Individual prac ce with peer evalua on | Claudia García

Situa on: this is your first year as leader of your neighborhood board; lately you have thought about not con nuing
with this job because some of the residents have been calling you constantly to complain about the cleanliness of
the common areas, the lack of security, and the poor ligh ng in the neighborhood.

You have been very pa ent, and you are always willing to listen to your community, and as such you have even
received calls at dawn from complaining neighbors. As much as you have tried to help and pay a en on to them in
a cordial way, you ques on whether con nuing with this commitment is worthwhile since you feel worn down.

Development:

1. Self-diagnosis based on self-knowledge

My first and immediate reac on when reading this dilemma, was: “no way, this is not for me”, but
applying what I am learning in this course, I see things in a different way. First, I accepted the job with a
previous knowledge of myself, not only in the abili es I already have, but in the abili es and skills I can
develop in this job.

If I didn’t believe I could overcome this challenge, and if I didn’t have the desire to grow, I would’ve never
accepted the job.

I am a good listener; I trust my ability to solve problems; I’m commi ed in exceeding the expecta ons of
the people who trust me; I am op mis c and I know -almost- everything can be solved.

Although I can’t be responsible for the happiness of the others, sa sfying our needs, theirs, and mine, we
all live in the same neighborhood (in this case be er lightning, more safety, more cleanliness of the
common areas) makes me happy and gives me that feeling of achieving goals. And having their needs
taken care of, will also provide some kind of well-being; they will feel heard and taken into account.

2. Self-diagnosis based on emo onal intelligence

I consider that I can handle my emo ons well, although some mes I tend to vic mize myself. I feel that in
this case, I would have a hard me not taking their complains at 1 am as something personal. I will have to
be more aware of this, not fall again. This is someone “I have been for a long me”, but I know I can
change, with a new mindset, some tools and effort I am able to not take things personally, and act, instead
of feeling bad.

Something I think would be very useful in this situa on is applying good sense of humor. I have found that
smiling, saying a li le joke, and being relaxed are good an dote against anger.

3. Self-diagnosis based on social intelligence

I definitely will state clearly that I will a end their complains or calls during the work hours only and that I
will turn my phone off during the sleep me. As much as I want to do a good job, I also value my and my
family well-being.

I’m not sure, but someone who makes phone calls or send text messages in the night to complain about
something, seems to be like an emo onal garbage dumper and I am not one, and I don’t want to let
anybody does that to me.
 A good way to deal with it, is to get to know those people be er and see the good side on them. , I will
take the me in ge ng to know more deeply the neighbors who complain the most. Even invite them to
my house for a coffee to talk, not only about the problems in the neighborhood, but, as much as possible
about their personal and professional lives.

Maybe, I could find out that they feel frustrated in other areas of their lives, and complaining with me is a
way to vent. And I will not allow that, but at least that will allow me to feel empathy and to try to solve the
issues as fast as possible.

4. Ac on plan with a self-development element

I understand that, being leader of the board is a job that will help me improve myself in areas as
leadership, establishing posi ve rela onships, emo onal intelligence, and goal achieving. So, it will help
me not only professionally, but also personally.

I myself find it easier to work alone, but of course being part of a team and collaborate is a great way to
achieve big goals. Being the leader means to be surrounded by others in the same team. This job is a great
opportunity for me be a valuable member of a team, to prac ce public speaking (not so easy for me), to
coordinate ac vi es.

Having the proper mindset about this skills will make me grow as a person too.

5. Ac on plan with a posi ve rela onships element

Always thank the people I’m talking to, it doesn’t ma er if it is a complain or a good message. Being kind
all the me, listening carefully, not interrup ng when they are talking, and never use bad words.
Remaining calm blocks any fight they might want to start, since my point of view. This li le thing can make
a big difference in the kind of rela onships we can establish with people.

I will start feeling what they are feeling about the issues in the neighborhood (being in their shoes), that is,
have empathy. Recognizing honestly the emo on of the others, will also allow me to work harder to solve
the problems, because if I were the one complaining, I would love to feel acknowledged, recognized, and
heard.

Also, explaining the ac ons I’m taking to solve the problems, being honest, transparent, sincere could help
my credibility in front of others.

It is important also to take the ini a ve: instead of they calling me to ask things, it will help to invite to
mee ngs to inform the progress of the tasks, to show the improvements, to show evidences. Also, making
frequent phone calls (in appropriate hours of the day) to everybody, could prevent their call in the middle
of the night.

For sure, being leader of the board is not an easy job for me, but it represents a great opportunity to
challenge myself, to grow, and learn or relearn skills and abili es that will help me in my personal and
professional life, and with the right mo va on, some tools, and prac ce, I will do a great job.