Know Yourself - Continued

Page 2 of 4    Back

To make substantial headway in self-reflection, spend some time on the following exercises. When considering your responses, think beyond your professional life and current circumstances. Include instances as far back as your youth.

• Make a list of five accomplishments that you enjoyed.
• Make a list of five things you have done that make you proud.
• Describe three scenarios in which you felt highly motivated to accomplish something.
• Describe three scenarios in which you lacked motivation.
• Think of three scenarios in which you felt appreciated by other people. How did they communicate that appreciation for you?
• Make a list of how your colleagues, staff, and supervisors describe you. Include the positive and negative feedback.
• Make a list of how friends and family describe you.
• Make a list of ten of your best personal qualities.
• Think of two small and large decisions that you have made. Describe how you went about making those decisions.
• Describe two situations that seemed risky to you. What did you do?
• Describe a conflict situation between you and someone else that was resolved to your satisfaction. How was it resolved?
• Describe a conflict situation between you and someone else that was not resolved to your satisfaction. What happened?
• Complete this sentence: When I am responsible for leading or supervising other people, I prefer to. . .
• Complete this sentence: When I want to show appreciation for other people, I usually. . .
• Complete this sentence: I work because. . .
• Complete this sentence: From a job I want. . .

After you spend an evening or afternoon reflecting on your life, you might wish to have others explore your responses with you. Look for themes and trends in your responses, finding information that overlaps. Focus on what energizes you and what saps your spirit. Notice your preferences. Consider for example what we can discover about Suzanne's professional aspirations and tendencies from her responses.