OGL 498 Pro-Seminar II

ASSIGNMENT #3

Self-Reflection & Interviews With Significant Others

SECTION 1: Write up a 2 - 3 page summary of your thoughts (800-1200 words),
answering the following questions: (Include each of the questions, as well as your
response to each in your write-up.)
What was your rationale in developing your interview guide sheet(s)? What did you
hope to discover?
My rationale in developing my interview guide sheets was to not re-create the wheel, but
incorporate my own spin on the questions as I interviewed my subjects. I thought the questions
provided actually were formulated very well for my overall goal and worked very well in both of
my interviews. The main question I added to the guide sheets was what goals or ambitions
have I directly or indirectly communicated to you?. This question was very important to me as I
wanted to find out if the people that know me well were picking up on the same goals and
ambitions that I believed were important myself.
Overall, it was important for me to discover how others view me and what about me stands out
to them. This would provide me the opportunity to compare their views and opinions to my own
to see whether or not they aligned or were divergent. I am by nature a very introspective
individual and spend a lot of time reflecting on who I am and what I want to become. Obtaining
comparable viewpoints from those I care about and know me well should be able to provide
perspective into who I really am.

What did you learn about yourself as a result of this process?

What I learned about myself as a result of this process is that my time spent in reflection of who
I am deep down has paid off in the sense that I see myself very similarly to those around me.
While these interviews did provide a few interesting observations, for the most part both Erika
and Ray see me very closely to the way I see myself. I cant say this is a surprise though, as I talk
with both of them about all sorts of topics of life and they both know me very well. If nothing
else, it is reassuring to know that the way I view myself is accurate (at least from a few different
perspectives).
The downside to finding out that I know myself very well is that I am not closer to really finding
out who I want to become. I am searching for what in life, other than family, that I am

passionate about doing. I desperately want to know what gets my juices flowing as an adult and I
just cant seem to find it. I hoped that through my questions, especially the one relating to my
goals and ambitions, that I would receive some clues to help me figure this out.
Were there any surprising results from your interviews? Explain?
There were some surprising answers from both interviews that I really didnt expect. My wife,
Erika, pointed out that one of my biggest weaknesses was something I always thought of as one
of my greatest strengths. My sense of loyalty has always been important to me and I am loyal as
the day is long. I was always proud of this quality and viewed it as solely a positive trait. Erika
pointed out that this sense of loyalty can actually be a hindrance. Now that I think about this
from her perspective, I can see that she is right. There are times where those I am loyal to can
take advantage of this for their personal gain. I have had friends that would always call me when
ever they needed something and I was always there. The problem with this is that the loyalty was
not reciprocated and thus I would end up feeling taken advantage of. What I learned is that I
still will be loyal, I just need to consider the source and the situation.
From both interviews I learned that I do not take enough time for myself. This actually could be
a huge contributing factor as to why I have a difficult time figuring out what I am truly
passionate about. I think I need to get out and take time to explore different hobbies and areas
of interest I have to see what really gets me excited. I dont do this naturally because of my
loyalty to my family and the time I feel I should be spending either with them or doing things to
improve their lives.

How will you think differently, and what will you do differently, as a result of this
assignment (self-monitoring, working on developing certain skills, etc.)?
From this assignment I will continue my self reflection as I found this to be very beneficial and
accurate for me. It is something I do naturally anyway and serves as a stress reliever for me as
well. What I will do differently as a result of this assignment is raise these questions more often
to those around me to see if there are any changes or differences in perspectives. I will also be
more cognizant about my loyalty, whom I give it to and how doing this will impact me and my
family. I also now understand how loyalty can be taken advantage of and will teach my children
that although loyalty is a great quality, it must be respected and given out with discretion.

Probably the biggest change I will try to make is to be more intentional to take time for myself.
This will not only provide me with more opportunities to discover what makes me tick, but also
can be a great outlet for the everyday stressors that creep their way into my life. For instance, I
know I am really fascinated with airplanes so I could look into getting my private pilots license.
I am really enjoy breathing new life into houses so I can explore the possibility of investing in a
older house to flip as an investment. Maybe I need to become more passionate about figuring
out what I am passionate about. From this exercise I feel a new sense of direction and
excitement to explore my passions and figure out who I am once again.

SECTION 2: Include your interview guide sheets / interviewee responses (at least
two interviewees). Include / summarize their responses to each of the questions
separately (Interview #1 / Interviewee #2). Please combine this information into
one document for the purposes of assignment submission (dont submit multiple
separate documents).

