LAUREL BUDNIK

INTRODUCTION
To provide insight relating to my professional persona, an executive summary has
been designed using data gathered from self assessments and from Outside
Leadership Communication Evaluations (OLCE) respondents within my
professional network. The following will summarize information relating to
PeopleStyle, Culture Map, and my core values as a professional individual.

CULTURE MAP
To gain a better understanding of my cultural preference, I gathered data using a
self-assessment and from OLCE respondents. The figure below illustrates a
CORE VALUES comparison of self-assessment results and OLCE respondents.

Trust
Accountability
Integrity

The values used to describe myself

are very similar to the words used
to describe my professional
persona by those in my network as
shown below.
There were no significant differences between self-assessment results and OLCE
respondent results on the cultural scales of communicating, leading, deciding,
trusting, disagreeing and scheduling, indicating self-awareness of cultural
preferences relating to those scales. My abilities to communicate and coordinate
meetings among membes have showcased my preferences relating to these scales.

Evaluating
There is a significant difference in the way I identified my cultural preference of
Responsibility evaluating, and the way my professional network identified my preference of
evaluating. This is due to a partial lack in confidence regarding my abilities of
Dedication approaching a solvable problem. My evaluating preferences have manifested
Honesty through my critical thinking abilities in presentations and completion of major
deliverables.

I strive to be an accountable,
honest team member, that is
responsible for not only my
individual success, but of the team
as well.
Persuading
The graph demonstrates significant differences in the way others perceive my
cultural preferences of persuasiveness and the results of my self-assessment. I
believe this difference is due to lack of trust in my decisions. I often am hesitant that
I may persuade team members to make an incorrect decision. This lack of trust in
my decisions is reflective in self-assessment. While I am often hesitant to share
ideas, when I do share ideas, they are shared in a persuasive manner. As a result,
those in my professional network view my persuasive preference as slightly higher.

I am dedicated to excel in all

aspects professionally, and make
personal sacrifices for the good of
the team.
PEOPLESTYLE
Early on in the semester, I took a PeopleStyle assessment to gain a better
understanding of my communication style. This assessment measures an
What are People
individual’s levels of assertiveness and responsiveness within a professional
setting to identify the communication style that is most effective for that
Saying About Me?
individual. In an effort to gain more information about the manner in which
those in my professional network perceive my PeopleStyle, I surveyed individuals
within my professional network using the Outside Leadership Communication
Evaluation (OLCE). The figure below illustrates my findings. "Empathizes with team
members"

"Easy -going yet

motivated"

"Leader-like presence"

"Exceeds Expectations"

The graph above demonstrates that while I identified myself an “Analytical” PeopleStyle, OLCE respondents identified me as an
“Expressive” PeopleStyle. In the self-assessment I received a composite assertiveness score of -1, while OLCE results indicate an
average score of 0.143. Additionally, in the self-assessment, I received a composite responsiveness score of -7, while OLCE results
indicate an average score of 1. Throughout the semester, my self-identified “Analytical” PeopleStyle manifested through my detail-
oriented, structured, and analysis of alternative options. Additionally, the PeopleStyle of “Expressive” has manifested this semester
through my social interactions with team members, as I have become more likely to share ideas and opinions with my team.

I believe the difference in categorization is a result of my level of confidence and comfort within a given environment. I feel as
though at the beginning of the semester, I was lacking confidence in my professional abilities, and therefore was communicating
in a manner categorized as “Analytical”. However, I have progressively gained an increased level of confidence and comfort in
relation to my professional abilities and have grown to display an “Expressive” PeopleStyle.
SURPRISING FINDINGS
A common theme among results that surprised me includes responses surrounding my leadership abilities. Until recently, I was
unaware of the positive influence through leadership that I provide to those in my professional network. This surprised me as I have
never viewed myself as a leader for others. Survey respondents indicate the sense of leadership is due to the accountability I
demonstrate on a team and the manner in which I communicate and execute shared goals.
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS
Based on OLCE responses, suggested improvements include to increase my level of confidence regarding my abilities to
successfully complete tasks, be confident in my intelligence level, and continually develop my presentation delivery. Throughout
the semester I have attempted to have confidence when presenting ideas to the team and seek less reassurance from team
members when completing team task assigments in an effort to more effectively present my professional persona.
CONCLUSION
Information pertaining to my PeopleStyle, Culture Map, and core values has been gathered and summarized in the effort of gaining
a better understanding of how to effectively convey myself professionally in addition to reflect on my personal growth. Upon
analyzing results, I have identified that I seek to convey a more confident professional persona moving forward in my career.