Just a short writing here that I drafted during a 5 week study skills class on college success. I tried to edit it to feel a bit less prompt responsive and more like a conversation or excerpt from a readers digest or something. We had taken a short quizz on work values and it gave us a top ten to explain how we felt about them. This is that conversation.
A Conversation On Work Ethic and Leadership Skills
I like to work with a sense of mission. Of course it helps when you enjoy things, but I think you can make it through the rough if you feel like the job needs to get done. I like finishing my hours strong and with the thought that I can keep doing this. At the end of the day, achievement stays with you and helps you notice where to love more. This is what achievement means to me, as a work ethic value. My second value recognition, a classic that brings a few ideas. Well, what does it actually mean? Being an artist who wants to play on stage someday in the future, and in a work setting where it’s important to develop prestige and authority. I believe my whole life I have been in training for leadership, so I suppose the mindsets for the task could be there already. That’s probably why recognition shows up for me.
Third, I’d like to mention is relationships. I feel that relationships are the most important. This value means the most to me because it’s the deeper importance of why I get a job in the first place. I need to be somewhere I am needed and where I can interact with others. Making friends and helping people is the core message of living. I don’t think my life can be positive without being around others and serving a cause. Actually, the purpose of my career is to lift up people and help them discover who they truly are. Helping humanity keep having fun while at the same time in the discovery of truth.
It’s hard when skills are not immediately noticeable, but I try to keep my honor and integrity by helping and following directions. At a young age I learned I had excellent hand-eye coordination. This gave me a boost of confidence going into my later elementary years. My coordination skills at work are usually pretty on point. So is my service orientation.
Social Perceptiveness seems to be getting better and better every day. When I am at work, a sense of humor and finding the opportunity to use it is a powerful skill. If I wasn’t actively learning everyday then I’d be getting nowhere.
Critical thinking has been taught to me throughout life, especially in school English assignments. It helps me make good decisions and learn from what is. A few skills I would like to acquire and improve are persuasion, active listening, time management, and monitoring.
Persuasion is a hard one and it is pretty ineffective if you don’t remember all the information you want or only have your opinion and feelings.
Active listening is always in use, but is a challenge to use continuously as people are talking. My thoughts are always hypnotizing, so learning how to let them go so my mind can be clear enough to focus on the other person. Or even while listening to music I want to learn.
Time management has always been a struggle for me. I wasn’t good at using a planner, I kept most of my tasks in my head and used a calendar, alarms, and notes if need be. I had preferred not to go by a daily schedule because I usually didn’t know how long something was gonna take. Recently I created a better planned out schedule to focus more intently on specific projects.
Monitoring is important to learn if a position of leadership is of interest. For me I could surely use some training in this area. I bring up monitoring because it seems to be at the foreground of daily living. Whatever your lifestyle may be, paying close attention and respecting every detail creates room for success.
Dakota Butcher
College Success Study Skills
2025