Friday, September 23, 2005
Personal Development Workshop
Last weekend we went on our retreat to do the Myers Briggs assessment and teaming exercises. The content was thoroughly enjoyable, but the facilities and logistics were a let down. Lets get the 'housekeeping' out of the way first. The facility lended absolutely no value to the content. The room was 10 miles from our usual campus location and within 20 miles from most of our houses. It was not as though we were at some retreat, we were at a camp wedding lounge, the place reeked of smoke and the rooms were not that great. The room we had to meet in was half the size of our classroom and boasted even worse ventilation. If we truly went somewhere, like San Diego, or Lake Arrowhead, maybe there would be a reason to stay at a hotel. Maybe someone who argue that it was to keep things punctual. All I can say is don't go there.
OK, all of that is now out of my system, back to the content. It was very good. I took the Myers Briggs test with a little skepticism thinking it would match up, and I was pleasantly surprised how it fit where I wanted to go. I do have some things that I still practice that fall out of my norm for being an ENTJ, but according to Dr. Lynn, I will find out more about that when I do my personal development interview. Anyway, I think the meeting was effective. I have a strong bond with the class. You could see the difference in our quant class where the common students between quant and OB contrast pretty deeply. The quant only students seem distant and there is more of a bond with the OB folks. It will be hard to leave this group when I go to West LA next term.
Some of the exercises were tough. There was one exercise where we had to pick a partner to do an exercise explaining a high and low point in our lives and pick a person we admire. I picked Claudia to meet someone I had not talked to before. I probably spilled to much about my fathers death, but I think with Ralph Cleary, a former neighbor, and, Scott Bliefer, Karen Bleifer's brother tragically killed by circumstance on his bike on PCH near the main campus, just hit me. I had been strong for Bonnie and Karen, like I had never been before. But taking myself back again to where they were now just seemed to open a wound for a little bit. But everytime it opens, it seems to heal a little better and life goes on.
In the end, I did come out energized, but probably came out too strong. I don't know if its because of the class, but I seem to be seeing people acting with a different character. So that first day was great, but I was mentally burnt on the second day, a bit up on Wednesday, then crashing on Thursday and back up today. Each swing in my mood and thinking not as far as the day prior. Good stuff and I am wanting to compile all my data for the professional development piece.
OK, all of that is now out of my system, back to the content. It was very good. I took the Myers Briggs test with a little skepticism thinking it would match up, and I was pleasantly surprised how it fit where I wanted to go. I do have some things that I still practice that fall out of my norm for being an ENTJ, but according to Dr. Lynn, I will find out more about that when I do my personal development interview. Anyway, I think the meeting was effective. I have a strong bond with the class. You could see the difference in our quant class where the common students between quant and OB contrast pretty deeply. The quant only students seem distant and there is more of a bond with the OB folks. It will be hard to leave this group when I go to West LA next term.
Some of the exercises were tough. There was one exercise where we had to pick a partner to do an exercise explaining a high and low point in our lives and pick a person we admire. I picked Claudia to meet someone I had not talked to before. I probably spilled to much about my fathers death, but I think with Ralph Cleary, a former neighbor, and, Scott Bliefer, Karen Bleifer's brother tragically killed by circumstance on his bike on PCH near the main campus, just hit me. I had been strong for Bonnie and Karen, like I had never been before. But taking myself back again to where they were now just seemed to open a wound for a little bit. But everytime it opens, it seems to heal a little better and life goes on.
In the end, I did come out energized, but probably came out too strong. I don't know if its because of the class, but I seem to be seeing people acting with a different character. So that first day was great, but I was mentally burnt on the second day, a bit up on Wednesday, then crashing on Thursday and back up today. Each swing in my mood and thinking not as far as the day prior. Good stuff and I am wanting to compile all my data for the professional development piece.
