My leadership roles have varied depending on the group and also within group, depending on the task or topic on hand. For example, at work my leadership role has been pretty consistent within the context of given responsibilities, but the role could vary based on specific objectives of a group meeting. In my typical role, I would lead a group towards accomplishing our project and objectives but there are also group meetings where we share the current state of things, current projects, and brainstorming on ideas for improvement. In this meeting, I think I play a more equal role rather than a leadership role and each group member shares ideas and suggestions on equal footings.
Similarly in a family group setting, since I am one of the youngest among my brothers, my influence is limited. In my friendship circle, I think I just play an equal role and all friends share the same space without regards to any prominent leadership position.
I think being an effective leader demands different skill sets in different groups. In a work group, knowledge, communication skills, creativeness, dependability, etc might be more relevant whereas in friendship or family circle skills such as liking, social skills, interests, hobbies, etc might be more important and pertinent. I believe one should not be restricted to anyone particular role or leadership style in every circumstance. Rather, one should dynamically adjust oneself based on one’s association with different part of the society, different needs and different responsibilities.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Blog Topic 12: Groups and leadership
The leadership style or position within these different groups is different. For this blog, I think it would be best to align them to Kurt Lewin's three main styles: (from the web)
At work, since it is a small business, and employees are always asking for direction, I tend to be more of the "democratic" type. Many times employees have better idea's than I may, since they are the ones in that position and have a deeper knowledge of the weaknesses of our current processes. Also, from the perspective of motivation, people tend to be excited and engaged if they are the originator of a good idea. Sometimes at work, I think I can fall under the more "authoritarian" type of leader if a situation is serious and action is need quickly to address an urgent problem.
Within my group of friends, I definitely go back to the "laissez faire" model. I obviously try and influence them in a positive way, as with the family, but do not dictate or direct how they choose to live their lives.
I definitely do not fall into the same role, it is nice to switch between models. They all have their advantages under different scenarios. With regard to family, I think my role is changing, as my parents, aunts, and uncles get older they tend to influence less. After finishing school and setting an example for all my younger cousins and brothers, I think because I am inherently the oldest of the new generation, I sense that many of the younger people in my family could possibly look for family leadership from a group of us.
I think the best thing that they do that is effective, is layout a simple ideology that says: "opportunities are endless, resources are available to accomplish goals and dreams, the family will support you in your endeavors, but nobody will chase, dictate, or push you to do anything, it must come from within."
My leadership style definitely changes within the groups of friends, work, family, and even classmates that I am around. For example, I would say that with regards to family, I am more "laissez faire" and only lead when either delegated upon or if there are no senior or elders present. I think that our family culture is mainly this type, we do not try enforce things on each other.
At work, since it is a small business, and employees are always asking for direction, I tend to be more of the "democratic" type. Many times employees have better idea's than I may, since they are the ones in that position and have a deeper knowledge of the weaknesses of our current processes. Also, from the perspective of motivation, people tend to be excited and engaged if they are the originator of a good idea. Sometimes at work, I think I can fall under the more "authoritarian" type of leader if a situation is serious and action is need quickly to address an urgent problem.
Within my group of friends, I definitely go back to the "laissez faire" model. I obviously try and influence them in a positive way, as with the family, but do not dictate or direct how they choose to live their lives.
I definitely do not fall into the same role, it is nice to switch between models. They all have their advantages under different scenarios. With regard to family, I think my role is changing, as my parents, aunts, and uncles get older they tend to influence less. After finishing school and setting an example for all my younger cousins and brothers, I think because I am inherently the oldest of the new generation, I sense that many of the younger people in my family could possibly look for family leadership from a group of us.
I think the best thing that they do that is effective, is layout a simple ideology that says: "opportunities are endless, resources are available to accomplish goals and dreams, the family will support you in your endeavors, but nobody will chase, dictate, or push you to do anything, it must come from within."
Blog Topic 12: Groups and leadership
It is likely that over this long weekend, you are finding yourself interacting with friendship groups and family groups more intensely than you usually do. The holidays and celebrations typically bring people together - which is sometimes good and sometimes bad.
In class, we talked about adjusting your leadership for different kinds of groups - volunteer groups, paid groups, etc. Take this time to reflect on your leadership in the different types of groups of which you are a member (even if you didn't see them all this week). How does your leadership style change? Are you more effective in one group versus another? Do you fall into a pattern such that you are in the same role in all groups? Or, as is typical in family groups, do you find yourself regressing to the same role in the family that you've always played, regardless of other accomplishments? Think about other leaders in these groups. What do they do that is effective and how can you learn from them?
