SECTION I

INTERVIEW GUIDE (7 questions)

Person Interviewed: ___Giovanni Trejo ___________
Relationship: ___Self____________________
Questions:

1. When you think about my general interpersonal skills, what are some adjectives or
phrases that come to mind that are good descriptions?

Dedicated, loyal and resolved. My bosses, employees and peers who I work with know that
they can always count on me to do my job and help them with theirs if they request help.

2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths in this regard?

I consider my greatest strengths my reliability and loyalty. Last year (Jan 2014 Jan 2015) I
used only one day of sick time. An accomplishment recognized by my employer when they
awarded me a commendation for excellent reliability and dependability. My loyalty to my
employer has been rewarded by several promotions and multiple commendations.

3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?

I have high expectations for new employees which often times go unmet. I constantly have
to remind myself of the fact that not everyone is the same; everybody has different standards
and work ethics and as long as minimum levels are met, then all I can do is ask for more
without expecting more.

Another area of weakness is patience. I lose my patience rather quickly and frustration sets
in. I definitely need to work on my patience.

4. Specific Behavioral Competencies (on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being highest):

a. Ability to listen and convey empathy. Rating: __8__ Comments:

b. Demonstrates compassion, consideration and caring for others. Rating: __7__

Comments:
 c. Ability to understand and communicate effectively with people who see the world
differently. Rating: __8___ Comments:

d. Building trust and credibility. Rating: __10___ Comments:

e. Skill at cultivating relationships. Rating: __9___ Comments:

f. Demonstrating an awareness of own style and how it affects others, and makes
adjustments as necessary. Rating: __9___ Comments:

g. Developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. Rating: __8___

Comments:

h. Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability. Rating: __10___ Comments:

i. Works to build others' value with positive impact to all. Rating: __8___
Comments:

j. Self-knowledge and self-awareness. Rating: __10___ Comments:

k. Ability to keep an open mind regarding controversial issues. Rating: __9___

Comments:

l. Ability to separate emotions from facts in conflict situations. Rating: _10____

Comments:

m. Resolving differences between people using persuasion, diplomacy and logic.

Rating: __9___ Comments:

n. Effectively handles conflict, preserving good relations. Rating: _9____

Comments:

5. Have you observed any specific instances in which I have effectively adapted my
behaviors in order to relate more effectively with others who have different personalities,
cultural backgrounds, perspectives or beliefs? Please elaborate.

I work in a culturally diverse organization which serves an equally diverse community. My

job, for the last 21 years, has been to mediate between community members and employees.
Finding a happy medium seems like an impossible task at times; it requires diplomacy and
 extreme tactfulness.

6. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my interpersonal skills, what
would they be?

Patience, tactfulness, objectivity. I need patience to prevent frustration to set in. I need
more tactfulness to be able to help others while avoiding crossing lines (boundaries); and I
need more objectivity in order to study facts without allowing biases or personal opinions to
get in the way.

7. In considering my human relations abilities, is there anything else you would like to add?

Human relations and the ability to understand others require a great deal of skills; skills
which sometimes may come from a book. I believe wholeheartedly that interpersonal skills
are acquired through life experience; and while books can definitely provide a solid
foundation for interpersonal relations, it takes life experience (or hands on experience) to be
able to apply said skills to everyday encounters.

INTERVIEWEE #1
INTERVIEW GUIDE (7 questions)
Interview # __1___
Person Interviewed: ______ Lydia Trejo ______________
Relationship: _____ Wife ____________________
Questions:

1. When you think about my general interpersonal skills, what are some adjectives
or phrases that come to mind that are good descriptions?

My wife was quick to point out that Im bossy, strict, a perfectionist, wise when it comes
to using time, extremely task-oriented and focused. She stated that bossy and strict has
actually worked for us in the marriage (now close to 21 years); but it was definitely
difficult to get used to in the beginning. She also pointed out that sometimes she gets the
perfectionist confused with the strict. And that she wishes I would tone it down a bit at
times; but for the most part, things normally work out for the best. In regards to using
my time wisely, she recognizes the fact that I hardly ever waste any time and that I stay
on task until said task is finished. She essentially stated the same regarding her
focused description; adding only that these skills have helped our two boys be
successful in school. Although my wife admitted to not witnessing my work performance
and not being an eye-witness to my interaction with my coworkers, she consistently
hears of the great job I do. She is pretty sure that the adjectives she used in this
paragraph are consistent to the praises I receive from my superiors.

2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths in this regard?

