Individual Learning Journal

Hannah Elise Jones

* Note for all links to my ePortfolio a password must be used: MSODUP2018

Brief Update on SLC - Overall I am really pleased with my progress on my SLC. I have a great
appreciation for all the work we did to refine our goals in the beginning, because now I feel like
the work I am doing is the right work for me at this point in time. While I feel like I am on track,
I continually see places to increase the depth of my learning and progress and look forward to
continuing my SLC journey in our second year.

Concrete Progress - I have made good progress on each of my learning goals, with some more
so than others.
• Emotional Expression - This goal has probably been the one where I have seen the most
progress and am feeling the most difference in my life. I have received my letters from
both TJ and Abi in advance of each session, and I have completed my monthly reflections
as well. I am feeling my progress here, show up in other goals, particularly my feedback
goal, and am learning in a concrete way how closely tied my emotions are to all other parts
of my life. This is a very effective area of experimentation for me and I am happy to have it
as a learning goal. You can read my reflections related to this goal here.
• Yoga Practice - This goal is also making great progress. I am on track with my goal of
completing four sessions a week and am loving the impact it is having both spiritually and
physically. You can see my tracking of this goal here.
• Outdoor Reflection - I am also loving this goal. I am on track with my monthly reflections
here. I appreciate this goal because it is not task oriented, but rather adds a layer of
meaning to tasks I was completing independent of my SLC. This goal has helped me to
pause and reflect more intentionally on something I love. You can read my posts related to
this goal here.
• Integration of Learnings - This goal is coming along and I have all the concrete
documentation up on my ePortfolio. One challenge I have with this goal is whether I am
integrating things as deeply as I could be. My goal specifically asks me to share things at
work and then back with the cohort, so I am making connections, but not required to go
deeper than that. I look forward to continuing to push the depth of my practice here,
integrating more in a more meaningful way, particularly in the context of what is going on
at work. You can see my evidence and read my reflections related to this goal here.
• Professional Feedback - Closely tied to my experience of emotional expression, this goal
has been important for me and I am making good progress. I have been challenged with it
at work as of late for various reasons, and while that set me back for a while, has helped to
push me farther on this goal in the last few weeks. I have monthly reflections up on my
ePortfoilo and plan to share a story of successful feedback with the LG in France. You can
read my reflections related to this goal here.
• Personal Power - This one is my goal where I have made the least concrete progress. I have
completed my initial personal assessment and am on track with my monthly reflections. I
have not yet had a ‘power brunch’ with our LG, but will do so soon and can still meet that
goal overall. You can read my reflections related to this goal here.
• Academics - I am on track with my thesis. I have not begun my interviews yet so I will not
have data to bring with me to France, but I have been approved to begin the process and
 will do so when we return. I completed Chapters 1-3 on time and received positive
feedback from my advisor. You can find more thoughts and content from my thesis here.
In our coursework I am also on track, having completed all the readings and assignments
for this session.

Jet Lag and Health - My travel experience has helped me develop habits to minimize the impact
of jet lag and stay healthy on the road. I take extra vitamins while I am traveling and carry hand
wipes and sanitizer. While I took me a few times to not be embarrassed doing it, wiping down
my plane seat with a sanitized wipe has actually made a difference in the number of colds I pick
up while traveling! As for jet lag, I take melatonin and plan my sleep ahead of time to ensure that
I get on the local schedule as soon as possible. I planned to arrive in France a few days early in
the hopes that extra time to adjust will help me be more alert and present when our session
begins. Additionally, I make it a priority to maintain my normal exercise habits while I travel as
much as possible. This keeps me feeling both physically and mentally healthy regardless of the
environment.

Connection - I do not anticipate this will be much of a challenge for me, as I don't have extensive
needs to stay connected while I am away. I make it a priority to turn off my work so I don't need
to stay connected to anything there, which given our schedule would be quite stressful for me.
Personally, I don't have anything going on that requires me to be in frequent communication with
anyone. TJ and I will communicate via text and likely a short call or two, but other than that I
don't have any communication needs. I will be relying on wifi, which is something I have done
for all my significant international trips for the last three years and have had no trouble with, so I
don't anticipate having an issue in Lyon.

Ambiguity - My travel experience has helped me to understand and navigate cultural ambiguity
effectively over time. I would say that I am between the stages of Acceptance and Adaptation in
Antal and Friedman’s learning stages, because I have recognized that cultural differences exist
and are viable, but I have not reached a stage where I consistently know enough about the
cultures I am entering to shift my own frame of reference. I do however strive to be aware of
differences and manage myself accordingly. Some of my natural values fit non-American
societies which helps me to more naturally transition into other cultures and self-manage in
ambiguous settings. However, I do have limited knowledge about other cultures, particularly
when viewed from a business lens. In preparation for our practicum in France I am reading up
more on French business customs to better understand how they align with the components of
French culture that I am familiar with already. I am also focusing on enhancing my cultural
strategy by planning more for interactions, most specifically in the time between when I arrive in
France and when our practicum starts while I am traveling in the country. You can read more of
my reflections related to my CQ here.

Cultural Intelligence - Honestly, I was a little surprised at my CQ scores, as I thought I would be

higher on strategy and knowledge than I am. I always try to educate myself about the history and
culture of the places that I am traveling. I tend to be well-read and informed as a visitor, and
strive to see places in the an authentic and low-impact manner. I sense that compared to others I
have high cultural awareness both as a result of my experiences, and the preparation and research
I do before visiting another country. That being said, I have never done business abroad and most
of the CQ Knowledge questions were rooted in business concepts, so it makes sense that I would
have a gap there. While in France during our practicum I am excited to learn more about
business abroad, and expand my current touristic and cultural knowledge of France into the
business environment. Like others in our LG, I felt that my Strategy scores were impacted by my
level of confidence in navigating cross-cultural situations, rather than my actual ability. I see this
in myself when I speak French. My language ability is quite high, but my confidence is low and I
get nervous when I speak, which makes me stumble and misunderstand things that I actually do
understand. While in France during our practicum I want to be intentional about observing my
levels of confidence in various interactions so I can develop a greater awareness of how to step
into my own skills and power in a cross-cultural setting.