In class, we talked about adjusting your leadership for different kinds of groups - volunteer groups, paid groups, etc. Take this time to reflect on your leadership in the different types of groups of which you are a member (even if you didn't see them all this week). How does your leadership style change? Are you more effective in one group versus another? Do you fall into a pattern such that you are in the same role in all groups? Or, as is typical in family groups, do you find yourself regressing to the same role in the family that you've always played, regardless of other accomplishments? Think about other leaders in these groups. What do they do that is effective and how can you learn from them?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Seeing ourselves as other see us
I definitely liked this idea of getting external leadership assessments and getting real world feedback from those who are around you most of your week. I was surprised by a few things, the first one being that under the emotional intelligence scores, I gave myself lower scores in all categories, but for the most part, were close. I heard someone in the class ask if it was a reflection of our self esteem or how we value ourselves, and that question still remains in my head a little. I am also wondering that there must have been some slight margin of error since those taking it may have felt that it was possible for me to see their individual surveys. As for the section on influence tactics, most of everything was pretty similar, with the exception of upward appeal and exchange. In the last section for transformational leadership, I mostly scored in line or slightly below the external assessors.
With regard to leadership goals after receiving the assessments, I believe that with upward appeal, I definitely perceived myself as being lower on the scale with regard to this tactic... My peers, subordinates, and superiors all believe that I use the tactic of trying to convince them that if they accomplish their task, it will appease those in higher positions. I think I need to be more clear and express that my inspirational appeal and rational persuasion, which are my highest score categories are my true motivating factors...
Normally, because we are so busy, and working everyday up until the end of the day, feedback is very limited for our team. Also, for myself, I do not get feedback regularly, most of the time I should be the one trying to give regular feedback.
I think that acquiring honest feedback is important, because it can be a directional indicator in how we need to change our own internal behaviors as managers to allow us to motivate those around us more effectively. None of us are perfect, and the people around us are constantly changing, so it is important that we read this feedback (normally without the need for an online survey) and understand how we are misunderstanding those around us, and especially in which area's so we can tune ourselves better when it comes to situations that may lead other to perceive ourselves as being out of tune with those around us.
With regard to leadership goals after receiving the assessments, I believe that with upward appeal, I definitely perceived myself as being lower on the scale with regard to this tactic... My peers, subordinates, and superiors all believe that I use the tactic of trying to convince them that if they accomplish their task, it will appease those in higher positions. I think I need to be more clear and express that my inspirational appeal and rational persuasion, which are my highest score categories are my true motivating factors...
Normally, because we are so busy, and working everyday up until the end of the day, feedback is very limited for our team. Also, for myself, I do not get feedback regularly, most of the time I should be the one trying to give regular feedback.
I think that acquiring honest feedback is important, because it can be a directional indicator in how we need to change our own internal behaviors as managers to allow us to motivate those around us more effectively. None of us are perfect, and the people around us are constantly changing, so it is important that we read this feedback (normally without the need for an online survey) and understand how we are misunderstanding those around us, and especially in which area's so we can tune ourselves better when it comes to situations that may lead other to perceive ourselves as being out of tune with those around us.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Seeing ourselves as other see us
I think getting genuine and honest feedback from people around ourselves can be very helpful in helping achieve our leadership goals. Sometimes there can be a mismatch between our image of ourselves and how other perceive us, and hence it is very important that we work on our leadership building skills considering the feedback provided by others and not just our own self-analysis. Though, there was nothing really that surprising about the survey result, there were some areas where there seemed to be a disconnect.
I have identified few areas that I would like to improve myself and I will be working on my leadership plan keeping these areas in mind.
I have identified few areas that I would like to improve myself and I will be working on my leadership plan keeping these areas in mind.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Article on What Women Need to Succeed in their Careers
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2629
Pfizer's Amy Schulman on What Women Need to Succeed in their Careers
It was the early 1990s and Amy Schulman was a young lawyer about to conduct her first deposition. She arrived an hour and a half early for the appointment. She readied her Post-It notes and an outline, in case she got nervous and forgot what to say. But when the deposition started, she sat on a chair and promptly fell backwards with her skirt over her head and her legs in the air.
