Date: February 6

th
, 2014
Subject: Goal Setting and First Impressions
To: Dorothy Bullitt
From: Mitchell Walton
MEMORANDUM
Five years from now, I want to work as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist for a
large company such as Amazon or Google. I/O psychology is a field that I have become
passionate about through my classes within the psychology major and through various
extracurricular leadership activities relating to human resources. Working within a company to
improve the satisfaction and efficiency of its employees is a job that I would find rewarding,
challenging, and motivating. Large companies are relevant to my interests in I/O psychology
because there are many functioning departments that require the use of a variety of
communication styles and other techniques in order to serve workers in every area. I love
working with people to solve all kinds of issues and requests, and a large company would
provide me with that variety.
To accomplish this goal, my first step will be to research graduate schools that offer a
masters degree in I/O psychology. I have already started my search, but my goal is to have my
choices refined by the end of spring of 2014. My next step is to study for, and take, the Graduate
Records Exam, which I plan to complete by fall of 2014. After that, I will apply to my top
choices, and do graduate school interviews during winter. Once I get accepted to a program and
make my decision, I will start classes in fall of 2015. Part of my decision process will be looking
at the schools involvement with outside internships, and seeing how readily available they are to
students. I want to gain practical work experience while getting my masters so that I am ready to
apply for jobs right after graduation, and have the necessary experience and knowledge to be a
productive member of any I/O psychology staff that I join. During this time, I want to further
develop my emotional intelligence, and practice an authoritative style of leadership. I am a blue
style leader, and tend to be affiliative, which are both great traits to have when working in an
area similar to human resources. However, by practicing an authoritative leadership style, I hope
to learn more about mobilizing others and being a catalyst for change because these qualities are
equally important in a business setting. The last step toward my goal is to apply for and accept a
position as an I/O psychologist by the time I graduate in 2017.
To guide me toward my goals, my mission is to be personable and approachable, honestly
listen to others, and be proactively organized, efficient, and innovative. Using this mission, I can
provide the best feedback and results for myself when working toward my goals, and also
provide quality recommendations about work environments and employee satisfaction to an
organization while holding true to my blue and affiliative leadership styles.
During my first month on the job, I want to build alliances with my coworkers and
supervisors. This is because I have a hard time working with groups that do not trust each other,
and as someone who has to work hard to stay strong when dealing with conflict, I want to help
foster an environment where conflict is seen as welcome. To do this, I will build relationships by
consulting with my team when making decisions that could affect them, ask them questions, and
look for their input. I will actively acknowledge the successes and individual contributions of my
coworkers. Ideally, I want to focus on developing a relationship with a supervisor or experienced
staff member within the first month. This will be important for my growth as an employee
because I will be able to ask questions and receive feedback about my job performance.
Another important step during my first month is to establish a plan of action. My plan in
the first month is to learn the aspects of the job. To be trusted as a coworker and as a leader, I
will need to know what I am doing, and that is what I want to focus on first. I want to design my
plan of action by learning about the various departments within my company, seeing what roles
I/O psychologists play in those departments, and finally selecting areas that I am interested in
pursuing during the next few months of my employment.
Leadership has been an influential part of my life, especially for building self-confidence
and a sense of responsibility. For that reason, it is important that leadership is part of my career.
To demonstrate leadership during my first month, I will use lessons from the leadership toolbox.
Being on time, following through on all commitments, being courteous, and listening are habits
that will show my employers that I can be trusted with responsibility. When evaluating and
creating recommendations for teams of employees as an I/O psychologist, I can demonstrate
leadership by writing and speaking clearly and persuasively, making ethical decisions, and
recognizing the benefits of varied communication styles. My reasoning behind this first-month
plan is that I want to be a valued member of an I/O psychology team, as a person, as a worker,
and as a leader. With this plan, I can establish meaningful and trustworthy relationships,
establish knowledge and efficiency as a worker, and demonstrate my capabilities as a leader.
References:

Leadership That Gets Results by Daniel Goleman was used when determining specific
skills I want to develop during graduate school that will prepare me for a job in I/O
psychology. I mentioned emotional intelligence, as well as authoritative and affiliative
leadership styles.

Class Two: Success Signals by Rhonda Hilyer was used to describe my leadership style
and how it relates to a human resources related career and to I/O psychology.

Five Steps to Building Your Leadership Brand by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood was
used to help me develop my mission statement.

Class Four: Taking Care of Your People, with a lecture by Bill Center, was used to help
describe my plan of action for my first month on the job. Know your stuff is referenced
in my plan to learn the aspects of the job in order to be trusted as a coworker and leader.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni was used to show the importance
of trust when working with a team. It also informed my discussion about conflict as
something that I struggle with, and how I want to develop a sense of open
communication, trust, and welcomed conflict with my coworkers during my first month
as an I/O psychologist.

Leadership That Shapes the Future by Pat Bettin was used to describe how I would build
alliances. Specifically, the paragraph on team building provided steps that I could take to
build good relationships with members of my team.

Class One: The Leadership Toolbox was used to describe my plan of action to
demonstrate leadership during my first month on the job.