Who are you? Revealing your character

Who are you ? What key traits define your character?

Are you a leader? Do you value integrity? Are you an idea generating machine? Or are you an executor? Do you respect other’s ideas and work methods?  How do you handle politics?

The Olin program accelerates the discovery of answers to questions like the above.

We are set in a group, starting out as strangers, and we must work with these people for at least a year. It’s similar to the majority of work places. It’s rare when we get to pick every person on our team. Naturally, everyone has their own background, their own method of solving problems, their own way to manage projects. Some people are predisposed to work better together than others. Background, experience, and personality all factor into how this plays out.

dinnerLuckily I’ve had the fantastic fortune of being placed on a team of brilliant individuals, who all can play as a team. We work hard, we get the work done, but we make sure we are enjoying ourselves and building the team and our relationships along the way. We have fun.

In my opinion it has everything to do with the team members’ character traits. We trust each other. We work together to manage the work load. We understand when members have other conflicts and cover for one another.  We also keep it light-hearted. There is no need to kill ourselves here.

Not every team or individual will have this experience though. So, when conflict arises, how will you handle it? Will you avoid it? Will you try to go behind the person’s back? Or will you confront the challenge head on? It’s easy when times are good, but what about the tough times? How will you lead as an individual to get the most out of this experience for yourself and for your team? The habits developed in this program are likely to be how we behave in the workplace.

Again, this environment allows us to experiment with how we want to lead and work in a team. The opportunities to deal with conflict, to let your leadership shine through, to understand others and ourselves better all exist throughout the program.

The picture of who we are, how we work, what our values are and how we deal with others naturally illuminates over the course of the program.

 

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