Schulman had to pick herself up and move on, with a partner from her law firm watching her every move. In her quest to exert greater influence over witnesses by appearing taller and more imposing, Schulman had adjusted the chair seat to a higher position. But she rotated it from the base so much that the seat became completely unscrewed. The lesson she learned was a simple one: Be yourself. Schulman, now senior vice president and general counsel of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, shared this and other career insights at the 12th Annual Wharton Women in Business Conference held recently in Philadelphia.
An attorney and former partner at DLA Piper, she joined Pfizer two years ago and led the legal team in the drug maker's $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 2009. The National Law Journal named her to its list of the "20 Most Influential General Counsels" last year whileForbes magazine included her as one of "The World's Most Powerful Women." Such a career trajectory might imply that Schulman had it easy, that she always got things right. By her own admission, however, Schulman has made her share of mistakes but said she learned to accept and learn from them. Along the way, Schulman rose to a position she never imagined she would attain when she was starting out.
As a teenager in 1979, Schulman thought she would spend her life organizing farm workers. But her path to a successful legal career was paved a little bit at a time by two generations of women in her family. Her grandmother's family did not have enough money to send the women to school, so Schulman's grandmother became a legal secretary and ended up marrying her boss, a federal judge. Schulman's mother married at 20, had two kids, divorced and went to law school at 45. Schulman attended Yale Law School at 28, and about two decades later achieved her current position at Pfizer.
While rising through the ranks, she has learned valuable lessons about success. For one, she stressed that men and women don't need to strive for perfection to do well because no one gets it right all of the time. The key is to acknowledge the missteps and use them to grow, without being paralyzed by the fear of showing flaws. Still, Schulman noted that ambitious women tend to operate in a "dutiful daughter" mode and do everything the employer wants, perfectly. Schulman admitted she felt the same way early on as a young attorney. "I was so scared that if anybody learned I wasn't perfect I was immediately going to get thrown out," she said. "We had to get it right. 'Right' meant you didn't make a mistake."
But such a perfectionist mindset can be constricting to one's career, Schulman pointed out, because there is no chance to learn and mature from the experience of getting things wrong. When a mistake is made, Schulman said, the tendency of many people is to either ignore it and hope no one else has noticed, or to think the error so glaring that it is all anyone can see. Instead, she advised the audience to strive for a balance and see the mistakes for what they are -- and remember that everyone makes them. "The ability to say 'I've made a mistake' ... requires a certain level of maturity that I think is particularly hard for those of us who grew up succeeding, because we were really good at making sure everything we did was perfect," Schulman noted.
According to Schulman, women also tend to internalize the dynamics of a situation more than men, and moderating this mental attitude is critical as well. She should know: Not only did she rise up the ranks with more male than female colleagues, Schulman also has three sons at home. This experience helped her observe that when men lose a ball game, they say the field was wet or the referee was outrageously unfair. But women say, "'I let everybody down. I can't believe I didn't handle better the fact that the field was so slippery,'" she noted. "It's the difference between internalizing and externalizing."
Women and men interpret the same message differently, she said, and being aware of this difference can be critically important to thriving in the workplace. Schulman recalled that at one law firm, bosses were less than effusive with praise because that was their style. So at partnership reviews, mid-career female lawyers would be told they were doing OK. Women would react with surprise and disappointment. "[They would say] 'OK? It's just OK? What do you mean just OK?'" Schulman said. But the men saw the same message more positively and believed that "Everything's OK! I'm on top of the world!" Later, when both sides compared reviews, Schulman noted, the men would brag about their stellar evaluations, while the women told the group that they had been judged as mediocre. In fact, they had both received the same message.
Schulman suggested that such misinterpretations of messages by women contribute to many female attorneys leaving law firms a few years before they come up for partner. Companies tend to attribute such departures to a female employee's desire to have a better balance between work and family -- something a busy law firm cannot always provide. But Schulman said this pat response to such resignations lets the company off the hook, when instead they should be examining all the reasons behind the exodus. She cautioned that firms should not assume that the choice to leave "takes place absent social context and that women are all happier at home having balanced lives."
No Perfect Balance
Besides, striking a perfect balance between work and home is an illusion, Schulman maintained. At different points in life, one side will have more pressing needs than the other. "They are never in [balance] because they are not equally and perfectly weighted at any given moment," she noted. "If you try and juggle them that way, then you are the proverbial parent on the soccer field on her Blackberry, and all you're doing is cheating both."
