{"id":7199,"date":"2019-01-16T20:58:48","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T20:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/cameron\/?p=7199"},"modified":"2019-01-17T15:35:57","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T15:35:57","slug":"dear-students-when-its-okay-to-be-all-about-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/cameron\/dear-students-when-its-okay-to-be-all-about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Students: When It\u2019s Okay to be “All About Me”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr. Michele Simms—-In Daniel Pink’s book <\/a>DRIVE: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us <\/em>(2009), he includes Peter Drucker<\/a> as one of seven business thinkers who get it.\u00a0 Drucker, the most influential management thinker of the 20th century, is cited for creating a revolution in human affairs: managing oneself<\/em>.\u00a0<\/em>Best known for his ideas on managing businesses, Drucker ended his career dedicated to what is listed today as a critical 21st<\/sup> century skill: self-direction and self-management aka self-regulated learning (SRL).\u00a0 \u201cWith the rise of individual longevity and the decline of job security, individuals have to think hard about where their strengths lie, what they can contribute, and how they can improve their own performance.\u201d (Pink, 210).<\/p>\n

THE THREE ELEMENTS<\/p>\n

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink identifies three elements that provide the staying power to motivate us to action: mastery, purpose, and autonomy, which he defines as \u201cthe renaissance of self-direction\u201d (xi).\u00a0 What does this mean for us in a very concrete way? How do we promote self-management as a key to life-long learning, what employers identify as a valued competency?<\/p>\n

No surprise the answer is intrinsic, less about external rewards and more about the inherent satisfaction gained from doing the activity itself. What makes self-regulated learning<\/em> powerful is that each person consciously plans, monitors and evaluates his\/her learning goals. In the SRL process, the individual takes the initiative of being responsible for his\/her personal and professional growth and continued competency in learning, with or without the assistance of others.<\/p>\n

BE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOURSELF<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, you have to learn how you learn and hold yourself accountable. One way to do this is completing a short performance appraisal for yourself at the beginning of the semester:<\/p>\n