Hello, I have been lurking out on the list for a couple of weeks, and felt
I could respond to this. I am an electrical engineer/project manager
working for a midwestern U.S. utility power plant, and am close to
completion of a MA in Management with a strong concentration on behavioral
management. I can no longer resist the urge to contribute, as you shall
see.
I have been "talker" all my life and work hard to keep from contracting
foot in mouth disease, and I hope Rick helps me out here. Many credits of
post-undergraduate study have offered me a host of tests designed to tell
me who, why, and what I am. Countless conversations with other students,
faculty members, and friends have also added to my personal database of
traits of which most I can readily identify when they come out. Many of
those traits require me to be moving, talking, and generally at the center
of attention most of the time, while the majority of others are content to
seemingly let some parts of thier lives just pass them by without
participation.
The first test of this type I ever took was the Miers-Briggs Type
Indicator, and because of the impact it had on me, I often use it (because
of the simplicity and quick, wide applicability) to work through a variety
of situations. When the results are tempered with other numerous
indicators gathered over time, they provide a powerful tool to work
through numerous situations.
Many discussions of MBTI have led to the nature/nurture conversation, and
I have concluded (for the time being) that in spite of our self-awareness,
our education, and experiences, that nature plays a significant role in
determining our day to day actions. Several people I have spoken to about
this subject in this form are hesitant to pursue the subject, even in
conversation, due to the apparent difficulty in testing the hypothesis.
At the same time, while nature may play a large role, so does the
environment of the organization. In my first engineering position, I
rarely worked more the 40 hours per week since few others in similar
positions did and there was NO benefit in doing so. In later jobs, and
now, my work week has exploded to the dismay of my family and a reduction
in other activities I love to do, to the delight of my employer. The
recent thread on Pay for Performance (LO??) covers numerous issues as to
why this happens.
I'm talking to much again. My current feeling is that the natural
construction of a person determines why they do what they do. Nurture,
training, learning, and experiences will temper the nature part, but it
will always remain the way it was set, even though the intensity of
certain behaviors may vary at times and the concrete never really dries
completely.
As a chameleon (as described in LO??) I am willing to supplement my
personal database and this thought process with additional information.
On a personal note, I think this list is great. It is enlightening to see
people like me exist elsewhere, and that they are willing to share (as
Sherri describes as soul) thier experiences so openly. You will all get
sick of me as I start to talk more....
Keep it up, FOR THE FUN OF IT!!!!!
Roger L. Hoyum
rhoyum@mnpower.com
http://www.mnpower.com
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--"Roger Hoyum (MP)" <rhoyum@mnpower.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>