Posts by Petrina Fernandes

Co-op Work Term

As a Business co-op student at Wilfrid Laurier University, I have had the opportunity to work at Juice Inc. as the Marketing Assistant for my first work term. My role has been such a huge learning experience, as well as an enjoyable one. It has given me the chance to learn and grow both professionally and as a person. It has allowed me to build a solid foundation as I pursue my future career in Marketing. The culture and environment at Juice Inc. is truly so enjoyable and stimulating. It has been such a pleasure coming to work and being able to work with such excellent people. From the day I started my position I felt so comfortable and part of the team. Everyone is friendly and more than willing to support and help one another. The non-hierarchical nature was something I also appreciated. Whether I was speaking to my manager or the founder of the company, I was always at ease and able to voice my opinion. The culture and coworkers allowed me to find a fit within Juice Inc., flourish, and have a very pleasant experience.

Using the STOP Model

Working to achieve our goals often causes us great stress, especially when the goal is very important and there is a great amount of pressure surrounding us. The increased pressure causes us to be triggered leaving us unable to think or function as efficiently as we normally would. This concept is discussed in Chapter 3 of Rick Boersma’s Graphic Innovation Guide. In dealing with this, Rick introduces Timothy Gallwey’s S.T.O.P. Model "The First Rule of Coaching".

The S.T.O.P. acronym stands for:

• Step back
• Think
• Organize
• Proceed

This is a tool that can be applied to many situations in addition to coaching. This process can be very useful in your work life because there are many situations that it can be applied. Rick explains that it can be seen as the first rule of not only coaching, but used in emotional intelligence, innovation, problem solving, team building, etc. The first step, Stepping back, is also the most difficult because we are usually triggered and under pressure. However, in doing so, we are able to move on to the next step and Think with a clear mind. Then we Organize our thoughts and decide how we will execute them. Finally, we actually Proceed to carry out what we have carefully thought through. This tool is especially effective in situations that involve high stress, not only at work but also our personal lives. A well thought out process gives you more awareness of yourself and surroundings, allowing you to better respond. 

Paired Comparison Tool

A very effective tool I recently learned and found of good use is Paired Comparison. This is one of the tools found in the Innovation in a Box training program created by Rick Boersma.  What I really like about it is the fact that it can be used to help you structure and make decisions no matter how big or small the choice may be. It is a great way of providing a framework and weighing up the relative importance of different options.

Here’s how it works.  You list all your options.  Then compare every option with each of the others. Once you decide which of the two options is more important, you score the difference in importance. Once you do this for all pairs, you will finish off with an ordered list of the options that are best suited to your needs. I would have found this tool especially useful a couple of months ago when I was making my decision for where I should work for my summer co-op term. Although the choice seems obvious now, I was debating between my position at Juice Inc. and a much larger, more corporate company. I knew the things I hoped to get out of my work experience as well as what each, very different company had to offer. However, it was hard to make this connection.  If I had used Paired Comparison, it would have been very useful to help me focus on each aspect in a structured way and more easily establish which job would be the best fit for me. This tool is helpful not only with personal decisions, but also aid in your work life. The Paired Comparison tool allows you to take on a structured approach and come to your solution in a timely, easy manner.    

Nature vs Nurture

 What makes you who you are? Although we know our curly hair, straight teeth and overall good looks are the result of the genes we inherit from our parents, it is much tougher to understand how exactly our personality, talents, and behaviours are developed. Are your musical abilities learned from your family or predetermined by your genes? This age old question has been in debate since the 13^th century with no certain answer. It is not known how much of our makeup we can contribute to our parents or the environments we grow up in. For instance, you and your siblings may have very similar mannerisms and personality traits, but is this because of the genes from your parents or because you have grown up in the same environment? At the same time, one may argue that their siblings have more differences than similarities, but is it because genes are playing a smaller role, or has the environment just changed due to attending different schools, the child’s birth order, or the different friends and teachers that influence them. It is almost impossible to decipher whether differences are due to environment, simply because even though you may have grown up with the same parents, in the same house in the same neighbourhood, there are many other variables. A major one is the different people that affect our lives causing us to have different experiences. On the other hand, there have been numerous studies on genetics and their influence on individuals, namely twin studies.

Twin studies are a key tool in behavioural genetics and can show the extent to which genes play a role in influencing one’s traits. Studies have shown that identical twins share almost 100% of their genetic polymorphisms whereas fraternal twins only share 50%. This means that most variation in their traits is due to their individual unique experiences.  Other twin studies have been conducted when twins are separated at birth and grow up without knowing they have a twin. They are studied and introduced later in their lives to see the similarities or differences that exist. A good example of this study is with twins Elyse Schein and Paula Bernsteinwho grew up not knowing about each other but met as adults. They were fascinated to find they had so many unique similarities even though they grew up in different cities with different families. According to Bernstein, this seems to show that genes influence at least 50% of one’s traits. Although this finding was dominant in this study, it does not hold true for all cases. Many would argue that similar social class, education, and family values are a big influence as well. Every case is different, there has been no agreement on how much of nature or nurture affects us, nor which one has a greater influence. The only thing that has been recognized is that both interact with one another and play a role in our development.

It is helpful to understand how nature and nurture affect and shape us not only in our personal lives, but also in the way we work and how we interact with our coworkers. We all have different thinking preferences, which are explained by Rick Boersma in Chapter 3 of his Graphic Innovation Field Guide.  This is depicted in a four quadrant model and depending on which box you fit into, will determine your strengths and weaknesses. Being aware of your own, as well as other’s thinking preferences, can improve your work relationships and help you better interact and communicate with one another.