THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Dyan Babbitt
April 8, 2024
OGL482
Professor Trista Guzman
 INTRODUCTION
This presentation is a thematic analysis of meaningful and personal data
compiled over my journey in leadership and as an OGL major student.
I have researched and gone through many sources to use inductive coding to
find patterns and recurring words or phrases. With that information, I have
compiled a list of ten life themes. These themes seem to shape my views and
ideals of leadership and can impact my future career.
After I discuss the 10 themes, there will be slides representing my personal vision
and mission statements.

Enjoy!
 MY DATA SOURCES
The following slide contains a description of all the data I used to form codes and
from those codes, form themes. They will be listed by numbers because of the
nature of some of the data sources being assessments or reflections without a title.
 DATA SOURCES
1. Autobiographical Personal Narrative- A leadership paper written in OGL 375. Contains stories of leadership examples and what motivates me throughout my life.

2. Organizational Assessment Reflection- A paper regarding organizational assessment from OGL 357. This paper contains references to my leadership style and
how this relates to assessing leadership in organizations. Also contains what I do in my current role at Starbucks.

3. OGL 365-Module 6 Paper- This paper was about having a work/life balance. It reflected how I gave up naps for a week to have more time and motivation
throughout the day.

4. Purpose Statement and ‘big moves’- This paper was from OGL 375. It describes my purpose and guiding values as well as 5 big moves that would be a challenge
but also make my life better.

5. Interviews from Significant Others- This assignment was also from OGL 375 and contains valuable information from an outside source on behaviors and
leadership. This assignment cemented my thoughts on my leadership traits and other values.

6. Reflection of Goals and Learning Styles- This assignment was from English 102 I believe. It contains motivators for setting and achieving goals and how learning
something tough builds character.

7. Discussion from OGL 300- This discussion was about sociability as a trait in leadership. It contains examples of sociability and how they relate to effective
leadership.

8. Personality Assessment- This is a reflection from an OGL class that contains insight relating to Jung Typology, Big 5, and Keirsey.
 DATA SOURCES CON’T.

9. HR Framework Worksheet- From OGL 481, this document provides my recommendations about having empathy to resolve
issues with a team.
10. Political Frame Worksheet- From OGL 481, this document provides insight into how goals can improve my team’s outlook and
make roles clear.
11. Symbolic Frame Worksheet- From OGL 481, this document provides a recommendation of how to approach a team while
maintaining the company’s mission and values.
12. Reflection and Self assessment- From OGL 482, this paper uses reflection of self-assessments to form an idea
13. Leader Identity Narrative- From OGL 482, ,this paper uses key moments of leadership throughout my life to connect to my
leadership identity.
14. Extra Credit Assignment- From OGL 200, this reflection describes having compassion and empathy with others. It also
describes how having compassion for yourself can help you with goals.
15. Aikido Way Final Reflection- This document shows my reflection to the course and how I can take the lessons and apply them to
building connections with my family and my teammates.
 MY 10 THEMES
The following slides are broken down by each
theme. There will be several references to the data
sources in the previous slides. Please refer to the
Data Sources slides for more details on each data
source.

My 10 themes are family, teamwork, leading by

example, empathy, personality, skills, connection,
learning, compassion, and being goal-oriented.
 FAMILY
• Theme Statement- Making my family a priority and doing whatever I can to make our lives better. I
want to focus on their well-being and having a healthy relationship with my husband.
• Supporting Data
• Watching my mom and dad lead their teams at work made me see what leadership was, in the home and at
work (1).
• Having a clear goal of being a leader and an example for my children as they grow up (4).
• Focused on using time wisely to be available and present for my children on the weekends (12).
• Being honest with my spouse and not keeping secrets will lead to a healthier relationship (14).
• Being able to take a step back and breathe when there is conflict and learning how to resolve conflicts (15).
• Contradicting Evidence
• I would take naps during the day instead of getting work done which led to me procrastinating and being
frustrated with my family (3).
• Reflection- Family is so important to me. I am trying to be better for them, emotionally and physically so
that my children can grow up with healthy parents. I think this helped me see what is important and
how I can change my habits to focus on my family goals.
 TEAMWORK
• Theme Statement- In my work environment, having effective teamwork makes me the most content. Seeing my team
thrive while still reaching goals and connecting is my goal.
• Supporting Data
• Emotional intelligence or command and control leadership. Being able to lead my team with their benefit in mind and
plan enough so that the team feels supported and led (2).
• Wanting to lead my family and take care of the needs of my home ‘team’ by being present and awake for them (3).
• Showing symbolism and a sense of a team to make everyone feel supported and valued (11).
• Using the mission and values to restore pride in our work can lead to better team efficiency (11).

