LSI SELF-DESCRIPTION
Merissa A. Hanley ladyezz32@gmail.com MGMT-591-20133 Leadership & Organizational Behavior
Professor Ifeanyi Ugboaja September 14, 2013

According to the LSI Internet LS1 1, the Life Style Inventory survey from Human Synergistics International is a “system that provides a "road map" to properly focus your personal development goals and keep you focus in the right direction. The LSI Internet LS1 measures 12 essential styles of patterns of thinking that can either aid or deter a person from achieving his/her capabilities. The 12 LSI styles are divided into three major clusters. The Constructive Styles which refers to one’s satisfaction needs includes Achievement, Self-Actualizing, Humanistic-Encouraging, and Affiliative. The Passive/Defensive Styles which refer to People Orientation behaviors which includes Avoidance, Dependent, Conventional and Approval. The last cluster is Aggressive/Defensive Styles which refers to Task Orientation behaviors, which includes Oppositional, Power, Competitive, and Perfectionistic. This paper will identify and discuss my primary & backup thinking styles, identify my limiting style that I believe may be working against me, one specific style that I would like to change and the difference it will make in my personal and professional life.
My primary style (highest percentile score) is under the Constructive section which is Achievement. My “backup” (second highest percentile) is Affliative style which also under the Constructive section. According to the LSI Internet LSI 1 website, “the Achievement style measures a way of thinking that is highly associated with personal effectiveness.” Achievers are highly motivated to get the job done effectively and efficiently. Achievers are great leaders and are best candidates for managerial roles. LSI 1 states, “These individuals often possess the skills necessary for effective planning and problem-solving. Their ability to share responsibility, inspire others, and build confidence makes achievement-oriented people excellent leaders.” I strongly agree with the results for my primary style, Achievement. Before I acquired my lead position, I was the go-to person for my department. My colleagues valued my opinion and came to me with their concerns or questions about day to day operations. I do not believe in coincidences. I believe everything happens for a reason. I always share any new information that comes my way that will affect our performance. I maintain professional relationships with many managers in other departments because they value self-starters like me. I have a tagline under my signature on my work e-mail that defines my philosophy about work. It says “Teamwork divides the task and multiples the success!” I truly am an achiever in everything I do personally or professionally. My backup style is Affliative. According to LSI Internet LSI 1, Affliative represents a need for social interaction and interpersonal contact. Affiliative people seek out, establish, value, and maintain close associations with others. These individuals value relationships with others who they have a strong connection to them. They have strong interpersonal skills which allow them to be liked by co-workers and leadership. They have a need to build relationships that are genuine and reciprocal. They are sensitive to people’s feelings therefore others like them in return. I agree with the results for my backup style, Affiliative. I tend to stick with meaningful relationships with individuals who reciprocate what I give out. I am sociable, pleasant and very helpful at my work and life. Individuals feel comfortable around me and tend to like me in the first interaction with me. I maintain positive relationships with others. I am very reserve at times so I tend to hang with a smaller group of friends. My relationships are long-term and very fulfilling for me and my friends. Two of my closest friends have been in my social circle for 17 and 18 years. My current boyfriend and I have been friends for over 11 years before we decide to start a relationship.

My “limited” style that is working against is Perfectionistic. According to LSI Internet 1, these individuals have tendency to place excessive demands on self and others, a preoccupation with detail that distorts perspective and judgment and an excessive concern with avoiding mistakes. Perfectionist tends to over-analyze their performance if they feel it does not meet their standards. Their higher standards create a stressful environment especially when something is not meeting their expectations. They have a fear of failure in personal and professional settings. This limiting style works against because I tend to do everything that was mention above. I will go above and beyond to make sure my work is perfect before the day ends. I despise when my supervisor calls me in office about a mistake that was me. Since I became a Team Lead, I have become more aware of this limited style and I try my best not to let it overtake me. It is a very hard process but it’s doable if I continue to work at it. I have to remind myself daily that you can’t win them all. Here is a prime example on how perfectionistic can work against me. I recently passed the Certified Patient Accounts Representative test. The requirement to pass the test was 70% or higher. I passed with 78% even though I passed I started kicking myself for not receiving a higher score. My colleague reminded me that what matters is that I passed not my score. The impact my personal style as achieving manager allows me to make major contributions to the organization that will help improve the environment. I am able to identify major challenges facing the organization and provide solutions that are beneficially for my staff. My problem-solving and decision making skills helps me to attack major challenges effortless and swiftly. My primary focus for my organization is to have self-sufficient employees who are able to perform under minimal or no supervision. My role as their manager is to show them what positive leadership is. I lead by example not by my title. I sustain an honest atmosphere for my employees so they feel that they have open communication with me. I strategically plan monthly meetings which is their open forum for concerns, ideas, or questions they may have about the organization. I relay their concerns or questions to higher management and respond with bottom-line results. When conflict occurs, I deal with the conflict instead of avoiding it. I plan and organize on the job training and welcome positive or negative feedback from my employees. Leading by example with integrity and honesty is my motto. I want my employees to feel value and they have voice in this organization. My affliative style allows me to maintain healthy professional relationships with other managers and my staff. It allows people to feel comfortable in my presence. I try to maintain a positive attitude because I am aware that my mood can influence others. My personal styles stems from my personal and professional experiences. I have hip dyplasia which is a hip disability. As a child, I was always told from my mother that I couldn’t do something because of it. You could imagine how many more no’s I heard in my childhood. At the age of 8, I wanted to learn how to ride a bike. I asked my mother if I could get one and she was very skeptically because of my disability. I decided to ask my father to get a bike for my birthday. He agreed and he bought a bike with training wheels. I rode the bike for two years until I was comfortable to ride the bike without training wheels. I was so proud of myself. My mother was astounded because she didn’t think I would accomplish my goal. As I grew up and started high school, I realize I had no limitations and I decide to prove my mother wrong. I never wanted to hear that I couldn’t do something ever again. Now I do not allow a “No” to hold me back from achieving my goals. This childhood experience along with many others shaped my achievement style. My affliative style came naturally. I was always a friendly person. I made friends easily throughout my adolescent years. I am still friends with some of them today. . A healthy relationship makes me feel like I’ve accomplished another goal. My goal I would like to achieve in MGMT591 class is to learn how to apply my “primary” and “backup” styles in my personal and professional life. I want to learn how to stay true to myself in Corporate America which is very difficult to. I’ve witness too many people lose themselves for a title. It changes you and I cannot allow a job dictate my life. My major goal is learn how to be an effective leader and move up the corporate ladder.

My LSI Chart Position | Style | Score | Percentile | 1 | Humanistic-Encouraging | 34 | 75 | 2 | Affiliative | 38 | 93 | 3 | Approval | 8 | 20 | 4 | Conventional | 21 | 87 | 5 | Dependent | 20 | 79 | 6 | Avoidance | 1 | 10 | 7 | Oppositional | 5 | 34 | 8 | Power | 7 | 55 | 9 | Competitive | 13 | 55 | 10 | Perfectionistic | 22 | 63 | 11 | Achievement | 39 | 95 | 12 | Self-Actualizing | 35 | 85 |

My LSI Circumplex

REFERENCES

LSI Internet LSI 1. Retrieved from http://www.survey-server2.com/lsiuniversity-sso/pers_report.asp