Strengths and Weaknesses
I have a goal that I would like to achieve. This goal is a Masters Degree. I know it is going to be hard since I have not been in school for many years, but I know what it take to succeed in the work place and that is very clear to me now. That is why I am returning to school. First of all I am hungry for education, now that I know what it takes to make it in the real world. Second would be that I can apply what I have learned to my life.
I must confess that, until I read this application for a Masters Degree question, I had never given much thought to determining exactly what I consider my strengths and weaknesses. So I took some time over the past few weeks to reflect on my personal history, present context, and future plans. By carefully analyzing my actions, attitudes, and behaviors, I have finally come up with a solid answer to this complex question.
Greek philosophers divided the human essence into a trilogy of mind, spirit, and body. I find this a useful framework to assess my life’s strengths and weaknesses into its three major dimensions: professional, spiritual, and personal. In my quest for self-improvement, I seek to make progress in each of those areas.
For me, work itself is not a goal unto itself; rather, it is a mean to achieve my objectives. Nevertheless, it is a very important aspect of my life. Besides financial rewards, work gives me the opportunity to refine and share knowledge, build relationships, help people, overcome personal challenges, grow as a professional, and participate in a social environment.
I am proud to state that I am excelling in this dimension. For example, I feel proud of my ability to work with different people, even if they are difficult to deal with. While working for a military organization, I supervised the work of a younger trainee, Michael. After her first weeks at work, everybody considered Michael a person with good performance but with a difficult personality. Although I agreed that he exhibited an overly aggressive behavior, I managed to conquer her respect. Even though I consider myself an usually impatient individual, I learned the importance of tolerance. I taught my trainee everything from professionalism to his being competent. Currently, he is doing great in his job.
I believe that two qualities in particular characterize my leadership style: the ability to establish a clear vision and the ability to set an example. Establishing a clear vision up front allows me to convey a sense of purpose and responsibility to every member of my team. Once a clear vision has been established, I seek to set an example for my colleagues. Specifically, I work to gain the respect of my team through action. People are more apt to mobilize after they have observed another person in action. When team members realize that I am willing to put in the effort, they feel compelled to act accordingly. In addition, they become more responsive to my leadership and more confident in their own work. I’ve learned to be a positive member of the team.
However, when I make mistakes, I find it difficult to forgive myself; I am always my own worst critic. I torment myself with a past failure for weeks. In my current job, I just cannot accept that I make mistakes. I fall on my face several times, and each time, it seems to me that the world stops turning. Most of the times, I am cynical. Sensing my overly pessimistic attitude, one of my colleagues said to me: “Let’s turn this negative into a positive.” He added that in this world, there is no failure because there is always a lesson to be learned, at the very least. Since then, I have used this unrelenting optimism as my guide. Currently, I am trying to yield and accept my mistakes. It is so true that time spent worrying over a mistake is wasted time. Instead I should figure out how to correct the mistake and move on.
I also admit that I used to indulge myself in the occasional prima donna fit. I was aware of my value at the organization, that there were many things that only I knew how to do, and I played on it to get my way. Things have changed since one of my bosses talked with me. I realized that it doesn’t matter how good your work is–if you are a pain to work with, that’s what people remember and react to. Since then I have endeavored to present a consistently pleasant face to my coworkers. In order to become a more effective leader, I need to improve my skills in organization. I have had few opportunities to practice organizational skills. These skills will become a necessity as I step into positions of increasing managerial responsibility and organizational leadership.
I come from a family which taught me early on the importance of contemplation. Since my teenage years, I have developed a keen interest in authors who seek to present unconventional theories about the meaning of life. Through my reading, theories have opened my mind to different concepts, and through them I have realized that we should not limit our vision of life to a single, pre-conceived notion. I share my spiritual perspectives with colleagues and friends. My being open-minded, coupled with my interest in spiritual matters, serve as my strength in this aspect of my life.
Ironically, I think my major weakness in this dimension is that I tend to believe only myself. Despite my being open-minded, it is hard for me to accept what others have to say. Moreover, I am overly critical and rational.
As directed as I am in terms of my career, my life would be empty without my family. My family is very warm and loving, and I think they have nurtured in me these same qualities. I also am fortunate to have very supportive friends. Their advices and experiences thought me and dig deeper on my pursuit to define the meaning of life. Through my friends, I become a better person in terms of dealing with personal problems. However, I tend to be choosy when. Another vital element of my existence are the sports in which I involve myself with great regularity (basketball and tennis). I involve myself in sports to achieve a healthy mind, spirit and body. These vital elements of my existence and help me to maintain the balance I need. Each has taken very independent and ambitious paths.
Given this multitude of interests and concerns, this is my ultimate aspiration: to look back decades from now and feel proud about my achievements. I feel that so far I have been able to successfully balance the professional, spiritual, and personal dimensions of my life, but I am aware that I must work hard to make myself the very best person I can be in my work, to my family, friends and colleagues.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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