For Standford Writer Class participation
lken82
participation.docChapter 3
Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Dec 12, 2013, 2:09 PM
I have witnessed the results of working with people who like to work and have an overall positive outlook in life v. working w/ people who're pessimists. Both types of individuals are capable of delivering results on a project. However the team dynamics and sense of overall achievement are different: brighter personalities help teams moving along smoothly, and help focus on the common goal; whereas the not so cheerful team members focus on the obstacles and make the target a lot harder to achieve. It is more refreshing to talk to a colleague who enjoys work, and who can propose solutions to the challenges the company is facing. Given that work is such a big component on everyone's life it is only natural to understand that a person who has a fulfilling life will also experience a higher level of satisfaction at work. Both work and life are extensions of the personality traits of each person.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Dec 12, 2013, 2:54 PM
Speaking in Charleston, South Carolina on Monday, after arguing that there are over 100 million Americans not even trying to find work, King said, "If you had six kids and a third of your kids would say, 'I'm not doing the chores, mom... If any of them say I refuse, I'm not gonna participate, I'm not gonna contribute to the American GDP, pretty soon those kids would be on the 'you get to eat after you do the work,' not just in hopes that you might one day do the work." After a brief diversion into immigration reform, King added, "I wanna see more Americans step up."
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Susan Frear
Dec 13, 2013, 7:05 PM
Jameelah,
How might this perception tie back to job satisfaction and personality in the workplace? Can you elaborate on why you picked this quote as an example?
Susan
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Dec 12, 2013, 5:50 PM
Hi Helena,
Our office manager/part owner is one of those people who are very negative but gets a lot done and is a very hard worker. Now, myself I am positive and always try to leave the bad "stuff" at the door when I go to work but that's how I was brought up. My dad was diagnosed with cancer back on March 17th and passed away November 23rd and every day I am struggling but somehow because I know how my dad fought has made me be stronger and try to do the best in everything I do. His passing has actually motivated me more to do better and try harder as I know that would make him proud. I think because I have so many positives in my life or at least look at my life in a positive manner is what makes it easier for me to put a smile on my face and be kind to others while I'm at work and do the best job I can. Now, the office manager she has had a lot of bad things happen in her life but when she comes to work she takes it out on her employees. I'm guessing she was maybe brought up in a manner that taught her to be that way as I believe it is a taught behavior.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Dec 12, 2013, 6:41 PM
Hello Cynthia. I am one of those people who is positive and leaves the bad stuff at the door. As someone who has a big responsibility to watch for suspicious activity and protect employees who work at the Pentagon, it is important to maintain a positive attitude and display a certain level of professionalism. There are some officers who have a negative attitude and it is seen by many while on the job. These people constantly complain about how bad the agency treats them and that they want to leave for something better. The problem is that these officers have been here for a while and have done nothing to better themselves since they have been here. I have a supervisor who acts the same as yours. He is the type to have a lot of personal problems at home and takes it out on his officers. He does not show the qualities of how a leader should act and treat his subordinates. He is threatened by others who are trying to make positive strides to try and improve the agency. I have only been there for only a few months, but I am getting a lot of attention from other departments within the agency. They see that I am headed in the right direction. The only issue that I am having is that they cannot move me into another department until I complete my one year probation, which ends in February. I am very excited because I have worked hard all year to be accepted into another department and given more responsibility.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Dec 13, 2013, 5:20 PM
Hi Michael,
You pose an interesting thought as her feeling threatened by my positivity. I hadn't thought about it that way. I know I have felt she feels threatened because I am educated and she is not. I hadn't thought about the fact that my positive attitude could be threatening to her. It makes sense though as it seems the more positive I am the more upset she is or determined to mess up my day by being almost as I would term a bully.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Dec 14, 2013, 11:37 AM
Cynthia, I believe that people who are negative while completing work assignments only shows their level of weakness between interacting with others. In order to be a strong leader and supervisor, there must be some type of conflict and problem solving skills. I can recall an incident where I did a positive thing and was not properly rewarded for it. Each month, we are evaluated on the positives and negatives that we do everyday while at work.
