Month: May 2025

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Based on the results of the couple of psychological tests, each uniquely reaffirmed personal aspects about myself which I was already aware of; however, also added perspective to my current lifestyle situation. Until performing the first examination which included grading my current stress situation and likelihood of health concerns, I had never taken a step back to appreciate the changes in my lifestyle that had occurred over the last 6-12 months, I have always been forward looking to what is to come while reminiscing on positive past experiences. The psychological tests that followed further supported my knowledge of both stress management and coping methods. Since I was young, I’ve always been able to handle larger amounts of stress, but would crumble internally when small incidents would occur. As I matured, I realized the small incidents irked me internally because I saw them as preventable, which is why I did not have as much patience surrounding them. 

As I continue to grow my professional career, self awareness when it comes to stress management and patience will be critical in effectively being able to both manage and/or work alongside others. Furthermore, to play to my strengths, being in an analytical role will likely be best for me because it allows me to justify decisions based on data and re-evaluate them if they are unsuccessful. Until now I’ve found professional success in working within a data and financial analysis role; however, I would like to progress into a management role in the coming years. Although my current employer does offer a benefits package which includes a health benefits package, ClassPass sponsorship, and some flexible work arrangements, because it is a small company, they’re unable to offer further employee assistance programs or employee resources to aid in assisting stress management or improve health conditions. As we’ve covered in multiple resources this week, healthy employees are less expensive than others; therefore, I will be an advocate for further developing our health benefits plan internally if I decide to stay long-term with my current employer.

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Not long ago, one of my closest friends made a career decision that reflected where he wanted his life outside of work to move towards and thus chose to align his professional work and compensation to match his personal life goals. My friend completed his MBA program a couple years ago; however, more significantly within the past three years he married his wife, had one child, and towards the end of 2024 received the news that he and his wife were expecting twins. 

Due to external personal factors, in this case a young growing family, my friend decided to enter the job market and ended up accepting a new position with a company that was better structured to support him both financially and professionally. Unlike his previous employer, this new organization allowed him to spend more time at home as he works remote four days a week, offered a better healthcare benefits plan, and included a pay increase from what he was previously making. As we’ve touched upon, just as organizations are dynamic and evolving, so are its employees and their motivating factors. Therefore, it’s vital for managers to constantly have ongoing communication with their employees about job development, goals, and personal aspirations so they can effectively position them for success within the organization and beyond.

In my friend’s case, the key factor that stood out to me most was his shift in motivation when he made the choice to look for new employment opportunities. His decision to switch jobs was not just about a pay increase or sparked due to negative experiences with his current company, but rather about finding an employer who would help him achieve long-term stability for himself and his new growing family. This example serves as a reminder that compensation is not only a motivating factor to encourage higher employee performance, but can also serve as a reflection of someone’s current position in life or their level of responsibility beyond the workplace.

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The most beneficial class I’ve taken thus far happens to be the Leadership and Teams in Organizations course here at OSU which focused on leadership development across multiple levels of a business and from all perspectives of stakeholders. The class focused on classical, modern, and evidence-based theories of leadership and resonated with me because of its interactive structure and applicable real-world examples. The materials and learning format were constructed in a way where students did not just read about effective leadership techniques, but rather we were able to actively apply those techniques within our team groups and current employment, then offer feedback on whether or not our attempts in implementing our learned leadership skills were successful and how to improve. Similar to the construct of developing employees, the course was specifically designed to develop students in phases beginning with the current assessment of our leadership skills, development within the course, and correction after real-life implementation (W6 Lecture 4 – Development).

On the contrary, one of the least beneficial training courses I’ve had to participate in was the mandatory workplace compliance training which covered topics such as sexual harassment, supervisor training, and workplace safety. I understand these conducted training courses offered through ADP are mainly offered for workplace compliance and liability reasons, but they are not effective in engaging individuals nor offer a way to measure a level of effectiveness post training (W6 Lecture 2 – Evaluating Training Effectiveness). If I had a recommendation to offer to my employer, I would propose the idea of implementing training seminars for all employees who require it, within a singular week where everyone can attend an in-person training session, rather than just go through the motions of an online training software.

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