Distance learning has its challenges. More often than not we never see the faces of the people in our classes or get to meet them in a traditional sense. With electronic communication it is difficult to get a sense for what someone is writing behind a keyboard or phone. It is easy to misinterpret one another if we “misread” the intentions behind someone’s words. One thing I struggled with when I began this program was working in teams. The reason being was that I was making assumptions about my team members before I even gave myself the opportunity to get to know them or for them to prove themselves. What I had to do was take a step back and that’s when I realized that I was actually doing this on a consistent basis whenever I met someone new. I came to the conclusion that my assumptions were not only unfounded but unfair. Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) wrote “The mechanism by which frames exert their influence on our thinking are complex and only partly understood. Nonetheless, their efforts are clearly visible in the form of well-documented mental traps” (p. 137). I was guilty of frame blindness because I was not conscious of the fact that I was assigning conjecture on others before getting to know them. By doing so I realized I was being hypocritical. I know what it’s like to be judged for the color of my skin or the texture of my hair. I had to deal with it as a child when I first came to Florida in the early 80’s. At that time there was a very small Hispanic culture here. I wasn’t naïve as to why I was being left out by other kids when it came to socializing and fitting into to the “in crowd”. I thought about this and really felt bad about the frame I was using when meeting new people. I treat everyone with respect first and foremost, that is a value I have always had. However, now I don’t bring any preconceived ideas to the table when I see or encounter someone new. I think about how it made the 8 year old me and it has changed my outlook on others. Funny how when you look at things from a different perspective you can gain a new outlook. I treat everyone as an open book now and let my experiences with them write our story. This is now how I perceive others, not based on a single frame.
I’m not certain why critical thinking was not emphasized more in my earlier education. Until I started my Master’s I can’t honestly say I used critical thinking effective and to my advantage. When I first started to work as an academic advisor I made mistakes. I was able to learn from these mistakes and use them as learning opportunities. My director actually called me to her office one day to discuss a mistake she noticed I made. This mistake caused a student to take a class he didn’t need for his degree program. He self-enrolled in a course and I confirmed his enrollment without checking to see if it applied to his degree program. I wasn’t asking any questions, I just trusted he knew what he was doing. My director helped me to identify and change my inadequate frames. She challenged me to question my frames. Was I doing my job as effectively as possible? Was I using the right frames to resolve issues I was facing? Was I generating solutions with my frames? The answer to all of these were no. Luckily for me, my director was not a manager, she was a leader. She used this instance as a learning experience for me and did not make feel bad about what happened. She explained to me the importance of being thorough and not to be afraid to ask questions. This was one of the first times anyone had ever taken the time to teach me rather than manage me. Gallo (2010) wrote “Mistakes play a critical role in leadership development. ‘The best kind of mistake is where the costs are low but the learning is high,’ Schoemaker says. If the error was a result of a poor decision, explain to your boss and other interested parties how you will avoid making the same or a similar misstep in the future” (para. 6). I experimented with my frames and devised a new process of improving my responsibilities. I grew from this experience and was able to learn a valuable lesson at the same time.
I have a love hate relationship with technology. There is so much information at our fingertips today that it can be hard to remain focused sometimes for any length of time. I am constantly looking for new information and ways to improve. On Twitter I follow sites such as Fortune Magazine, Forbes, Inc., and the Wall Street Journal. All of these accounts offer great articles on leadership and management. I love reading about all of the different perspectives, from different backgrounds, and different environments. It has been a great help for me to learn to use multiple frames. “Once you have surfaced your frames and identified potential weaknesses, you need to develop the capacity to synthesize and create new frames” (Hoch & Kunreuther, 2001, p. 148). By observing the frames of others, I have been able to incorporate ideas I never would have considered in order to challenge myself to grow.
I want to challenge myself to use more resources other than online to gain new perspectives. I really enjoy going to libraries, yet I hardly ever do it now. At UCF, it was my favorite place on campus. I am really busy what seems like 24-7 but I would also like to make more time for networking. I am now working as an instructional designer for the university. But here’s the thing. I don’t have any instructional design background. I also didn’t have any advising or paralegal background when I was in those fields yet I learned from being on the job. I challenged myself. I worked at being good at what I was doing. It will be no different in my new position. I have learned that there are framing traps which I can overcome. I have learned that it is possible to avoid those traps. The only constant is change. My frames should be no exception. Evolving and to striving to become better in everything I do is my own personal challenge. We should all constantly challenge ourselves. Stepping out of our comfort zones and being willing to take risks are what separates good leaders from great ones!
Gallo, A. (2010). You've Made A
Mistake. Now What? Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/04/youve-made-a-mistake-now-what/
Hoch, S. J., & Kunreuther, H.
C. (2005). Wharton on making decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons Inc.
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