Section 2: Investigate the Now
Introduction
In this section, you will explore your strengths and interests. You will be invited to view your strengths and interests as a facet of identity and that this identity is valuable. Knowing your identity - your values, strengths, and interests -- is important because it can be leveraged to help you thrive. With the knowledge you've gained so far in this workshop, you will investigate your current situation and note your feelings and judgements about your activities.
Once you have gained an understanding of your identity and current situation, the next section will help you to strategize for future plans based on your strengths, values, and what helps you thrive.
This section will take you through the following topics:
Your Values and Identity
What is your true self? Who are you, regardless of time or context? Hiding who you truly are or pretending to be someone you aren’t, requires “cognitive and emotional effort” and can cause you to feel depleted, unacknowledged, and disengaged. However, sometimes this isn’t obvious, or maybe you’ve been doing it for so long that you don’t know you’re doing it. Sometimes you do it in certain contexts or around particular people. It’s essential to recognize your true self so that you know when you aren’t acting or feeling as such.
Identifying and acknowledging your core values can help you recognize the 'why' behind your reactions to certain situations. Larisa Halilović explains this well in the provided video clip. Larisa's prompts will prime you for the upcoming reflection activity that will allow you to list and examine your core values.
Reflect
Examine your academic journey, from undergrad through to now. Use the following questions to help shed some light on your real YOU.
Where do you get your fire? What ignites your excitement?
What gets you seeing red? What gets under your skin and enrages you?
How do you see what you value reflected in your academic journey so far? Refer to the video and core values examples list to compile a list of your core values based on your beliefs and past experiences.
To record your answers, go to page 6 in your workbook and answer questions 9 - 11.
Core-Values-1.pdfEntrepreneurial Leadership for the Trades by Chad Flinn and Tim Carson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Your Strengths
Credit: "Sunset_Sea.jpeg" by Ulrike Kewitz © pexels license
For many of us, the natural tendency is to focus on our weaknesses, making us believe we are not good enough or we will be discovered as frauds. We are surrounded by people doing more, telling us we need to be better, and showing us that we are not enough. Consequently, we feel driven to please others, say ‘yes’, and justify our every decision.
In this section, we are going to shift from focusing on weaknesses to focusing on strengths.
Word can get around regarding who’s good at what. Usually, there are people known for certain tasks or skills. What information, resources, or expertise do others seek from you? If you need help with this exercise, ask your family, your circle of friends, and your officemates.
Often the things we are good at put us into a 'flow state'. This is when you are so engrossed in what you’re doing that you lose time. When you emerge from this state, you can be invigorated or drained, but overall you are joyful at what you’ve accomplished. The reflection section will guide you to determine some activities that put you in a flow state and help you identify your strengths.
Reflect
Combating expectations:
Do you feel you need to justify your reasons for saying ‘no’ to an invitation or for deciding against a popular opinion? Why do you think you feel that way and what expectation(s) may be influencing your behaviour?
Do you find yourself focusing on your weaknesses and your gaps? Why do you do this?
Do you sometimes feel like a fraud and that you’ll be called out? Why is this?
Strengths:
What activities put you in this ‘flow’ state?
What do people often ask you to do? For what tasks do they seek you out to help?
What things do you do easily or find joy in?
What is something people don’t know you’re good at?
Consult your CV and look for any patterns. What do you notice? Are there patterns emerging that indicate strengths you may not have identified otherwise?
Go to pages 7 & 8 in your workbook and answer questions 12 - 19.
Your Current Opportunities
Expectations are a huge part of daily life. Whether in our work or personal lives, there are various expectations placed on us. Whether those are internal expectations we place on ourselves, external expectations placed by others, implicit expectations that seem like unspoken rules, or explicit expectations we need to adjust to. Expectations can add weight to our work which can leave us feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by our day-to-day tasks.
If we flip the script from "expectations" to "opportunities" we can create a positive mindset that will allow us to flourish in our work lives.
In this part, make an inventory of what academic activities you’re currently doing. Make special note of when you feel good or bad about what you’re listing. Try to avoid making any judgments about your feelings, just note them. When you answer the following questions, focus on what you’re doing right now, rather than last term or next term.
Reflect
What expectations - internal, external, implicit, or explicit – are you currently facing and how do these expectations impact your decision-making process?
What courses are you currently teaching?
With what people/groups are you currently working?
What research are you currently conducting?
What publications/knowledge dissemination products are you currently preparing?
On which committees are you currently serving?
Go to page 9 in your workbook and answer questions 20 - 25.
Summary
Pause Here
Examine all of Section 2 – Values & Identity, Strengths, and Current Opportunities. What do you notice when comparing your answers across these sections?
Are you practicing your values?
Are you using your strengths?
Are you using your strengths when you engage in activities that put you in a “flow” state?
Are you engaging in activities that encourage you to feel depleted or bad about yourself? Which ones help you feel energized, happy, and seen?
Are you practicing your values and using your strengths in your current teaching, research, publications, and service activities?
In this section, you explored your strengths, values, and interests. You were invited to view your strengths and interests as a facet of identity and that this identity is valuable. Knowing your identity - your values, strengths, and interests -- is important because it can be leveraged to help you thrive. With the knowledge you've gained so far in this workshop, you investigated your current situation and noted your feelings and judgements about your current activities.
The next section will help you to strategize for the future based on leveraging your current opportunities, your strengths, values, and what helps you thrive.
What's Next
When you're ready, navigate to Section 3: Plan for the Future