Character Strengths Week 4 Post 2

I completed the strengths quiz for Characters and Values and the following were my top strengths. I really enjoyed this quiz and felt that my results lined up with the other personality type tests we have taken so far. I was not really shocked by my results because it pinpointed the things I value the most in myself and others. According to the color legend, these strengths fell under the categories of justice and humanity. This also did not surprise me because these are two qualities I value highly. 

Leadership-Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations 

Being a leader is something I feel like I am in my life and aspire to be in my career in the future. I enjoy leading others without being too intense or pushy. I think my leadership style is very relaxed and focused on kindness, something I really value. 

Love -Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing & caring are reciprocated; being close to people.

I was actually surprised this was not my top strength. I deeply value the relationships in my life and my friends and family are held above all other things in my life. I always want to be close to people. 

Social Intelligence- Being aware of the motives/feelings of others and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick.

This is a strength I am proud to have, and I am happy it gets highlighted in tests such as these. It is something that I definitely always want to build upon.   

Identity Week 4 Post 1

I think one of the hardest questions I have ever been asked is "tell me about yourself." My answer is usually: my name is Regan Brooks Judge and I am 20 years old, go to the University of New Hampshire. I always felt like that was not enough of an answer, especially in an interview. I have read my horoscope profiles, taken personality tests, and Buzzfeed quizzes that tell me what my favorite Disney movie means about my personality, but it is still a really hard question for me.

This Ted Talk asks us to think of ourselves not as a thing that collects life experiences and holds on to them, but as a "collection" of experiences. I like how he explains who we are as all aspects of our brains and personalities working together to create our identity. There is not one place in our minds that holds on to who we are, and our identity is something that is constantly changing.

Vulnerability Week 3 post 2

My mentor suggested that I listen to a Ted Talk by Brené Brown discussing the power of vulnerability when I told her that Caroline and I would be presenting on the topic of Emotional Intelligence. Although this Ted Talk was not directly related to management, I felt that Brown brought up great points on understanding your own emotions, tying in perfectly with our presentation.

 "In order for connection to happen we have to allow ourselves to be seen." This quote from her talk tied together a lot of the topics I introduced in my presentation. Not only do we have to make an effort to be empathetic and understanding towards others, but also to understand ourselves, and to project this openness in our environment. If you spend your days being closed off and impersonal, you will not reach the level of emotional intelligence necessary to create connections in the workplace, as well as in other aspects of life. We think of being vulnerable as being a weakness, but it is presented here as a strength. Vulnerability is a form of courageousness. I feel that especially in the field of healthcare that we are all entering into, we will deal with tough topics and choices that will affect more than just the business decisions of an organization. We will be dealing with real people and their health and well being. I think that being vulnerable and capable of emotion will positively impact the quality of work we will bring into the healthcare industry.

We will play the Ted Talk tomorrow in our presentation!!

Zodiac Signs in the Workplace Week 3 Post 1

This post is totally for fun because I have been an avid reader of horoscopes most of my life and have found them super interesting. I personally match up well with the description of my zodiac sign, and know others who think its complete junk. I stumbled upon this article about how to understand your boss based upon their zodiac sign and I thought it was pretty interesting and accurate. My birthday is June 28th and fall under the Cancer zodiac, so my description was as follows:

The Cancer BossJune 22-July 22Strengths: low-key, easy, harmoniousWeaknesses: overly demanding, expectant, particularInteractive Style: persuasive, feeling, empathicIt can be a mistake to deny or underestimate the dominant qualities of the Cancer boss. Extremely particular about how things are done, Cancer bosses can be very demanding, albeit in a low-key manner. They expect their employees to understand their wishes and even to anticipate them. It is not so much rules and orders that count most for Cancer bosses, but the fact that everyone is on the same emotional wavelength. Not fond of trouble, Cancer bosses want things to run smoothly, underscoring their need for unquestioned dominance -- not be confused with power-tripping. 

Interestingly enough, my zodiac description matched pretty well with my personality test results. I linked the article below if anyone wants see what type of boss they are based upon their zodiac. Whether you are a believer or not, its fun to read.

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/understand-boss-by-astrology

Emotional Intelligence Week 2 Post 2

"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."
 -Theodore Roosevelt

Emotional intelligence is defined as a persons ability to recognize their own feelings and emotions, as well as those around them and to then adapt their behavior to their surroundings. As a young professional, I have been focusing more on my soft skills, such as emotional intelligence in order to adapt to my future workplaces. 

Traditionally, the focus of success has been based around a person's IQ, their grades, and how well they master subject matters. I feel as though this changes as you advance in life and approach your career. 

I found this graphic on the qualities that allow a person to be emotionally intelligent. Personally, one quality that I want to focus on in the near future is Social Skill, especially from a networking point of view. 

Power Posing (Week 2 Post 1)

Yesterday I had my very first interview for my summer internship. The only other interview I had ever done was over the phone, so I was very nervous about body language. When I was talking to my mentor, she talked about how important body language was in interviews, as well as in the workplace.
She directed me towards this Ted talk, spoken by Amy Cuddy, a Social Psychologist. Cuddy spoke about her belief that your body language can shape the way not only others perceive us, but also how we see ourselves.

If you force yourself to smile, you start to feel happy after a while. The same goes for Power Posing. Amy took 2 groups of people, one sitting in high power poses, and one sitting in low power poses. (High Power Posing: arms above your head, shoulders back, smiling. Low Power Posing: Hunched over your phone, slouching, arms crossed.)The findings of Amy's Power Posing experiment were that after 2 minutes of sitting in high power poses, those people's testosterone levels (the "dominance" hormone) were higher than those who were sitting in low power poses.

So for 2 minutes before my interview, I stood in the bathroom mirror and followed her advice. I "Power Posed". I will say it made me feel less nervous and more comfortable with my environment. Hopefully it improved how I interviewed, but only time will tell that.