WGU Personal Statement

Since beginning my degree at WGU, I’ve been reading copious amounts of management leadership books - and I’m wondering, do I have what it takes to be an effective leader? And then I fall onto this line, “One does not have to be brilliant and well-educated to be a successful leader; but one does have to deeply understand people---how they feel, their thought and feeling priorities, their primary concerns, and the most effective ways to assist and influence them” (Brackett, Rivers, & Salovey, 2011). That was the needed sentiment, providing me hope that I too, could someday be an effective leader. I believe my strength lies within knowing and understanding people. As Daft (2013) explains, having insight into why people behave the way they

During my first course, I excitedly told my family, “they speak my language!” What I meant, was that I was finally in a course of study that made perfect sense to me. I’ve been a clinical social worker for fifteen years in a variety of settings: the emergency room, group and individual therapy clinics, inpatient units, a managed care organization and an assisted living facility. Using my training in psychodynamic clinical care- from a theory base, I attempt to interpret and navigate behavior and major mental illnesses. I look for subtle messages that are not spoken e.g. eye contact, body language, tone, etc. I try to understand how someone “ticks” – what makes them motivated to make positive changes in their

I was always focused on the interpersonal dynamics in the classroom around me instead of paying attention to the teacher lecturing- unless of course, if she was talking about someone’s psyche. Always observing human nature and inclined to help, I’ve tried to refine these skills over the years and have built a rewarding career out of these interests. Self-assessments were par for the course in graduate school for becoming a social worker. To know yourself; your insights, limitations, strengths, etc. enabled you to best be able to help others. As social workers, we use ourselves as a vehicle of treatment so it becomes imperative to understand what I’m bringing into an assessment and not allow personal bias to affect our interventions. Quite similarly, as leaders, we must understand our paradigm to be effective, fair and successful. The seven habits profile was an interesting break-down of areas to consider. Generally speaking, the seven habits self-assessment demonstrated confidence in my own ability. I suppose I would not have taken the plunge into a master’s in business administration if I didn’t have some confidence in my leadership