A520.3.5.RB_TingJunLee

How you can integrate supportive communication in your present position, utilize the guidelines detailed on page 265 and describe the expected outcomes that may result from your efforts.

My job role is very interesting in terms of communication. The company is split in two, one half in Singapore and the other half in East Hartford, Connecticut. We rely heavily on our counterparts in the U.S. and hence email is our main mode of communication. Several times a week, we also have teleconferences. But such communication does not allow us to see each other and it is some times awkward to ask another person to do you a favor not knowing how he or she looks like.

Sometimes, the “tone” of the email received may seem “harsh” and I may begin to take the email as a personal attack on my character. However, through this course and the guidelines detailed on Page 265 of the textbook, I have realized that it is important to bring the situation back to being problem-oriented, rather than person-oriented. With the colleagues locally, it may seem easier to communicate with them since they are physically around. With certain individuals, it may challenging to communicate with them as they see themselves being technically better than you and will not accept your ideas or proposals. I think it is important to listen to what they have to say first, and then agree to disagree. Approaches to solving conflict can be used, such as allowing them to “win this battle” and maybe the next time he or she will let you “win”.

In addition, as we lack the personal touch with our colleagues in the U.S., it is very difficult to convey messages of appreciation and thanks. It is not as easy as walking up to the person and saying thanks. However, more can be done to express thanks and appreciation through the phone or email. That way, even though we have not met each other, we can build a better relationship and communication style over email and understand the working style of the individuals better.

A520.3.1.RB_TingJunLee

What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?

Cautious

Intuitive

Logical

Self motivating

What are the opposites of the words you chose?

Risk taking

Reasoned

Irrational

Being instructed on what to do

Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?

One approach that I'll like is to take on more risks. Of course, the risks has to be calculated and substantiated although it maybe fun and challenging to jump in first without fully knowing the consequences. At the moment, I see myself as cautious and tend to be pessimistic on the outcomes of projects.

Another approach I'll like to see is to be more reasoned. This was actually a feedback I received from my supervisor during a performance review. In order to be reasoned, it is important to make decisions with data and information at hand. Some times I tend to make conclusions without fully researching into the problem thus leading to more problems at the end.

A520.2.6.RB_TingJunLee

Assess your time management skills.

During my school days, I have come to realize that my time management skills have been better than most of my peers. This life skill has gotten me through some challenges in my life and has been one my best life skills.

Evaluate how these skills have increased your locus of control.

With better time management, I am able to plan and schedule ahead of time and work according to that schedule. If the project comes out well, I know that it is my time management skills which played a part in the success of the project. But when things go bad, I am also able to look and assess myself for improvement.

Identify three new areas in which improved time management skills would reduce stress.

1) With better time management skills, I can plan in advance and work according to that plan. This will reduce stress as I can prepare ahead of time and not work at the last minute.

2) In my style of time management, I try to dedicate a portion of day to tackle different projects. By accomplishing a small bit everyday according to schedule, I'll be able to cover a wider range of tasks, hence reducing stress.

3) Time management allows me to prioritize my work and differentiate between a quick win and a task which may take a long time. Targeting high value quick wins can lead to a boost in morale and reduce stress.

Add an action plan to integrate these to your daily routine.

An idea which I have is to plan a list of things to do everyday and try to accomplish them before leaving the office. To make use of my management skills, I will also try to involve other team members and subordinates so as to accomplish more within the given time.

A520.2.3.RB_TingJunLee

What was the conflict?

Recently, there was an extra space for a training session organized in my company. The training was for Computer Aided Design (CAD) Modeling and is an important aspect for my scope of work. At the same time, there were two interns in my department and it was decided by my supervisor that one of the interns, which is the intern that will be staying longer in the company, will be able to take up this extra slot in the class. This decision was made because this intern will be staying longer and hence could contribute more, while the other intern was leaving 2 weeks after the CAD course ended. I had to break the "bad news" to the other intern that he was not allowed to go and he was not too pleased about it.

What role did you play?

I was the intern's mentor and hence I had to explain to him why he was not allowed to go for the training session.

Who were the other participants in the negotiation?

My supervisor was involved as the decision on who should go ultimately laid with him.

