Progress Begins with self-awareness Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: 2 · Articulate · · · · your goals and motivations for being more assertive. Describe where you now stand on the pas- sive-assertive-aggressive continuum. List key influences in your life that affect your assertiveness. Describe the roles of childhood experiences, transference, and perfectionism in shaping your assertiveness profile. Describe the roles of attitude, self-esteem, and self-confidence in shaping your as- sertiveness profile. The previous chapter defined assertiveness and identified its value to your ca- reer and to the organization you work for. Here we shift the focus from the subject of assertiveness to you, the reader. We aim to help you understand your motivation for becoming more assertive and, through a self-test, provide a way to measure where you are now on the passive-assertive-aggressive continuum. Once you know where you stand, we will go further, probing the life influences that have contributed to your current mode of behavior and communication. The fact of recognizing these influences will help you control them. B enchmarking Y our m otivations Before we get to your assertiveness profile, let's address your motivations. What situations or concerns brought you to thinking of taking this course? © American Management Association. All rights reserved. http://www.amanet.org/ 11