I need to do a better job of taking notes. I had a GREAT idea for writing in this journal today, but I can't remember what it was. It was going to be all about self-awareness and growth. I think it came about when I was reading a journal article on self-efficacy.
(as an aside . . . I just found it . . . In an article on adult development)
What I underlined, were two passages on self-development and self-authorship from two different perspectives.
The first is about developmental stages. How Piaget was able to show that children go through developmental stages based on age, but that the common idea in constructivist theory is that age is less important for adults than "changing conditions of life. Constructivist theory holds that people respond according to their meaning system. While these developments are strongly related to age in the sense that, very generally speaking, older people's meaning-schemes (or world views or implicit philosophies) tend to be more complicated, differentiated, and encompassing that those of much younger people, that are not a function of age" . . . "instead, development is seen as the qualitative change in a person's meaning system."
I liked this passage because I see myself so much in it. I think my development was more stalled than compared to others. I joined the Army for fun. No real purpose, for fun. I wanted to do cool stuff. I did. Other people around me joined the Army more out of need or patriotism. Those that "needed" to were always the most serious (more fully "developed" maybe). Even now, I look at the other VP's at the organization and I'm the least "serious." I don't know if people can tell, but I just don't have the seriousness of my bosses or my colleagues. I've always treated work as a bit of a hobby while others see it as a need. Am I more serious now than I was in the Army or in my other jobs? Sure, but it always seems I'm behind in terms of seriousness and gravity.
The second passage was this: "The limit of this system is that it tends to suffer from eh malady to which all institutions can fall prey - making the continued maintenance of the organization the very goal of the organization, self-perpetuation having become an end in itself."
Why this one? It's not much like the first is it? Well, it made me think of my organization. Before my boss came along, our organization was marching in place, not moving, just doing what needed to be done to stay in place. The problem was that that type of movement causes stagnation and eventually another more ambitious and aggressive organization is going to dominate the market. My boss sees this and is making some rather big moves to make sure that the organization is more growth-oriented rather than just maintaining. Hiring me was probably a big part of that change. They never had a VP of Learning and Innovation before.
The problem is that the teams that do the work are having a hard time. It's a big organizational change to go from maintenance-focused to growth-focused. A lot of the employees were hired with the expectation and enjoyed the maintenance-only focus. This new growth-focused mindset is tough to swallow for someone who wanted and enjoyed and felt comfortable with maintenance. The problem? I go too fast. I adapt and change quickly. What did I write the other day? That I am the type to try something and see what happens and if it doesn't work I adapt and adjust and overcome. Others don't do that. They like having a plan, they like having solidity.
One area I'm working on with myself is listening to and trusting my managers. I need to let them have ideas and do their own thing. I need to trust that they know how to lead their teams. One likes to take things slowly . . . She wants things to settle and be measured in their own time. She was a baker (like truly a professional baker) and I wonder if this comes from that aspect of her personality. She wants to let the dough rise before she puts it in the loaf tin and bakes it. She waits until the timer goes off to take the cupcakes out. Too early and they'll be underdone. The other managers? They need to be coached along slowly (well, some, others are already there), but I need to remember that they had fallen victim (in some cases) to that maintenance mindset. It's my job to help them trust and see that the growth mindset can be more rewarding and just as safe.
Reference
Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (1984). Adult leadership and adult development: A constructivist view. Leadership: Multidisciplinary perspectives, 199-230.
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