Vendela From Portfolio

November, 2020

Portfolio

Vendela From

IntroductionWho am I?What Management Skills do I have?In which type on environments do I thrive?

1.2.3.4.

Index

1.

Introduction

My name is Vendela From, and I am currently a fourth-year finance and accounting major at Seattle University.Throughout my years at Seattle University I have been a part of the Women's Golf team which have helped me further develop time-management skills.I am an outgoing person who loves working in teams. I also enjoy taking on new challenges as I want to become the best possible version of myself.

Introduction

2.

Who am I ?

My interests:Sailing&Golf

Sailing was a big part of my childhood growing up as I went to summer camp every year. I loved to sail so much that I became a sailing instructor at the camp.Now, it is my friends and I that run the entire organization. Each summer, we have over 200 kids staying with us for 1-3 weeks. During 5 years, I have both worked as an instructor and in our kitchen. This summer I was in charge of all the planning, grocery shopping, and time management for the kitchen team for two of our camps.

Sailing

Growing up, my parents had me and my siblings try various sports. I competed in alpince racing at a high level until I was 15, but could not continue due to an injury. When I no longer could ski, I switched my main focus to golf. I have spent hours and hours at the golf club near where I live. That team became like a second family to me. I love playing and competing to this day, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to continue playing my sport in college.

Golf

Personality Trait High Low

• Dislikes structure and schedules
• Tends to make messes
• Procastinates important tasks
• Dislikes change
• Resistant to new ideas
• Not very imaginative

• Feels exhausted after socializing
• Dislikes small talk
• Think things through before speaking

• Takes little care in other people
• Does not care about other's problems
• Manipulates to get what they want

• Deals well with stress
• Does not worry a lot
• Emotionally stable

• Spends time preparing
• Pays attention to detail
• Finishes important tasks right away

• Creative
• Open to try new things
• Likes to think about abstract concepts

• Enjoys meeting new people
• Enjoys being center of attention
• Feels energized when around others

• Cares about others
• Assist others when in need of help
• Feels empathy and concern for others

• Experience a lot of stress
• Worries a lot
• Has drastic changes in mood

• Conscenciousness

• Openness to Experience

• Extroversion

• Agreeableness

• Neuroticism

From my management class, I learned about 5 categories of personality traits. Knowing about the different personality types is useful when distributing tasks to different people . This way, it is easier to create better outcomes in an environment everyone is comfortable. Most people associates with one of multiple of the following 5 personality traits:

5 Personality Traits

In the personality trait tests I have taken, I tend to score high on Openness to Experience and Extroversion. Although I score low on Concenciousness, which is a desired personality trait within accounting, I have learned how to properly schedule and prioritize tasks at hand. Growing up I balanced studying, participating in multiple sports at high levels, and spending time with my friends and family. This required me to become good at planning my weeks and not procrastinate.

My Personality Traits

To be a good leader, it is important to know and understand what decision-making style you have.It is also important to understand that different team members may to go about making decisions in different ways. Some people are better at making decisions in stressful and rapid environments, whereas others can come up with great solutions through having time to examine the situation more.

People prefer to make decisions in different ways. It is helpful for employers and managers to know how they tend to make decisions as it impacts the outcome for both them and everyone in their organization. It is also helpful to know what decision-making style employees and team members prefer as it can determine who should be directed certain tasks. There are four elements that describe how different people go about decisions: external or internal decision-makers, and systemic or spontaneous decision-makers.

As a systemic decision maker, I like to look into different options and know all facts before making decisions. Spontaneous decision makers are more likely to make decisions with less information at hand and within a shorter period of time.

Systemic/Spontaneous

External/Internal

My Decision Making Style

As an external decision-maker, I prefer to elaborate with others before making larger decisions. Internal decision-makers can be more comfortable making larger decisions without the opinion of others.

I am a Team Player

I Enjoy Working in Teams

As an external decision-maker who is high on extroversion, I enjoy working in teams rather than in an individualistic environment.My motivation to get things done increase around others, and the quality of my work also tend increase when I have others to be inspired by.In a team setting, I am comfortable to take a leadership role to figure out what tasks needs to be done and when they should be completed to make sure delivarables are completed with high quality in timely manner.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

Growing up, my parents always told me that the only thing that mattered was how hard I tried and not how well I performed in areas such as school and sports. Today, I believe I have more of a growth mindset than a fixed one even if I do care about deliverables such as grades and golf scores.

There are two types of mindset: fixed mindset and growth mindset. Fixed mindset is the belief that people are born with certain abilities and they always will be that way. Organizations with a fixed mindset typically recruit based on credentials, and they praise results.Growth mindset is the belief that people can develop and learn new skills. Organizations with a growth midset typically recruit based on potential and then give their employees opportunities to and time to grow. They tend to praise effort rather then results.