Women should recognize that whatever choices they make at any given point -- be it to spend more time with family or to accept a promotion even if it means working longer hours -- are not necessarily set in stone for all time, Schulman said. Be open to non-judgmental conversations about choices between family and career, and realize that these choices may change. Once a decision is made, be at peace with it. "There is no doubt that I am not the parent or the mother I would have been had I been home full-time or even part-time," Schulman noted. "I'm not sure I would have been a better parent or mother or wife.... I just would have been a different one."
But choosing to focus more on one's career than family does not mean making unnecessary sacrifices for work, Schulman pointed out. When Schulman had her second baby, she was a mid-level attorney at a big Wall Street law firm and hoped to make partner. She took her 13 weeks of maternity leave, but became anxious that she would be forgotten because of her absence. So when Schulman finally went back to work, she was determined to impress. That is why she quickly agreed to go to the Philippines on behalf of her client, Del Monte, which had some cases involving banana plantations. "I didn't have to do it, but I didn't know that. I thought I had to show that I was completely back in the game," she said. "'Hey, send me to the Philippines. No problem! It doesn't matter that I'm still nursing.'"
Schulman said if one of her staff offered to make a similar sacrifice today, she would tell them to spend time with the new baby. Only if the situation was absolutely critical would she ask them back to work before their leave was over. Schulman advised women to strike that balance as well: Give yourselves permission to take a break.
By the time she had her third child, Schulman already was a partner at a law firm. She also could afford a nanny, so she took her youngest on the road with her. But then, something else bothered her: "I actually couldn't see the next 10 years. It just felt like more of the same," Schulman noted. "So when the Pfizer job became open, I decided that this was something that was going to be more fun than what I was doing. Fun was the operative word."
Whatever one chooses to do, Schulman said, a career ultimately has to bring satisfaction and evoke a sense of passion. When Schulman interviews candidates for a job, one of the main qualities she seeks is enthusiasm. Lawyers who do not show much passion give the impression that they just want to beef up their resumes by working at Pfizer. Schulman prefers applicants who can show genuine interest in the company and the work. "The willingness to challenge and reinvent yourself and to say that fun matters is the biggest driver," Schulman said. "Find those things that excite you and don't be afraid to show it."
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Blog Topic 11: Seeing ourselves as other see us
Last week, you received feedback on how other people see you in a leadership roles. Was anything surprising to you? You've had a few days to digest the feedback, how can the information you received move you towards your leadership goals? How frequently do you receive authentic feedback in your everyday life? How can acquiring honest feedback help you achieve your goals?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Motivation...
What do you think motivates you?
Personally, I think what motivates me is the need to feel accomplished and balanced as an individual. This plays into all areas of my life- my job, daily activities, and relationships. I have a constant self-motivation to stay in shape and active, to have a career I am proud of, to keep myself challenged at all times, and most recently I have been feeling the motivation to figure out a way to use my MBA degree to give something back to the community. I think the latter motivation is stemming from a new sense of obligation to take the knowledge that I am acquiring through this program and figure out a way to use it in a way that will not just make me more successful financially, but that will also help others in a self less way.
Are there times when you are just trying to get by and are there times when you are striving something really great?
There are definitely times when I am just trying to "get by", and other times where I am actively pushing myself to be better and accomplish things that I have set out to accomplish. For me, I have noticed that the times when I am just getting by are usually times when 1 or more factors in my life are feeling particularly out of control, whether it is struggles I am experiencing in my personal life, at work, financially, or elsewhere. It is during these times when my emotional and intellectual energy are being drained in excess in a particular area of my life that I have found that I just settle with getting by day to day in the other areas of my life. In contrast, when I am feeling at my best and all of my ducks are in a row in all areas of my life, at least for the most part, those are the times when I feel the most motivated to take on new challenges and push myself to accomplish more and take on more.
I am definitely more comfortable wtih the feeling of being on my game and in control of all the different areas of my life- that is for me how I prefer to exist on a regular basis. Of course, there are always exceptions to this, and everyone goes through rough and trying times in their life. For me, I like getting things accomplished and having the mental and emotional energy to come up with new ideas and challenges to take on... that is what keeps me going. I also like being in control in general, so I have a very difficult time when certain circumstances push me into a corner or make me feel like my hands are tied and I am just trying to stay afloat.
Having considered what motivates you, think about how you might motivate others. Can you shift gears between different styles and types of motivation when working with your followers? Can you use fear? Can you use anger? Can you use inspiration? How can you improve your motivational repertoire?
