Guidepoint Final Reflection

As I concluded my summer at Guidepoint, I was overcome with a plethora of emotions- satisfaction, happiness, and a sense of accomplishment. My past ten weeks have been beyond rewarding in terms of growth for myself and my career path. I came into the summer with structured outcomes and  tangible results I desired as a student and I wholeheartedly believe I accomplished such goals. What’s more is that I propagated areas which were unbeknownst to me before I tackled the summer internship. Guidepoint helped expose both my strengths and weaknesses about myself, all while providing me with an opportunity to grow and recognize how my leadership studies are applicable in the real world.

For starters, I enhanced my ability to synthesize new information in a very efficient method. One of the biggest realizations I had during my tenure at Guidepoint was the fact that I was researching and outreaching to companies who I knew little to no information about, especially in the healthcare sector. As a result, my lack of initial knowledge forced me to learn as much about the company- as well as its field and sectors- in an efficient manor to create personalized initial contact. Like I had mentioned, the ability to manufacture tangible knowledge from seemingly unknown information is applicable in any job you may be in. The reality is that there will be parts of jobs you have no clue about, and it falls on the individual to research and comprehend the formally unknown territory. At Guidepoint, the process was no different and I strongly believe I accomplished my goal of being able to do so. Relating my personal accomplishment more broadly to Guidepoint, I think throughout the summer I embodied their own mission of empowerment through fast and accurate knowledge-sharing solutions. My own goal and Guidepoint’s overarching mission definitely shared some overlap, and I think it was only through working at a company which prided itself on providing fast and accurate information that empowered me to synthesize information.

In terms of communications, I would argue my most developed skill after ten weeks at Guidepoint is my interpersonal ability. I was on the corporate business development team, which relied heavily on inter-team communication when distributing work load and while communicating amongst Vice President’s and Associates. My place as an intern was no different, for I was constantly communicating about reports, leads, research and relevant information. Done so through email, Slack, and verbally, I was nonetheless always responsible for doing so effectively and concisely. Guidepoint promoted a pillar of speed, and that message was echoed heavily during our training. All summer long I worked extensively on communicating quickly but properly. While I have always considered myself an extrovert, I think the situation I found myself in- having to rely on verbal team communication on a daily basis- undoubtedly enhanced my already strong interpersonal skills. Again, I am so pleased with the development because much like information synthesizing, being able to communicate and maintain conversations with inherent strangers is an invaluable asset.

Regarding my final two goals of networking extensively and standing out amongst a large intern class, I think both were successfully accomplished simultaneously. It turned out that I was partially mislead about the size and quantity of our intern class; while there was thirty two of us, we were all split up amongst various Guidepoint teams so it was actually only myself and another intern on my team. I think the smaller sample size made it easier for me to highlight my skillset and really stand out on the corporate business development team. And building off my opportunities to thrive within my team, I do think I took advantage of making unique connections with each individual on my team, from my buddy Tom to the Head of Corporate Business Development. Such lasting impressions were so important for me to make because I have started to understand the significance of having a diversified network. I can confidently say at summer’s end I can ask any team member for a recommendation on my behalf and they would write one for me. I found irony in the fact that I was trying to network within a company which prides itself on their robust network of over 520,000 subject matter experts across the world. While my network did not quite reach Guidepoint’s standard, I think the connections I made with my team was more than satisfactory and like I said, I would feel confident reaching out to anybody on the team for advice, recommendation of character, or even career advancement. This being said, I will continue to network myself and my skillset with any chance I may have going forward.

Relating my summer internship to the various leadership studies courses I have taken, I can think of countless instances where various theories and concepts came in handy at one point or another during the summer. What was unique about Guidepoint was my rather incomplete comprehension of the business model and its truly all-inclusive functionality. I think the expert network model is a very confusing business proposal which requires explanation from an internal professional. As a result, I think initially I relied extensively on my leadership courses to help me navigate unchartered territory. Starting with my very first day as an intern, when we were all introduced to our buddies who would serve as mentors throughout the internship, I instantly clung to Tom and formed a budding relationship with no time to waste. Naturally, I think such a connection was imminent. But examining my desire for leadership throughout a leadership studies scope makes it easier to connect my actions to the implicit leadership theory as well as social identity theory. Entering this new, unfamiliar organization, where I knew nobody and had not fully grasped the backbone of its competency, I was craving a leader who would help guide me through the process. Do not get me wrong, Tom was a natural leader who exceeded all expectations as a mentor and colleague, but I do think my behavioral tendency in a time of exposure perfectly matched the implicit leadership theory and social identity theory, with my brain subconsciously filling in gaps to make Tom the ideal leader who I could count on. Again, I do not think such a revelation could be appreciated nor recognized without the proper equipment of such theories from my Jepson studies.

Additionally, I think my leadership studies courses influenced my behavior heavily while approaching the summer intern project assigned by Guidepoint’s Chief Executive Officer. Essentially, all thirty two interns were split up into seven groups of roughly five members with each group randomly assigned one of Guidepoint’s most pressing problems currently. Our group was tasked with spearheading new market initiatives with the recently formed Legal Solutions branch at Guidepoint. Drawing upon Chemer’s findings with the Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness, I was able to distinguish it is not always the individual who speaks the most who is the most ideal candidate. Rather, for our unique situation and our group project, I needed to have a low LPC where I was tasked oriented and used directive behavior to yield the best results in terms of success for our group. Additionally, I utilized Bass and Avolio’s Model of Transformational Leadership in an attempt to empower each of the four other interns to complete the best work we could possibly produce as a team. My tailored, charismatic approach helped to stimulate intellectual progression while inspiring motivation in each of my four group members. I do think I, or the group, would have been anywhere as successful as we were if not for my comprehension of the various leadership theories I studied and applied during the internship.

The extensive knowledge I had fundamentally changed my thought process as I was equipped with insight from both a follower and leader perspective in a situation similar to the one I was faced with. As a result of applying my theories into action, I think our group yielded a PowerPoint which incorporated all of us equally, and empowered us all to complete the best presentation we could. I believe these two instances highlight just how tailored my thought process was, and how it was specific to the various theories we had covered in the past semester.

All in all, my time at Guidepoint provided me with the platform to utilize my leadership studies in a unfamiliar situation. Going into the summer, I had minimal expectations on both what to expect, and whether I would actually be able to assimilate my Theories and Models course into real life situations. To my pleasant surprise, I was overcome with striking situations and examples of how I not only recognized which techniques and situations made leaders in my eyes so successful, but I was also able to witness how prototypical I was of a follower in my internship. I craved so badly a leader because I was in such an uncomfortable, new situation for myself; as a result, I stretched my longitude of acceptance and latched onto any individual who fit the resemblance of a leader. It was these insights which made my summer at Guidepoint so rewarding. The classroom can carry you far along in an educational journey, but I think it is the real life examples, where you get to witness your findings in actual instances which you are essential in, which make both work and studying so rewarding. Guidepoint has made me a more shrewd thinker, sharpened my