Being my own manager. Just keep swimming.

Today I am faced with a mountain of struggles. I gave some thought to what I may post about on this blog that would be health or OB related. I began to reflect on management and how to be my own manager as I stumble through this next week and a half. How would a good manager respond to my problems as an employee? How would management staff break down my schedule and concerns and make me feel valued, appreciated, and empowered?

Let's start with the problems.
This is my last week of my Healthcare Management online class at Northeastern. I have 4 blog posts to write by tomorrow night. I have 8 secondary responses and 2 written assignments (case studies) due by Sunday night. I have a final paper and final exam due next Tuesday. Of course, all of these assignments were released yesterday morning with no preparation opportunities.
I had an exam yesterday in US Health Systems and an exam this morning in Intro to Anthropology.
I have a meeting with Kyle to discuss our class presentation today at 5pm.
I have a call scheduled with my mentor Anna Sanders for tomorrow afternoon before class.
I have a Women in Business meeting Thursday afternoon.

And the glue that holds it all together? My laptop's hard drive malfunctioned last night while I was studying. I brought it to the technical services in the MUB this morning to diagnose and fix the problem. They must keep it to diagnose it, which will take about a week. Only in a week will they be able to figure out the problem. This means that I am without a computer for who-knows how long, I guess I will know once they are done diagnosing next week.

How am I still functioning with a smile? As my own manager I tell myself first and foremost that everything will work out. How do I know this? I don't. I just have to hold out hope. Someone has to be positive here, so it will have to be my alter ego. Next, the manager inside me is telling me that communication is key. I should email my Northeastern professor and tell him about my laptop. Do I admit defeat and ask for an extension? Can he give me one? Will he believe my story? Will he do the classic "You don't get an extension in the real world." Do I need one or can I handle this? Will I go insane trying?

My typical model is to put lots of things on my plate and do a great job at the sacrifice of my mental state. I can accomplish a lot, decipher what can be placed on a temporary back-burner, and go a day or so without sleep. I have been trying to take better care of myself (as the manager) by letting go of optional responsibilities I have taken on. I have cut my work hours this semester, dropped an elective class, and signed up for my Birthright trip to Israel. I decided that this is my last semester to be a "kid" and I want to enjoy my last few months before my 9-5 assume's its position.

As a manager, I need to prioritize and make do with what's available. I am currently sitting in the library. I did not bring my textbook because I did not expect to be here, however, by the time I get back to my apartment to grab it, I will have to meet with Kyle. Not worth it. I am instead writing this blog because it is on my to do list and may help keep me sane. After the meeting I will return to my apartment, grab my textbook, and return to the library to read, research, and write some posts.

Just keep swimming, right?

EI Related Video

While cruising through Facebook during a study break I came across a video that directly related to the lecture given today in class. In particular, it addressed Colleen's question of how we work on improving our emotional intelligence. This video is about empathy specifically. One line I really appreciate is "you don't need to share someone's opinion in order to understand it and acknowledge it." (1:09) As someone who has good emotional self control, I often times struggle to understand other's emotions.

Check out the video!

http://lifehacker.com/the-importance-of-empathy-in-everyday-life-1791961488?utm_campaign=socialflow_lifehacker_twitter&utm_source=lifehacker_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

First Term Class Prep

My partner Kyle and I have chosen to learn/teach about change. This is a broad topic so we are spending time narrowing down the points we hope to make and the material we hope to teach. My mentor Anna Sanders has been helpful in passing along resources for this topic. I have always found change, both influencing and controlling, to be one of the most important functions of a manager. Making decisions and implementing them are very difficult feats when the audiences are likely not enthused. Humans are creatures of habit. Sure, some like adventure and trying new things, but generally most go home to their same beds and get to hit restart the next day, as they always do. There is nothing wrong with liking consistency! How to deal with that as a manager trying to excite and enforce change? Hopefully you (and I) will find out soon...

Personality Assessment Results

As a management major in Paul College, I have taken many personality assessments throughout my four years. I know that I am "type A", have a "gold" colored personality, and fall under the ESFJ-A persona. I had not, however, taken The Big 5 Project Personality Test that Professor Bonica had us try last week.

While most of the information I found to be expected, I did not like the wording of the outcomes. It was made clear through the language that some traits were desirable and some were not. While I liked most of my responses and found them to be spot-on, the assessment considered me to be close-minded. While I like structure, I am also always up for adventures. My friends would even say I am the one pushing the group towards new experiences.

The graphical depiction of the results in this personality test were cool and helpful. I liked the range aspect instead of just being one characteristic or the other. I would only change the wording to be more accepting and understanding.

If you are interested in the graphical depiction from this test, see below.