GRAD 702 – Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

a. Which of the four perspectives of the 4-lens model feels most comfortable to you? Which feels least comfortable? What does this suggest to you as a professional leading in the next change wave?

Of the four perspectives of the 4-lens models I am most comfortable with the systems perspective. I appreciate set ups that have a logical flow and process of doing things. In my life, most of how I live it is well planned, with time frames and benchmarks to measure milestones and achievements. I admire organization and having a sense of stability within my life. Stability for me is achieved through consistency and having control measures that ensure that things never get out of hand.

On the other hand, I am least comfortable with the strategic perspective. I do not like jumping into things without planning well for them. I support the saying that goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” The strategic perspective advocates for adventures and being able to combine multiple things at the same time. This creates unwarranted pressure for me and I do not appreciate it. This approach is also prone to making decisions that have errors and are costly due to the spontaneity in making such decisions.

As a professional leading in the next wave, this suggests to me that I have to ensure that I am aware of all other aspects of the other three perspectives. I need to have a clear understanding about their points of view and their paradigms. It also suggests to me that I have to be prepared for major paradigm shifts as I move along my profession, and encompass and embrace the changes that are occurring towards the next change wave. Things are constantly changing and as they do, people also need to be consistent and remain relevant so as to keep up with these changes.

b. What do your personal competency sort results mean to you?

My personal competency sort results show that I like being on the forefront and taking charge of situations. It’s almost as if I don’t believe that there is nothing I am not capable of doing once I put my mind onto it. The results seem to show that I almost prefer to make decisions and work on them with minimum support. This is seen by my perceived confidence to be able to do lots of things by myself. The results also mean to me that I know exactly where I am in my point in life, and have a clear vision of where I want to be. That is possibly why I don’t seem to acknowledge weaknesses in my life, because these translate to me that I am not capable of performing or achieving a certain goal.

c. Describe a situation in which you demonstrated emotional intelligence.

A situation in which I demonstrated emotional intelligence occurred at work when one of my juniors made a wrong decision that was contrary to company’s policies. From his point of view, it seemed very logical. The only point was that the action chosen was not in accordance to laid down procedures. I agreed with him that his angle if perceiving the problem seemed logical, but stressed out that the primary reason we were at work was not to deviate from procedures, but to first and foremost adhere to them. We raised the new concept to our managers, who suggested that we right a formal report on the new way of doing a task. This demonstrates my preference to first and foremost respect systems, laid down processes, and a preference for purposeful, considerable and reliable approach to problem solving.

d. What other information related to Week 3 assignments did you consider to be of value?

I particularly valued the results and understanding of the emotional intelligence style profile. What amazed me was the similarity my results had in comparison to my HBDI results. This comparison has made me understand myself more and my preferred style of thinking and addressing issues. Many of the decisions that I make with regard to my life and development are very consistent with all the results that have shown my preferred thinking patterns and problem solving.

e. Describe a situation in which it would have been helpful to seek the 'third alternative' as defined by Covey.

As described by Covey, a situation in which it would have been helpful to seek the “third alternative” was while I worked with a bank. There was this one incident, where a client was furious that they had not yet received their check book and debit card within the period of time we had promised they would arrive. What happened next was that the client had actually given our staff member wrong details, and both documents had gone to another branch. This was a situation where the client wanted to close their accounts with the bank. On an honest note, many of our staff members would rather have waited for the client to close the account, than having to imagine to constantly having to deal with them again.

I empathized with the client and told them that I understood exactly how they felt, and wanted to get a solution that would make each one of us feel better. You can bet that at that point, I would have wished the ground to open up and swallow them alive! This was a customer who had the habit of always coming to the branch and complaining about all our services. If we really were that bad, why then did they never close their accounts with us? Ironical, isn’t it? Well, I made them sit down and pretended that I was just rushing to the next building to get something for them. In actual sense, I had to rush the branch where their documents were and get them back to my branch. This was something I did not have to do considering the way the client was dealing with everyone at the branch. At the end of the day, the client was happy and from that day on, we became friends and the relationship we had thereafter was a good one. I had to look at the complaint from the client’s side and come up quickly with an amicable solution even though I really did not have to do it. But since it cost me nothing and I knew that it would help both of us finally, I had to come up with a quick third alternative to salvage the situation.