Personally, I think what motivates me is the need to feel accomplished and balanced as an individual. This plays into all areas of my life- my job, daily activities, and relationships. I have a constant self-motivation to stay in shape and active, to have a career I am proud of, to keep myself challenged at all times, and most recently I have been feeling the motivation to figure out a way to use my MBA degree to give something back to the community. I think the latter motivation is stemming from a new sense of obligation to take the knowledge that I am acquiring through this program and figure out a way to use it in a way that will not just make me more successful financially, but that will also help others in a self less way.
Are there times when you are just trying to get by and are there times when you are striving something really great?
There are definitely times when I am just trying to "get by", and other times where I am actively pushing myself to be better and accomplish things that I have set out to accomplish. For me, I have noticed that the times when I am just getting by are usually times when 1 or more factors in my life are feeling particularly out of control, whether it is struggles I am experiencing in my personal life, at work, financially, or elsewhere. It is during these times when my emotional and intellectual energy are being drained in excess in a particular area of my life that I have found that I just settle with getting by day to day in the other areas of my life. In contrast, when I am feeling at my best and all of my ducks are in a row in all areas of my life, at least for the most part, those are the times when I feel the most motivated to take on new challenges and push myself to accomplish more and take on more.
I am definitely more comfortable wtih the feeling of being on my game and in control of all the different areas of my life- that is for me how I prefer to exist on a regular basis. Of course, there are always exceptions to this, and everyone goes through rough and trying times in their life. For me, I like getting things accomplished and having the mental and emotional energy to come up with new ideas and challenges to take on... that is what keeps me going. I also like being in control in general, so I have a very difficult time when certain circumstances push me into a corner or make me feel like my hands are tied and I am just trying to stay afloat.
Having considered what motivates you, think about how you might motivate others. Can you shift gears between different styles and types of motivation when working with your followers? Can you use fear? Can you use anger? Can you use inspiration? How can you improve your motivational repertoire?
Motivation
I think my motivation varies depending on the type of work or project I am involved in. For example, if I am doing something really exciting and challenging, the intrinsic motivation drives my efforts, whereas if a task is required to be done regardless of its challenging nature, then extrinsic motivation dominates the actions. I think both types of motivation have its own place and usefulness.
I think we would need different tactics to motivate others depending on the type of motivation. For intrinsic motivation, we can focus on the satisfaction and joy of accomplishing a challenging task whereas we can focus more on rewards when motivating others on extrinsic motivation. Fear and anger can be part of the extrinsic type of motivation, depending on the followers.
I think custom strategy , in terms of motivation, would make more sense as one size does not fit all. Depending on the nature of task at hand, we need to choose the right motivation type, and then based on individual personality types, customize our tactics, incentives and fears.
I think we would need different tactics to motivate others depending on the type of motivation. For intrinsic motivation, we can focus on the satisfaction and joy of accomplishing a challenging task whereas we can focus more on rewards when motivating others on extrinsic motivation. Fear and anger can be part of the extrinsic type of motivation, depending on the followers.
I think custom strategy , in terms of motivation, would make more sense as one size does not fit all. Depending on the nature of task at hand, we need to choose the right motivation type, and then based on individual personality types, customize our tactics, incentives and fears.
Blog Topic 10: Motivation
I think my motivation mainly comes from within. Because of the freedom I have in working in a small business environment, most new initiatives, problem solving, and other things need to be done by a small group of people, since our resources are limited. Working in this kind of environment with more freedom also means more responsibility to be motivated to get things done and not fail our customers. I would say my main form of motivation is my fear that my team and I will fail in meeting our customer's expectations.
Most of the time I try and make sure we are running at peak performance. The only time I try and just get by would be around Friday after 4pm. :)
I am a firm believer in Andy Grove's, "only the paranoid survive" mentality. I am comfortable with the pressure of making sure sources of failure are prevented.
Yes definitely, when motivating others you need to understand what makes them tick and what motivational techniques they respond more to. I have used fear, anger, and inspiration in trying to motivate those around me. I believe if you have more of an overall "inspirational" approach, others around you don't want to let high expectations of themselves or the team down.
Most of the time I try and make sure we are running at peak performance. The only time I try and just get by would be around Friday after 4pm. :)
I am a firm believer in Andy Grove's, "only the paranoid survive" mentality. I am comfortable with the pressure of making sure sources of failure are prevented.
