Category: Personal Strengths

I believe one of my own characteristics in correspondence is that I can banter with essentially anyone. I value speaking with people. In correspondence, my quality would be that I can tune in similarly as respond. I value having discourse with people of different social orders, since it enables me to consider their lifestyle.

I have made sense of how to talk about well with people, since I am an amicable person. I confer better one on one. I have an inadequacy with correspondence concerning tending to an immense social occasion of people. I become fearful, and will sometimes neglect what I expected to state.

My deficiency in correspondence is moreover when I have to talk before the class, or before an astoundingly enormous social affair of people I become restless, in light of the fact that my inadequacy of thinking that they are more fixated around me than on the information that I will present. I work at that inadequacy by having the individual solidarity to endeavor to make the presentation pleasant with the objective that the inside won’t be such an incredible sum on the speaker yet the information be shown to the social affair.

I have gotten the hang of during that time that it is basic to stay focused on your characteristics and not your deficiencies and to comprehend that for the most part every other individual is in all likelihood correspondingly as worried as I am. I have quality in the manner that I can talk about most subjects wholeheartedly. I endeavor to pass on just the point I am endeavoring to make and have the guide reasonable toward the people who are tuning in.

Correspondence for me is basic depending upon the subject being discussed. I a portion of the time have an inadequacy in the manner that I may be too much real with my answer and don’t think before answering. I comprehend that when you are talking with people, they genuinely needn’t bother with reality since it hurts and is unfriendly.

I find that it is much more straightforward for me to pass on, when I think about the exchange being analyzed. I am frail with respect to starting a talk and driving the talk. I will avoid a discourse anyway much as could sensibly be required when I have to show the information to be discussed. In correspondence, I am furthermore feeble in the zone that I will listen more that take an intrigue.

I also have a weakness in my non-verbal social capacities. The weakness is that once in a while my non-verbal correspondence will offer a sudden reaction in contrast with what I would have spoken. When I am using non-verbal correspondence as a point of contact I will raise or agree to something from just checking out the subject being discussed. I base on my non-verbal social capacities, since I need the non-verbal to be comparatively as reasonable as the verbal. My non-verbal correspondence must not present an unforeseen correspondence in contrast with arranged. With non-verbal correspondence, I endeavor to give more eye to eye association so that there is no confusion of the correspondence anticipated. I find motioning your head helps in non-verbal correspondence, in light of the way that a signal can say a lot. In my social capacities, I have found that if I highlight the characteristics. By then the deficiencies would not be so plainly obvious.

In having spoken with each and every unmistakable kind of people, I used to be educated that if you stop and think for five seconds before you talk, your social capacities would present themselves in a most sharp manner. Correspondence goes somewhat straightforward for me, since I like to talk, yet just talking and not bestowing would transform into a deficiency.

I endeavor to reliably have something to pass on to different people that would be significant. On account of giving verbally or non-verbally your exercises will for the most part, address how you are feeling about a particular subject or talk. When it is possible reliably, endeavor to pass on verbally and have the individual you are talking with perceive that they grasp what you are expressing.

Introduction to Personal Leadership Analysis

A personal evaluation of strengths is a tool that must be understood to effectively lead people. An effective leader must know how to reach goals by motivating the team. There are many strengths that translate to leadership styles used to motivate teams. Identifying and using a formal Leadership style will aid in becoming an effective leader. Using one’s own strengths while leading comes natural for most. Weaknesses need to be mitigated with actions to gain results. The purpose of this paper is to explain the exploration and evaluation of my personal leadership style, explore leadership strengths, identify weaknesses and in turn set timely goals for accountability as a leader.

Clifton Strengths Assessment: A Personal Reflection

According to the Clifton Strengths Assessment, success is dependent on five signature themes that can be used to identify strengths to improve overall personal performance. Clifton Strengths assessment is something that I completed a few years ago as well as for this program. I compared my results and they were very different. I believe that my strengths have changed due to professional development, leadership experience as well as maturing my emotional intelligence. I was not surprised by my findings. My top five strengths in order are significance, command, responsibility, focus and input. I have always wanted to be significant. I am not sure if I was that way by nature or by child hood circumstance however, since a young age, I wanted to be recognized for my accomplishments. I thrived as a young mother, wife, business owner and then currently as a registered nurse leader. I used my independence to quickly move up the career ladder in Nursing, by becoming a young leader. I really thrive on achievement and recognition. In my professional life, I enjoy being recognized for my success. Working is a pleasure for me and I spend a lot of time focused with my professional responsibilities. I am proud when people respect me and enjoy my network of like minded individuals.

