...LIFESTYLE INVENTORY PAPER MEMORANDUM Date: November 6, 2011 Subject: Life Style Inventory Paper As per your request to prepare a personal learning agenda in GM591, I have completed my own “Life Styles Circumplex” profile. Below is the analysis of my “Life Styles Circumplex” profile and my personal learning agenda in GM591. Part I: Issues and Events The biggest challenge I face in the wholesale/retail industry (previous job) is dealing with people from all works of life. It is interesting to note that during the course of the month, at work, I will come across someone that will do or say something that will almost get me upset and in some cases succeed in getting me upset. I have read books that address issues like anger management, customer service and good people skills. I usually exercise good self-control in these areas. Another issue I deal with is trust. Over the years, I have found it increasing difficult to trust people, especially customers. There is an adage in the automotive retail industry that says, “Customers are liars.” The third main issue is discernment of people and their motives for doing and saying certain things. I continuously strive to be more holistic and well-rounded in all areas of my life. I am aware of the dangers of anger, distrust and naivety when they become the dominant part of one’s life, even if it is for a brief period. If these issues are not addressed, they can destroy one’s life, job or other vital relationships, especially the business-client...
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...Life Styles Inventory: Self-Description GM591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior Instructor: Christine Rainwater Ada Freeman afreex4@yahoo.com March 11, 2010 Abstract This paper explains the current way I think and behave using the results of the Life Styles Inventory (LSI) as defined by Human Synergistics International’s LSI Circumplex. The resource maintains that there are three major “life styles” traits. The first is the constructive styles which depict synergy and helps validate why certain individuals, groups, and organizations are particularly effective in performance, growth, and work quality. The second is the passive/defensive style which can produce a predictable and secure situation, however, learning, the ability to adapt and the organization’s survival is hampered. The third is the aggressive/defensive which may lead to stress, decisions are often based on status as opposed to experience and conflict instead of a team effort. Keywords: life styles inventory (LSI), constructive, passive/defensive, aggressive/defensive As I reviewed the LSI Styles Circumplex after the Life Styles Inventory, I could immediately see that some of my results for the behaviors were right on the mark. Others I felt were a bit off the chart but no results seem completely off the chart. After reviewing how the scores were calculated, I began to understand some of the inter-relations between the styles and my corresponding behaviors and beliefs. My...
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...Michael Paine thepainer@wi.rr.com GM591 Leadership and Organizational Paper May 12, 2012 LSI Paper Personal Thinking Skills As I was going through my LSI and answering the questions, I was very surprised by my results and in some areas not so surprised. I am starting a new job, whole different career, being out of a job since February. I also am under a completely different schedule, so was transitioning my body to working a different hours than what my body is used to. So it was kind of a stressful time when I completed this, so I think that may have been part of why my results are the way they are. My LSI results will be located in the Appendix 1 section. The dependent thinking style was my primary and I was kind of surprised that this would be my highest. However, when I thought about what types of thoughts and feeling are included in this slice, I kind of agreed with it, a lot would be the life situations that are happening in my life over the past few months. This thinking style is a defensive style, having the feel that the efforts that I put into my work, family, overall life choices that they haven’t counted towards anything that I would like to achieve. I think for me personally that if I took this again, I think this wouldn’t be my primary thinking, because some parts of this can be affected by starting a new job, which I just have and am learning new things and having a whole different culture of people and procedures...
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...LSI Results(circumplex and chart) Your LSI Styles Profile The raw and percentile scores in the table below and the extensions on the circumplex shown below depict your perceptions of how you think and behave. The CONSTRUCTIVE Styles (11, 12, 1, and 2 o'clock positions) reflect self-enhancing thinking and behavior that contribute to one's level of satisfaction, ability to develop healthy relationships and work effectively with people, and proficiency at accomplishing tasks. The PASSIVE/DEFENSIVE Styles (3, 4, 5, and 6 o'clock positions) represent self-protecting thinking and behavior that promote the fulfillment of security needs through interaction with people. The AGGRESSIVE/DEFENSIVE Styles (7, 8, 9, and 10 o'clock positions) describe self-promoting thinking and behavior used to maintain status/position and fulfill security needs through task-related activities. Position | Style | Score | Percentile | 1 | Humanistic-Encouraging | 35 | 80 | 2 | Affiliative | 35 | 75 | 3 | Approval | 19 | 80 | 4 | Conventional | 22 | 90 | 5 | Dependent | 17 | 63 | 6 | Avoidance | 10 | 75 | 7 | Oppositional | 3 | 18 | 8 | Power | 4 | 34 | 9 | Competitive | 10 | 34 | 10 | Perfectionistic | 12 | 9 | 11 | Achievement | 36 | 80 | 12 | Self-Actualizing | 34 | 80 | The raw scores potentially range from 0 to 40. The percentile scores represent your results compared to those of 9,207 individuals who previously completed the Life Styles Inventory. For example, a percentile...