Its worth mentioning that my wife (my biggest supporter) took a few minutes to think
about how to answer this question. Of course I absolutely take this as a huge
compliment. Ultimately my wife stated that she considers my leadership my greatest
strength. From her personal standpoint, my wife was quick to point out that I am the
head of the household and that I do a terrific job at this. She also pointed out that this
last point becomes rather obvious when Im away on training. She stated that she
definitely feels my absence and that her Stress level goes up as she is forced to deal
with everything at home. One of the things that stand out about me as a leader is the fact
that I always seem to know what to do during stressful situations. She has never seen
hesitation and I am always Ready to take action. Again, she was also quick to admit
that she has no personal, first-hand knowledge of how I perform at work, but she has
spoken to my co-workers and superiors (at social events) and they unanimously support
her observations about me.

3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?

This did not take very long to answer. This is actually something that I knew what the
answer was before I even finished reading the question. The answer to this question is
patience. While I do possess many other flaws and weaknesses, my wife was 100 percent
sure that this was overwhelmingly the correct answer to this question. She points out
that I am too quick to lose my patience and as a result of this I allow frustration to set in.
Frustration has many times led to anger. It should be noted that I had answered these
same questions approximately one hour prior to the interview with my wife and I also
came up with the exact same answer for this question; but this should not be a surprise
after almost 21 years of marriage. According to my wife, this weakness has led to many
conflicts in our lives as a married couple (I agree with her 100 percent). It has also
resulted in many outbursts of anger with my kids. She also has heard me vent about
problems with employees which she believes might have a little to do with my lack of
patience.

4. Specific Behavioral Competencies (on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being highest):

a. Ability to listen and convey empathy. Rating: __8___ Comments:

b. Demonstrates compassion, consideration and caring for others. Rating:

__8___ Comments:

c. Ability to understand and communicate effectively with people who see

the world differently. Rating: __8___ Comments:

d. Building trust and credibility. Rating: __9___ Comments:

e. Skill at cultivating relationships. Rating: __10___ Comments:

f. Demonstrating an awareness of own style and how it affects others, and

makes adjustments as necessary. Rating: __9___ Comments:

g. Developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. Rating:

__8___ Comments:

h. Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability. Rating: __9___ Comments:

i. Works to build others' value with positive impact to all. Rating: __8___
Comments:

j. Self-knowledge and self-awareness. Rating: __9___ Comments:

k. Ability to keep an open mind regarding controversial issues. Rating:

__8___ Comments:

l. Ability to separate emotions from facts in conflict situations. Rating:

__10___ Comments:

m. Resolving differences between people using persuasion, diplomacy and

logic. Rating: __10___ Comments:

n. Effectively handles conflict, preserving good relations. Rating: __10___

Comments:
5. Have you observed any specific instances in which I have effectively adapted my
behaviors in order to relate more effectively with others who have different personalities,
cultural backgrounds, perspectives or beliefs? Please elaborate.

My wife reminded me of an incident that occurred at our church. We have attended the
same church for over 25 years. I have served as a deacon and as the chairman of the
finance committee. During my tenure as a deacon, the church accepted the membership
of an older gentleman who was very traditional in the way he worshipped. He was
adamantly opposed to anything that deviated from what he used to call normal hymns
appropriate for a church setting. The gentlemans protests against the more
contemporary church worship began as a subtle yet obvious disagreement. Soon the
subtleness turned into a more disruptive and quite honestly, annoying objection. As part
of the board of the church, my job was to oversee the overall conduct and well-being of
the church as a whole. We were forced to call him in for a face-to-face meeting. The
meeting was extremely heated. The board as a whole, however, understood that the
main reason for the strong disagreement was the generational gap (30 years). This
mutual understanding led to a congruent solution which ultimately led to the resolution
of the conflict. My wife stated that I was able to set aside differences of opinion based
mostly on an age gap and be an integral part of the overall solution.

6. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my interpersonal skills,

what would they be?

As expected, my wife had patience as the number one item on this list. So with that said
patience, compassion and being too overly-critical are the three things she feels I should
improve on. I think by now she felt pretty bad about hammering away on my patience
(or lack thereof). So she left this one alone for this question but she elaborated on the
other two. My wife stated that the years on the job have made me cynical and that there
are times during which I appear not to care. She stated that I often approach situations
involving employees with an Ive seen it all type of attitude. According to my wife, this
pre-judgmental attitude diminishes my ability to express compassion and makes it seem
as if I dont care at all.

In regards to being overly-critical, my wife stated that I can be quite harsh when it comes
to grading or evaluating. She related that she sees this behavior with our children. She
stated that she understands the overly-critical behavior based on the way I am. But she
 related that more praise could make for a perfect balance.