We have what is called a ''Red Team'' which consists of agents are randomly go around to the various posts at my job and attempt to gain unauthorized access and try to breach the posts. Well, I stopped the breach from occurring at my post, and a week later, I was given a coin and a letter of recommendation from my Captain. So when my evaluation time came up, I noticed that it was not in my evaluation. When I asked my sergeant how come it was not in my folder, he only responded that ''I was just doing my job and to just sign the damn thing.'' Well, me being me I went off and expressed that I disagreed with the evaluation and that I wanted to go straight to the Captain's office to let him determine what should be done.
Another thing that I felt was unprofessional was that the report that he wanted me to sign had another officer's name at the bottom, which indicated to me that all he was doing was changing the name on all of the evaluations. To make a long story short, there are going to be supervisors that do not deserve to be in a leadership capacity. My goal is to try and leave the squad so that I can excel within my agency.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Susan Frear
Dec 13, 2013, 7:08 PM
Class,
What is the distinction between have a pessimistic attitude and being a "bully" at work? Are the two always linked? Why or why not?
Susan
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Dec 14, 2013, 8:20 PM
I think that the two usually are linked as someone that bully's is probably looking at the worst that can happen rather than being able to see the good in a situation. I was brought up to see the good even when things are difficult and I've been dealt my share of difficulties, the latest losing my dad last month to cancer, yet I look at the experience as something that has brought more meaning and bettering my life. Yes, I struggle as I miss the relationship that I had with my dad but I also know when I go to work and even though I really am not liking my job right now, it's not just about me but the customers I help on a daily basis. I try to brighten their day as I don't know what they are going through. I am an optimist and will always be that way so I believe optimism and positivity also go hand in hand.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Dec 15, 2013, 3:48 PM
I have been exposed to bullying 2 times in my life: I saw teammates being bullied and both times the bullies were not pessimists, but people who had power over their team members. I don't think bullying has to be necessarily associated with pessimism, but it is a personality issue. I found this poll in the Workplace Bullying Institute website that corroborates my anecdotal experience of the bullies being executives/senior managers. It is the 7th perceived cause of bullying @ the workplace. The aggressor's personal/psychological problems did show up as reason no. 6th for bullying, but I think it is safe to assume that a degree of pessimism in not a personal/psychological problem. A really high degree of pessimism could be considered depression: but we're trying to assess just regular, overall, pessimistic people, not clinically depressed potential bullies.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by MICHAEL BLACK
Dec 12, 2013, 5:54 PM
Hello Helena. I can personally relate to your post. I have worked with highly motivated people; some of whom were pessimistic and others optimistic. Both achieved "success" (By whatever measures they identify with as success) and were able to meet goals/deadlines. The pessimists are not fun to work with, for, or around. Without a doubt, the optimists make our lives brighter, easier, increase motivation and productivity, etc... I am a firm believer that we absorb the energies in our environment and they influence our actions, speech, and decisions over time! If we surround ourselves with pessimists, complainers, negative people, etc... then we will take on these same traits. We will complain, be sarcastic (in a mean and disheartening manner; not out of humor), possibly cuss, etc... If we are surrounded by positive energies, we will be more motivated, feel good about ourselves and our accomplishments, edify one another, etc...
The really awesome part is that if we are negative persons, we can change (these are learned behaviors and can be unlearned!) into positive persons by surrounding ourselves with those who are this way, listening to positive messages. We just need to be careful not to do the reverse and go from positive to negative! There is a direct correlation between our work ethic and our personality.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Susan Frear
Dec 13, 2013, 7:10 PM
Class,
Is there any value in having pessimists on your team? Explain your answer.