From a young age, it has felt natural to take charge. Command is easy for me. I was a latch key kid, that had a lot of personal responsibility by age 6. As an adult, I feel well versed in taking charge of situations. I use command to have a bit of control over the way something can affect me. I am quick to form opinions and make decisions. When I encounter conflict, I quickly confront the situation for a quick resolution, so that I can move forward timely and not look back. Honesty and clear expectations are strong values for me. I like setting expectations with teams and clear goals with a plan to execute. Honesty is my best policy. I have been known to have been called bossy at times but I am usually the first to volunteer and have a real go for it attitude. I live by the code that I am only as good as my word. I take responsibility extremely serious. I am the first to jump in first, but when I make a promise to deliver or commit to a deadline, that is hard and fast for me. I do not make excuses. I can not accept loose ends. When I have a goal, I must deliver. I have been known to take on too much responsibility from time to time.

I am extremely focused in my life. I often create check lists, revisit them, and prioritize daily. I do this both in my personal and work life. I am always trying to be the most efficient that I can. I really am proud about my time management and ability to accomplish so many things daily. I do not do well, when there is no purpose. I have to always be working towards something. Sometimes I steer away from activities that are not directly heading towards my goals. Input is the fifth identified strength. I consider myself well connected with a network of professionals and life experience. I enjoy traveling to many places, asking a lot of questions and volunteer to try things that I have never done. I use these experiences to make quick to make personal connections when interacting with people. It is a networking technique and ice breaker. I believe people can relate to me when I use this technique. Understanding and exploring all five Clifton Strengths significance, command, responsibility, focus and input, will help me in my action plan develop as a leader moving forward.

Transformational Leadership: A Definition and Approach

The definition of leadership that resinates with me is, a dynamic process, they mobilize to accomplish extraordinary goals, they use five practices: model inspire a shared vision, challenge, enable others to act, and encourage the heart (Aalateeg, 2017). It is important to note that everything is constantly changing. Goals, projects, company interests must change to stay relevant. Teams must be cohesive and adaptive to the greater goals of the organization. Transformation leadership style (https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-impact-of-management-andleadership-styles-on-individuals-and-teams/) has been linked to increased job satisfaction and reduce attrition, it is a way to increase strength and relationships between the teams to higher standards. A transformational leader must lead the group into personal, professional development that aligns with the organizational goals. A transitional leader must have the employees interests and their acceptance to motivate the team to work toward the organizational goals.

Exploring Personal Strengths in Leadership

My personal strengths directly relate to Transformational Leadership. Three that will be discussed are relationship building, honesty and and self reflection. There are many challenges with developing relationships. I spend time to get to know my coworkers, let them know that I care as well as value and respect them. According to Rolfe, relationship building is based on the leader acknowledging accomplishments, including them in decision making and giving them a voice are key to Transformational Leadership. Using the input strength as identified by Clifton, I effectively use my data base of relatable experiences to get to know people and build relationships. In turn I gain trust and can use this to motivate individuals towards the organizational goals, by working on forming task groups and committees. It is important that the people feel included in the decision making process and feel heard by a genuine ear that is open minded to their point of view (Rolfe, 2001).

Honesty is my best policy. Leaders must make difficult decisions that are in line with the organization’s strategic plan that aren’t always the popular choice to the team. It is usually part of the greater good for the organization. The impact to the team can sometimes not be in their perceived favor. It is important to collaborate and develop a plan within the parameters of the decision, with the team. This is when the leader must be honest with the team (Rolfe, 2001). Using honesty, and sharing pertinent details, will gain trust, foster open collaboration and important that this is done by sharing honest. Using the Transitional Leadership style, team collaboration based on leader honesty can help motivate the team to move towards the organizational goals.

Lastly, self reflection is one of the most powerful strengths. Leader self reflection helps me identify, where I stand with the goals and strategic plan of the organization. Transformational Leader visions must be recognized and aligned with the organization. Having an understanding of the reconciliation between where I stand and the organization will allow me to be lead effectively using the Transformational Leadership style. I can use this reconciliation to mitigate the differences between the organizational strategic plan and my own to lead the team towards the greater organizational goals and not my own.

Addressing Weaknesses in Leadership

With strengths, must come weaknesses. My own identified weaknesses include, being perceived as bossy, take on too many responsibilities and lack of structure in my leadership style. Being bossy is a weakness that is directly opposite of what a Transformational Leader is. Transformational Leaders are team builders, encouraging the team to be empowered to create change and grow professionally. But bossiness can destroy the leader, organization and the team. Bossiness and imposing the leader’s own views repeatedly, sabotages the organizational goals, demotivates people and decreases job satisfaction.

