Special Thanks....

Through my graduate program I have encountered many different people.  Each person has helped me grow and learn.  These past 8 weeks have been hard for me in my personal life and I have found it hard to think and gather my thoughts but I have had the best discussion group ever.  Group 2, Adesoye, Amber, Melissa, Steffanie, Shelda, and Carolyn, you all have been the best.  You never judged me and have provided great insights that I know I will take with me.  Thank you all so much!!!!!  I wish you all luck in your future endeavors.      

When it all comes to an end....

For me high-performing groups are the hardest the leave.  This is because it very hard to find a group of people that gel and working together efficiently.  It is found the sad for me to say that I have never that group of people.  I hold on the fact that one day I will.  In mind I imagine the closing rituals to be filled with sadness and somber.  At least I know I would be.  I enjoy working with people where everyone's strengths are able to shine and complement each other.  I think it my master's degree comes to an end and I have to exit the program, I think it will be sad.  I have learned some much from so many people.  It has gotten to the point where I recognize names, writing styles, and remember their personal stories.  So I think it will difficult but the excitement of using my degree and new information I have learned in my career will ease the sadness.       

Conflict Resolution

When I think about my disagreements I wished I had known then what I know now.  This week I learned about principles of nonviolent communication (NVC) and the 3 R's (respectful, reciprocal, and responsive).  In both my professional and personal life I have a tendency to want to be right and make my point at any cost.  I have learned that I have to open to listening and showing respect.  In a debate I usually talk over people and bombard the conversation.  Another strategy I have learned is the main principle of NVC which is the natural state of compassion when no violence is present in the heart (http://www.cnvc.org).  I need to be authentically compassionate during a heated discussion.  This way the conversation will be more productive and less hurtful.      

My view...your view

This week we had an exercise where we evaluated ourselves and then we had others evaluate us as a communicator.  The results were very different.  My evaluation came back as a fair and balanced communicator, however, my husband rated as a poor and unfair communicator and my colleague rated me as a passive communicator.  These separate results surprised me.  It seems I communicate differently at home and at work.  I am happy there was an agreement with me being a good listener and concerned about others.  I have learned that I need to speak up more confidently in the workplace and be willing to share my thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  In my personal life I have to learn how to be less aggressive in my arguments and see others' perspectives more.