Julie's Story
A workplace example from JulieThe issue:
Going back into family business and realising the need to have a solid understanding and self-awareness of myself as a manager and how I will perform as a leader-manager in small business.
The Question:
How formal of a self-diagnosis do I want to conduct to determine my ability to perform my new role?
Through looking at the Pedler, et al Diagnostic Path (please click to open pathway), I realised that I had already conducted a number of questionnaires and formal self-analysis and realised I needed to be more informal and become more objective in my assessment to suit the environment that I’m to enter.
The Process:
I believe that change comes through personal transformation and growth and by having a realistic perspective of oneself.
After reading Ducker’s “Managing Oneself” I immediately realised the connection that I had to his writing and reviewed his reading and undertook his prescribed process.
Using Drucker’s process:
Drucker uses a feedback analysis approach to understand how you work and to have objectivity with the actual results achieved compared to the desired ones. Through this course I examined each of the following questions and had another student analyse them to give me objective, challenging feedback.
• What are my strengths?
• How Do I Perform?
• Am I a reader or a listener?
• How do I learn?
• Do I act on this knowledge?
• What are my values?
• Where do I belong?
• What should I contribute?
• Responsibility for Relationships? Are you taking responsibility?
• The Second Half of Your Life ... what are you going to do?
Through the challenging analysis given, the comment was made in relation to whether I was an Advisor or Decision Maker... “A comment only, you make decisions every day within the accountability given. It’s only the magnitude of the decision being made that separates us (small business v big business). Has this reflection changed your view? Will you be a better leader for it?”
Drucker states “Do not try to change yourself -- you are unlikely to succeed. But work hard to improve the way you perform. And try not to take on work you cannot perform or will only perform poorly.” I think the extension to this is, understand yourself well, and act on this knowledge daily. It is 90% attitude and 10% competency.
I am now in my third week in the family business and have a confidence in my business leader-manager style and have changed my view on things through self-analysis – I am the confident and comfortable advisor, for now. I have asked for feedback to ensure my approach is achieving results, and I have had a very positive response. Drucker’s feedback analysis will come in handy to keep a “self-check” over a period of time.