Susan
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Dec 14, 2013, 8:23 PM
I think sometimes if you have a pessimist on your team it helps you to look at the what if's that could happen negatively. It also can help a person to look at the whole picture and the future rather than what is right in front of you. So, in some situations having that pessimist on your team can be helpful yet you do have to be careful not to let the pessimist bring the whole team down as some pessimists are so lost in negativity that they are unable to see an upside to any situation and can only see things working out poorly so the true vision of a team could become skewed because of a person that is more pessimistic.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Dec 15, 2013, 3:12 PM
Susan
There could be value in having a member of the team who see's the world half empty instead of half full. The vaule maybe that they can see faults that you msy not see out in front of the issue. So by seeing the fault when no other one does it could help your team think up solutions to prevent the problem before there is a problem.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Dec 15, 2013, 3:21 PM
I love to have a good pessimist in my team :) especially if there is a vital project that I will have to run by higher leadership down the road!
If I can find a plausible solution to every obstacle my most pessimist associate can come up with I will be able to tackle any question that leadership might have. Pessimists are great ground elements for their optimist counterparts. They help us be cautious when we think we will be able to change the world in a day. And they help us visualize the complete picture of a given scenario: all the positive and negative aspects of it.
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by MICHAEL BLACK
Jan 16, 2014, 5:18 PM
Absolutely. Having a pessimist on your team gives the team perspective. If everyone on the team is optimistic, then they might miss out on certain truths/observations/revelations/etc... Of course, the team must be somewhat balanced: if each member is pessimistic, that does not benefit the team and will influence their decisions (no matter how insignificant they may seem!). Pessimists might not have the brightest outlook in life and can "bring the rest of the team down", but that does not have to be a weakness: it can be the team's greatest strength! There is always going to be areas that we are unaware of and overlook no matter how prepared we are or how much we study. Having an opposing viewpoint might help clarify some of what is being overlooked, how audiences might react, and any weaknesses unaccounted for in the project!
The downsides of Pessimistic team mates are rather obvious; they complain a lot, bring negative energy to the group, may create unnecessary conflict, their poor attitudes directly affects their work ethic (this is contagious and can rapidly spread throughout the rest of the team!), and they can create more work for the team. If the leader is pessimistic, then the project might fail, the company's reputation might become tarnished, and accounts could be lost due to negative public relations!
The key is to have balance. Stronger-willed individuals are less likely to be influenced by pessimists; but no one is immune! Bad communications corrupt good morals. If a person hangs around others with negative energies, then he or she will eventually become a negative person like them, and the same holds true for the opposite. Hanging around positive energies will eventually "rub off" onto negative people. The point is not to manipulate others to see things your way, but rather to value diversity and always have an open mindset with fresh viewpoints!
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Vanessa Granados
Jan 16, 2014, 11:02 PM
Having at least one pessimistic person in a team assignment may be helpful because they may provide a different insight for a plan or idea. diversity is important not only in demographics but also with different personalities. this teaches team players to accept different ideas. a lender of ideas had been very helpful in my workplace. A pessimistic team member will help the team balance or ideas. However, it is important to learn how to train and reward these difficult pessimistics. Less
Re: Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Robert THOMAS
Jan 16, 2014, 4:02 PM
Hello Helena,
I see what you are saying and can relate because I too have been in similar situations where positive and negative attitudes effected the overall team. Just like when I work with a certain team leader who is positive, we have mutual respect for each other, and the rest of the group loves who they are working for. We work harder as a team which brings us a little closer together with trust and reliability, and we also have some enjoyable laughs together. When I work with a different team leader who most people do not like I have team members asking me questions because they are to scared to ask the team lead a question. The entire dynamics are different and the overall attitude is negative including myself even though I know I can help change that bringing in a different perspective to the situation.
Job Satisfaction and Personality
posted by Vanessa Granados
Jan 16, 2014, 10:55 PM
Managers play an important role involving employee satisfaction. In this chapter, we realized that a manager's job is not just completing reports. It also involves mentoring employees. As many of us can relate to this, a manager or boss can make someone's life difficult. Managers should be leaders and help employees find their niche especially when employees have a higher potential. This, managers should know how to identify employee potential by observing and working together. Less
Chapter 4
Communicating through Emotions
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 15, 2014, 6:58 AM
As a Police Officer, we are trained to analyze peoples' expressions as an everyday occurrence. While at the Federal academy, we would be put through live scenarios with suspects that if we pulled them over and conducted a traffic stop, we are told to never let your guard down. Even the elderly woman who looks just like your grandmother can pull out a gun or knife and try to kill you. We have watched a number of videos in which officers are killed just by letting their guard down. It is scary to think that each person or suspect we encounter will try to hurt one of us and it changes my way of thinking of people. Being able to read someone's body language is everything in the field of law enforcement. At the Pentagon, there are so many different types of individuals that approach our posts and there are some that get off on the wrong stop because the Pentagon runs directly underneath the train station in DC. We are always told to remain on guard for anyone and anything to occur. In 2009, there was a shooting at the Metro where there was someone who got off on the train, and with certain indicators, he opened fire attempting to gain access.
