I find that learning about myself is an endeavor which I must approach with perseverance...Things don't always (read: usually never) sink in the first time around. It's also overwhelming to receive a vast amount of information all at once. Opening the book that Dr. Bob so kindly put together for me was like walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet -- I'm excited for the possibilities, nervous for how I'm going to feel afterwards, and generally clueless about where to dig in. [Aside: I'm skipping over the relationship between knowledge and being able to apply it; I believe that to be entirely too long of a conversation in which the cliche "easier said than done" will come up several times.]
I'm looking through the results of the seventeen different assessments I took, hoping that I'll be able to find polish a diamond of personal evolution out of all that igneous rock that is my personality data. The thing is, that takes time. Only after all the hunting, pick-axing, sifting, polishing, and cutting is it ready to unveil -- set in an engagement ring or as part of a gemstone mosaic of my face.
Self-development is difficult; it is time-consuming; it takes effort, and it takes focus. I thing that the BLF program has served as a good jumping-off point. Through experience and assessment it has provided me with a good deal of information about myself, and it is a model that I can look back on for an example for taking that information and transforming it into something actionable. The challenge that I find myself dealing with most often is focus. It is easy for my personal motivations to get pushed to the back of my memory banks, now with the conditionally-appropriate but ultimately-inaccurate label of "inconsequential", as its former location is occupied by the counter-intuitive-yet-crucial click-throughs needed for navigating ChemCAD.
As I move forward, I must continue to personally develop my ability to refocus on my personal development. Also, I think it would be valuable to have regular checkups with the assessments. People like progress. And it can serve as kind of a long-reminder to revisit the topic of growth, while I am responsible for looking at it day-to-day. If, on a daily basis, I look at all the things in my character that are...less than ideal, the thought of working on myself will have a more prevalent (and hopefully permanent) seat in my brain.
On the other hand, hunting for diamonds sounds like a lot of work...Why not just buy a diamond, and then go hunting?
Dan, you're hilarious. I loved reading this post! As it relates to assessments, I think your buffet analogy was spot-on. Assessments can often times be really confusing and generally overwhelming. As you probably know, you are not the first to feel this way. Although I was not present for these assessments, I have a feeling that many Fellows were left wondering what purpose those assessments were going to serve for you both personally and throughout your time in the BLF program.
ReplyDeleteYour point on the challenge of focus is another commonality found within many of us. With these assessments especially, it is very easy to think about these results for a short amount of time after wee receive the feedback and then simply forget about how we can insert those results into our daily lives.
Your suggestion to follow-up more with assessments is a great idea and definitely something we are working to include in our program meetings. People do indeed like progress; If you have any specific ideas about how we all might work together to facilitate ways to recognize that progess, please let us know.
Looking forward, I challenge you to look at where you stand as a leader today. Reflect on where you were when you were applying to the BLF program and where you are now. Are there differences in how you see yourself? Where are your strengths/weaknesses? Lastly, what are the specific action items you can employ throughout the remainder of the semester and even after graduation to continue learning more about yourself?
Have a great week, Dan!