Taking on too much responsibility is something that I am very familiar with. I know that I have a hard time saying no. Transformational Leaders must delegate for success. They must build teams that are invested in the organizational goals. Preferred is the shared leadership concept, which is in line with Transformational Leadership. Controlling and micromanaging will destroy the leader and staff (Kerfoot, 2013). Taking control or all responsibility without delegation prevents group contribution. Great things can happen with there is team synergism. The third identified weakness is lack of structure for the team. According to Kerfoot, teams thrive with a team structure. A structure promotes democratic and participative planning by a trusted group, close to the Transformational Leader. This is a leadership tree which encompasses the Leader and group that manages the vision in turn reaches the greater team who are on the front lines.

The improvements of Leadership effectiveness will be dynamic and revisited by me as often as needed in the future. The weaknesses above discussed: Bossiness, taking on too much responsibility and lack of team structure are destructive to the Transformational Leadership effectiveness. Bossiness will not get me far in leadership. Instead of ensuing my ideas and direction, I must become part of the team. They need to view me as part of the group. I must work beside them to truly lead them. I need to understand their ideas and share common values, concerns and experiences.

Taking on too much responsibility will lead to fatigue and burn out. The work load must be delegated and the delegation is a very important action to improve my personal leadership effectiveness. I need to share the work load and have a better work life balance. By enlisting energized, accountable individuals, whom are working towards the goals of the organization, the pressure and stress of carrying the weight of all the projects on my shoulders will be relieved. Creating a team structure is an organizational tactic that leaders use to prevent being overworked, highly efficient and rewarded. Leaders who are too busy working are not free to complete the highest level tasks in turn damages team performance. The tasks and workload must be organized and assigned for maximum team productivity.

Setting SMART Goals for Leadership Improvement

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and bound to time. For the purpose of improving my leadership ability, I have decided to move forward with 2 short term SMART goals. The first goal is to create a team structure. This is a critical piece to the success of a Transformational Leadership team to move towards organizational goals. I will measure the progress of the structure by comparing it to similar leadership structures within my organization. This goal is attainable because, it is a tool that will enable the team to delegate tasks and responsibilities that are directed towards a common goal. The goal is relevant to my position as a manager, so I can set clear expectations of all team member roles to keep the team moving towards unit organizational goals. I will accomplish this goal by October 1.

The second SMART goal is to better understand the department work flow, so that I can have advanced knowledge when participating in unit change. To achieve this, I must work along side the team until I am comfortable with the processes. I will measure this by properly articulating the processes learned to the Charge RNs on the unit. This is attainable because, I will spend several hours until I feel comfortable with the processes. The goal is relevant to my job as the Manager of Operations. I will accomplish this goal by November 1.

Team structure is key for team performance. I will meet with my Director to obtain a copy of the umbrella of responsibilities for our Department. I will discuss with her and outline the responsibilities into a tiered leadership tree that cascades responsibility through the chain of command. This will include levels for Director, Manager, Two Clinical Supervisors, 4 Charge Nurses and an Educator. Once the structure is built, I will have a meeting to educate the team of the new structure. I will then implement and monitor. As a Manager of Operations, it is very important for me to understand and speak to the unit processes. To better understand the processes, I will start with shadowing the Charge Nurse and then work along side the team until I feel comfortable and can properly articulate the processes. This will be a coordinated effort between the team and leadership on the unit for success. I will ask questions, read policies and familiarize my self with unit culture.

Strengths are innate qualities that come natural. A better understanding of personal strengths will aid in the development of becoming and effective leader. More importantly, understanding innate weaknesses and how to mitigate the challenges, that come with weakness, is quite important. Significance, command, responsibility, focus and input are my 5 Clifton strengths that I use in my Transitional Leadership approach. Using, relationship building, honesty and and self reflection, to lead people is natural for me. The exploration of my weaknesses, being perceived as bossy, take on too many responsibilities and lack of leadership structure, helped me to realize what my leadership challenges are. In conclusion I will work towards 2 SMART goals developed from the exploration of these strengths and weaknesses, using Transformational Leadership principals.

Being able to identify and utilize your strengths is something that can help you advance in your daily life, and will allow you to reach your full potential. Once you are able to determine your own strengths, you become able to apply them for your own good and for the good of others. When you recognize your strengths you are able to also determine some of your weaknesses, and then have and idea of things that you can work on to improve. After you acknowledge your strengths you can then begin to set goals, and know how to work to improve those goals.

