Lisa Bolden
Electronic Portfolio
Professional Skills & Knowledge
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Effective communication skills are more than just the words you use. It is a set of skills including nonverbal communication, engaged listening, managing stress in the moment, the ability to communicate strongly, and the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you’re communicating with.
My ability to communicate with people has always been one of my strongest attributes. I am very much a people person, and I have a way of being able to read people’s emotions and body language to understand what they are not saying verbally. I am a good listener, and I do my best to give advice that is nonpartisan and rational. Throughout my professional career I have learned to master my craft even more. I have learned how to read my audience, and know what tone or approach I should use to a situation.
Attached above is a short paper written for TWC 347:Written Comm for Managers this semester, about effective communication with emphasis on electronic communication. We were looking at Social MEdia, as well as proper etiquette for emails, instant messaging, and other electronic communications.
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A strong work ethic is something that is vital to anyone or any organization trying to achieve big goals. There are certain attributes that go along with a strong work ethic such as integrity, responsibility, discipline, and loyalty.
I have not always had such a strong work ethic, it has only been in the last 5-6 years that I have really noticed it building significantly. I worked for my previous employer for over 9 years, and the only reason I left is because my position was eliminated company wide. Even in certain professional situations where I have not been happy in my job, I still give it my all. I love to win, but I really hate to lose and that motivates me to work as hard as I can, no matter how much I love or hate my job.
Attached above is a letter of recommendation written for me by a previous manager after I was laid off from my previous job back in May of 2014. Letters of recommendation are always great to boost your confidence, and see what areas others feel you excel in.
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Team work is the cooperative or coordinated effort of a group of people toward a common goal or task. Strong teamwork is important in any organization because it makes things more efficient, allows support for employees, and more ideas are generated.
For me, teamwork became really important as I became a financial center manager. In my previous work experience, I was a part of different teams, but it did not have the same impact on me as being the leader of a team. As a leader and a manager of my branch, I rely more than ever on my team for help and support. I do my best to make it a fun work environment, and find a good balance of work and play amongst the team. Because of the work and fun that we put in, we are one of the few branches in the country to win what we call The One Team Award. To get this award, your banking center has to be in top percentage in multiple categories: partner referrals, teller balancing, losses, audit findings, and revenue.
Attached above is my One Team Award for the second quarter of 2015. It has both my maiden name (Test) and my married name on it. We have heard that for the 3rd quarter, we are the only banking center in our market receiving this award.
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Problem solving skills come in handy every single day of our lives, on a professional and personal level. Problem solving is a multi-step process. You must first identify the problem, which a lot of people struggle with. After identifying the problem, you have to brainstorm different possible solutions to the problem. The next step is to make a decision for the best solution and implement that solution. In the end, the final step is to ask for feedback and to look back at the situation to see where things went wrong to try to prevent a crisis in the future.
I have always been strong in the area of problem solving/crisis management. I have the ability to keep my cool, evaluate the situation, ask for guidance if needed, and make a decision. I am generally a very logical thinker, and I follow my gut instinct. In the end, I can get the problem handled, and I learn from the mistakes that may have caused the problem in the first place.
Attached above is a paper written for my OGL 240 Intro to Project Management class from Spring of 2014. The paper is about handling a mid-project staffing crisis. We used a simulation to understand if you only have certain resources allocated and you lose part of your team mid-project, what the best ways to handle it is. It was interesting to see how different approaches changed the end result of the project.
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Leadership has many different definitions, and it is a little different for each individual. For me, leadership is when someone leads a group of people to a certain task, inspires people, makes them better, and helps them win. Leaders have to motivate people, they have to be strong, and they have to have vision.
I have had a few different steps into leadership. The first time I really look back and remember becoming a leader was when I was a teller manager. I had worked at the bank for about 4 years, and my level of knowledge of all the systems and in operations was impeccable. I was the person that everyone in our district called for questions. They could even call me at home, and I could tell them how many times to hit enter or tab to get through screens on the computer. Now as manager of a branch, my leadership is a little different because I do have the authority level as well. But my team has told me before that I lead by example, I never ask them to do things I wouldn’t do, and I will always stand up for them. When I first took over this branch, I struggled to do things the way that upper management wanted them done. I finally had to take a step back, and be the leader I know I can be, and run my branch the best way I know how. Ever since that day we have been extremely successful, and now I have other managers coming to observe my day to day activities and pick my brain.
Attached above is a Leadership Profile that was written for my BIS 357 Assessment in Organizations class in the Spring of 2015. The paper is a reflection of all the different leadership assesments that I have taken throughout my classes here, and building what profile best suits me. It also shows areas I need to improve on.