
The
ESTJ is usually a model citizen, and pillar of the community. He or she takes their commitments seriously, and follows their own standards of "good citizenship" to the letter.
ESTJ enjoys interacting with people, and likes to have fun.
ESTJs can be very boisterous and fun at social events, especially activities which are focused on the family, community, or work.
The
ESTJ needs to watch out for the tendency to be too rigid, and to become overly detail-oriented. Since they put a lot of weight in their own beliefs, it's important that they remember to value other people's input and opinions. If they neglect their Feeling side, they may have a problem with fulfilling other's needs for intimacy, and may unknowingly hurt people's feelings by applying logic and reason to situations which demand more emotional sensitivity.
The
ESTJ puts forth a lot of effort in almost everything that they do. They will do everything that they think should be done in their job, marriage, and community with a good amount of energy. He or she is conscientious, practical, realistic, and dependable.
The
Thomas-Kilmann Instrument is designed to measure a person's behavior in conflict situations. "Conflict situations" are those in which the concerns of two people appear to be incompatible. In such situations, we can describe an individuals behavior along two basic dimensions: (1)
assertiveness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy his own concerns, and (2)
cooperativeness, the extent to which the person attempts to satisfy the other person's concerns.
These two basic dimensions of behavior define five different modes for responding to conflict situations: Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding and Accommodating.
My report basically states I tend to compromise the most during conflict situations and accommodate the least amount during conflict.
Compromisers provide a practical, pragmatic force for moderation, a compromising style is helpful in finding fair, workable settlements. It puts less strain on goodwill than does a competitive style and takes less time than does a collaborative style
Today was the day when Amanda invited a couple of friends over for a play date and some crafts. When her best friend from school arrived she had a little brother (Anthony) who was 4, needless to say Anthony & Jake were best buds and Anthony convinced his mom he needed to stay and play with Jake. It was a blast! Here are some of the custom cards the girls made
Amanda with her best friend from class, Madison
Jake with his new best friend (Madison's little brother) Anthony
Friday was the day Lynn and I volunteered for "Rocking reader". This is where parents take turns coming to class and reading a book to the class. We also did a quick little project (making a discover book) and gave out little treat bags with popcorn and raisins. The kids loved the story, craft and of course the treat bag. It was really fun reading to over 20- 2nd graders and seeing how enthused they were to read
Of course Jake made some new friends and all the boys wanted to set on the couch with him after class
Amanda and her friend Madison enjoying their treat bags
When Lynn returned from PA, she brought Amanda the coolest wig (for Halloween). We have our on little Hananh Soots now
