Individual Strengths And Problem Solving Analysis

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Individual Strengths and Problem Solving Techniques
Carolyn Andrews
Psy 430
Paul Danner

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Individual Strengths and Problem Solving Techniques

Working in a group has been a big part of my life, both socially and professionally. In my social life, I play softball on three to four different teams. It is important to work together with others, because it takes the team as a whole to win a game not an individual person. In my professional life, I work for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento. I run an extension of the program at an elementary school by providing an afterschool program. At the site, I
work with 4 staff that I manage. I also work with the administrative office and the other employees. I am constantly working in a group one way or another. In these group settings I feel that I bring a lot of strengths and skills to help the group work effectively.
In the softball group example I bring skill of playing well and dedication to my team. My team knows that I will be there every game and they can rely on me. If for some reason I can not make the game I let the team know ahead of time. I also bring knowledge of the game. I know the rules and how they pertain to the game. Often times I have had individuals come to me to about rulings and how the game is played. At work, I am a team player. I am always encouraging team building and cooperation. As well as always being up to take on tasks that needs to be completed. I am confident in the work that I do, but am always up for constructive criticism to improve myself. People I work with know that they can turn to me to help get things done in
a
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timely matter. My supervisor often comes to me to help her complete tasks. I am very organized and she isn’t. A lot of times we brainstorm together and she tells me what needs to be done. I put it together in an orderly fashion. The kind of drawbacks that I have experienced with my strengths and skills are other employee’s jealousy. I began working for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento in July. I am already relied on by my supervisor and work closely with her. Other employees look at that and don’t like it very much. They are intimidated by me and the skills that I have. I think they might be worried that I might get ahead of them in our company before they do. This affects the team because there is an assumption about me from the other employees and they don’t want to work with me so easily. As I started working more and more with the company many of the employees that felt that way have over that jealousy and now work fine with me. There are still a few that are hesitant and sometimes rude. In softball having knowledge of the rules can have drawback from other players on the other team. I may talk to the umpire during the game about calls that were made or something that may have happened. Players on the other team will take that in a negative way. Everyone has their own strengths and skills that they bring to the group. They affect the group’s cohesiveness in different ways. In softball everyone is skilled at different positions. If a person was excellent at playing third base, the team captain wouldn’t have them play first base. They are two different skill levels. Having everyone play the positions that they are best at will help the team work more efficiently. The same
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applies at work. Everyone is skilled in different aspects of work. Some team members are good at being organized and note taking. Others are good at seeing the bigger picture. At the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento, each of us is really good at certain things. One staff member is good at developing new staff and the other is good at community outreach. If I have a new staff member I can ask my coworker if they can give me pointers on how to train my staff effectively. Each person’s strengths and skills can benefit the whole team. Improving myself is an important thing to me. I am constantly trying to learn and grow. One of the main skills I need to improve upon is voicing my opinion more. I have always been the type to sit back, listen and take notes in a group. I don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of groups, especially if I am not confident in what I am speaking about or if I don’t know the people I am speaking in front of. I would rather talk to a person one on one about something than speak up in front of the whole group. In order for me to improve this skill, I will have to force myself to step out of my comfort zone and speak up. The more and more I do this, the more comfortable I will become doing it. Eventually, I will be skilled in speaking my opinions. Working with kids there are issues that arise everyday that must be handle with one problem solving technique or another. One technique that is used that can help prevent problems before from occurring in the first place is consistency. Consistency is a key thing to do when working with people. You can’t waver on your decisions, because that leaves an opening for someone to take advantage of that and bend the rules. Another
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technique that we use is having set rules and guidelines for the program and student’s behaviors. In the beginning of the school year parents and children are made aware of the expectations so if a problem arises throughout the year we can refer to the rules and guidelines. Consistency is a hard thing to master and for some to get.
This affects the group greatly. If they don’t follow consistency then their job can be really hard. Children are masters at bending the rules if they know they can. You give them an inch they will take a mile. For the staff it can be a frustrating task. The way that I can help improve and develop this technique with the staff is to be consistent myself. I need to be an example for them by following the technique as well. There are many different problem solving techniques that can be used when working in a group. Brainstorming is a good problem solving technique that I could use when making decisions in a group. Brainstorming is a good technique to use because you can about the problem and how you can solve it in many different ways. You can dissect the problem and its solutions in a short period of time. Communication is also a good technique that I could use when working with a group. If you discuss the issue when it happens, it can prevent it from escalating into something bigger. Working in groups can be difficult at times. Putting your best foot forward and using appropriate techniques to help a team work well together can help the process. There are many techniques that can be used. As managers, it is our job to ensure we work at our best abilities and use these techniques to
help.