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...GM591 PREPARATION GUIDE: LIFE STYLES INVENTORY(LSI) Introduction: Thinking and Behavior "The quest for leadership is first an inner quest to discover who you are” (p.391).[1] --Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner--- Self-awareness is foundational to effective leadership and organization success[2]. Research in leadership and organizational behavior indicates that managers who are blind to who they are, and to the effects they have on other people in their organizations, place their effectiveness and their careers at risk. A frequently cited axiom is "the first commandment of leadership is to know thyself." For example, in their studies of managerial and executive derailment, the Center for Creative Leadership found that successful managers: (1) understand their values, personal styles, and strengths and weaknesses; (2) know the impact of these values, styles, and strengths and weaknesses on their ability to effectively work with others and achieve their goals; and (3) are quick to reflect upon and learn from their own experiences. Despite these advantages, we often resist opportunities to increase our self-awareness or to acknowledge error. We fear that learning something new about ourselves will be painful -- doing so may require us to change our treasured and habitual ways of seeing, thinking, and behaving. Self-awareness is also an important barometer to ensure that even the best leadership practices don't become destructive. As Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner caution...
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...LSI Paper Gloria Guzman guzmangloria@hotmail.com GM591 Leadership and Organizational Behavior Professor Barbara Ward September 2, 2011 Personal Thinking Styles Well hello Gloria Guzman, it is so nice to visit you again. That is exactly what I thought when I completed my Life Style Inventory and saw my report. In my life time I have taken a few self-evaluating, personality-leadership-management surveys and I must say I always learn something new about myself and witness growth and maturity. My LSI primary style is Affiliative with a score of 36 out of 40 and an 83 percentile. My results are shown in appendix 1. Both the high score and the high percentile tell me that this style strongly describes how I see myself and behave. The affiliative style falls in the constructive styles category. In general, this category measures our level of satisfaction, our ability to establish healthy relationships and work effectively with people, and proficiency at accomplishing tasks. This style places high importance on family, friendship and business relationships. In my personal life it explains my dislike and avoidance of arguments and disagreements. I have been married 27 years, and yes I know it takes two to make it work but my high value of marriage makes me work harder at it. This style has shined a light on why people usually confine and trust me with their feelings. It takes me time to make a decision because I consider how other people are going to feel and be impacted...
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...RUNNING HEAD: LSI Paper I am charged with the task of completing the Life Styles Inventory Survey to give a self-description of my thinking styles. The purpose of this assignment is to determine the impact that the personal styles have on my management style and to identify which one of my thinking styles may be reducing my overall effectiveness. After completing the survey, my circumplex shows that my primary thinking style is the “Conventional Style”(4 o’clock) and my backup thinking style is the “Power Style” (8 o’clock). I agree with the results of the conventional thinking style, but, I do not fully agree with the results of the power thinking style. According to the LSI results, the conventional thinking style is one that measures our inclination to act in a compliant way. Conventional thinkers worry about adhering to rules and established procedures. According to the LSI results, when we depend on on established procedures in determining how we do things, we risk losing our sense of uniqueness and individuality. I would have to agree with the results of this survey that I am a conventional thinker. As a child, my parents had very strict household rules that, simply, were not to my benefit to break. Therefore, I often abided by the rules. I think this is why I tend to do things strictly by the book. Doing things by the book gives me a sense of security in knowing that I followed the policy, in case something goes wrong. As a conventional thinker, I prefer...
