On Tuesday April 11th I had another meeting with Mark. In this meeting we talked about strengths and in what environments we work best. We also, talked about where and how we are most productive. Mark shared that his number one strength is restorative so for him to be able to stay focused and get work done he needs and environment that’s in place and organized. I shared with Mark that my number one strength is achiever, so for me to be productive I need to have a goal or challenge. I am motivated by goals or benchmarks, so for me as an employee at phonathon (and looking forwards to the future) it’s important for me to have something to strive towards and goals to meet for me to reach my highest level of productivity. We talked about how it’s important to realize where you’re coming from and how to be most productive. It was interesting to hear about how other people are most productive and how their minds function. It’s good to realize that not everyone works the same way I do, and that I could be working in a team with someone who functions and thinks very differently than I do, and I need to try to understand where they are coming from.
Along with this thought we talked about how sometimes it’s difficult to lead a team full of people who are different than us. He was telling me a little bit about how he approaches leading people who are wired differently and asked me how I thought I could best lead people who work better in different environments. We talked about how it’s sometimes hard to create an environment best suited for everyone. He mentioned that communication is important in figuring out how to create an environment that is welcoming and productive for a team. He said he tries to talk to the individuals and learn how they work. He also said he often tries to get feedback from the employees to hear what they like and what they want changed and how they want it changed. It was really interesting to hear practical ways he manages a team, and how I can take some of those methods into my future career wherever that may be.
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteAligning strengths with work environment seems like it can be difficult. Leading people who are motivated differently than you are seems even harder. I'm thinking back to the Ideal Team Player and I can really see where that EQ will come into play in a manager's career.
Natalie, it can be hard to find an environment where you fit right with the way you get stuff done. Without being able to align the two, you might not get the most efficiency. I think its awesome that he is reiterating some of the ideas taught in class. Through Mark you get the issues we are discussing in class transferred to the real world!
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