Personal Evaluation of Assessment
I think the assessment of me as the Rational temperament with Mastermind character is very accurate. I gave the Keirsey profile five out of five. My science background at Western as well as the psychology methods course I took taught me that all scientists had to be skeptical, pragmatic and focus on problem-solving. In hindsight, I can see where my character influences come from now. My ninth grade high-school science class showed students that the proper way to write up an experiment was to state the problem, generate a hypothesis, do the experiment and get the results, and make a conclusion based upon those results.
Like all Masterminds, I am supremely self-confident and sure of myself. Sometimes other less enlightened people may misinterpret these traits as being a snobby or having "a really big ego." My strong-willed independence may make it appear I have few friends or allies but the reality is that I merely wish not to be associated with churls (interesting word choice) who are too busy drinking, partying, or otherwise slacking off in a manner that will end up impeding me and my goals.
True to the Mastermind profile, I do not feel bound by protocols or tradition -- even during my high school days I was never swayed by school pep rallies, advertising slogans or the constant urgings to be a team member for the sake of having a team.
I believe all people should be given a chance to succeed (or fail) before being removed from their position. I believe that optimal efficiency occurs when well-defined goals are established and clear chains of command are made known. The interest of the whole supercedes those of the individual.
In the first session I wrote that I planned to work for a dot-com, work for options, IPO, sell-out go into graduate school and have a formula named after me. This pretty much reflects the Rational's technology-prizing, knowledge-seeking and achievement-yearning dream of making important discoveries about the world around us.
Strengths and Weaknesses as a Project Manager
As a rational Mastermind, it is clear that I am an "ingenious, independent, and strong-willed" leader. Due to my technical background I would have a clear understanding of how complex systems operate and would be able to prepare contingency plans for any obstacle that may appear in the path to success.
As a Mastermind, my strongest suit in project management would be in charge of a project with moderate to high amounts of unpredictability in it. I would be most useful in a situation when someone needs to be brought in to "clean up the mess" when someone else fails at his/her assigned task and it would be my responsibility to "steer the ship in the right direction and get back on course."
Some real-world applications that I would most benefit would be projects that require strong leadership, such as a software development project. There, the parameters (end user requirements, technologies used, clients, scale, etc.) are constantly changing and the project can fail without a good manager.
However, a Mastermind isn't really that interested in the political part of Project Management. As a Mastermind, I'm more interested in getting the job done than catering to other people's emotional needs. Dealing with other managers or people outside of the project is inefficient. My talents would be put to best use working directly on the project and doing the planning for it. I would be willing to let another person with "ambassador" skills take the title of Project Manager but only if it means the project would get done sooner. It is only when the current leader is not sufficiently competent in his/her position and when she/he interferes with my progress will I make moves to usurp power. (wording)
Since problem solving is so highly stimulating to a Mastermind such as myself, I would likely find mundane or simple tasks beneath my superior intellect and get bored rather quickly. Although I would get the job done, it wouldn't be the most effective use of such a rare and talented human resource such as myself.
The day-to-day monotonous duties of a manger such a filing reports can get old very fast for a Mastermind who's more concerned with the "big picture". It would likely distract me, and even worse bore me thus causing me to lose enthusiasm and focus on the project. To compensate for this weakness, I would have to hire well-trained assistants to deal with minor administrative details while I can concentrate on the master plan.
As a technology-savvy Mastermind, I am a person who thinks of future possibilities. Yes its important to be open-minded and to acknowledge the past but history is only useful for learning to avoid other people's mistakes. To be a successful manager, a visionary, a leader and not a follower, I will verbalize the positive aspects of things and let the negative comments slide; because to move forward, one cannot dwell on past mistakes - just learn not to do them again in the future.
Should I find a worker who cannot or will not do the job that has been assigned or is doing something that slows down overall productivity, then I will show ruthless compassionate-less efficiency in having that person removed from the team, whether it be through employee re-assignment or termination. For a Mastermind, the project takes precedent over all personal and personnel costs.
You have an excellent writing style. You explore the topic thoroughly, but need to bring in references to the course materials.
8 / 10