Reflective entry: Zahra

I have really liked this week’s assignment because the three of us had to open up more to each other (we have shared some tips and gave advice to each other) and talk about two subjects or skills that we don’t usually get a chance to talk about. Gaining power and having influence on people is a big deal to me and it’s mainly because I don’t like to use them (it’s kind of scary to me) which is why it is something that I should definitely work on (or at least try to). I have especially enjoyed this week’s assignment because, through our conversation I have realised that I am not the only one having trouble with these two skills. So, this made us share our thoughts and feelings, be open about the subject and give advice to each other.  

What was really interesting about this week’s assignment is that it made us take action and react to an undesired situation or initiate some change. In my case, I had to stand up for myself, express freely my ideas and try to influence (in a positive way) my team members. These are actions that I don’t usually do, that’s why I had to be very courageous and confident to do so. That’s why I have tried to control the conversation and myself so that it doesn’t show that I am stressed or worried about what I was saying. However, as I mentioned in my report, the fact that my teammates showed interest in my ideas and supported them helped me gain confidence and trust in my skills. I was really happy with the way that I have handled the situation but I have realised that having power or being powerful is kind of tiring, it demands a lot of effort to maintain that strong attitude and defend what you believe in. In fact, during the conversation Ingrid mentioned a point that got my attention and appreciation which is that we all have power in us but the thing is that we don’t acknowledge it or we don’t know how to us it. Also, the fact that Agata talked about power and influence in a more private or personal level was really interesting because it helped us talk about the same skills (gaining power and influence) but from a different perspective. 

In sum, I would like to say that having power and influence can be tricky in a lot of ways (it can be confusing too). Also, a person’s experience has a lot to do with the level of confidence and trust that he or she has in his|her abilities to influence people. In fact, you can have all the power that you can get but not know exactly how to use it (in a proper way) to get things done your way. So having power does not necessarily help you unless you know how to communicate your thoughts and share your ideas with the person who you would like to influence.