A520.1.6.RB - MOAR! Self-Awareness

Describe how your level of self-awareness has changed since you began your MSLD program with respect to the "Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness"

The five core aspects of Self-Awareness are defined as: Emotional Intelligence, Core Self-Evaluation, Values, Attitudes Toward Change, Cognitive Style (Whetten & Cameron, 2011).

I started this MSLD program in the middle of a time of great personal change. I had a divorce, career changes, possible moves, relationship upheavals, and therapy. Aside from major illness, jail, or death, I've pretty much maxed out the score on the Holmes and Rahe scale; scoring a 459. For those that don't click the link a score of over 300 is linked to illness. So yeah...a good time to learn about some self-assessment.

I can say that my attitudes towards change have actually improved. I've learned to be more adaptive and I have come to accept change as inevitable. I've always been a champion of progress and social change but I balk at personal change, or at least I did. Now I'm more open to idea, and have begun a process of personal change that has been most fulfilling.

As much as it will seem that I am not writing much about emotional intelligence, core self-evaluation, values, and cognitive style it really comes down to those variables not changing as a result of this MS. That isn't to say that these things don't develop and change over time but they aren't linked to this degree; which I think is the spirit of the question. All that being said, education will change a person, otherwise why need it? I have found that my values have changed outside of the scholastic realm but those changes are positive and are in line with sound leadership principles. However, they occur independently of each other.

I think this strikes at my attitude towards academia. I think education is invaluable. I believe that a constant pursuit of learning is paramount to a civilized society. We are better people when we push the boundaries of human knowledge, and (in this class) we will be better leaders when armed with research and tools to build upon. All of that is useless without context and experience. It is one thing to take a quiz in a textbook, discover that your values are wonky and move on. It is quite another to see a value system damage a relationship. However, by pairing the two we are able to link the knowledge with the background and from there draw conclusions and shape plans.

With regard to the initial question: I think my level of self-awareness is complemented by my MSLD but it is not what drives it.

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing management skills. (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.