What was the result?

The result turned out rather unpleasant in my opinion. First, let me explain the hierarchy in my department. I report to my supervisor who reports to my manager, and of course the intern reports to me. When I told the intern that he was not allowed to attend the CAD training, he went behind my back and approached my manager directly for permission to attend the training. I felt this was a blatant show of disrespect and not following the chain of command. On top of that, it made my supervisor and I look very bad because it would seem that we are incapable of handling such a simple conflict.

Given that the intern was leaving in 2 weeks at the point in time, I did not do anything after that, except that I did not write a very leaving testimonial letter for him.

Can you see any room for improvement to how the conflict was handled?

On hindsight, I think there was two aspects to this conflict. One, is the nature and character of the intern as we have observed during his internship with us and two, the way I communicated the news to him. First off, from the feedback of my teammates, it seems that the intern made more enemies rather than friends during his internship with us. People found him annoying and he tended to speak and behave out of his position, behaving he was a permanent staff rather than a temporary staff for 3 months. If he were to stay longer, I would definitely have a sit down session with him and counsel him on his behavior during his internship. On the other hand, I could have broken the news to him in a better way. Rather than just telling him that only one space was available and he was not selected, I should have explained to him the reason being his internship was ending and we needed some one who could contribute after taking the training.

A520.1.6.RB_TingJunLee

Describe how your level of self-awareness has changed since you began your MSLD program with respect to the "Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness".

1) Emotional Intelligence
I have always been able to manage myself pretty well but often found trouble managing relationships with others. The survey at the start of the chapter proved this was true. Now that I have received this feedback through the survey results, I am definitely more conscious of how I conduct myself with regard to the relationships I have with others, not just family and friends but especially in the work place with my colleagues.

2) Personal Values
Coming from a strict chinese family, my parents have always instilled good values in me such as integrity, respect and being polite. This has not changed much as values are hard to instill or change, like how a leopard doesn't change its spots. However, I have realized that different people have different upbringings and hence our values may be different. I work in an American company based in Singapore and have noticed the difference in our values. This will give me a better understanding on how to work with other people, in particular foreigners.

3) Cognitive Style
During work, I often find myself being a pessimist on the potential outcome of projects. This can be attributed to how I perceive the project and the information contained within it. The survey results also showed that I have this tendency. Now that I am aware of this, I can start to take a different outlook and perception to problems.

4) Orientation Towards Change
When I was younger, I was more receptive towards change and somewhat more adventurous. But as I grew older and started working, I became less adventurous and prefer consistency in my life. I also tend to plan more in depth rather than take my chances as they come. This may have been a result to the nature of my work.

5) Core Self-Evaluation
The survey results came as a surprise to me as it showed that I fall within the bottom quartile. I've always thought of myself as a confident individual. Now that I have data to show otherwise, I can begin to work on my self-confidence and competency.

A520.1.2.RB.TingJunLee

What do you notice in your results?
For most of the exercises, I ranked either below the mean or in the second quartile. In particular, I scored well for the emotional intelligence assessment. This is pleasing to me as it shows that I am aware of myself as well as the people around me and how they feel. However, I did not fare well for those tests that required placing logical priorities, like the defining issues test. I could use this result to work on how I look at issues and my perspective on things.

How much of this rang true for you?
I did the survey exercises thinking about my real life experiences. Hence, I believe most of the results are close to accurate. For example, my work place is male dominant and we tend to forget there are ladies around. Some times we make crude jokes and forgetting that a lady is in the cubicle next to us. Often I find myself realizing this and will ask my colleagues to keep quiet.

What did you see that you were expecting in the results?
As mentioned, I was expecting a good result in the emotional intelligence test. I am aware of myself being sensitive to my feelings and abilities, as well as those around me.

What were the surprises?
I did not expect to fall in the bottom quartile for the core self-evaluation scale. I thought of myself as a confident individual but it seems the results show otherwise.

How will you make use of this information?
Given the results, I know what are the areas I need to work on. In general, perhaps I could start being more confident of myself. On the other hand, I now know my strong points and reaffirm that what I know about myself holds true. I can continue to work on aspect of my life and build up that skill even more.