Yes definitely, when motivating others you need to understand what makes them tick and what motivational techniques they respond more to. I have used fear, anger, and inspiration in trying to motivate those around me. I believe if you have more of an overall "inspirational" approach, others around you don't want to let high expectations of themselves or the team down.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Blog Topic 9: Geography of Thought
I think there tends to be a major mismeeting of the minds, especially in business when people use different types of tools and philosophical perspectives for making decisions and analyzing problems. Some people use emotion, some people use logic, some people think from a utilitarian perspective... etc...
Looking back on my experience, I was looking through a logical perspective while the person who I had a mismeeting with was looking at things more from an emotional point of view. I think you have to be dynamic and adapt to understand the person with whom you are having a mental mismeeting with. Normally, I do take a more logical approach to problem solving. Depending on type of person I am working with, I try to understand their geography of thought because it is important to understand someone to work with them. If you understand someone, you can understand their assumptions, needs, and viewpoint in order to negotiate with them to create a new agreeable mindset.
I was born here in northern California, and have lived here my whole entire life. I think the mindset of myself is largely driven by my upbringing and values that my parents instilled in me. Also, I believe the media creates a lot of the "perception" and influences all of us here even if we do not think it does. I try and always treat each person on an individual basis. Growing up here in such a multicultural environment has helped in making me more perceptive and understanding of different cultural mindsets.
Looking back on my experience, I was looking through a logical perspective while the person who I had a mismeeting with was looking at things more from an emotional point of view. I think you have to be dynamic and adapt to understand the person with whom you are having a mental mismeeting with. Normally, I do take a more logical approach to problem solving. Depending on type of person I am working with, I try to understand their geography of thought because it is important to understand someone to work with them. If you understand someone, you can understand their assumptions, needs, and viewpoint in order to negotiate with them to create a new agreeable mindset.
I was born here in northern California, and have lived here my whole entire life. I think the mindset of myself is largely driven by my upbringing and values that my parents instilled in me. Also, I believe the media creates a lot of the "perception" and influences all of us here even if we do not think it does. I try and always treat each person on an individual basis. Growing up here in such a multicultural environment has helped in making me more perceptive and understanding of different cultural mindsets.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Blog Topic 10: Motivation
In retrospect, our discussion of motivation in class went in two directions: how to motivate others and how to motivate oneself. The two aren't necessarily unrelated, but it is helpful to consider them separately before combining them. The videos below concern self-motivation, but could also be applied to understanding your followers.
What do you think motivates you? Are there times when you are just trying to get by and are there times when you are striving something really great? When do you experience each kind of feeling? Which feeling are your more comfortable with?
Having considered what motivates you, think about how you might motivate others. Can you shift gears between different styles and types of motivation when working with your followers? Can you use fear? Can you use anger? Can you use inspiration? How can you improve your motivational repertoire?
What do you think motivates you? Are there times when you are just trying to get by and are there times when you are striving something really great? When do you experience each kind of feeling? Which feeling are your more comfortable with?
Having considered what motivates you, think about how you might motivate others. Can you shift gears between different styles and types of motivation when working with your followers? Can you use fear? Can you use anger? Can you use inspiration? How can you improve your motivational repertoire?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Geography of Thought
I think I would say that two aspects of cultural differences that I noticed when I came to US were the "Power Distance Index (PDI)" and "Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)", as defined by Hofstede.
In terms of Power Distance Index, back home in my native country, we have reserved words in our language that we use when we address someone who is older than us or is in higher position. The words are different depending on the relationship such as family member or someone at work. Here in US, I noticed that people call each other by their first name, no matter how old the other person is, what is the relationship or in whatever position. It took me a while to get use to this cultural aspect.
Similarly, in terms of Uncertainly Avoidance Index, I noticed that people in US were more tolerant of different views and opinions than people of my cultural background. In my cultural background, we are suppose to stick to the rules or expectations laid down by senior member of society whether it is a family member, someone senior at work or in other senior position. Our individual opinion is subservient to the group's or other senior member's.
These differences translates to different mindset in daily interactions. We behave and interact with people within these cultural constraints and our thinking is molded by such norms.
In terms of Power Distance Index, back home in my native country, we have reserved words in our language that we use when we address someone who is older than us or is in higher position. The words are different depending on the relationship such as family member or someone at work. Here in US, I noticed that people call each other by their first name, no matter how old the other person is, what is the relationship or in whatever position. It took me a while to get use to this cultural aspect.
