Context for this post is given in my last post titled "Reflections from the Philippines"

The types of insights listed here should indicate that my foremost thoughts for most of the trip were on developing better team dynamics for accomplishing more effectual work. The teams there consisted of five American university students (including myself), three American university faculty, three Filipino university faculty, and six Filipino university students. We were student-led, with the professors acting as sideline guides for what we determined was the best path of approach.

The following are the top three things that I learned this Summer during my fieldwork in the Philippines.

1. Working on a project with ambiguous goals and “type-a” personalities will always favor leadership styles that prioritize balance over control.
2. Agency over the completion of work is only valuable if the individual in charge is able to use the group’s knowledge to their project’s advantage.
3. Backup plans for backup plans for backup plans are necessary for maximizing the effectiveness of time and effort but will never succeed if the group can’t get through the first plan.

 

The following are the top three ways in which the trip informed my professional development. This section somewhat conveys the complexity of my sense of personal worth and self-confidence.

1. I learned that I can motivate people who believe in my conviction towards a cause. Skeptics usually either don’t believe in my conviction or think that what I believe in is not worth developing.
2. I learned that I need to use a special vocabulary and mentality while speaking with engineers. Having specific goals and timelines for everything is necessary for making them feel like they are making progress.
3. I learned that ecosystems-level views of problems and their potential solutions are within my ballpark – which means that I can design businesses.

 

The following are three ways in which the trip helped me to grow personally. These personal developments are in areas that I have been struggling with my whole life and never had the chance to approach head-on until now.

1. I realized the value of individual connections and how they can make up a network that nurses and supports you.
2. I realized the difference between presenting actual progress versus presenting information as a method of trying to seem like you have made progress – the cause of usually being a desire to please.
3. I realized that I am very good at letting people assume atypical forms of control in social settings and work settings because they are usually insignificant in terms of reaching group goals/objectives.