"Who am I?"
An exploration of identity, values and strengths
February 2019
My core values
- Adaptability – Seeking new experiences and learning new things
- Equality – Empathy and understanding for others, seeing things from multiple perspectives
- Creativity – creating, innovation, new ideas
For a while I worked as a radio producer. When you are broadcasting information out into the world you have a responsibility to carefully consider what ideas you choose to amplify and the possible outcomes of your choices.
The decisions I made were often informed by my values. I value the ability to see multiple perspectives on a topic and would aim to bring in diverse viewpoints, but this didn’t mean giving any person with a strong point of view airtime. I also think all people should be treated with respect and kindness, so decisions were often a balance of considering these factors.
Strengths and limitations
One of my main strengths is seeing the big picture and arranging. I like seeing how all the parts of a project or system come together and I'm good at planning from the top down. In some learning environments this can pose a challenge. I find it extremely difficult to learn something new if I have no concept of where it fits into the larger picture or why I'm learning it. If a class is taught sequentially, with no overview, I struggle to remain engaged. I need to know where a piece fits before I can look at that piece. Another aspect of this strength is that I like working in groups. I get a thrill out of bringing a collaborative project together. But I also have to be careful that I'm communicating well. Sometimes I have so many moving pieces in my mind that I forget to fully explain to others why I'm making certain decisions.
Another main strength in my adaptability. I love being in new environments and learning new things. Often this is very helpful when embarking on a new course of study. I tend to approach problem solving with excitement because I enjoy being in unfamiliar territory. The challenging side of this trait is that I can grow bored when things are no longer new and I sometimes have trouble finishing, especially in the final stretches of a project. In terms of my career path, this trait has lead me to working in a few quite different fields. I've come to realise that I need to work in job that has plenty of new challenges to thrive.
Working with others
Generally I really enjoy working with others. I think a group of people solving a problem together can use their different viewpoints to spark each other into really innovative places. My strength in arranging also means I get great satisfaction from different people coming together to make something cool.
A time I can remember working in a group that had challenges working together was a group project a university. One member of the group had a very methodical and somewhat anxious relationship to getting things done and I could tell my more varied approach was stressing them out. At the time I felt confident that we were going to get everything done and I found their concerns annoying. These days I would treat this differently. I now understand that the final result is not the only important factor, it's also important to understand that others work differently to you. You have to work with them to make sure that the process is as harmonious as possible for all involved.