GRAD 702-Reflections on Module 2 Concepts

1. Were there any surprises in your HBDI results? If so, what were they?

There were no surprises in my HBDI results. I have had the chance to get lots of feedback from people during my personal and professional life. I am also very aware of how I react to situations and prefer things done. My upbringing and career have transformed me into the person I am today. I come from a military and disciplinarian background, and my career has been within the banking industry, which needs attention to detail and a high sense of organization, planning and attention to detail.

2. Given your HBDI results, what will you do differently?

I will probably want to look at things much more from a holistic point of view. I think by always following procedure and being critical on things may make me miss the very essence of life, which is to have fun along the way. No matter what I get myself into doing, I do intend to make it as fun-filled as possible, and involve people a little bit more. In cases of extreme pressure, I hope I will be able to reach out more to the groups rather than withdrawing and working on things by myself. The group also has a lot to offer, and if I am feeling pressure, then most probably, members within my group are feeling it too.

3. What personal legacy do you desire to leave to your family? Your country? The world?

I desire to leave a legacy of achievement to my family. I have seen my parents struggle a lot to put my siblings and myself through school. I have also seen them make many sacrifices to ensure that we did not lack. I desire to be remembered by them as a go-getter and achiever.

Kenya is a beautiful place with wonderful people. It has a rich culture and a great history. I am extremely proud to be Kenyan. I desire to be the new age that went back to the background and roots of our economy-Agriculture. Many young people my age have no desire to get into farming, and all want corporate jobs. I have a passion for dairy farming. I hope to get into dairy farming within the next five years and do it on a large-scale basis within the next ten to fifteen years. I desire to be the new crop of a young generation who still believed in the backbone of the economy, which is agriculture.

Within the world, I desire to leave the legacy of an individual who embraced world values and changes in their totality. I desire to learn as much as I can about people from all over the world and to be an ambassador of sorts for cultural diversity. I desire to be remembered as an individual who transcended all cultural differences and believed that man, irrespective of race, creed, religion, sex, color, or any other differences, can still come together and transform the world into a better place for our children and the future.

4. Recall the most creative thing you have done or been a part of. What made it creative? How did it make you feel?

The most creative thing I have been a part of was coming up with the Future Banking System (FBS) when I worked with the bank. I was part of the team that was to review the current procedures and critique it. This was great because there were many procedures which I had always been against and considered them outdated. It was creative because I finally could come up with procedures and help change the system into one that I felt would make the job more interesting and fun-filled. We came up with ways to do away with paper work and cut costs within the bank’s service delivery department. There were many procedures which duplicated themselves and we did away with a number of them. This made me feel great. The feeling was enhanced by the fact that I knew that within the history of the bank, I contributed to the ways that some things were done, and that in the future, when I visit the bank and see these changes in place, I will be proud to know that I made a difference.

5. How do you typically deal with conflict? Is this your desired way of dealing with conflict? Why or why not?

I deal with conflict by being logical and staying with the facts. I believe that facts talk for themselves and that you cannot argue regarding something that is obvious. This is my desired way of dealing with conflict because I find conflict time-wasting. Conflict also interferes with the quality of the end-results. If people can remain true to what needs to be done and focus on the facts, then there will be less chances of conflict because we would all know exactly what needs to be done by knowing where we want to be.

6. What other information related to Week 2 assignments did you consider to be of value?

The power of teams and knowing how to deal with people from different quadrants or ways of thinking has been of great value. It has helped me understand why certain people behave and react the way they do, as well as why I am the way I am.

