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Julia Reid Myers
Dr. Comeaux
Communication 272
September 11, 2013
Personal Mastery
Senge’s writing on personal mastery, along with Morris’ speech on success and
Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People give advice for many issues among
organizations. Through analysis of these resources, I have found many applications in
my professional life, specifically in having to audit and retake COM 200: Introduction to
Communication Research Methods after being two points away from the required grade
for the gateway class. Throughout this paper, by analyzing Senge’s, Morris’ and Covey’s
work, I will explore both the mistakes I made last semester, as well as how to improve
my results this year, both in this specific class and as a Communication Studies student
in general.
In Senge’s The Fifth Discipline, he argues personal mastery is exemplified by two
concepts, the first of which is “continually clarifying what is important.” This strongly
coincides with my success in retaking my Communication Research Methods class.
Relative to this is two of Covey’s habits, “begin with the end in mind,” and put first things
first. One of my main goals this semester is to make an A in this class, and fully learn the
material. Repeatedly throughout the semester, I need to continually remind myself of
this. Along with Covey’s concepts, this will help me prioritize and make decisions. By
putting first things first, I will make sure to not go out on nights before I have to wake up
for my 8 o’clock class, and get studying and homework done before moving onto other
activities. Likewise, by beginning with the end in mind, I will keep a clear focus of the
banenefits this will have in the future, such as being allowed to move on in perusing my
degree in Communication Studies, as well as thoroughly understanding key information
that will reoccur in not only future classes, but also in probable future careers.

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The second concept Senge emphasizes is “continually learning to see reality
more clearly.” Two days before my Communication Research Methods class started, I
was involves in an accident which cracked two of the vertebrae in my back. This caused
complications with my schoolwork such as missing class due to doctor’s appointments,
as well as poor attendance and inadequate work due to the side effects of the prescribed
painkillers. This semester, it is quite unlikely I will have the same setbacks, however had
I learned to deal with them at the time they occurred, I most likely would not be retaking
the class currently. In Morris’ speech we watched in class, he made a point that it is not
the difficulty of the course, but what you bring to it that counts. Part of life is dealing with
situations that come up, and changes that occur. Senge emphasizes rather than making
current reality our enemy, we must learn to work with forces of change. Last year, I
should have adjusted to taking pain killers at different times in order to avoid sleeping
through class, as well as made more effort to plan doctor appointments around my class
schedule. In order to avoid similar patterns this semester, I need to use Covey’s habit of
being proactive. When problems arise, I need to plan immediately in order to avoid
setbacks.
In Morris’ speech, he touches on the concept of “resilient confidence” which
means learning from your mistakes. In addition to the issues that I allowed to set me
back last semester, I showed the characteristics of the inconsistencies Morris outlines.
The first is ignorance of what you are doing to yourself. If I had taken the time to take a
step back and look at my situation, I would have seen I wasn’t trying as hard as I could
to get the needed grade in the class. I could have improved my attendance, studied
more often, and taken advantage of extra credit opportunities. The second characteristic
is indifference. Once it got towards the end of the semester, I assumed I wasn’t going to
make the grade I needed, and I stopped trying in the class. I was two points away from
the grade I needed, so with a little more effort I could have easily not had to audit and

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retake the class this year. Even if that hadn’t been the case, I am required to take the
course and am paying to be in it, so not trying is a waste of both time and money, and
could have given me an advantage to this semester. The last characteristic Morris calls
inertia, which is falling into habits of what you’ve always done. Communication Research
Methods is a challenging course, however I put the same effort as I have in all my
previous courses, and just tried to get by, instead of working harder, and trying to both
get the best grade I could as well as learn from the class.
A way to avoid inconsistencies, as well as follow Senge’s two concepts for
personal mastery, is to follow the last of Morris’ tips for success, having the capacity to
enjoy the process along the way. There is no point in being bitter about having to retake
the class, because that won’t change past mistakes. By focusing on what I am gaining,
and taking on the class with a positive attitude, I will enjoy the experience more and gain
more from it. Just as Morris says the enjoyment of the process will aid to success,
Senge argues that personal mastery will encourage individual happiness, so the two go
hand in hand.
Everything Senge teaches relates back to the two largely emphasized concepts
of vision and purpose. Morris states that we must have a purpose to drive our goals. In
addition to having a purpose, we must have a vision, a more specific goal. According to
Senge, without a vision, we cannot move forward, and Morris says vague thoughts do
not motivate specific behavior. This year my purpose is to take away as much as I can
from both the class and the experience, however instead of simply trying to do well in the
class, or put in a lot of effort, I am making the specific goal to get an A at the end of the
semester. This will help me focus on what I need to do specifically, and give me more
direction and motivation to get there.
Morris stresses, “Vague thoughts cannot motivate specific behavior.” Personal
mastery is something everyone should strive towards in their professional lives in order

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to enhance themselves and be successful. Senge’s, Morris’, and Covey’s works give
concrete advice, and developing a vision, I am confident I will succeed in my
Communication Research Methods course, as well as future areas in my life, both
professional and personal.