Month: May 2026

Stress is something most people experience, but I do not think many people stop and realize how much it can build up over time. Between school, work, leadership roles, and everyday responsibilities, it is easy to get used to constantly staying busy and not really recognize the impact stress can have until it starts affecting your mindset and performance. Taking these assessments made me realize that I probably carry more stress than I originally thought.

I scored a 360 on the Life Stress Inventory, which falls in the highest category and suggests a high amount of stress exposure over the past year. I also scored a 90/100 on the Type A Personality Survey, placing me in the “Very Type A” category. The results described characteristics such as being ambitious, organized, driven, and achievement-oriented, while also identifying tendencies toward perfectionism and impatience. Analyzing these traits, I could definitely see myself in the results. I tend to take on multiple responsibilities at once and put pressure on myself to perform well in everything I do.

In MGMT 453 our course material explains that stress can sometimes be positive and motivating, but excessive stress can negatively affect health and performance. Stressors such as deadlines and responsibilities can become overwhelming when expectations become unrealistic or workloads become too heavy.

I also saw this happen during my previous job as a hostess at Buffalo Wild Wings. At some shifts, employees were expected to handle too many responsibilities with limited support. Hosts would be seating customers, answering phones, cleaning tables, helping with takeout orders, and handling customer concerns at the same time. There were situations where employees became so overwhelmed and frustrated that they would quit in the middle of their shifts. Looking back at this , I can connect that experience to concepts from class like role overload and burnout because stress can lower performance and increase turnover.

As I move into my professional career, I want to be more intentional about my managing stress by setting realistic expectations, prioritizing responsibilities, maintaining balance, and recognizing when asking for support is necessary.

References

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2016). First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently.

Berry, L., Mirabito, A., & Baun, W. (2011). What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs? Harvard Business Review.

Jones, K. (2017). The Most Desirable Employee Benefits.

Course Lecture: Job Stress

A situation where compensation influenced my behavior was when I worked as a delivery driver at American Dream Pizza. During shifts, there were times when I had the option to take multiple deliveries at once instead of making separate trips. One example was deciding whether to deliver three pizzas in one trip. Taking three deliveries at once usually required more effort because it involved coordinating several orders, driving to multiple locations, remembering addresses, and making sure every order arrived correctly and on time. It often created more stress and required more work compared to taking only one delivery at a time.

Even though taking multiple deliveries was usually more difficult, I was often motivated to do it because of the compensation structure. As a delivery driver, a large portion of my earnings came from tips rather than just my hourly wage. Since I was delivering to three separate customers, I had three different opportunities to receive tips instead of one. While there was never a guarantee that every customer would tip well, I understood that taking on additional deliveries increased my chances of earning more money.

This experience relates to compensation and incentive concepts discussed in class. Incentive pay is designed to motivate employees and encourage productivity by connecting rewards to performance or outcomes. In my case, the possibility of earning additional tips encouraged me to take on a larger workload and put in more effort. The compensation system influenced my behavior because there was a clear connection between effort and potential rewards. Compensation can be a powerful tool for influencing employee behavior, and organizations often use incentives to encourage certain actions and outcomes.

Reflecting, I can see that I was not simply deciding whether I wanted extra work. I was weighing the added effort against the possibility of earning more money. This experience showed me how compensation systems can directly shape employee behavior and motivate individuals to go beyond the minimum expectations.

References

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2016). First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently.

(2026). Week 8 Lecture 1: Introduction to Compensation MGMT 453

(2026). Week 8 Lecture 5: Overview of Incentives MGMT 453

A valuable class that I have taken in the past was my BA 160 series here at Oregon State University. The course was valuable because of the way the professor approached teaching and support for students. He had an open door policy and truly followed the College of Business phrase, “Life Happens.” He was always willing to meet in person or online, whether individually or with a group. Even now, two years later, we still stay in touch about networking opportunities. That experience shows how effective learning can extend beyond the classroom and support long-term growth. Development is meant to strengthen future abilities, not just teach immediate job tasks

This class was also successful because the material felt useful and connected to real world situations. Instead of memorizing information, we discussed how concepts applied in business settings. This made it easier to stay engaged and remember what I learned. According to our course concepts in MGMT 453, strong training programs should show why the material matters, make content meaningful, allow practice, and provide feedback. The BA 160 series applied all of these things.

On the contrary, a course that was less effective was a large international business lecture with about 150 students in it. The main issue in the class was poor organization. We were placed into random groups, given unclear assignments, and then asked to present in front of the entire class. If our answers were incorrect, the professor would criticize us publicly. That environment created stress instead of confidence

This relates to training effectiveness because people learn better when goals are clear and feedback is helpful. Training design should set clear expectations and explain what successful performance looks like. In international business directions were vague and the feedback we received felt discouraging. Students in the course became more focused on avoiding mistakes rather than learning the actual material.

Ultimately, these two experiences show that effective training is about more than delivering information. Supportive instruction, clear structure, and respectful feedback make a major difference in whether people are able to learn and improve.

Sources

MGMT 453- W6 Lecture 1- Training

MGMT 453- W6 Lecture 4 – Development