As the world continues to grow and become interconnected, we will be faced with working with people of all cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Constantly growing and improving yourself is necessary to lead globally and to achieving a global mindset. Global leaders always look for ways to improve. With the Thunderbird survey, taken at the beginning and end of the program, it shows my ability to improve and develop globally.
Thunderbird Global Mindset Inventory
Above are my overall scores within Social, Psychological, and Intellectual Capital. The left profile was taken at the beginning of the program, and the right profile was taken at the end. I am going to analyze in depth how my scores have changed and why.
Social Capital
Diplomacy: My score rose by 0.20 which I expected to happen because I have been exposed to so many new and diverse people that I am more willing to collaborate with all sorts of individuals and I can integrate new perspectives into conversations.
Intercultural Empathy: My score rose by 0.67 which I am very satisfied with. I believe that because we worked in teams with the German students in Reutlingen, it has taught me how to work well and engage with people from different cultures.
Interpersonal Impact: My score rose by a whole point which I believe has come from the leadership things that we have done in the program in general. Being in a cohort of 16 people, traveling around everywhere and doing everything together forces you to develop interpersonal relationships. It has helped me network well with people that consist of different cultures and backgrounds.
Intercultural Empathy: My score rose by 0.67 which I am very satisfied with. I believe that because we worked in teams with the German students in Reutlingen, it has taught me how to work well and engage with people from different cultures.
Interpersonal Impact: My score rose by a whole point which I believe has come from the leadership things that we have done in the program in general. Being in a cohort of 16 people, traveling around everywhere and doing everything together forces you to develop interpersonal relationships. It has helped me network well with people that consist of different cultures and backgrounds.
Psychological Capital
Passion for Diversity: My score rose by 0.29 and that has definitely been a result of all the traveling that occurs within this minor. Each place that we went to did not have the same environment and setting. Each place was new and exciting for us to explore, and I am a much bigger fan of traveling now, than I was before I left.
Self-Assurance: My score rose by 1 point and I believe that is because of all the experiences that have occurred while being on this chapter in my life. I am a lot more comfortable when I get put in uncomfortable or unknown situations because with COVID-19, last minute changes happen, a lot. I have gotten used to going with the flow and staying calm when an unexpected change occurs.
Quest for Adventure: This score interested me because it dropped by 0.60. However, when I thought about it further, it made sense to me. At the beginning of this trip I was so excited to see all these new things and have the new experiences that I was willing to deal with some of the challenges that came with it. Now, after having experienced all of these things, I do not feel the "hunger" as much anymore to go out and experience every possible thing that I can.
Self-Assurance: My score rose by 1 point and I believe that is because of all the experiences that have occurred while being on this chapter in my life. I am a lot more comfortable when I get put in uncomfortable or unknown situations because with COVID-19, last minute changes happen, a lot. I have gotten used to going with the flow and staying calm when an unexpected change occurs.
Quest for Adventure: This score interested me because it dropped by 0.60. However, when I thought about it further, it made sense to me. At the beginning of this trip I was so excited to see all these new things and have the new experiences that I was willing to deal with some of the challenges that came with it. Now, after having experienced all of these things, I do not feel the "hunger" as much anymore to go out and experience every possible thing that I can.
Uncertainty is a certainty. - Georg Spazier
Intellectual Capital
Cognitive Complexity: My score dropped by 0.40 and I think this may be because there have been so many complex issues and problems that we have discussed and analyzed in class, it became a little overwhelming for me. That is not a bad thing at all, I do enjoy talking about these complex issues but at a certain point it can be too much. That is why I think my score might have decreased.
Global Business Savvy: My score rose by 0.37 and that is because of specifically Helmut's class. He taught us all about global business and we went on excursions to businesses to understand how they work, compared to America. Overall my understanding of businesses outside the US, specifically in Europe, has increased drastically.
Cosmopolitan Outlook: My score rose by 1 point and that is thanks to this whole course and how beneficial it has been in experiences other cultures. We also took scheduled tours of the cities/towns when we would arrive at a new place. This taught me the history, experiences, and culture of each place, broadening my knowledge even more so.
Global Business Savvy: My score rose by 0.37 and that is because of specifically Helmut's class. He taught us all about global business and we went on excursions to businesses to understand how they work, compared to America. Overall my understanding of businesses outside the US, specifically in Europe, has increased drastically.
Cosmopolitan Outlook: My score rose by 1 point and that is thanks to this whole course and how beneficial it has been in experiences other cultures. We also took scheduled tours of the cities/towns when we would arrive at a new place. This taught me the history, experiences, and culture of each place, broadening my knowledge even more so.
Global Leadership Reflection
For SLC 475, when we first arrived to Prague, we wrote a paper about what we thought it took to lead globally. We all had these preconceived notions about what qualities and attributes global leaders were supposed to have, but after this completing this minor, those changed.
Then, at the end of the program, we wrote another paper following a very similar prompt. That paper is on the right and it shows how I have changed my thinking as to what a global leader is. I realized that a good global leader must be able to adapt to any environment. I also discovered that there is no "perfect leader". Different types of leaders perform differently and are geared towards the environment they surround themselves in. This minor gave me more of a global mindset and understanding about different cultures and how they work together. I have developed a new perspective into global leadership and understand better what it takes to be flexible and adaptable enough to lead multiple cultures. |
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