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Chapter 5 Self-Assessment: Self-Management A key part of planning is setting goals and tracking progress toward their achievement. As a manager, you will be involved in some type of planning in an organization. But the planning process is also used in a personal context, where it is called self-management. Self-management involves setting goals for yourself, developing a method or strategy to achieve them, and then carrying it out. For some people, self-management comes naturally. Everyone seems to know someone who is highly organized, self-motivated, and disciplined. That someone may even be you. If that someone is not you, however, then you will need to develop your self-management skills as a means to becoming a better manager.

A part of planning, and therefore management, is setting goals and tracking progress toward goal achievement. Record your answers to each of the following questions using the following scale:

1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure 4. Agree 5. Strongly agree 1. I regularly set goals for myself. 1 2 3 4 5 2. I keep track of how well I’ve been doing. 1 2 3 4 5 3. I generally keep the resolutions that I make. 1 2 3 4 5 4. I often seek feedback about my performance. 1 2 3 4 5 5. I am able to focus on positive aspects of my work. 1 2 3 4 5 6. I’ll sometimes deny myself something until I’ve set my goals. 1 2 3 4 5 7. I use a to-do list to plan my activities. 1 2 3 4 5 8. I have trouble working without supervision. 1 2 3 4 5

9. When I set my mind on some goal, I persevere until it’s accomplished. 1 2 3 4 5 10. I’m a self-starter. 1 2 3 4 5 11. I make lists of things I need to do. 1 2 3 4 5 12. I’m good at time management. 1 2 3 4 5 13. I’m usually confident that I can reach my goals. 1 2 3 4 5 14. I am careful about how I manage my time. 1 2 3 4 5 15. I always plan my day. 1 2 3 4 5 16. I often find I spend my time on trivial things and put off doing what’s really important. 1 2 3 4 5 17. Unless someone pushes me a bit, I have trouble getting motivated. 1 2 3 4 5 18. I reward myself when I meet my goals. 1 2 3 4 5 19. I tend to dwell on unpleasant aspects of the things I need to do. 1 2 3 4 5 20. I tend to deal with life as it comes rather than to try to plan things. 1 2 3 4 5 21. I generally try to find a place to work where I’ll be free from interruptions. 1 2 3 4 5 22. I’m pretty disorganized. 1 2 3 4 5 23. The goals I set are quite specific. 1 2 3 4 5

24. Distractions often interfere with my performance. 1 2 3 4 5 25. I sometimes give myself a treat if I’ve done something well. 1 2 3 4 5 26. I am able to focus on positive aspects of my activities. 1 2 3 4 5 27. I use notes or other prompts to remind myself of schedules and deadlines. 1 2 3 4 5 28. I seem to waste a lot of time. 1 2 3 4 5 29. I use a day planner or other aids to keep track of schedules and deadlines. 1 2 3 4 5 30. I often think about how I can improve my performance. 1 2 3 4 5 31. I tend to lose track of the goals I’ve set for myself. 1 2 3 4 5 32. I tend to set difficult goals for myself. 1 2 3 4 5 33. I plan things for weeks in advance. 1 2 3 4 5 34. I try to make a visible commitment to my goals. 1 2 3 4 5 35. I set aside blocks of time for important activities. 1 2 3 4 5 Scoring Determine your score by entering your response to each survey item below, as follows. In blanks that say regular score, simply enter your response for that item. If your response was a 4, place a 4 in the regular score blank. In blanks that say reverse score, subtract your response from 6 and enter the result. So, if your response was a 4, place a 2 (6 – 4 = 2) in the reverse score blank. Add up your total score. 1. regular score ———— 2. regular score ________ 3. regular score ________

4. regular score ________ 5. regular score ________ 6. regular score ________ 7. regular score ________ 8. reverse score ________ 9. regular score ________ 10. regular score ________ 11. regular score ________ 12. regular score ________ 13. regular score ________ 14. regular score ________ 15. regular score ________ 16. reverse score ________ 17. reverse score ________ 18. regular score ________ 19. reverse score ________ 20. reverse score ________ 21. regular score ________ 22. reverse score ________ 23. regular score ________ 24. reverse score ________ 25. regular score ________ 26. regular score ________ 27. regular score ________ 28. reverse score ________ 29. regular score ________ 30. regular score ________ 31. reverse score ________ 32. regular score ________ 33. regular score ________ 34. regular score ________ 35. regular score ________ TOTAL = ________ Interpreting the Score Here is what your score means. In general, higher scores mean a more developed sense of self-management and lower scores indicate a reliance on external sources for planning. If your score fell between

• 0–70 – You rely almost entirely on an external entity (professor, adviser, boss, or parent) to make a plan for you and identify your goals. To be a successful manager, however, you will need to greatly improve in this area.

• 71–105 – You still tend to rely on external entities to set your goals and make plans for you. It will most likely be easier for you develop your skills by starting with simple goals where progress can be made (and enjoyed) quickly.

• 106–140 – Your practice of self-management is uneven. That is, you may be very disciplined about exercise but not so disciplined about studying (or vice versa). Since managers need to be consistent in their behavior, you will want to more uniformly apply the self-management skills you use in certain aspects of your life.

• 141–150 – Generally good at self-management, but your score indicates that you experience pockets of inconsistency. Think about the kind of situation in which you have the most difficulty drawing on your existing self-management skills. For example, after reflecting on different situations, you may realize that you have the most trouble with self-management when you are under a lot of stress (imminent deadlines, rough patches in your personal life, etc.). Knowing that will help you identify ways in which you can change your behavior to minimize the impact of your hiccups in self-management.

• 151–175 – Already very accomplished at self-management. Use the techniques below to maintain or enhance your current level.

Here are some techniques to improve your self-management skills:

If you are not used to practicing self-management, the best way to start is with something simple. In other words, start with something you will be able to accomplish. For example, imagine that your dorm room or apartment is a chronic mess (you may not have to use much imagination). Set an overall goal to keep it clean and neat. But rather than trying to keep it neat as a pin forever, start by setting a goal of always hanging your coat in the closet when you come home rather than pitching it over the nearest chair. Once you feel confident in your new behavior, add another—say, always putting your shoes away when you take them off. By shifting your behavior one bit at a time, you will eventually reach your goal (a tidy room or apartment), and in the process, you will have built the self- confidence you need to work toward your next one.

One idea that has a built-in incentive is your grade in this class. Map out a plan that will help you earn the grade you want. Because the work for the grade occurs over the entire semester, you will be able to practice consistency, for example by reviewing your class notes before attending the next lecture. Source: R. J. Aldag and L. W. Kuzuhara, Mastering Management Skills: A Manager’s Toolkit (Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2005), 172–173.