My Mindset

While some people tend to get along with everyone, others are more difficult to converse with. The different levels of self-monitoring explains how people have different abilities and desires to regulate their behaviour to different social settings. It can be helpful to know if people are high or low self-monitors as it can give explanation to why people act in certain ways.

Low

• Firm in their beliefs, attitudes, and despositions regardless social setting
• Acts more spontaneously
• Less observant about social context
• May be perceived as unpleasant and difficult to engage with

High

Self-Monitoring

• Finds it easy to adapt their behaviour in different social situations
• Thinks through how they will be perceived by others before acting
• Hihgly responsive to social cues
• May be perceived as more receptive and pleasant to engage with

As a high self-monitor, I have an easy time getting along with people. I have always had many different friend groups with different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses, so I have adapted my language and behavior accordingly. At the same time as I adapt my behaviour to my surrounding, I resonate with all of those behaviors as they are true to who I am.

I am a High Self-Monitor

Transformational leaders praise vision. They use the vision as the main motivator.

Authentic leaders value integrity. They empathize ligitimacy through honest relationships. They tend to be both positive and ethical.

Transactional leaders engage in exchanges of actions. They tend to be result driven, and uses things such as bonuses as motivators. This is a punishment and reward approach.

Servant leaders serve the members of the team. They read their audience and do their best in accomodating everyone's needs.

Situational leaders adapt. They read their audience and do their best in accomodating everyone's needs.

Transformational

Transactional

Servant

Authentic

Situational

Leadership Styles

I strive to have a combination of a transformational and transactional leadership style as they have been proven to be the most effective in motivating teams.These two leadership styles sets demand from their employees/ members of their teams, but at the same time put emphasis on reward. Through making the employees' goals line up with the company's vision, they have incentive to be effective and create good deliverables. If deliverables are completed efficiently and with high standards, employees gets rewarded.

Transformational leaders praise vision. They use the vision as the main motivator.

Transactional leaders engage in exchanges of actions. They tend to be result driven, and uses things such as bonuses as motivators. This is a punishment and reward approach.

Transformational

Transactional

What Leadership Style Do I Aspire to Have?

My Preferred Communication Channel

There are three main communication channels: face-to-face, email and text, and formal written documents.Face-to-face communication has the highest information richness as is is easier to convey emotions and to get instant feedback. There is, however, less time to think through answers.Emails and text are great for facts efficiently and at a low cost. It is, however, difficult to convey emotions and sarcasm through such channels.Formal written documents has the least information richness. This communication channel is great for sharing a message to many people, and it is more permanent than other channels. It is, however, not possible to receive feedback.My personal communication preference is face-to-face. I am a highly social and interactive person, and like to get my message across efficiently and without any parts of my message getting misinterpreted.

Communication Channels

3.

What management skills do I have?

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

• Areas you lack in

• Things others do better than you

• Not many others like you

• Emerging needs for skills you have

• Emerging competitors

• Changed attitude about skills you have

• Things you do well

• Qualities that separate you from others

Through my management course, I learned that a SWOT analysis can be a helpful tool in analyzing individuals, businesses, non-profits organizations, and more. A SWOT framework can help identify what is going well, and what improvements can be made.

SWOT Analysis

How can we use the conclusions made from the SWOT Analysis to strategize our next move?

How can strengths be utalized to perform better thancompetitors through your competative advantage?

In what way can you restructure to utalize your strengths and manage threats from outer forces?

How can weaknesses be worked on to position yourself at the same or a higher level than your competitors?

How can risk be mitigated to not be put at a disadvantage to competitors?

Fix/Manage Weakness

Restructure

Diversify

Growth Opportunity

O + S

S + T

T + W

W + O

How to improve from the SWOT Analysis

Strategic Objectives Defitinition + Question Examples

• Save 50% each month out of my paycheck.
• Always pay my bills on time to not damage my credit score.
• FaceTime my family at least once a week.
• Remember to congratulate all of my closest friends on their birthdays.

• Pick up my phone less than 3 times an hour while studying.
• Complete assignments the before the due date to make reviewing possible.

• Keep my GPA above 3.9 to stay attractive for recruiters.
• Volunteer at least once a month to stay connected with, and help support, my community.

D: Measures that relate to my effectiveness and profits.Q: How can I improve my personal wealth?D: Measures that relate to customer attraction and satisfaction.Q: How can I get along better with the people in my surrounding?D: Measures that relate to my efficiency.Q: How can I minimize my time studying while increasing the quality of my work?D: Measures that relate to the future.Q: What can I do today to help my future self out?

• Financial

• Customer

• Internal Business Process

• Learning and Growing

A balanced scorecard is another tool to evaluate performance of individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and more. Below is an example of how I did a balanced scorecard about myself.