Re: Communicating through Emotions
posted by TERISA BARANOSKI
Jan 16, 2014, 12:26 AM
Michael,
I enjoyed reading your post and I agree with your statement about the importance of reading peoples expressions when communicating messages. When ever I have to deliver difficult messages to employees I stay alert to what they maybe communicating through their body language as well as what they are saying. In today's world there are too many people that could cause harm. A good example would have been the guy who shot another person for texting during a movie after an altercation. I'm sure during the altercation that there were messages being sent by both of those people that things were getting out of hand.
Re: Communicating through Emotions
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 16, 2014, 6:50 AM
Good morning Terisa. That is a good example and it is in the news almost every day about an incident that occurred where people were hurt or killed due to the actions of another person. It just reminded me of the incident where that crazy person opened fire on innocent people in the Batman movie premiere. I think that is one of our biggest threats and concerns at work. We have people all the time attempting to sneak weapons through our screening areas, and we fear there might be some already inside. With over 25,000 people a day that enter the Pentagon each day, it is just not possible to screen each person that enters. We do our best with random inspections, but all it takes is one active shooter incident to occur and it will cause a huge issue for us. We are told every day not to be complacent and we are rotated from post to post each day so that we have a fresh set of eyes on everywhere. Body language is key in a job like this and the scary thing is that nothing is 100% preventable.
Re: Communicating through Emotions
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Jan 17, 2014, 6:14 PM
I used to be married to someone in law enforcement and I know that I learned a lot from him about how to really look at people and try to understand them. I don't think that everyone is in tune with what other people are going through as we are in a hurry and want an answer now. When you really start looking at people and breaking down what you see you can really get a true understanding of who they are and what is going on with them. I studied psychology and that was always fascinating to me to understand other people. I think by looking at someone's gestures, facial expressions and stance it can tell a lot about them or at least what is going on with them in that moment. Where I work at I deal with people on the phone and my customers are always surprised when I ask them if everything is alright because they ask me how I knew and I said there tone was different and the way they were talking wasn't like it usually was.
Global Service w/ a Smile
posted by HELENA RUBIO-CASTRO
Dec 13, 2013, 10:22 AM
The text mentions that "there are no cultures in which smiling is seen as an expression of hostility or in which a grimace or frown is seen as a sign of friendliness"; however, a recent experience during business trip showed me that not everywhere in the world customer service is a top priority.
I was with a group of colleagues exploring a beautiful town in Japan, and as it started to rain, we decided to stop for lunch at a Chinese restaurant - not a very smart move given that the place was empty. Customer service in Japan is more than outstanding, and at this point we had been enjoying it for sometime, so it was a surprise to us when the hostess at the restaurant didn't greet us with a smile nor seemed in any hurry to bring menus, let alone take our orders. One of my colleagues is Chinese, so he communicated with the waitress, and we were able to get our food. But after being exposed to the outstanding Japanese customer service, this felt like a punishment :) Our Chinese colleague explained to us that the owners of the restaurant, our waitress was also an owner, were from a particular region of China where customer service is not what we're used to. The idea is that the business is providing you a solution for your need: if you're hungry then they'll give you food for a price. It's a business exchange, not a favor, nor a pleasantry, it's just business. This particular region of China, is famous for customer service or lack of it.
Re: Global Service w/ a Smile
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Dec 13, 2013, 3:46 PM
The minute you meet someone new, your subconscious starts summing them up. Within seconds, we have made a subliminal assessment. This is based on various factors, one of which is the size and shape of a person's teeth.
