Northern Ontario School of Medicine

Faculty Retreat

Developing Authentic Self-Awareness

Peter Dickens, PhD (Cand.)

peter@irisgroup.ca

(905) 466-6340

Learning Objectives

• Synthesize your own values and mental models

• Link your values and mental models to patterns

of behavior

• Construct an inventory of personal strengths

and strategies to better utilize those strengths

• Strengthen your commitment to transformative

learning

• Develop new patterns of facilitation and

teaching.

Link to CanMEDS Framework

• Communicator, particularly developing rapport, trust, their ability

to accurately convey relevant information, and convey effective

oral and written information.

• Collaborator, particularly participating effectively and

appropriately in an interprofessional healthcare team and

preventing, negotiating, and resolving conflict.

• Manager, particularly participating in activities that contribute to

the effectiveness of their organization and systems.

• Scholar, particulary engancing professional activities through

ongoing learning and facilitated learning

Surface Self

Weaknesses Destructive

Communication

Self-Centred

Behaviors

A Trapped

Reality

The Well Travelled Road

Avoidance

Mezirow: Transformative Learning

• First - a disorienting dilemma

• Self-examination with feelings of fear, anger, guilt or shame

• A critical assessment of assumptions

• Recognition of one’s discontent and the process of transformation are shared

• Exploration of options for new roles, relationships, and actions

Leadership and Learning

Transformational

learning is a

change in

behaviour as a

result of

experience.

My Values

My Best Self

Enabling Behaviors

My Preferred Reality

The Road Less Travelled

My Mental Models

Leadership and Values

At a minimum, it is crucial to state that

leadership involves values and one cannot

be a leader without being aware of and

concerned about one’s own values.

– Peter Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice

My Inner Self: Core Values

• What do I truly value?

• What would life look

like if I was really

living up to those

values?

• Am I motivated to

change?

Think About Your Whole Life

• Family

• Work/Finances

• Learning/Personal

Development

• Spiritual Life

• Social Relationships

• Wellness

Leadership Reflection

• Mindmap your values

• Create a clear,

compelling statement

• Test it for authenticity

My Values

The Road Less Travelled

My Mental Models

It ain’t so much the

things we don’t

know that get us

into trouble. It’s the

things we know that

just ain’t so.

– Artemus Ward

The Inner Self: Mental Models

• Images, assumptions and stories that we

carry

• Can’t navigate without them

• They determine what we ‘see’

• Typically tacit - often inaccurate

• Don’t respond to changes

Personal Reflection

• Do we really understand where we’re from?

• Do we know how that affects us today?

• Can we reframe it?

Dialogue

• Reflect on your “I am from” story

• How does the different elements shape how you see the world?

• Are all the assumptions valid?

• What might you want to reframe?

A Pool of Data is available.

The Ladder of Inference

I take Actions based on my conclusions.

I reach Conclusions.

I make Assumptions.

I add Meaning (based on mental

models).

I select Data from what I observe.

I reinforce my

mental models

My Values

My Best Self

The Road Less Travelled

My Mental Models

Putting Your Strengths to Work

• Bust the myths

• Get clear

• Free your strengths

• Mitigate your weaknesses

• Speak up

• Build strong habits

• Marcus Buckingham

Leadership Reflection

• Make a list of your strengths

• How might you free them?

• What do others say?

My Values

My Best Self

Enabling Behaviors

My Preferred Reality

The Road Less Travelled

My Mental Models

Personal Reflection

• Reflect on your values

• Reflect on your strengths

• What would your preferred reality, your ‘sweet spot’ look like?

• What behaviors would emerge?

• What would need to change in you for you to be there?