Reflective Discovery

Reflective Discovery Paper #1

Submitted to:

September 10

The readings in chapters 1, 2, and 3 for week one provided a lot of valuable information for the role of a Human Resource Manager. I don’t have any experience in an HR position but I have had a lot of experience dealing with various levels of management and human resource departments. The articles in these chapters ring true for most levels of management and even employees I have come into contact with. In this reflective discovery paper, I plan to highlight the most important takeaways and lessons for me as not only an HR manager or employee, but also as a person. I also plan to discuss the ways in which I can apply these readings and teachings in my role as an HR manager.

As I reflected on what these articles truly meant to me and how I can apply them to my life, the most important theme that ties them all together for me is time. Typically, as working adults, we can find ourselves rushing through life. We rush to get in line at Starbucks in the morning to have a quick cup of coffee, we rush to work, and we often zone out and even rush through our daily tasks at work. You can find us rushing home to speed our time along with our kids and fit in our daily house chores. The point is, we are rushing through life and not taking the necessary time to live and be in the moment. Self-awareness and attention to detail are very important in the management role.

As I read chapter one, I started wonder how effective can you truly be on a diverse team, not taking the time to know anything about anyone? In one of the examples given in the article titled “The New Global Manager: Learning Cultures on the Fly” (Osland, 2011) the author discussed a popular film that highlighted American tourists and cultural differences across countries. The article states, “The film’s underlying message was that tourists- at least American tourists-seldom allow sufficient time in their travels to learn about cultural differences, preferring instead to race from one popular tourist site to another in search of good food, unique experiences, and photographs to show to their friends and family back home. The issue of having been there, not having learned anything.” This message stopped me in my tracks. Anytime I go on a trip, this is exactly what I do. I’m sure this is true for many of us. Again, we are all suffering from the need to rush.

Chapter 2 was very important to me. I’ve held many jobs in my lifetime. I started working at the age of 16 and “job hopped” until I graduated college. The bulk of my reasoning for changing jobs so