7. In considering my human relations abilities, is there anything else you would like
to add?

My wife stated that overall and for the most part, I possess a great ability to reconcile
people and to resolve conflict. She stated that she has seen this ability in action time
after time. My ability to think under pressure and to take charge allows me to see past
the emotions of the moment and act. She also stated that I am a very personable
individual who is able to talk to everyone. As a result of this, I am able to gain the trust
of the people I come in contact with.

INTERVIEWEE #2
Person Interviewed: ______Eugene (asked for confidentiality) ______________
Relationship: ______Co-worker for 15 years____________________
Questions:

1. When you think about my general interpersonal skills, what are some adjectives
or phrases that come to mind that are good descriptions?

Eugene described me as a direct, No nonsense type of supervisor. Eugene told me that

countless times he has sent employees to me for advised. Employees who have
attempted to promote into specialized units but have failed. Eugene related that the
main reason for this is the fact that he believes that the only way to help these employees
is to be upfront and honest with them about their deficiencies. According to Eugene, he
has always known me to be honest and straight forward. A Quality that he finds
lacking in a lot of our co-workers. Eugene added that it is quite refreshing to work with
people who possess this quality.

2. What do you consider to be my greatest strengths in this regard?

Eugene included the above skill, direct and no nonsense, as part of the answer for this
question. But he added that my reliability and trust-worthiness are two of the most
prominent attributes (or strengths) that quickly come to his mind. Eugene reminded me
of the time we worked together in a highly specialized unit for approximately 6 months.
Out of the four supervisors who were assigned to lead this unit, I was the only who
persevered and stuck to through the entire length of the assignment. The other 3
supervisors were pulled away from their duties by Personal reasons or other
responsibilities.

3. What do you consider to be my greatest weaknesses or areas for improvement?

Eugene pointed out that while the above mentioned skills and strengths are Quite
obvious and quite pleasant, there is one thing which he stated I should probably Tone
down a bit; my strong opinionated views regarding certain topics. Eugene was quick to
applaud my passion about these views but he stated that as a supervisor, sometimes I
allow these views to come out and at times, take over a conversation. This is something
that Eugene and I have passionately argued about over the last 15 years. Eugene stated
that my opinions are well restrained for the most part but when they make their presence
known, they really make their presence known. Eugene suggested that this is something
that I can definitely make some improvements on.

4. Specific Behavioral Competencies (on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being highest):

a. Ability to listen and convey empathy. Rating: __7___ Comments:

b. Demonstrates compassion, consideration and caring for others. Rating:

__7___ Comments:

c. Ability to understand and communicate effectively with people who see

the world differently. Rating: __5___ Comments:

d. Building trust and credibility. Rating: __10___ Comments:

e. Skill at cultivating relationships. Rating: __9___ Comments:

f. Demonstrating an awareness of own style and how it affects others, and

makes adjustments as necessary. Rating: __8___ Comments:

g. Developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. Rating:

__8___ Comments:

h. Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability. Rating: __9___ Comments:

i. Works to build others' value with positive impact to all. Rating: _9____
Comments:
 j. Self-knowledge and self-awareness. Rating: __10___ Comments:

k. Ability to keep an open mind regarding controversial issues. Rating:

__5___ Comments:

l. Ability to separate emotions from facts in conflict situations. Rating:

__10___ Comments:

m. Resolving differences between people using persuasion, diplomacy and

logic. Rating: __10___ Comments:

n. Effectively handles conflict, preserving good relations. Rating: __9___

Comments:

5. Have you observed any specific instances in which I have effectively adapted my
behaviors in order to relate more effectively with others who have different personalities,
cultural backgrounds, perspectives or beliefs? Please elaborate.

Eugene stated that this is something which I do on the daily basis as the generational gap
in our organization keeps widening. While in charge of our new employees training
program, Eugene pointed out that he saw my best adaptation at work. He stated that
although I can be set in my own ways, I am able to adapt to the task at hand. Eugene
witnessed this as he observed me put together training curriculums for new employees of
a wide variety of ages.

6. If you could suggest three things I could do to improve my interpersonal skills,

what would they be?

It was no surprise to me when Eugene answered this question by mentioning my area of

weakness first; strong opinions, sensitivity, and hyper-critical. This last one actually
made me chuckle a bit since it matched one of the areas my wife stated I need some
improvement on; she called it overly-critical.