According to the dictionary, communication is defined as; the means of connection between people or places, in particular. When I hear the word communication I think of someone who is able to speak openly to anyone and everyone. I imagine that they are able to speak at ease with others and are able to convey whatever meaning they want to with effortlessness. The strength finder book explains communication mainly as someone who likes to speak in public, to others, tell stories, share ideas, and discuss information. Communication is a key aspect and quality needed in the field of social work for there to be any progress made from the beginning. In social work one of the first things that have to be done is create a bond, and form a relationship with the client. This can only be done if there is willingness and communication within the relationship. It allows the social worker and client to have real discussions of what is occurring and changes that may need to occur, or help that may need found, which in the end all contains aspects of communication. I do enjoy talking to people and working with others using communication to solve problems but sometimes I find it hard to communicate. A few goals I wish to set for myself start with becoming more comfortable with using my communication skills, because I feel that there is a lot of potential, but I just haven’t gained access to the potential. Not only do I want to become comfortable with my communication skills, but I need to work on becoming more confident in the skills I already have.

I believe that I am very good at talking with people in some of the aspects that the strength finders books states such as wanting to bring life to ideas, and to energize them to make them exciting and vivid. Being able to work with people based on their reactions and feed back during communication, such as in a presentation, is a key factor and I am going to work on learning how to better read people and feed off of what they say and respond with. Improvising is also something that I believe I am pretty good at in communication but sometimes I fall short with the confidence aspect, so working on becoming more confident in myself will be beneficial. Not only will my strength of communication help me in my area of study and daily life, but spiritually also. I believe that if I am able to communicate with others, communicating with myself will come easy. Praise is a form of communication and with this strength I will feel more connected in my faith, and my abilities to praise Him will grow stronger (Rath,2007).

When I hear the word developer all I think about is a chemical that we used in photography class to develop our photos. After reading through the strengths finder I learned that it is not something that we use in photography class, but the concept is similar in the way that the developer is someone that helps see potential just as the developer in photography helps the picture form and appear on the paper. The strengths finder refers to a developer as someone who “sees the potential in others”, “helps others experience success”, and is “seeked out by others for encouragement” because the “developers help is genuine and fulfilling to them” (Rath, 2007). The characteristics that stick out the most to me is being seeked out by others, and having a sense of fulfillment when helping others succeed. In my daily life I experience people coming to me with their problems with out me ever having to ask them how they are doing. I also always feel happy when I get the chance to simply help others, because when they feel a sense of pride and joy, I feel pride and joy.

All of these skills will be helpful in the field of social work because giving power to the people and seeing the potential in them is what it is all about. I feel that if they don’t get that sense of empowerment from someone encouraging, they will never feel empowered at all. Personally in the future I want to try to empower and find the potential in as many people here at HU as I can. I want to begin to help working with others now to allow them to reach their full potential and gain access to their own strength. I will try to be more open to helping as many people as I can, and be there for more people so that they too can feel worthy. I want people to feel, as I am someone who will never judge them, and is always open and ready for a conversation if they need someone to be there for them. Having the strength of a developer and faith go hand in hand because a developer can potentially be the best strength to have with faith. I have the ability to help lead people to Christ in ways that others cant because I can see the potential in others, and when they succeed, I succeed. Helping bring people to realization of their own faith is a gift in itself an I know that helping others will in return help myself (Rath, 2007).

It wasn’t until recently that I formed an understanding of what exactly empathy meant, I have always been confused in the difference between sympathy and empathy. I figured that they both sound somewhat the same and are even spelled somewhat the same so the probably mean something of the same, but now I know I was mistaken. When I was reading through the strengths finder book, learning more about the strength of empathy I learned that this is probably the strength that I feel most sure about, and I would completely agree that it is me. The book states that someone with the empathy strength “can sense the emotions of those around them”, you “can share their perspective”, and my favorite part, and you“don’t necessarily feel pity for each person’spredicament or condone the choices each person makes” (Rath, 2007). It later says, “where others cant find the words they want to say, I am able to find the right words and right tone” (Rath, 2007) which I completely agree with. I also would agree with the sentence where it says, that “people are drawn to you”, because in my daily life I have people acknowledge me and come up to me simply because I seem welcoming to strangers and someone who is good company. All these abilities will definitely help me the most in becoming a social worker, allowing me to be able to relate to my clients and work with them in a different way that most. The strengths finder also says, that “when I witness the happiness of others it also brings me pleasure”, which is something most cannot say for themselves. Another strength of someone with empathy is intuition, and having that ability to sense what is going to happen before it becomes common knowledge, which is another skill that would help in social work. A goal that I would set for myself with empathy is to try to become more empathetic towards more people. I want to try to reach those that I may not already be in connection with and try to help as many as I can. I am thankful that God has given me this wonderful and powerful gift, because not everyone is able to feel what others feel and relate to them (Rath, 2007).

