As an accountant, the idea of a personal balance
sheet intrigued me. According to Strittin (2015), individuals are similar to
businesses in that we have assets (strengths) and liabilities (weaknesses). I
began to wonder what my balance sheet would look like. In my personal opinion,
would my strengths outweigh my weaknesses? Would this assignment help me to
realize the weaknesses that I need to work to correct?
One of my distinctive strengths is honesty. When I
was about five years old, I got caught in a lie I told my parents. I thought it
was a good idea to tell my mom that my dad said it was okay to go outside and
play and my dad that my mom said the same thing. My five-year-old mind did not
put together that they would probably talk to each other at some point during
my outside adventure. When I got back inside, I was questioned about my actions.
I told another lie which turned into another which created a continuous pattern.
After being punished and grounded, I realized that it is much easier to just
tell the truth. When the truth is told, you do not have to think about what you
said or who you said it to. Everything is much easier that way. This lesson
taught me that I should always be honest and it is a concept that I have tried
to adhere to since I was a child.
Another one of my strengths is compassion. I have
always felt deeply for everyone in my life and do my best to be there for each
of them. According to Williams (2016), individuals who lead with compassion
encourage trust and the well-being of others. I have always believed people are
important, so I want to prove that I care about them over an opinion they may hold
or the job they perform. We are all here together, so we should treat others
with empathy. Another strength along the same lines as compassion is respect. I
was taught at an early age to show everyone the same amount of respect. I
remember my father telling me to display the same level of respect to the
groundskeeper at the school as I did to the principal. This lesson has stuck
with me for years. I have learned that to earn respect you must give respect
and as a leader, respect leads to trust, comradery, and eventually production. If
I believe that I will earn respect because of my title, then I will quickly
fail.
One of my potential strengths is positivity. I have
mentioned in previous blogs that I would like to be the positive part of
people’s day. I want to treat them with optimism and kindness and leave a
positive mark on their day. However, there are times where I get caught up in
my own life or world and miss opportunities to deliver kindness. I was recently
in the grocery store and was lost in my own thoughts. Because I was not paying
attention, I walked past a woman trying to get something off the top shelf. As
I turned the corner of the aisle, it occurred to me what happened. I quickly
turned around to help her but missed my opportunity.
Another potential strength is my anticipation. There
are times when I can anticipate what actions need to be taken and put myself in
a good position. On the other hand, there are times where I fail to focus on
anticipation and create a negative situation. As a leader, I must learn to
anticipate the actions of my department and how these actions may affect my
organization. According to Wink (2013), leaders should attempt to plan for
every scenario.
One of my enduring dispositions is my hard work and desire
to be perfect. I only know one speed and have a habit of not slowing down or
resting until my duties are finished. My yearning to complete things helps me
get through the various activities and hoops thrown at me during everyday life
and I do not know how I would get things completed without this drive toward
perfectionism.
When I began this exercise, I thought that I would
list more liabilities than assets because one of my weaknesses has always been
self-doubt. I not only have a huge fear of failure but I also am full of
insecurity. I always believe that I am going to not only fail but go down in
flames while I am failing. Self-doubt is a common theme in my self-discovery
writings and one that I must work to negate.
Another weakness that I have is the negative way I
view myself. I mentioned that positivity as a potential strength that I
possess, but I fail to view myself in a positive light. For a long time, I did
not see much value in myself. I never thought I was good enough or smart enough
to succeed. This negativity has always kept me in a box (or my comfort zone).
One thing I am working to change is how I view myself. According to Gordon
(2015), positivity helps us see the bigger picture. I am smarter and better at
my job than I give myself credit for so I need to begin to view myself in a
positive manner.
Another weakness that I have become more aware of
recently is recollection. There are times where I will have a conversation with
my boss, coworker, or girlfriend and attempt to actively listen. However, when
I get back to my desk, I have trouble recalling something they said. This
weakness more than likely has to do with the listening blocks of rehearsing or
filtering (Tang, 2011). I would like to change my communication deficiencies in
an effort to not only be an improved listener but also retain the information
discussed. Another weakness that is related to my lack of retention is my
inability to receive proper coaching. There are times I will be given great
advice but I try to spin it into my own words and misconstrue the coach’s
advice. Once again, I believe this comes down to properly listening and
understanding.
One disposition that could get in my way, and I know
this may sound weird, is that I am too nice. I have noticed that when I am in a
store looking at an object (let’s say it is cereal) and another individual
comes to that section then I will move to allow them to pick out their choice
of cereal. I try to accommodate everyone at all times but have noticed that
this behavior can become a weakness. There have been individuals that I have
worked with that try to take advantage of my nice behavior. I do not want to
shy away from my behavior of being nice, but I also need to know when to stand
up for myself.
A final disposition that could get in my way is my
perfectionist tendencies. I also stated that my tendency to be perfect was a
strength that kept me going. However, I must know when to slow down. I must
understand when to let go of perfectionism. There are times when I take on too
much and still attempt to be perfect. Sometimes, for my sanity, I must remember
the advice from Frozen and let it go.
This personal balance sheet has allowed me to view
and discuss my strengths and weaknesses. I understand that there are various
strengths that I could display more often, but I feel comfortable with my
strengths. My weaknesses, on the other hand, tend to hold me back. I must learn
to be view myself in a more positive manner and relinquish the self-doubt if I
am going to continue to grow.
References
Gordon, J. (2015). The power of positivity.
Retrieved from http://www.jongordon.com/positive-tip-power-of-positivity.html
Strittin, D. (2015). Self-discovery assignment: Your
personal balance sheet. Retrieved from http://www.dennistrittin.com/resources/PersonalBalanceSheet_05-15.pdf
Tang, Q. (2011). The twelve blocks to listening.
Retrieved from https://onmymind.areavoices.com/2011/11/05/the-12-blocks-to-listening/
Williams, R. (2016). Why we need more empathetic and
compassionate leaders. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201608/why-we-need-more-empathetic-and-compassionate-leaders
Wink, J. (2013). The action of anticipation.
Retrieved from http://leadlearner2012.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-action-of-anticipation.html
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