7. Which concept(s) from the Covey readings for this week had a personal relevance for you?

Covey’s voice of influence (be a trim tab) had a personal relevance for me. It has helped me have an understanding on how I can affect others, and that in order to do this, I must first identify my vision and align it with discipline, a passion for it, and with conscience. The concept of modeling is a very powerful one. I believe that this is lacking not only in organizations, but also in our personal lives. If we can be models who can be admired and make a difference through helping others self-identify with their potentials and destinies, then that truly, is the essence of human existence.

GRAD 702-Reflections on Module 1’s Concepts

How would you rate your level of professional effectiveness today (high, medium, or low)? Why did you assign this rating, and what does it suggest about you?

I would rate my level of professional effectiveness as high. Within an organization, Dennis Warren defined Effective Leadership as “doing the right things,” and Effective Management as “doing things right.” In regard to professional effectiveness, I believe in doing the right things as opposed to doing things right. I am a firm believer and follower of doing the morally upright thing, and not simply following what has been laid down. Effective leadership to me would denote that “the means justifies the end” and not “the end justifies the means”. This rating means that I strive and make sure that what is meant to be done to uphold dignity, respect and honor are followed because it is in accordance with the norm if it was to be done by anyone else who believes in fairness and justice. This suggests that I do what is considered morally and religiously correct as a Christian ought to do, and that I do not simply follow instructions and ask later because I could have followed the instructions, but the end results of which there was evil or a negative ending to it.

What other information related to Week 1 assignments did you consider to be of value?

The four-quadrant analysis was of great value to me. It awakened in me the awareness and challenges that each time when dealing with people, we are all different and reason and have worldviews that are from varying angles and perspectives. It helped me also to appreciate the differences that exist in all of us, and that when I have a different opinion from someone else with regard to a subject, it is simply the preference or dominating factors in us that are varying, that make us differ. This does not mean that I or the other person is right or wrong, it simply means that it depends from which angle one is looking at the subject at hand.

With which of Covey's four roles of leadership do you most identify? Why?

With respect to Covey’s four roles of leadership, I identify most with empowerment. According to Covey, “where there is disempowerment, we focus on empowering individuals and teams at the project or job level.” As a supervisor within my work place, I firmly believed and strived to ensure that each of my colleagues was able to be as self-sufficient as possible. If each one of them were to be chosen to take after me, they ought to have been confident, efficient and effective enough to do so. I also believe that a good leader should be one whom whose followers can easily and readily take over control of tasks because they were well trained. I always ensure that if I am in charge of a task, those to whom I am responsible for, sooner or later, they are equally empowered to perform my roles as well, or preferable even better than I did.

Change Wave Learning Journal

Question.

Currently, in what change wave are you most comfortable? Why? How would you characterize the change wave of your organization? Workgroup?

Answer.

I am most comfortable with a proactive wave change.

I avoid surprise and shock because these tend to leave me in a period of uncertainty ebbs into my self-confidence. I avoid reacting to situations because this symbolizes lack of proper and adequate preparation on my part. I feel great when I am well prepared, organized and know my content well.

The wave change within the last organization where I worked was a hybrid between proactive and reactive. Initially, they were innovators of products within the banking industry in Kenya. They were the first to introduce internet banking and mobile banking. The bank was also concurrently voted as the best in customer-service for a couple of years, and served as a benchmark through which other banks simulate in improving their own efficient and effective customer-service. Towards the latter years, the organization seems to have taken more of a back seat, and become too comfortable with its position within the industry. Over the last year or so, the organization now took to a reactive position in order to keep its profits high and remain relevant and as the bank of choice. It had a massive layoff of employees that saw those left with a feeling of betrayal, uncertainty and dissatisfied. It has had to hire seasoned bankers from other banks, come up with expensive software, and re-model its image.

Proactive defines the wave change within my workgroup. My workgroup gets right onto given assignments and every member is immediately given a role to play in order to complete given assignments. Before time, all work is collected, handed over to the SLC online writing tutor, and within four days, there is already feedback.