My internal thoughts show externally to the people around me. It has taken me a long time to realize that even though I keep my thoughts to myself they are still sending either a positive or negative aurora to the world. With this in mind, my self-awareness and self-management are among my weaknesses as a person, whereas my strengths are with social-awareness and relationship management.
I have a lot things going on in my personal life that bring both positive and negative emotions. I am aware of what these things are and how they affect me, but I am unaware of the affect that they may have on other people. I have the tendency to wear my emotions on my sleeve, which can bring the group down. Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem with my emotions affecting the group negatively. One of the comments in my peer evaluation stated: “Smart guy who is always at our meeting[s] with a smile on your face.” I was happy to read that because I try to be positive around other people and make sure I am bringing the mood up, not down. The trouble I seemed to face is that there were times where I would be quiet without realizing it because of my thoughts. I need to be able to control my emotions and not impulsively have things come up in my mind, which is why I need to work on my self-management. My biggest strength comes with encouraging others and making them better, but I can only do that if I am aware of my own emotions. I will continue to grow in managing my emotions as I continue to strive to become even better with my social presence.
“Alex was a great group member. He took initiative to help others in the group.” This comment in my peer evaluation made me realize that others appreciate my effort to help individually. Unlike my lack of awareness for my own personal emotions, I have the ability to understand the emotions, needs and concerns of others. I was able to realize when a group member needed help with a writing assignment without that person even needing to say it. For example, one of our group members was in charge of writing the situation analysis, but he was asking a lot of questions on what exactly to write. After answering a couple of those questions, I asked him if he wanted to meet up at another date to write it together. He gratefully accepted and we were able to brainstorm and write out the situation analysis together. I was aware of his needs, and put my own needs aside to help him. I often put my needs aside to help others, which is why my social-awareness and relationship management are my greatest strengths.
Having a high emotional intelligence means finding the right balance between personal and inter-personal relations. I am proud to be a great teammate and have the ability to effectively collaborate with others. I am aware of my lack of personal awareness. I need to work to address my emotions rather than putting them off so they can come back unknowingly at an inopportune moment. My thoughts can have an affect on others without me realizing it, so I will work to make sure that I am clear internally so I can be focused and helpful with those around me.