Positivity is always a strength that I have known that I had, and it has been an advantage for me almost my whole life. People know me as someone who is always smiling, laughing, making others smile and laugh, and having a good attitude, which are characteristics of positivity I believe. I enjoy being happy and making others happy, I don’t understand who wouldn’t want to be happy. I’ve always had a glass half full point of view and it has been empowering in my past years. The strengths book defines the positivity strength as “someone who is generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation” (Rath, 2007), which all apply to me. It is true that people do want to be around me because of my enthusiasm being contagious. I am rarely dragged down, I love to make things more exciting and vital, and I like to think that I have a great sense of humor.

In social work you need to be positive for a good majority of the time, even while you are being serious, because positivity is contagious and not everyone you work with will be happy, or in a good place emotionally. I want to use my positivity in social work to encourage others to be positive and help shape and mold their point of view in life to not be so negative. With my positivity strength already being used in my day-today life I want to make sure it is at the top of its game. I want to work on giving off the best possible positive vibes to others with my goal of them then too becoming more positive. Being able to influence others in a positive way is all that I ask for and want to work towards. Positivity is something that takes up so much of my personality, making me the bubbly person that I am and I know that God intended it to be that way, for me to flourish and inspire others.

When I first came across the word woo I was extremely confused as to what it could possibly mean. Winning others over, woo, which is something I love to do. I know its not always possible, but I want as many people possible to like me, it makes me feel good about myself but I know that not everyone I meet will like me, but I can try my best to make them. The strengths finder book says that “someone with the strength of woo, enjoys that challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you, strangers rarely intimidate you, and you are rarely at a loss for words” (Rath, 2007). I love making new connections with people, and forming new relationships. Until I was a sophomore in high school I was one of the shyest kids around. Talking with new people actually scared me, and I was very uncomfortable, and often found my self in awkward situations. I learned, that in order to succeed in life I needed to put myself out there and take more chances. Even though I was shy, I still enjoyed talking, a lot. Coming out of my shell was hard at first but I kept pushing myself. I love working with others, finding their strengths, and helping them reach their potential, but to do all of that you first have to build their trust and faith in you, which is what I think woo means.

Winning others over will be a helpful strength in social work because I will be able to create connections and work with people with more ease then others. It will be helpful in working with strangers too since I am enjoy meeting new people and breaking the ice, never at a loss for words. I want to use my woo strength to befriend as many new faces as possible to help make a possible positive change in their life too. If I had to chose a top five strength for Jesus, I would place woo in the top five simply because he too had to be able to win others over. He had to work with others and lead his followers who he had won over, and he continued to win over people, and He still does today when people make the decision to follow Christ.

Counseling and therapy is not about solving people’s problems but helping people to cope with living life, problems and all. In the contents of this essay, I will be reflecting on the personal and effective characteristics, core competencies, personal strengths and weaknesses that I have as a future counselor. Furthermore, I will also be looking into the principles, theories, practice of counseling in South Africa and how they relate to me as an individual and a future counselor and/or psychologist.

Personally, I am not the type of person to be easily influenced against my thoughts and beliefs, although I am a shy person (https://gradesfixer.com/free-essayexamples/overcoming-shyness/), I speak my mind and stand up for myself when I need to do so. Knowing who I am, what I want and what is most valuable to me is a characteristic that will come in handy to me as a counselor and also to my clients as well because I will not only advise them of confidence and courage but I will be practicing what I preach.

“The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own example’’ [John Wooden]. By being respectful and appreciative towards myself, I display the kind of behavior I want and give out to other people, which will allow me to build a healthy and respectful relationship between me and my clients

My past choices and mistakes do not block my perspective on the present and the future. I acknowledge the past mistakes and use them as lessons that I apply going forward, this helps me both personally and professionally when applying the same characteristic to my clients’ situations.

Being truthful, authentic and sincere is essential in counseling. The only issue with my honesty is that it is open and naked, I tell it like it is and most of the time I come across as being rude, harsh or too strict and this will disadvantage me as a counselor because clients might end up being scared to open up to me.

Putting the events of life in perspective and not taking everything personally grants me the ability to help clients see their problem in another way and enhance the chances of solving that problem.

Admitting to making mistakes is not a weakness but strength because I will be able to show my clients that making mistakes is okay but admitting to them and making things right is emotionally and physically beneficial.

The past and the future are unknown, what we have is the gift of the present. Counselors should be in the present in order to relate to the present problems of their clients.

As a counselor, it is important to acknowledge the variety of cultures to be able to be of good help to my clients.

This helps in building a relationship between me as the counselor and the client. Communication is vital in any relationship, whether personal or professional.An effective counselor ought to have the ability to exert control over their life, deal with problems effectively, and make behavioral and environmental changes rather than always adapting to circumstances.