• Contradicting Evidence- Being indecisive and not clear on what is needed for my team shows areas for improvement
(5).
• Reflection- Having a solid team relationship helps me make sure they are heard and valued. I respect others and they
respect me. Oftentimes, they look to me for help with their personal lives and that brings me joy to be able to be a
person who can help and be available.
 LEADING BY EXAMPLE

• Theme Statement- Leading by example and making sure I am offering all I can makes me happy. Whether it is in my
home, and I am trying to show up for my son, or at work following the rules, I want to make sure I am setting an
example for others to be great.
• Supporting Data
• Watching my father and mother lead their teams and still have fun doing so (1).
• Being the first in my family to graduate college with a degree and being able to show my son that hard work and dedication pay
off (4).
• Working under a manager who disrespects and yells at his workers shows me how I never want to lead. He was the perfect
example of how not to lead a team and I will never forget how the team felt defeated for so long (13).
• Being able to control my emotions and control any anger in front of my team shows them that I can be composed and respond
rationally (15).
• Contradicting Evidence- Not being able to successfully lead a team that didn’t want to change made me feel like a
failure (1).
• Reflection- Thinking about how I can lead others and help them be responsible in their positions makes me feel like I
am doing the work necessary. In my home life, showing my son that he can do whatever he wants in life makes me
proud.
 EMPATHY

• Theme Statement- Empathy can make or break a relationship at work. Being available to others’ emotions and
feelings brings about a different type of leader/follower relationship.
• Supporting Data
• Listening includes more than what people are saying and being able to read those signals can avoid unnecessary
issues (7).
• Inspiring those around me to be great means more than teaching them things at work, it means being able to show
them they are capable of more than what they think of themselves (4).
• Investing and empowering your team can lead to more effective teams (9).
• Showing myself empathy because I do a lot for my family and yet, still feel like I am not doing enough (14).
• Contradicting Evidence- Sometimes taking out emotions leaves only the rational facts to take care of customer issues
(10).
• Reflection- Showing empathy for others and myself is essential for effecting leadership. I think without it, people will
not be open to change or open to new ideas. They will not feel heard and might even dislike their organizations.
 PERSONALITY

• Theme Statement- I think my personality helps make work less like work. Outside of my job, I love to
talk to people and I think that brings light to the world.
• Supporting Data
• Being able to talk to anyone and everyone ensures I most likely always have a smile on my face (1).
• I make the environment at work fun and inviting. We always have a good time, even under pressure (5).
• Having enthusiasm and good vibes at work means we are all able to have a good time, not sure if I had a
different personality would I be leading the same (7).
• Very clear gap in extraversion, the reaction from the husband says I can talk to everyone I meet (8).
• Contradicting Evidence- Sometimes I am too loud or too much for people around me. I might say the
wrong things because I speak before I think (12).
• Reflection- I love my personality. I think I am different, yet just like my mother. I agree sometimes I can
say things I shouldn’t, but I think it makes others feel good to have good vibes.
 SKILLS

• Theme Statement- Having and developing various skills is beneficial for leadership and in my personal life. These skills help
me run the floor at work and usually go off without a hitch.
• Supporting Data
• Having a mentor teaches me how to lead a group and communicate effectively. She also taught me technical skills in running a business
(1).
• Organizational skills helped me stay on track with school and writing. I maintained a schedule and calendar for many tasks (6 ).
• Going back to school to gain more knowledge and to advance my current skill set. This has helped me in my role at work to be more aware
of situations and issues with the plan (12).
• Being entrusted to go to another store to help ‘fix’ the environment and the lack of policies being followed. This was the fi rst time at
Starbucks that I felt valued and had important skills (13).
• Contradicting Evidence- I don’t have any contradicting evidence for developing skills. I believe while I have room for
improvement, nothing would indicate that this isn’t a current life theme.
• Reflection- Having skills in the workplace and life is important to me. I think that if I didn’t nurture and expand the skills I have
now I would not be enjoying my work life. I also don’t think I would be a successful leader like I am today.
 CONNECTION