INTERVIEW GUIDE SHEET

Interview # 1
Person Interviewed:

Erika Hall

Relationship:

Wife

Questions:
1. When you think about me, what are some adjectives or phrases that come to
mind that are good descriptions?
When I think about you a lot of phrases and adjectives come to mind. You are hard
working and loyal to a fault. Your work ethic is incredibly strong as you rarely ever
miss a day of work. You are a man of integrity and when you say you are going to do
something, you follow through. You have a big heart and care immensely about
those you are close to in life. Above all you are a great husband and father and your
love for your family is so evident and strong.
2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths?
Your greatest strengths are your passion for your family, your character and your
faith in Jesus Christ. Your family has become your priority in life and the team we
have formed together is amazing. Your character shines through in the toughest
situations you are faced with. You always strive to do what is right and it is
important for you to be a great example for our children. Above all, your faith is
probably your single strongest quality. It is your ability to give things up to the Lord
which provides a sense of strength and calm in our family during difficult times.
3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?
Your greatest weakness may just be one of your greatest strengths as well. The
loyalty you have is incredible, but there are times where people can take advantage
of the loyalty. Though you have made progress with this, there are still times where
your loyalty to your boss and company cause you great stress over making a
decision that is right for you and one that is right for the company. You tend to put
the company first in a lot of occasions and though these occasions seem important
at the time, what you are giving up for this loyalty are times and memories that are

everlasting.
4. What goals or ambitions have I directly or indirectly communicated to you?
We actually share many of the same goals and ambitions. For example, we both
desire to move our family to the southern United States in search of a slower paced
life where the daily focus is not about keeping up with the Joness but about the
meaningful time spent with family and friends. Another thing we share in common is
to become financially independent which provides the time to spend with family and
friends, and to be able to give back to the community. We both long to live on a
farm with various animals that we can raise and teach the children important,
wholesome values and work ethic. One ambition I know you have is to complete
your bachelors degree so that you can provide a sense of stability to your family in
the event of hard times.
5. Specific Core Competencies (on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being highest):
a. Decision making / problem-solving skills. Rating: 9
b. Creativity and innovation. Rating: 7
c. Sense of humor. Rating: 10
d. Interpersonal skills and teamwork abilities. Rating: 8
e. Positive attitude. Rating: 8
f.

Intuition. Rating: 9

g. Communicate and present ideas (in writing). Rating: 10

h. Persuasive skills. Rating: 8
i.

Drive and motivation. Rating: 9

j.

Flexibility and adaptability. Rating: 7

k. Planning and organization skills. Rating: 7

l.

Sense of confidence. Rating: 8

6. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my professional abilities,

what would they be?
The three things I would suggest you could do to improve your professional abilities
are gain more self confidence in your abilities, seek opportunities to manage people

to gain more experience and pursue advanced training in your field.

7. If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense of fulfillment in

my work or personal life, what would they be? The first thing I would suggest is
really finding out what you are passionate about in life and take the time to
enjoy your passion whether it is a hobby or something you can bring about in
your career. The second thing I would suggest is finding ways to slow life down.
This is something that we talk about a lot as life just seems to be going by too
fast and we dont have the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Lastly, I
would love to see you take more time for yourself whether that is working out,
enjoying a hobby, spending time with friends or just having down time. You
balance a lot between a full time job, school and your family and you deserve to
invest in yourself and take the time to enjoy life.

INTERVIEW GUIDE SHEET

Interview # 2
Person Interviewed:

Ray

Relationship:

Co-worker

Questions:
1. When you think about me, what are some adjectives or phrases that come to
mind that are good descriptions?
You are a hard worker, take a lot of pride in your job and care about those your work
with. You are always at work, on time, and work very hard to complete your projects
with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency.
2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths?
Your greatest strengths are your communication skills and your ability to work under
pressure. We are up against a lot of tight deadlines and demanding clients and you
handle both very well. Communication is very important in our line of work because
of fast paced projects and the financial consequences we face if our projects do not
meet a deadline or the ball is dropped.
3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?
Your greatest weakness is that you are too hard on yourself if you make a mistake.
Things are bound to happen in the work environment we are faced with and the
probability of mistakes happening is high due to the level of detail our job entails. Of
course you should aim to not make mistakes, but on the rare occasion you do make
one, let it go.
4. What goals or ambitions have I directly or indirectly communicated to you?
Your goal of completing your degree is one of the more recent goals you have
communicated to me. I think this is a great goal and will be something you will
never regret. You have also communicated that you would like to obtain your
professional land surveyors license. This is something you definitely should pursue.
5. Specific Core Competencies (on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being highest):
a. Decision making / problem-solving skills. Rating: 8
b. Creativity and innovation. Rating: 8

c. Sense of humor. Rating: 9

d. Interpersonal skills and teamwork abilities. Rating: 10
e. Positive attitude. Rating: 8
f.

Intuition. Rating: 8

g. Communicate and present ideas (in writing). Rating: 10

h. Persuasive skills. Rating: 8
i.

Drive and motivation. Rating: 9

j.

Flexibility and adaptability. Rating: 8

k. Planning and organization skills. Rating: 7

l.

Sense of confidence. Rating: 8

6. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my professional abilities,

what would they be?
Three things I would suggest are pursue your professional land surveyors licensing
which will sharpen your skills, mentor the younger employees which will build your
relationships with them and also provide a sense of giving back, and take on more
of the management tasks such as preparing proposals and reviewing billing reports.
7. If you could suggest three things I could do to increase my sense of fulfillment in
my work or personal life, what would they be?
I would suggest that you find more time to spend doing things you like to do. You
work very hard both at work and at home and could use an outlet. I think in doing
this you would find that both your work and home life would improve. Not that they
are not good already, but if you are satisfied with yourself and your interests you
are going to be more satisfied in the other aspects of your life as well.