A520.3.1.RB_StevensEric

1. What are a few words that describe your decision-making style? Some of the words that I described in my decision making surprised me when I looked at the variety I have chosen. I chose cautious in the first word because I seem to look at all the options before making a quick decision. With this I have  learned from past practices that making a quick decision can sometimes be the wrong one even though it may feel right. The next word I chose was intuitive which I have always used in my decision making process. I have always used the gut feeling that it may be described sometimes. I understand that this can sometimes lead you in the wrong direction when the variables or evidence show you should go with other options. I have learned that variables change therefore the options or solutions change. I seem to be self-motivated in my decision making by being a self-starter and analyzing options before they are fully presented to me. The next that was described to me was rational which I use to look at the variables and see if they make sense and then explore all options then make a decision. I tend to site back and be passive at the beginning of my decision making process and look how others are approaching the problem. I will then present my idea of possible solution to the issue in an assertive manner when I feel the solution is viable.
2. What are the opposites of the words you chose? Risk taking is the first opposite where I can see the benefit of taking this approach but I have seen that there is time and place for this option. If you use this option on a regular basis you can have devastating consequences. By taking the logical approach you can miss clues that have not quite surfaced and disregard signs of option solutions. When you take an emotional approach to a decision you can overlook solutions that go against your feeling at that moment. Taking an active approach to a decision making process you can overlook possible solutions to other people who might have a good solution to a problem.By taking the quiet approach to a decision making process you can miss the opportunity to express your ideas on a solution at a critical time.
3. Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see? I think it it very important to take an approach to a decision using different types of responses. It is important not to be too extreme and and the same time be too conservative. This can make you appear to be either a person who is afraid to make a decision or someone who makes a quick decision and doesn't think it through.

A520.2.6.RB_StevensEric

In the arena of time management I can honestly say that I have been lacking in this area of management. Recently I have been cautious of deadlines for tasks that are due. I have in the past been pretty reliable on how I use my time to accomplish many tasks. I have to admit these skills as of recently have declined.

I have in used time management to accomplish specific goals in the workplace often facing tight deadlines for delivery. I have been tasked several times to put together an operation on as little as eight hours’ notice. This has been challenging since it seemed to always change at the drop of a hat. I have taken these skills that I have learned in time management and applied these to my professional and personal lives. 

The first area would be planning or setting as schedule. The next would be self-discipline to follow this schedule; the last would be evaluation of my time management for the day.

I plan on keeping a schedule for a period of time on the activities that I do throughout the day. I will then evaluate this schedule and look at the pros and the cons of this schedule. In essence I am doing a qualitative study in the short term on my time management. When I study this schedule I will be looking at what I can improve on in my time management. The skills that I have learned so far in the time management techniques have improved my ability to prioritize the events that I have throughout not only my work day but the week. For example this class has taught me to take advantage of the free time that I have to do assignments. I obviously did not do well on this week’s module since I have waited to complete my assignment at the wire. I have learned from these mistakes and realized that on the days that I have off from work I should focus on completing more assignments.

A520.1.6.RB_StevensEric

 I noticed when I started this exercise that the questions asked in the assessment test were very practical. I noticed that there were some areas of this self-assessment test that I felt that I was very comfortable with some of the questions but others I seemed to be unsure how to answer them without doing some self-reflection. I was also surprised when faced with the same questions again in the post test. I seemed to stop and think more clearly about my responses and I began to think more deeply into the responses. I found in this exercise that i was lacking in some of the areas in of the assessment and made me think about the areas that I need to improve on. I felt that a majority of the assessment hit close to home on my own leadership shortfalls. In the same thought I felt that it also improved other areas that I feel are my strengths in leadership. I saw at the end that the ability to lead from a role model style of leadership was shown as a result of the assessment. I think that I have had the ability to lead from the front and become a role model of my subordinates. I have always said that I would not ask my subordinates to do something that I was not will to do myself. I was surprised to find out that I should work on my ability to deal with conflict and improve on this aspect of my leadership abilities. I should learn how to face opposition from my superiors and work on ways to convey my stance on issues in a more thorough and thought out form. I will take this information and apply it to my managerial techniques and improve on my weaknesses and strengthen my traits that seem to be prominent.  

PS: Not sure why this didn't show. I sent it with the first blog but I understand If the grade reflects.

A520.2.3RB_StevensEric

 I am going to use a recent conflict that I encountered at work recently while acting as a supervisor for my shift. I was appointed acting sergeant in charge in the absence of my sergeant. When we are appointed acting supervisor we are called Patrolman in Charge (PIC). We are responsible for the subordinates of the shift which require us to approve reports, make legal decisions, and to ensure that the subordinates are following the policies of the agency.