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...Memphis Latchison III Leadership and Organization GM591 LSI Paper GM 591 According to the LSI, my Primary personal thinking style is AFFILIATIVE at 93% and my Backup personal thinking styles are SELF-ACTUALIZING, HUMANISTIC-ENCOURAGING, and CONVENTIONAL. All of these three are at 90%. I agreed with these results. When I look at my personal and professional life, this is exactly how I see myself. With my family and friends, I am seen as an “encourager”, someone who is always believing in others and convincing them that they can do better. For example with my daughter, my wife tends to be the one to discipline her more and I tend to be the one that our daughter runs to after she has been disciplined! When our daughter wants some sympathy, she knows that “mommy” won’t give it to her but daddy will! An example of my AFFILIATIVE behavior can be seen in everything that I am involved in. I occupy a leadership role in my church, and through this it is imperative that I develop and maintain relationships with people. I firmly believe that any success that one achieves, it will be done through some type of “relationship”. As the saying goes, “No man is an island unto himself” and when preparation meets opportunity, it is because someone took the time to aid and help the individual through some type of relationship. I am strong believer of this, and I am positive that this is why I scored the highest with the AFFILIATIVE style. The style that I scored very high in that I...
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...Reinventing Organizational Behavior: Recommendations to Improve Communication at DSW Jessica Detwiler Keller Graduate School of Management Jessica.m.detwiler@gmail.com GM591 – Leadership and Organizational Behavior Dr. Arnold Witchel 14 April 2012 Author Note Thank you to my colleagues whom allow me to pick their brains regarding our organization. I appreciate your honest feedback and candid conversation, which has allowed me to remain objective. I hope to have put our organization in the best possible light, while still being able to make valid recommendations to improve our organizational culture. Abstract This manuscript details research performed on identifying organizational behavior problems at a specific federal facility. Topics discussed include identifying key issues and providing potential solutions to improve the effectiveness of the company. There is also a section that analyzes the root cause of the identified problem areas. Finally, there is a reflection section that details lessons learned throughout the course. Reinventing Organizational Behavior: Recommendations to Improve Communication at DSW The Desert Southwest Region (DSW) of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is a federal service region that “markets hydroelectricity power to nearly 70 municipalities, cooperatives, federal and state agencies, and irrigation districts.” (About, 2012) The DSW regional office “maintains and operates more than 40 substations and 3,100 miles...
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...POOR LEADERSHIP GM591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior INTRODUCTION Helmsley-Spear, Inc. was founded in 1955 by men named Harry B. Helmsley and Lawrence A. Wien. Helmsley-Spear, Inc. was located in mid-town Manhattan, 60 East 42nd Street, New York. The organizations offices were located in the penthouse of the Lincoln Building, occupying floors 53 through 55, which had a private elevator from the 53rd floor through to the 55th floor. The Helmsley management office was located in the heart of Manhattan. It provided easy access to all public transportation. It made for an easy commute to New Jersey Transit, a few blocks from New York Port Authority, right across the street from Grand Central Terminal. This was the ideal location. It large vast spacious offices had a view of New Jersey, the ocean, the Brooklyn Bridge and the beautiful but not forgotten Twin Towers. The Helmsley organization was compounded of approximately 200 employees, which range from administrative staff, doormen and building maintenance staff. Helmsley-Spear, Inc. was one of the biggest property holders in the United States. Mr. Helmsley and Mr. Malkin immediately began expanding the organization by becoming managing agents and landlord of some of the most prestigious commercial, residential and hotel properties. They managed such properties as the Empire State Building, the Graybar Building, the Helmsley-Palace...
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...What Affects does our Schemas and Critical Thinking Play in our Roles as Leaders GM591: Leadership and Organizational Behavior Instructor: Oliver London, Ph. D. Gloria Wilson gloriahomes@yahoo.com * 816-560-5913 December 10, 2010 INTRODUCTION Let me set the stage of this fascinating topic that I have created for you to understand, “What affects does our Schemas and Critical Thinking play in our roles as Leaders?” You must understand my background to see why I could not separate the two – Schemas and Critical Thinking. I was brought up in a southern Baptist family on my mom and dad side of the family. Our religion was number one and everything else was based on your beliefs (schemas) surrounding this very devout religious family. As I got older, and attended the business college for two years, before moving on to the big university, the first class I had was…you guessed it, Critical Thinking. I know I was a born leader, no doubt about it. I loved making sure everyone was well cared for in the family, as a child and as adult. You put all these together and you have created a…I will let you read it in the conclusion. My schemas as a child led me to believe, and do certain things as a child, to the clothing I wore down to the shoes I wore. Let me broaden it up for you a tad bit in schemas in the business world of thinking. “Schemas are cognitive frame works that represent organized knowledge developed through experience about people, objects, or events...
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