• Theme Statement- Connection is a vital part of my life and I need it to thrive, in my personal and work life.
• Supporting Data
• Taking time before a shift to plan the day and connect to make sure we are all on the same page (2).
• I am driven by connection and curiosity. I make connections with anyone I can, it helps build relationships and trust (4).
• Being able to relate to others makes it easier to make a connection. I think it helps change people’s perceptions if you
can listen and make a connection (7).
• DISC assessment states I am extroverted and that I have interpersonal skills which help me be able to connect with
different people (12).
• Connecting with my husband on household needs to avoid conflict has been challenging. If we can get ahead of an
argument by simply connecting on a softer note, we can avoid major conflict (15).
• Contradicting Evidence- Sometimes I can get shy or run out of things to talk about, but nothing to contradict this
theme.
• Reflection- Connection is another main theme in my life. Wherever I go I try and connect with people around me. I
think being able to do this has helped me be stronger in my people skills and maintain a good status in my current
leadership role.
 LEARNING

• Theme Statement- I am constantly learning and looking for ways to improve. This keeps me on the top
of my game and allows humility.
• Supporting Data
• Starting my leadership early in my life letting me learn from many managers and leaders (1).
• Learning a new skill takes effort and determination. There were times I didn’t want to do the work but, in the
end, I was successful (6).
• Based on my Keirsey results, idealists tend to learn more, and I think I am open to learning and exploring new
concepts (8).
• Having mentors in my life taught me how to be a leader and how not to be a leader, especially from a bad
leader. This showed me I can take input and advice and apply it (13).
• Contradicting Evidence- Not wanting to learn and not wanting to change made me have setbacks.
Typically, this would make things take longer (6).
• Reflection- Outside of these documents, I love to learn about things and frequently search google or
other sites to expand my knowledge. I like to say I know a little about a lot of things. This is helpful with
a young son who asks me questions about life and how things work.
 COMPASSION

• Theme Statement- Showing compassion to others makes me feel like I can support people more
effectively. I also like to show compassion to my family and strangers.
• Supporting Data
• I can help others and lead with compassion, my coworker says that it makes her feel valued and supported (5).
• I am focused on human potential. This means I can accept flaws and look beyond them (8).
• Having compassion with other members of my team when they are feeling down or maybe not feeling well. Also,
giving them the benefit of the doubt when something is wrong (14).
• Contradicting Evidence- I mostly try to have compassion, sometimes there are instances when I omit
compassion, but those times are rare and far between.
• Reflection- I believe that humans need more compassion and while I am not 100%, I think I have a
sense of compassion in all areas of my life.
 GOAL ORIENTED

• Theme Statement- Having goals helps me stay on track and is a constant theme across different areas of my life.
• Supporting Data
• Setting a goal to avoid naps and achieving that goal gave me pride that I was able to focus on other areas of my daily life (3).
• Producing 5 big moves that I can use as goals to motivate me. I can show progress towards these goals, and this helps me main tain
momentum (4).
• Using goals to motivate the team and other leaders in my store helps promote teamwork and helps others have a clear idea of what needs
to happen (10).
• Maintaining personal relationships and keeping my family bond strong is a goal that I have made progress on. This keeps my ch ildren
happy and my relationship strong (12).
• Accountability for actions of others in a leadership position. I made a goal to make sure policies and procedures were being followed and
unfortunately, I needed to follow up on that. This wasn’t easy but necessary for growth and achieving P&L goals (14).
• Contradicting Evidence- I have many instances of goals not being met, but none of which my classwork or work outside of
the class can be evidence of. My weight and health being the most relevant goal not achieved [yet].
• Reflection- Having goals and being able to stick to most of them is something I pride myself on. While I still have work to do, I
constantly need lists to keep me on track and make sure I can finish what I need to finish.
 MY PERSONAL VISION STATEMENT

I will work hard for the success of my family and myself. I will
prioritize my health and goals as well as make sure I do
everything I can for my family’s wellbeing, safety, and comfort.

Reflection- This vision means a lot to me. I think narrowing down what is actually important for
our future was relatively easy. I know I want my family to be safe, but I also want to ensure my
individual success.
 MY PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT

I am dedicated to being a light for the people around me. I

believe a positive attitude can go a long way in this world and in
achieving my goals.

Reflection: I stand firm in those two items. The process of producing a mission statement
was easy because I feel like I already know where my happiness lies. I want to always be
myself and this is how that is possible.
 CONCLUSION

Overall, this project has helped me define themes in my life and has helped show me what I
value in life. All these lessons can be carried over into my leadership as was demonstrated in
the previous slides. Having a personal vision and mission statement will serve as a reminder
that I have something to look up to and to assess my goals in life. As I reach for a higher calling,
I can be sure to find something that falls within these themes and personal statements.
Hopefully, this will lead to a successful and fulfilling life.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my life.