Interpersonal Reflection

Interpersonal Reflection

Building Relationships

1. Under what conditions do you shut down communication?

I shut down communication when I believe the recipient of my information is unwilling to understand what I am saying. In some situations, people listen just to reply rather than fully comprehend the information. This causes me to stop the interaction with the person completely.

2. What beliefs are causing you to shut down?

I believe that effective communication requires great speaking but also listening skills. For people to have successful interpersonal relationships, they always have to be ready to listen just as much as they give out information.

3. How can you become more open in future situations?

Cashman (2017) explains that many leaders fail to remember that nothing can be achieved without engaging in relationships. In the future, I will become more open by engaging people more and pointing out their mistakes to help them change rather than shut down.

4. How can you move from the “I” to the “We” of leadership more often?

I can move from the “I” to the “We” in leadership by recognizing that it takes effort from all parties, from interpersonal relationships to work. I strive to always look for solutions to difficulties engaging with others rather than being too invested in myself and forgetting my subordinates or team members.

5. What personal beliefs are causing you to hold back?

My belief that people have to always be on the same page to work together is causing my inability to deal with people’s communication faults.

6. How can you be more open and influential?

I need to try and be more accommodating of people’s faults and understand that conflicts always happen in all interpersonal interactions. To be more influential, I will always work on conflict management and helping others and work on the issues causing poor relations.

7. How can you more effectively build your relationship bridges?

I can build my relationship bridges by being more open in communicating about things I consider uncomfortable. It is always hard for me to tell people the mistakes they are making and instead shut down communication. By being open in my communication, I can be able to solve interpersonal issues.

8. How can you bring your team trust and team effectiveness to a new level?

I can enhance my team’s trust and effectiveness by incorporating a culture of participative leadership. This is a system that gives all people the power to contribute to the decision-making process, hence, enhancing cohesion and collaboration.

Leadership Growth Plan

1. Area to Build Awareness
   1. Open communication
   2. Conflict management
   3. More collaboration
2. New Commitments to Make
   1. I will be more vocal about my feelings and ideas
   2. I will exercise conflict management skills such as compromise and better communication to enhance relationships with team members.
   3. I will create an open system of decision-making to give all members a chance to give ideas and share their feelings on certain things.
3. New Practices to Begin
   1. Asking my team members if they have any questions
   2. Creating an accommodating environment for people to be comfortable communicating.
   3. Always consider the ideas of others and not just mine in making decisions.
4. Potential Obstacles
   1. Moods and attitudes change towards certain topics and people.
   2. Lack of cooperation from team members
5. Timeline and Measures of Success
   1. By the end of the month, there will be a significant reduction in the number of conflicts within the team.
   2. By the end of the month, there will be more successful conflict-management situations
   3. By the end of the week, there will be more meetings to collectively share issues affecting the team.

References

Cashman, K. (2017). Leadership from the inside out: Becoming a leader for life. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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Unit 3 Discussion 1 – Interpersonal Reflection

After reading Cashman’s Chapter 4 on interpersonal mastery, pages 101–124 (linked in Resources), complete the Reflection: Building Relationships on page 117 and the Leadership Growth Plan exercise on page 124. What are you learning about your tendency to open up or shut down communication and your personal beliefs underlying these behaviors? What are your growth commitments? How might you use these questions in your interviews?

Read two learners’ posts. You do not have respond to those learners’ reflections, though you may do so if you wish.

Resources

• Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
• Leadership From the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life (3rd ).