Similarly, in terms of Uncertainly Avoidance Index, I noticed that people in US were more tolerant of different views and opinions than people of my cultural background. In my cultural background, we are suppose to stick to the rules or expectations laid down by senior member of society whether it is a family member, someone senior at work or in other senior position. Our individual opinion is subservient to the group's or other senior member's.
These differences translates to different mindset in daily interactions. We behave and interact with people within these cultural constraints and our thinking is molded by such norms.
the geography of thought...
In this post, think back to a time when you have had interactions where you experienced a "(mis)meeting of the minds." Have you had experiences which, in retrospect, didn't go well because you had different assumptions about causality or use of logic than your interaction partner? What is the geography of your thought and can how does it affect you in your interactions with others? What are the elements of your cultural mindset?
A time when i have had a "mis jmeeting" of the minds with another individual(s) was actually about 2 years ago at my last job. I was working closely on a team with 2 other co-workers. While they were both close to my age, they had been working together for years at the company and had several mutual friends, which instantly put me on the outer circle when i was hired to join their team. I tried to fit in and we all got along alright on the surface, but about 6 months after i was hired our company was purchased by an East Coast company, phasing out the jobs of most of the employees and forcing the rest of us to move to another downsized building down the street in downtown San Jose.
About another 3 months after moving into the new building, the company decided to move one of the teams currently residing on the west coast in our office to the east coast in the main office, which left just myself and my 2 other co-workers in the West Coast office. It was at this point that i began feeling more and more like the 3rd wheel- they were constantly talking about birthday parties and evenst that they were both invited to or attending, and i started getting more and more resentful that they were not being sensitive to the fact that they were making me feel left out. I got more and more distant and unengaged, and they did as well, until one day we had a huge blow out. It turns all of us were acting on our defenses as things had started to spiral, and they thought i didn't like them or want to get to know them because i was not interacting or joining them for lunch- while i thought they didn't want me to join them or to engage in their conversations because of how i was perceiving their interactions with me.
While it resulted in a heated conversation between the 3 of us, it was a good thing in the end because it taught me to not always jump to assumptions about situations, especially under circumstances when i might already be extra sensitive to the group dynamics, like this one. I went into the situation knowing that there was a close tie between my 2 team mates because of outside connections and an established friendship, so when the entire company was relocated except for the 3 of us, i immediately was moved to the mind set that i would naturally end up being left out and feeling disconnected and like the 3rd wheel. This assumption/expectation fueled my further sensitivity to the situation as things unfolded in the following months leading to the confrontation.
I hope to keep this situation top of mind should a similar one come up again in the future.
A time when i have had a "mis jmeeting" of the minds with another individual(s) was actually about 2 years ago at my last job. I was working closely on a team with 2 other co-workers. While they were both close to my age, they had been working together for years at the company and had several mutual friends, which instantly put me on the outer circle when i was hired to join their team. I tried to fit in and we all got along alright on the surface, but about 6 months after i was hired our company was purchased by an East Coast company, phasing out the jobs of most of the employees and forcing the rest of us to move to another downsized building down the street in downtown San Jose.
About another 3 months after moving into the new building, the company decided to move one of the teams currently residing on the west coast in our office to the east coast in the main office, which left just myself and my 2 other co-workers in the West Coast office. It was at this point that i began feeling more and more like the 3rd wheel- they were constantly talking about birthday parties and evenst that they were both invited to or attending, and i started getting more and more resentful that they were not being sensitive to the fact that they were making me feel left out. I got more and more distant and unengaged, and they did as well, until one day we had a huge blow out. It turns all of us were acting on our defenses as things had started to spiral, and they thought i didn't like them or want to get to know them because i was not interacting or joining them for lunch- while i thought they didn't want me to join them or to engage in their conversations because of how i was perceiving their interactions with me.
While it resulted in a heated conversation between the 3 of us, it was a good thing in the end because it taught me to not always jump to assumptions about situations, especially under circumstances when i might already be extra sensitive to the group dynamics, like this one. I went into the situation knowing that there was a close tie between my 2 team mates because of outside connections and an established friendship, so when the entire company was relocated except for the 3 of us, i immediately was moved to the mind set that i would naturally end up being left out and feeling disconnected and like the 3rd wheel. This assumption/expectation fueled my further sensitivity to the situation as things unfolded in the following months leading to the confrontation.
I hope to keep this situation top of mind should a similar one come up again in the future.
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