Personal Essay On Being Your Self

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Being Your Self One year ago I got the chance to fulfill one of my personal goals, I was going to be an EPO on a 110 foot Patrol Boat stationed in Bahrain part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia. As my year there progressed I found that for the first time in my 17 years of service I hated my job. There are many reasons why, but mostly I lost who I was. So wrapped up in trying to be every thing I thought the Coast Guard wanted me to be, I lost the part of me that has made me a good leader. Knowing who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are and how they shape the actions you take is the first step in becoming a truly effective leader. During my time at the Chief Petty Officers Academy (CPOA) I was able to reconnect with who I am. …show more content…

These assessments helped me zero in on who I am and why I do some of the things I do and some of the negative things I can do if I am not paying attention. Even more importantly I was able to see myself thru the eyes of others from the unfiltered comments left on the LPI review. I have learned that my tendency to be distracted by my surroundings comes across as tho I am not engaged or care. I have allays known that I am easily distracted. I did not realize the impact it was having on those that had to work for me. With this knowledge I will take measures to be more focused on people when they are talking to me throughout the day. I also was reminded that not every one appreciates sarcasm and I need to learn how to talk to people in a more constructive format. My sarcasm comes out when I get impatient with someone for not understanding or being able to preform a task I think they should. Not everything was negative most people believe that I care and have the best intentions for them and the crew also that I am reliable, easy going, and a good listener when there are no distractions around. I believe that is because I naturally use the portions of the coaching skill and people feel

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