Reflection

A. Reflect on your experience in the Leadership and Communication course by doing the
following:

1. Provide a brief overview of your understanding of your Energy Graph from the Learning
   Report, including two personal strengths and two personal challenges that relate to your working
   style.
   This course has helped me learn numerous concepts about leadership and
   communication, especially on a professional level. For instance, I have learnt that the energy
   graph has five dynamics energy styles which are: explore, excite, examine, execute, and
   evaluate. It is a representation of an individual’s working style, which I can relate to. A person’s
   energy levels are established depending on their work. This is coupled up by intensity levels such
   stress, deliberate, effortless, and extreme which are integrated within the energy style. An
   analysis of my graph indicated that I am on the exciting group category, and my intensity level is
   extreme.
   Based on my past experiences, I am confident that my personal strengths are being goal-
   oriented and a leader. I have demonstrated leadership abilities whereby I accomplished goals that
   I had set for myself. From the learning materials in the course, leadership requires someone who
   can plan and execute. It also requires someone who is excited and passionate about what they do.
   Excitement in getting the job done helps fuel the anger of success. Most times, I am focused on
   getting the job done, and I commit to it by avoiding distractions and procrastination.
   Through my interaction with peers and other people in different settings, it is clear that
   extreme intensity comprises the main traits of successful leaders. However, I might not always
   bring the extra effort in many aspects of my life because of the unforgiving belief “taking one
   step at a time”. I also have low energy levels, although this can be solved by conscious effort and

REFLECTION 3
a lot of planning. There are times when preliminary plans are different from the actual tasks
predicted that can take a toll on me especially when I was passionate about the preliminary plans.
My other weakness would be slow to change which can be a problem especially in the fast-paced
world where things are changing rapidly. Right now, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted
people’s everyday lives. Such a sudden shift in normalcy requires strong adaptability and
problem-solving skills.

2. Describe your experience(s) of conversations as they relate to the laws of conversation and the
   four levels of the conversation meter.
   While the course has provided insights on achieving value in conversations, I have
   struggled with progressing through the conversation meter. In some instances, people can hide
   concerns, especially due to the tendency to safeguard self-interests. I have found myself in
   situations whereby I could not voice my true opinions since it might be against the other party’s
   beliefs and values. In retrospect, I could have accomplished more value with the current
   knowledge on laws of conversation and the conversation meter. The use of the conversation
   meter can vary depending on the type of conversation, and personality traits. I believe that
   everyone moves round the meter at all times depending on the situation or context. For instance,
   when you have a friend’s best interest at heart, you might find yourself lying to them at times to
   protect them. I have also conversed at the sincerity level at one point in conversations and
   defended my point of view especially when engaging in political arguments. However, effective
   communication requires is best achieved at accuracy level or, at the authenticity level. Good
   communication is facilitated by active listening. An experience I have with authenticity and
   accuracy in communication is when talking to my mum about life challenges.

REFLECTION 4

3. Discuss your strategies for being a successful student, including how you will incorporate your
   strengths and address your challenges.
   I have several strategies for being a successful student. I believe that strong
   communication skills is essential to successful learning. Being able to express oneself both orally
   and in writing, and active listening are a great combination on exceling as a student since one is
   able to seek clarification where they do not understand and express themselves well in writing
   especially during exams which are the hallmark of academic success. Being goal oriented will
   also play a key role in achieving meaningful learning. Setting out academic goals that are
   specific, measurable, attainable, and timely will be helpful in interacting with learning materials
   and completing assignments on time. I am also excited in getting the job done which can be an
   asset in executing set out goals.
   Extreme intensity is among the weaknesses I have that can challenge learning. When I
   love something, I can be extremely passionate which can make me focus on one course or topic
   and forget the others. Striking a balance is important when it comes to maintaining a good score.
   I find adapting to change challenging, especially in scenarios like changing the mode of learning
   from physical classes to online classes and vice versa. Being open minded and open to anything
   is a skill I can acquire to ensure that my speed when it comes to adapting to change improves.
4. Reflect on your overall experience in the course and how it applies to two of the following:
   academic activities, professional career, or personal life.
   This course has been instrumental to my academic, professional, and personal life. I am
   can clearly understand my working style, emotions, communication skills, and opinions that are
   important in navigating through the different facets mentioned above. There are many instances
   where accommodating different points of views has been a major challenge. However, through

REFLECTION 5
this course, I can handle other people’s opinions objectively based on facts as opposed to
emotions. I have also identified my strengths and weaknesses in my academic realm, hence, an
opportunity to understand what I need to work on more to succeed in my academics. There were
discussions that helped me reflect on some major decisions in my life, and provided room for
improvement. The knowledge acquired from this course will be useful in the future, on both
personal and professional levels.