I am a very motivated, driven, committed and hardworking person who always wants to do best. By being self-motivated, I will be a good motivation to my clients and colleagues also.

I am a shy, impatient person who gets easily annoyed. I ignore a lot of stuff to avoid conflicts. Not good at elaborating and explaining things in a way other people would understand and that’s disadvantageous because it will cause a lot of misunderstandings between me and others.

Psychosexual development is a complex process involving genetic, hormonal and environmental factors and can be further defined by one’s gender identity, gender role and sexual orientation.11 From: Principles of gender-specific medicine [third edition]2017. Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory states that human development and human behavior are influenced by the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious aspects of our minds; these consist of three key concepts, namely the ID, the EGO and the SUPEREGO.

These are the unconscious mechanisms in our bodies that help us cope with anxiety, facing reality and prevent the ego from being overwhelmed. Ego-defense mechanisms include the following: denial, reaction formation, rationalization, identification and compensation among others

According to Freud, the way we behave is determined by nonsensical forces, unconscious motivations and biological and instinctual drives as these evolve through key psychosexual stages in the first six years of life. The events that occur in the early stages of life are the ones that determine our personalities as adults. Our instincts also determine our survival, growth and development, not forgetting creativity. These were the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses that I have as a future counselor and they will be either good or bad for me as a future counselor.

Throughout this essay I will be discussing both my personal strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of highlighting strengths and weaknesses is to reflect on ways in which I can solve my weaknesses and ways to make my strengths even stronger. I have never been a confident person, so it is hard to think of any possible strengths of mine. However, a strength that I believe I have is being able to be well organised. Having good organisation skills is important to have for any situation as it increases productivity. This is especially important for a university student as by being organised it allows things to run smoother and for the important tasks, such as assignments to be completed.

Organisation skills also provide efficiency and can significantly decrease stress levels, as by managing time it increases overall satisfaction and productivity. To maintain this skill I plan on keeping to to date with all class notes and focusing on assignments to help achieve the best possible grade I can. The next ‘strength’ I believe to have is being able to observe. This may not be typical seen as a strength, but personally I believe it can be. I like being able to observe what’s going on around me and to be able to apply for to whatever it may be, for example during classes as I like to observe what’s being said and then interpret in my own way.

Confidence has always been a key weaknesses and struggle of mine which impacts my daily life. Since starting university in September I’ve struggled a lot with confidence as anxiety places a huge part in my life. This makes it impossible to contribute in classes and to take part in class activities because it is always a constant fear and battle. I am trying to overcome this as to become successful university and in life I will need to be able to be confident in some way. Another weakness of mine is not being able to adapt to change quickly as I like everything staying the same. However, this is not a realistic idea and since coming to university I have adapted to the change better than I thought in certain aspects, but in other trying to work on. Academically I’m not the smartest of people, which is another weakness as intelligence doesn’t come natural and to enhance this I am trying to put in a lot of effort in order to maintain good grades. If I mange to graduate university with a good enough grade I would like to continue studying to get a masters degree. As this will help expand knowledge and will help me to become a more rounded individual. Career wise I’m not sure what I would like to do yet, but by the end of my university journey I will have hopefully managed to figure out what I would like to do, as I believe we still have plenty of time to decide.

No person on Earth is perfect. If this were true, then the world would be a very boring place. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Some people know how to handle their weaknesses in the right way and try to learn from them. Others keep hiding their own weaknesses and do not want any help with them. I am one of those who has been keeping my weaknesses inside and hiding all the time. I realized that I need to change by getting help and that I must overcome my fear of doing so because my weakness have been bothering me and are keeping me away from success. Strengths are often the talents and hobbies that people enjoy to do and never get bored of. Some people use their talents to help others with their weaknesses. I have been hiding my weaknesses and strengths from others because I am embarrassed to let people know what they are. In order to be successful, I need to overcome my fear of sharing this information and share my talent to everyone.

I have discovered several weaknesses of mine which mainly involve education. I realize that my writings are not good or perfect as others. Every time I try to write an essay, I have to re-read and re-write several times but I still receive bad grades on my assignments. English is my second language; therefore, I am truly afraid to write or read for fear of receiving a bad grade. I try to avoid writing as much as I can because grammar and sentence structures are the weak points of my writing. I have taken several classes to improve my writing but so far I do not see any improvement. Sometimes I feel that asking a question regarding my paper is very awkward and embarrassing. I just keep quiet and turn my assignment in as is.

Communication with others is another weakness that I never seem to gain any improvements in. Whenever I speak to a stranger or to an elder, I usually get nervous and stutter. Sometimes I even shiver as if I am cold. I remember one time when the chief financial officer of my company was asking for my help with using the computer and I was feeling scared and nervous. I could feel my heart fluttering in my chest and thoughts racing through my mind. When I spoke, she could not understand a single word coming out of my mouth. Many people have thought I was a shy person but the truth is I am afraid to speak to anyone because of my nervousness.

