Week 4 Relfection
For this week’s reflection I want to focus on the Goleman (1998) article. I want to analyze how well or poorly I demonstrate the five components of emotional intelligence.
Self-awareness – This one is interesting because I feel like I display some characteristics of self-awareness very well but I struggle with other parts. I think I am able to recognize when my emotions are affecting my behavior. I can look at a situation and take a step back to realize that my emotions are influencing my decision and then rethink those decisions. I lack self-confidence though. I am often quiet in new situations. It takes me a while to get comfortable in a new group. For example, even though I have power on our 4-H committee as a 4-H professional, it took me a while before I felt comfortable expressing my opinions.
Self-regulation – I think this is very important for an Extension professional. I also feel that I excel in this area. While I was reading about the executive who had to step back and think about the poor performance of his employees it reminded me of a situation I faced with out Junior Fair Board this summer. One of our volunteers was discussing their performance during a show at the fair. I made sure to point out that it is possible that we didn’t necessarily train them as well as he could have. He commended me for being able to recognize that it may not be 100 percent their problem and for taking responsibility for their actions as their leader.
Motivation – This is another area where I feel I have strengths and weaknesses. I am highly motivated in my work. I want to positively affect the youth of our county and I am highly motivated to develop new programming to make that possible. I feel like I often lack motivation when it comes to other aspects of my life such as school work (this has been a problem since high school,) exercise, and eating healthy.
Empathy – This is another component I feel like I really excel in. I like listening to others’ problems and helping them work through them. I like to act as a peacemaker between friends. For example, I am a volunteer swimming coach for River View High School. The head coach and assistant coach both have children on the team and that has caused several disagreements. Both of them will come to me with their problems and I often try to explain to them how the other is thinking, and why they may have done something. I also do this when there is gossip in our office. I want everyone to get along, and I use my empathy skills to help make that possible.
Social Skills – I think I have good social skills in a small group setting, but I struggle in a large group setting. I think some of this comes from being very young in my profession. In a small group I feel more comfortable and less like the “newbie.” I think this comes back to lacking in self-confidence. I think if I work on my self-confidence, my social skills will improve as well.