Eugene stated that for the most part, I do an excellent job relating to others but he stated
that the above mentioned areas could use a little refinement. Eugene related that not
everyone is eager to hear the truth about their deficiencies and shortcomings; and for
that reason alone I should refrain from being so honest or direct all the time. I argued
with Eugene at this point and asked him how anyone benefits from beating around the
 bush? Still, he requested that I take a step back and analyze my audience (so to speak)
and then address it accordingly.

7. In considering my human relations abilities, is there anything else you would like
to add?

There was not a whole lot to say at the end of the interview, but for the purpose of
completing this assignment, Eugene ended the interview with praise and
encouragement. Eugene stated that if more supervisors would do their job in the same
manner in which I do, employees would actually have a shot at improving and smoothing
out their deficiencies. One of the biggest disservices to employees, he added, is that we
dont focus on their weaknesses; perhaps this is to avoid offending folks. But the
question remains, How does anyone learn unless theyre told what their weaknesses are?
So with this thought in mind, Eugene asked for me to continue to be the supervisor that I
am and to strive to improve the things which were mentioned in the previous question
(question #6).

SECTION II

I would like to begin this summary by pointing out some of the concepts which were covered in
chapters 1 and 2; I found these concepts extremely fascinating and helpful.

I like how Vivian Hamilton includes definitions of common, everyday subjects which most
people (including myself) would probably feel like they have a good idea of what they are.
Things like context, human relations, culture, values, and the different dimensions of culture.
And although these may seem like common everyday subjects found in our routine vocabulary,
when you get down to dissecting their meanings, you find out that there are a lot more
technicalities buried in them than most people realize.

In chapter 2, we looked at the definition of self, self-concept, self-esteem and the theories of
social comparison and the Johari Window. But what I found extremely interesting was the
theory of the self throughout adulthood; specifically the Eriksons and the Levinsons Theories
which I found them to be very similar and yet individually informative.

With that said, the first question asked What did you learn about yourself as a result
of this process?

I found the survey a bit awkward since I was interviewing others about me (or is it myself?). I
also found it extremely biased since I was interviewing people (my wife and a co-worker/friend
of over 15 year). But once I was past the initial awkwardness, I was able to see the learning value
of it.

I learned that my self-concept is in line with the perception others have of me. I also found it
very interesting to hear from Eugene that sometimes I allow my strong opinions to take over
conversations. I was under the impression that I had a pretty good lid on this matter. Not that I
dont agree with Eugene in regards to my strong opinions, but I really thought I was doing a
great job at not allowing my personal views affect the way I conduct business at work. This was
definitely an eye-opener.

Were there any surprising results from your interviews? Explain?

Again, as I stated above, I was quite surprised to hear from Eugene that my views were coming
out during conversations with employees. I know that I express my opinions at times but I
usually make sure that I do it with the right people and in the right forum. Apparently, I need to
do a much better job and work harder at keeping my opinions to myself; because after all thats
all they are, my opinions.

There were no real surprises out of the interview with my wife. I have been married to her for
almost 21 years; its no surprise that our answers to the survey were almost identical. To hear
from her that I need to work harder on patience was almost expected and not a revelation at all.
Patience has never been my virtue.

What might you have done differently to obtain even better information
regarding your own behavioral tendencies?

If I had to do this interview all over again, I would write down follow-up questions. Of course
there are those answers which automatically trigger follow-up questions, but some can be
projected and anticipated based on the nature of the initial question.

I also would have had the interviewees take the interview in a written form and write down their
answers. Some people express themselves better in writing. One of the things that my wife
complained about during the interview was her difficulty to verbally convey ideas. She admitted
to expressing herself better in writing than verbally.

I did not find much value in recording the interviews. I recorded my wifes interview and
handwrote Eugenes. Both interviews were similar in length and content. The recording did not
provide me any more help than my handwritten notes did.
How will you think differently, and what will you do differently, as a result of
this assignment (self-monitoring, working on developing certain skills, etc.)?

This assignment opened my eyes to what I thought was something I had good control of; the
over-sharing or expressing my opinions. I think there is a time and place for opinions; but in a
public, or professional setting, unless the opinions relate to the matter at hand, then they have
no business being expressed there. Self-monitoring is defined as utilizing Different parts of our
self, or different public selves in different situations (Hamilton, Pg. 52). Perhaps I need to
become more aware of when to use self-monitoring and the settings (forums) in which to use it.

I also need to work on making sure that I do not impose my views and beliefs on others unless I
am specifically requested to. In my years of work experience I have seen some distasteful
exchanges among employees caused by differences of opinions and views. I have tried to learn
from those exchanges (although not directly involved) to avoid matters which cross sensitive
boundaries; matters which dont really have a place in a work environment or in a professional
setting.