However, one of my strengths includes my love of taking care of kids. I have been working at a preschool for several years now, helping out with the kids. I help with keeping the classroom organized and making sure that the room and the kids are clean. When the kids see me in class, they are really happy. This is what motivates me to become a preschool teacher because I know it will make me happy to know that I was the one who helped those kids get a good start on their education. I want to serve as a good role model for them and be a person that they can look up to.

Organization is another one of my strengths, in many aspects. I always know where all my things are and rarely ever lose them. If something or a place is organized, such as my room, it makes it so much easier for me to find where I put something. This strength is an important one, as it has led to success for me and will continue to do so. When my school supplies are organized and I have everything I need to learn and do work, it shows that I am motivated to learn and leads to higher grades. This quality is highly sought out in any type of career because it shows one’s willingness to work and do an excellent job.

The ability to listen to others is yet another one of my strengths. If one of my friends is having a bad day or just needs a shoulder to lean on, I am there for him or her. Although I can’t always make their problems go away, just by me being there for them helps them to feel more positive and uplifted.

My strong and weak points are a part of who I am and will lead me down the path to success in future. Although my weaknesses lie in the reading and writing aspect of education and in the communication with others, my strengths have more influence on whom I am and how I present myself. My strengths include the love of taking care of kids and organization, two very important personality traits that go hand in hand. If I didn’t love kids and taking care of them, I wouldn’t have found a career that I wanted to go into, a preschool teacher. In order to become a superb teacher, one must be organized and able to listen to others and help them with problems, which are important qualities that I possess.

In conclusion, I am really thankful that I was able do this personality assessment as I am given the chance to know myself more and also to discover the areas of improvement that I should look into. These learnings will be significant not just for the duration of my post graduate program but also up until my future endeavours.

While applying to the Rutger shadow program the three characteristics that came to mind to help define me are my ability to persevere, curiosity, and resiliency. Using these three qualities I will show how they relate to me and why I believe them to be important

For the majority of my life, I would have described myself as a passive, unmotivated person. I don’t remember what exactly pushed me to try harder, but to this day I push myself to accomplish my goals. I consider my ability to Persevere to be, one of my most important characteristics. It is responsible for where I am now and will be a key factor in helping me pursue my future career: A surgeon. Through this, I will be able to keep moving forward.

The second quality that I believe helps differentiate me from the other candidates applying to the Rutger Shadow program is my curiosity. I find myself passionate about a majority of things, especially science. For my junior year, I am taking a chemistry course with an unorthodox teacher. While in this class I often find myself engrossed in whatever topic we are doing, from Balancing equations to Stoichiometry. There are times when I find myself confused about what we are doing in class, but despite this It just makes me work harder. I believe that the quality that generally makes you want to learn something will help elevate you no matter what you are doing

My third defining quality is my Resiliency. I have faced many hardships in my life from failing to accomplish certain goals to leaving family behind by coming to the USA. Despite these hardships, I refuse to let them drag me down but instead use them to elevate myself. Being resilient is an essential trait in life because we will always be faced with many boundaries and through this, will determine whether one fails or succeeds in life.

These qualities help define who I am as a person and will be key factors in my life. From my ability to push myself (persevere), My curiosity, and my resiliency in life. Through these qualities, I hope it shows why I belong in this program.

At the end of the CyberCorps scholarship application review process, if I am selected as one of the beneficiaries of the awards, a position in the government would mean a lot to me but would also make my parents very proud of me for the accomplishment. As an immigrant from Togo, a third-world country, getting such a lifetime opportunity would be a dream come true for me as it is not a chance that one gets in my country of birth, even with all the hard work. A position in the government would align with my career goals which lie within cybersecurity and expose me to diverse opportunities such as further honing and developing my skills in cybersecurity, obtaining more experience, and potentially the acquisition of a security clearance. More so, this will grant me the opportunity to serve the United States and to express my gratitude as well as that of my family for getting the chance to a better life in the United States.

Obtaining a position in the government would also help to put my current skills to use and exploit my strengths in serving the nation. To start with, I would use my ability to quickly learn, grasp, and understand new concepts to accomplish various tasks correctly and efficiently. Since immigrating to the United States four years ago, my ability to fast learn has helped and allowed me to achieve a lot of accomplishments. I have been able to learn English as a second language in three months, receive a STEM scholarship that helped fund the tuition for my associate degree, and obtain a position in cybersecurity. I also possess a strong and firm determination to succeed which I believe would be essential to a position in the government. As the first-generation member of my family to go obtain a college education, I am overly committed to succeeding in this journey as a symbol of gratefulness, honor, and respect to my parents who sacrificed and gave up a lot to get me through academics and to honor any and all stakeholders who are willing to spare time and assets on me to get me to where I am today.

