Alejandro Serrano

Professor Kelly
EXPL 390
4/24/18

Reflection on Artifacts : Learning Plan

Yes, I definitely think that I was able to achieve the competencies and personal objectives

that I set for myself. Some of the personal objectives that I set for myself included improving my

communication and collaboration skills, along with becoming more comfortable with Microsoft

Excel. I can say with 100% certainty that I accomplished these three objectives. At BDO,

collaborating and working with coworkers on a project is expected and a common occurrence at

the office. During my time at BDO I was able to be more comfortable asking for help and

working with the other interns. I learned how to work with different personality styles to get a

project done, and how individuals, depending on their personalities require you to go about the

situation in a different way.

In addition, I learned the importance of being a team player as well as how to be a good

one. Asking for help is important, but returning the favor is just as important. During my first

few weeks when I was new to everything at the office I was constantly asking for help, but as I

got situated, I was able to do more tasks on my own. With that being said, as I was able to handle

more workloads independently I learned that it was important to give back, and ask the other

interns if there was anything they needed help with, or if there was a project they wanted me to

take off their work load. Becoming more aware of all of this definitely helped me to not only

develop my communication skills, but teamwork skills as well. To add on, as my time at BDO

progressed, I was noticeably able to see my proficiency in Microsoft Excel continue to grow. I

started off with little to no experience, to being able to use the more complex functions of the
software. It was really nice to see this progression and even be complimented by my supervisor

about it.

With that being said, I did find the process of tracking my competencies and objectives

incredibly beneficial. I thought that it was nice to see my benchmark or starting point, and having

the mid-term evaluation was good to see where I was at in terms of achieving those objectives

and what I could improve upon. With the internship now winding down, it is incredible to see

how far along I have come and how much I have achieved in such a short amount of time. Seeing

the progression in real time, and documenting it in increments was something pivotal in my

internship experience and something that I am glad we did in this class.

Personally, I feel like I was able to contribute a significant amount to BDO. In my

opinion, I believe that I brought youthful energy to the workplace, and a fresh set of ideas. In

addition, because of the social person that I am, I was able to incorporate this into my leadership

style which centered around trying to be as inclusive and collaborative as possible. With that

being said, I definitely did see my leadership style evolve and mature throughout the duration of

my internship. Despite being a people person, I was a bit intimidated by being at a new place, but

these feelings quickly subsided after a couple weeks and I was able to be my natural self.

When comparing this to my organization’s structure and culture I do not see the two

align. The structure BDO has is very concrete and clear in the sense that it is very political. In

addition, the hierarchy is heavily ingrained into the organization’s structure, dictating how things

are run around the office, and who is assigned what. To add on, the culture BDO has indirectly

established is one that is incredibly divided and very cliquey. This clashes with my personality

and leadership style because I like socializing with individuals of all different backgrounds, but it

is simply not possible at BDO because of the clear cut divisions, and subdivisions that are
formed through cliques and other social groups. It is unfortunate that my leadership style and

personality does not necessarily align with BDO’s. However, it is a great learning experience in

teaching me how to work in an environment that has different views and opinions from mine.

This definitely taught me how to work in different environments, to be patient, as well as

understanding of those different from me. With that being said, later down the road in my

professional career, I would like to work at a firm where the culture and values closely resemble

mine.