"The minute we meet someone we are making assumptions about every aspect of their personality and disposition before we even process what they are saying," says cosmetic dentist Dr Christian Coachman. "Studies have shown it is virtually instantaneous. Before the information reaches the visual cortex in the brain, we've subconsciously made a list of conclusions about them and then respond accordingly."
Re: Global Service w/ a Smile
posted by CYNTHIA CHRISTENSEN
Jan 16, 2014, 6:48 PM
I find it rather interesting that in general most people make a judgment about people on their initial meeting. I work at a company where most of my communication is done via email or by phone. When I am reading emails if there are errors in spelling or grammar mistakes I instantly start thinking about the type of person that must be on the other side writing these emails. Same with the phone, when I start talking with someone I listen to the dialect and also I pay attention to the tone as often times you can tell when someone is having a good day or a bad one. I will even start to visualize the kind of person that is on the other end and think about what they look like in person. I've met a few of the people that I have talked to and typically I am not even close to what I had visualize but I have also learned not to judge a book by it's cover as every person has many layers to them than what's just on the outside.
Re: Global Service w/ a Smile
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 17, 2014, 7:14 AM
Hey Cynthia. I think it is also interesting that people are judging you by how you look and act in front of them. I have always been told that it is important to make a first impression because that could be your last impression. Even working as an officer at the Pentagon, there are so many different kinds of people who enter and exit this place each day, that when you see them every day, you can tell whenever something is wrong with someone. It is written on their face and many people are not able to hide their emotions. I think that this skill is important when trying to analyze something that could happen there. Also you made a good point about how someone's writing ability is judged. I have a supervisor that is in charge of evaluating me and keeping track of how well I am doing at my job. The problem is that he cannot write to save his life, and unfortunately, that makes me look bad on paper. I always have to read over what he wrote, and it is embarrassing to have to send your own evaluation back to your supervisor with corrections.
Organizational Behavior, Ch. 5
Psychological system
posted by Robert THOMAS
Jan 16, 2014, 4:17 PM
I think it is interesting that personality is the growth and development of someones psychological system and not how great they are with people or how they smile a lot. When I see someone interacting with people that has a lot of energy and is reacting to them I think to myself now that is personality. Also I think the personality tests are inaccurate at least to me but they do give me a general guideline of something to look at and research with my personality traits. I have other friends who say the Myers-Briggs test is 100% accurate for them but I have no had faith in these for myself.
In this chapter, it discussed the importance of determining and measuring a person's personality. I
posted by MICHAEL MILIOTO
Jan 15, 2014, 7:19 AM
In this chapter, it discussed the importance of determining and measuring a person's personality. I think that this is certainly important when looking to evaluate others. The chapter also went on to discuss the Big Five Personality Model which is Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Expierence. These personality dimensions measure how people deal with and react to others. Also, these qualities are important for employers to analyze their employees with. When analyzing myself using the Big Five Model, I believe that I share a few of these qualities when interacting and dealing with others.
What I also found interesting was the importance of conducting a core self evaluation on myself. It is how you are seen by others. After reading about the various CEO's of these successful companies and corporations in the chapter, I feel that it is necessary for a leader of a corporations to understand what kind of personality they have when dealing with others.
Re: In this chapter, it discussed the importance of determining and measuring a person's
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 15, 2014, 2:28 PM
Personality is the particular combination of emotional , attitudinal , and behavioral response patterns of an individual. Different personality theorists present their own definitions of the word based on their theoretical positions. Psychologists such as Freud , and Erik Erikson have attempted to come up with personality theories.(Wikipedia)
Re: In this chapter, it discussed the importance of determining and measuring a person's
posted by JAMEELAH NEWTON-JONES
Jan 15, 2014, 2:30 PM
Traits such as personality, intelligence, attitude, and beliefs are important characteristics to measure and assess. Whether you're hiring people, helping team members understand themselves and their relationships with others, or trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, it's useful to assess these types of "hidden," less obvious attributes. ( mindtools.com )