Balanced Scorecard on Myself

A results-driven negotiation style which tend to be assertive, and sometimes aggressive, in their communication. Typically strategic thinkers with little time for pleasantries.Tend to be open and honest about their goal. They care for both parties' satisfaction with the outcome of deals and like to be creative in coming up with potential solutions.Focuses on the fairness of both parties. While the collaborative negotiators prioritize their own interest, compromising would rather satisfy the other party's outcome and compromise on their own outcome.Dislike negotiations. Tries to avoid situations that could result in conflict as they find negotiations to be intimidating and stressful.Spends time building, and maintaining, relationships. They are more sensitive in negotiations, but does not avoid them if they are needed.

CompetativeCollaborativeCompromisingAviodingAccomodating

1.2.3.4.5.

Negotiation is an art, and to become better at deciding a negotiation strategy, one needs to understand the five major negotation styles. Styles can both be a personal choice and an organizational preference.

Negotiation Styles

I am a collaborative negotiator in most scenarios. Although I put emphasis on getting what I want out of a negotiation, I value how the other party's satisfaction as I think it is crucial to build genuine relationships to succeed at anything.

My Negotiation Style

McClellan's Theory of Needs

According to McClellan's Theory of Needs, there are three dominant motivators; the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power. People typically have one main dominator. This theory is a good way to figure out what type of environment different individuals are the most motivated in. Based on that knowledge employers or team leaders can adjust and customize the environment when possible to achieve the best performance and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.People with a need for achievement have a strong need for setting and accomplishing challenging goals. They tend to enjoy working alone and appreciate feedback on their progress toward their goals.People with a need for affiliation enjoys being in a group setting. They want to be liked by others and tend to go along with what most groups want to do. They prefer to collaborate rather than compete and does not fancy the idea of high risk or uncertainty.People with a need for power want to influence, and be in control over others. They enjoy winning competitions and arguments and value status and personal recognition.Out of the three needs, I believe I am most motivated by the need for affiliation. I feel as if I get more things done when I am with people rather than by myself, even if I am working on different things than they are. Although I do believe my dominant need is for affiliation my motivation is also increased from working towards goals, which is typical for people with the need for achievement.

4.

In which type of environments do I thrive in?

There are two different approaches when leading a team: the classical and the behavioral approach. Both approaches are used today in different companies and teams, and although they are very different from each other, both can be applied to create productive and high-performing environments.

In a behavorial environment, the main focus is on human emotions and relationships. This approach tends to be more concerned with the well-being of employees as it believes that a happy worker is a productive worker.

Behavorial

Classical

Behavorial vs Classical Approach

In a classical environment, the main focus is productivity and efficiency. This approach tends to disregard individuality and human desires and needs.

I want to work in a behavioral environment. I have gained this insight from my golf coach being a mix of both approaches. He truly wants us to be happy and he gives us a lot of freedom which I appreciate, but on some subjects, he takes more of a classical approach. I believe that if you are having fun and enjoying yourself, results will come. If there is no passion as a sports player you can lose the will to fight when things get difficult. This applies to business as well.

My Management Preference

The Expectancy Theory

The expectancy theory explains how behavior can be motivated through anticipated results and/or consequences. This theory builds on that people decide to behave in certain ways based on what they expected as result from their behavior. This theory suggests that people have more motivation to work harder if they know they might be rewarded. This theory can help managers in understanding how to motivate different individuals. Managers can benefit from implementing such a framework to enhance the relationship between performance and outcomes. There are three elements to this theory: exceptancy, instrumentality, and valence.Expectancy is the view that effort leads to intended outcome. This element builds on the mindset "I can do it" and is usually rooted in past experience, confidence in oneself, and an understanding of difficulcy level before starting the task.Instrumentality is the view that a desired outcome stems from clearly setting expectations that can be met. This builds on the mindset "If I do this, I will receive that" and that increased effort should be rewarded with things such as recognition, promotion, or an increase in pay. Contracts and agreements are helpful as they guarantee certain rewards. Hoever, if the level of performance is vague or uncertain is is difficult to determine if a reward is suitable or not.Valence is the view that each individual contributes with unique value on particular outcomes. This builds on the mindset "I find my outcome desireable as it is a product of my own work" and is associated with individual's different needs, goals, values, preferences, and more. This element focuses on individuality, and that while some people want a raise, others might be more motivated by recognition.

I have found myself to be most motivated by encouraging environments that focus on expectancy. I believe that building confidence in one's ability is the most important thing when striving for great output as it is more sustainable than giving raises to everyone that does more than they are expected to. I love to be challenged when given the tools and opportunities to perform well.

My Motivational Preference

I hope you have gained some insight into who I am as a person and what environments I thrive in.I also hope you have gained understanding in which management skills I obtain and can contribute with, and further develop, in the future.

- Vendela From

Thank You