W6-1/3 Self-Critique (7/30)

   Over this internship I have been assessing my own abilities and strengths. As an intern and employee in general, I feel as if my strengths are in my reliability, consistency, formality, focus, and hard-working nature. Although I find my formality to be a strength, I also find it to be one of my biggest weaknesses. As previously posted in my blog (post: “W5-3/3 The Importance of Friendliness in Office Culture (7/26)”) I am too stiff when it comes to interacting with those I am working alongside and under. They are situations that call for being very stiff arguably but neither professionalism nor formality are synonymous to being stiff and grave. Getting along with people you are working alongside at least a friendly acquaintance level is very vital for office camaraderie. I also notice that my attire at the moment is lacking in formality all things considered. Due to the circumstances of having to move so quickly and just coming back from being abroad not too long ago, my wardrobe I brought with me could have been more formal. A lot of what I wear is similar to what I would wear for Thai school exams. In a lot of situations, it feels sufficient there are times where it feels lacking. I generally wear khakis or slacks with a polo in the office (noted for context).            

    Working hard has never been a major challenge when I apply myself. I feel as if I am good at managing and maintaining my will when completing tasks and that helps me with my focus. I have always believed in building habits, so I try to remain consistent to uphold the best working habits and overall, I think it has been rather effective for me.

    I think one of my most frustrating self-observations I have noticed is that I have not translated the camaraderie with clientele that I have at my radio job to my corporate affiliates. I have made assumptions and have had a reductive mindset on what formality and professionalism is for some time. Regardless of my opinion and philosophy, I cannot ignore the difference in workplace cultures, make assumptions about them, and access them according to some universal criteria that at the end of the day is ultimately arbitrary at best. Doing that is a complete disservice to myself and those who I work with.  When I do interviews on my radio show I feel as if one of my greatest strengths is building a connection with the interviewee and helping them feel at ease with me. I feel the attitude that I have been portraying is rather awkward to interact with and too stiff to cut up with. I am now searching for that happy middle ground between these working environments’ cultures and building off from there. I must now develop a sense and intuition about my workplace’s culture.


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