Blog 2: My reflection

I was not there for the Blind Square excercise, but I have done it before in another MBA elective class. Based on that experience, I would say that I was much more passive than i would have liked to be, and took on the role of an observer moreso than a leader. This was partially because it was my first time completing the activity and I had a vested interest in watching and learning from others who seemed to be more confident in how to proceed as a group, etc. I have a personality where I will first watch and listen and absorb the feedback and thoughts of others on a topic or activity before volunteering my thoughts or opinions. Because i am extremely competitive and I also have a lot of pride, I have learned to be patient and make sure that I am confident in the validity of my opinions and thoughts before offering them in front of a group. I like to hear the rationale of others and why they justify their ideas and opinions, and then reflect on my own personal thoughts before volunteering them.

I think that this is an ongoing struggle for me, though, as often this method of playing observer before contributor results in other people offering the same opinions and ideas that I had already thought of, but then they get credit for them and I lose out on gaining that credibility as a contributing member of the group… and that is frustrating. I think that my go-to method is a way of “playing it safe”, and that is not a mantra that I want to live by indefinitely… eventually I would like to work towards taking more risks and maybe being a little bit more impulsive with my idea sharing and brainstorming, rather than always pre-calculating my next move and word.

To address the question about if we are all only motivated to be successful at something based on a personal benefit or financial incentive, I think that probably varies from person to person. For myself, because I am very competitive, just having “bragging rights” alone is often enough of an incentive for me to keep trying something over and over until I get it right. I think there is something to be said for learning through trial and error and accomplishing a task through sheer persistence and for no other payoff than personal satisfaction.. but that’s just me.