Fall Reflections
This fall I’ve had the opportunity to take a senior DoD acquisition class. I thought I was going to hone my acquisition knowledge through a rigorous review of the Defense Acquisition Guide Book and Defense Federal Regulations. Turns out I was way off! We are reviewing current acquisition issues, but we are also spending a lot of time and effort to learn about ourselves as leaders.
Some thoughts worth sharing…..
- We all need to do a little reflecting from time to time.
Until now, no one has ever told me that I need to include reflecting in my toolbox. A Defense Acquisition University article defines Reflection as “thinking about what we have seen, heard, felt or otherwise experienced with the purpose of increasing our self-awareness.” The article goes on to say that we can only grow from reflecting on our experiences versus our actual experience. Looking back at a situation and going through the how, why, and what will help me become a better person.
- “What got you here, won’t get you there”
At each new promotion or job opportunity, everyone needs to stop and ask themselves if they can get to the next level the same way that they got to their current level. I realized during one of our leadership discussions that what will get me to the next level is not more technical competence, but my ability to collaborate, bring people/ideas together, and being a team player. This is a mind shift. Glad someone taught me this. I could have totally misaligned my actions with my desires.
- Your personality (Myers-Briggs, Emotional Intelligence (EQ)) type has a dark side
I’ve taken M-B & EQ classes a few times before this class. We always talk about the positives of each type. We pat ourselves on the back about all our awesomeness. This is the first time someone went over the “dark side” of my M-B & EQ. Sometimes your strength can also become your weakness. I need to be aware of when applying too much of my strengths can start becoming a weakness.
My thoughts can best be summed up in a recent John Maxwell statement:
“Intentional personal growth is the key to reaching your potential. To make it up the growth slope, we need to figure out the best route and make steady progress on the way up.”
KEEP SOARING