The conflict was between a technically senior by time in the agency patrol officer. He was faced with a decision that required supervisor approval to proceed with the investigation of a crime by a patrol officer or to forward the case to a detective. The case involved a follow up investigation on a financial fraud crime. The officer submitted a report detailing the events of the subject who fraudulently obtained funds by cashing a stolen company check. The officer did a fantastic job documenting the elements of  the crime according to state statue. The officer developed what we call probable cause for an arrest in the criminal justice system. I called thew officer and asked why an arrest wasn't made in the incident or if he was going to seek an arrest warrant for the subject. The officer said to me that he believed that an arrest was not required at that time based upon his abilities and understanding of current policy that he said required the case be forwarded to an economic crimes detective for follow up. I said to the officer that he had enough to proceed with the case on his own investigative information.

 I asked the officer how we could come to a resolution in the case without appearing that he either one pushed the case off on the detective or cut the detective out of potentially valuable information that could assist in the clearing of outstanding cases. I suggested that he contact the detective by phone and let him or her know the particulars of the case and express his intentions. In the end we both came to an agreeable solution and the detective was very pleased with the work the officer produced and told him to seek an arrest warrant. By doing this the officer presented himself as a valuable asset to the sheriff's office.

A520.1.2.RB_StevensEric

1.  I noticed when I started this exercise that the questions asked in the assessment test were very practical. I noticed that there were some areas of this self assessment test that I felt that I was very comfortable with some of the questions but others I seemed to be unsure how to answer them without doing some self reflection. I was also surprised when faced with the same questions again in the post test. I seemed to stop and think more clearly about my responses and I began to think more deeply into the responses. I found in this exercise that i was lacking in some of the areas in of the assessment and made me think about the areas that I need to improve on. I felt that a majority of the assessment hit close to home on my own leadership shortfalls. In the same thought I felt that it also improved other areas that I feel are my strengths in leadership. I saw at the end that the ability to lead from a role model style of leadership was shown as a result of the assessment. I think that I have had the ability to lead from the front and become a role model of my subordinates. I have always said that I would not ask my subordinates to do something that I was not will to do myself. I was surprised to find out that I should work on my ability to deal with conflict and improve on this aspect of my leadership abilities. I should learn how to face opposition from my superiors and work on ways to convey my stance on issues in a more thorough and thought out form. I will take this information and apply it to my managerial techniques and improve on my weaknesses and strengthen my traits that seem to be prominent.      

MSLD500_Activity9.4_StevensEric

I started the course not knowing really what to expect. I have in my past experiences have taken management style courses that were very structured and not open for interpretation or change. This course challenged me not only as a critical thinker but a problem solver. The were several times in this course where the directions on the assignment were provided and what the end result should be. The way the course was designed it challenged me to find a starting point. Once started the assignment can go in different directions. Now that the course is done I look back and realize that I should have read the text a little more on some of the modules to get a better idea and become more confident. I think maybe in the future time permitting set up and project which focused on a leadership role in a corporation or some other type on entity that would cause the student to make decisions that could potentially have positive or negative impacts  for learning experience. The topics covered in this course were very relevant to my experiences. Great Job!

MSLD500_Activity8.3_StevensEric

After conducting my action research project I feel that I am better prepared in becoming a researcher. I can say that without a doubt after over 2 1/2 years of being out of the pocket from college research this has been a great learning experience for me. I realize my APA is improving BUT I still have a ways to go. I am also slowing my reading down in the APA 6th edition since I know I missed some key points. Sorry about that sir..

 I think it is important that the author of the presentation first and foremost be familiar with the material being covered in a presentation. The presenter needs to not be an expert but needs to be comfortable with the material they are presenting. If the audience were to stop and ask about a particular part of the presentation hopefully not at the beginning and the presenter doesn't have the answer or even worse makes one up the credibility will be lost. The presenter would be tuned out in the audience as a person who has no idea what they are talking about. If the presenter is faced with the dilemma that they do not not the answer they should state "I will get back to you on that".

It is also important that the presenter not be monotone in their presentation since the audiences attention span will quickly fade away. The presenter needs to move around the room and engage the audience as much as possible to keep their interest. Do not put too much information onto one slide if you are using power point. Please do not read word for word off of the slide and use examples to exemplify the slide in a better understanding to the reader.

Last but not least gain feedback from the audience at the end of the presentation through evaluations. The audience can be critical on your presentation but this is how we can learn from our mistakes to make our future presentations interesting.