Global Mindset
A global mindset is a critical aspect in which all global leaders must adopt to work successfully in culturally diverse environments. Individuals that surround themselves with others who are different then them have the ability to gain new perspectives and insights on the world. In todays world it is crucial for individuals to consistently seek out to learn about others from different background to be successful in the business world. There are three components that make up ones global mindset: Intellectual Capital, Psychological Capital & Social Capital. These components allow for leaders to learn more about their environment to influence a successful global leadership mindset.
Intellectual CapitalIntellectual capital refers to the leader's overall knowledge regarding the business environment that it operates in. This element is crucial regarding the leader's cognitive ability to effectively navigate the business environment.
Looking at the Thunderbird Global Mindset Inventory, I had the largest improvement in Cognitive Complexity originally scoring 2.2 and increasing this to 3.4. I feel that my lack of confidence entering into this program lead to my extremely low score in this category. Through group projects in MIE 430 and PRT 359, I was able to become more confident in my abilities to analyze and solve problems. |
Phycological CapitalPsychological capital refers to a leader's self-confidence and optimism when making a globally-minded decision.
Looking at the Thunderbird Global Mindset Inventory, I had the most growth in Quest for Adventure. When I received this score at the begging of this program I disagreed with how low it placed me in the category which was a 2. My score increased to 4.2 by the end of the program. When I analyze these results I find that my first beginning score was fairly accurate. While back in the states a stick to a similar routine and surround myself with the same people on a daily basis. This experience forced me to break from routine and interact with different people and have surround myself with different environments. |
Social CapitalSocial capital describes how a leader interacts within a social environment which includes openness, reasoning, and curiosity.
Looking at the Thunderbird Global Mindset Inventory, I improved the most in Intercultural Empathy. My score increased two points by the end of the semester due to experiencing what it is like to work in a intercultural team. I think my time working with the German students in MIE 430 had the most impact on developing this category. I was able learn that it is important to understand the individuals you are working with before starting a task. |
Cross Cultural Value & Ethics
This experience has shown me that in order to become a successful leader one must distinguish their core set of values and have the ability to communicate and apply them in the external environment. Being a leader requires intense self-reflection on determining if they are withholding to their values in and out of the workplace. An individuals values directly correlates to how one determines a particular situation to be ethical are not.
Importance of Values
Before this experience, I did not have a set core of values that I held myself to daily. During my time in Germany, I was able to distinguish what my core values are through self-reflection and developing a greater understanding as to why this was important in order to be a successful team member. When leaders strive to hold themselves to their values and ethical behavior it showcases how well they can work with others.
-Candice Shea This discussion showed me that many people in leadership roles are content with where they are at and refuse to go against the grain when something challenges their values or is unethical, due to the fear of losing the position. The situation illustrated when people in leadership roles are faced with ethical decisions, they dismiss their core values and choose job security over doing the right thing. |
My Top 5 Values
-Family -Health -Reliability -Creativity -Positivity -Squire Patton Boggs Research Project
While working with two German students during this project, I was able to see the problems that arose within a culturally diverse team when individuals values aren't communicated. In order to successfully operate within a team it is extremely important that others share what their values are to more effectively communicate and resolve conflict. |
My Leadership Philosophy
I lead in a positive manner that encourages others to stay engaged and creative while in the workplace. As a leader, I feel that when failure arises within a team it is important to analyze why the failure occurred and look at it as a learning opportunity. Positivity can motivate teams to have a more futuristic approach to solving problems instead of letting past failures determine how they operate and navigate within the team. |
Developing a leadership philosophy greatly impacted how I now view myself as a leader. My initial perception of leadership revolved around a good leader being someone who can effectively manage a group of people to meet company expectations. I now realize that leadership styles are flexible in the sense of not everyone leads a team the same way. Creating a concrete philosophy of my leadership style helped me determine why having a core set of values is important when leading others.
|
Theory of Practice
Self Reflection
Self-reflection was a key aspect of PRT 359 which helped develop new methods of how I view myself as a leader and how a navigate through life. Before this program, I rarely ever took a second to reflect on how or why I make decisions and how these decisions correlate with my values. Self-reflection provides a method to gain a deeper understanding of yourself which ultimately will lead to increased self-awareness. Having this new understanding of what my philosophy is can allow me to concentrate on what I know I do best.
Step Ladder Theory
In SLC 475 we learned about the group process of team formation. The stepladder theory has 5 steps which are: Safety, Trust Intimacy, Goal & Vision. Through prior experiences working in teams, I can look back and see why conflict arose due to a lack of or skipping a step in this process. I find this to be useful because as a leader you must establish a personal connection before completing a task.
Clifton Strengths Assessment
In MIE 430 we were revealed our top five based on the Clifton Strengths Assessment, mine being Relatability, Adaptability, Positivity, Includer & and Woo. This greatly impacted how my perception changed regarding my strengths but it also allowed me to determine my weaknesses. I have always struggled especially in acidemia to find something I truly excel at but this assessment provided me insight that I am someone who relies on building relationships with people. From a leadership perspective, I realize the importance of highlighting others' strengths within a team to more effectively reach an end goal.
Team Decision Making
In FTM 484 we conducted a simulation where we analyzed how trust is formed and visualized how people's motives can affect a team. I found this simulation applicable towards how I operate in a business environment because individuals within a team may not want to see you succeed or are difficult to work with. As a leader, it is important to identify individuals in the team that are disrupting how decisions are made and negatively affect work productivity.