Moreover, my determination to accomplish my career goals or any to accomplish the tasks assigned to me, my strengths in time management, and my strong work ethic have always allowed me to always meet deadlines while doing my due diligence. In many projects and tasks, whether personal or work-related, meeting the set deadline set something that is very important to me as it is a reflection of how my life is managed. I also possess other strengths including critical thinking, the ability to communicate ideas and concepts logically, team working, and self-awareness of my weaknesses, which would equally be crucial to a position in the government.

We all know someone in our lives that is virtuous. Someone that they look up to and mimic their style of doing things or handling any situation. A role model is someone who has influenced your life in such a huge way. My role model is Dorothy Jackson my grandmother.

There are many reasons I have chosen my grandmother as my role model. Since I can remember my grandmother has been a hard worker and a nurturer to our entire family as well as others. She puts others needs before her very own needs. I consider her a role model not only to me but to everyone she encounters. She is a very strong woman. She loves her family very much especially her great grandchildren.

My grandmother has always held a job I can’t remember a time that she has not worked. She has always told me that hard work pays off. All the jobs that she has held she is always recognized for her hard work and dedication by her co-workers. She never seems to amaze me.

When I say that she put others before herself I mean just that. She has always done things for others whether it interferes with the plans she already has or not. I remember once she was supposed to take a church member to go and handle some personal business but forgot that she had prior engagement that she already planned. She allowed the church member to use her care and she walked to where she had to go. She did not complain because that’s the type of person she is.

My grandmother just turned 80 years old in August 2018 and retired then for the 3rd time. She has pelvic cancer and still manages to say she is okay even when she may not be. You wouldn’t be able to tell she is in pain or feeling down, because her joyful spirit will not allow her to show it. She does not like to feel helpless or not needed. She lives alone in her own home. She still can do everything for herself and she still drives. It may be a bit slow, but she still drives. She has been through a lot over the past 18 years. From death of her husband, her youngest daughter and father which she was the care taker for all of them. She currently helps care for her oldest daughter whom had a stroke 5 years ago and needs care and encouragement and she still mange to keep her life in order and from falling to pieces. She has 25 great grandchildren and they mean the world to her. Five of them are very close to her and she spoils them tremendously, so they can’t stand to leave her side. If the parents of the children don’t make them come home, they will stay as long as they want and as long as she allows them to stay. Leave it up to her they never have to come home.

Her being a very good role model influenced me so much I followed in her life’s path. The only difference is I chose nursing and she held various jobs that allowed her to care for her family. Because the influence my grandmother had in my life I turned out to be an amazing role model just like her. I attained the same traits and attributes that qualified me to be a great role model for my younger girl cousins, my 8-year-old daughter and co-workers. The woman that I have become following my grandmothers’ path has allowed to the pleasure of meeting so many people. Some of the people were very nice and kind and some were not. I just greeted and left them with a smile and stayed humble. I never allowed myself to get out of character and when I felt like I was I would say to myself how would my grandmother handle this situation. After asking myself that question and praying about it the situation always worked out for my good. I have worked so hard to become the person I am today. I have run into so many obstacles in trying to become this person, but I was determined to show the younger generation in my family that they to can be a role model someday if not now.

I am the first-born granddaughter out of 5. I am 41 years old and I have graduated twice and now I am in school (college) again to further my career in nursing. My first child was born when I was at the age of 24 and my second child at the age of 33. I bet people thinking what a big gap in between the children. I grew older and wiser after the birth of my first child. I was spoiled and still had a childlike mentality during that time. We basically grew up together. During my growing period I wanted to set an example for the younger girls in my family that you don’t have to be having kids so early get to know yourself and grow up first and then have kids if having kids is in your plans. I am not at all perfect in any way, but I try and make sure that they see me doing what’s right so that they will follow. Children learn what is appropriate behavior in part by observing the behavior of significant others and then trying the behaviors out themselves (Farley & Flota, 2018, p. 128). I find my daughter with my stethoscope and other nursing equipment trying to doctor on whomever will let her. She always says mommy I am going to be just like you when I grow up. I am going to be a nurse so that I can take care of people and make them all better just like you. I always want to show her the right way, so in return I conduct myself in the best manner possible. Little eyes are always watching even when you think they are not.

Work Cited

1. Farley, J.E and Flota, M.W. (2018) Sociology Seventh Edition, New York, NY: Routledge.