As I preach and preach the idea of community, I keep emphasizing the need for the leader to develop a sense of comfort and safety, but I was never able to go into details on how to go about this. I'm glad I got to Part 5, without it, I might have continued doing my stating without explaining. The most important part of chapter 9, "Foster Collaboration" is the idea that a leader's supporters need not only trust and feel safe with him/her, but also to feel comfortable with their other colleagues. It almost seems that trusting in one's leader but not one's community members is nearly impossible, but a leader needs to be able to notice and be attuned to those relationships. That's why it's so hard to be a leader: you can't pay attention to just yourself and the interactions you're directly involved in; you have to pay attention to everything, because believe it or not, as a leader you are involved in every interaction - however direct it happens to be.
It would be silly, though, to assume that every single member of a team will get along all the time: some couples just won't mesh. However, there's a difference between disliking someone and not being able to trust them. "To get extraordinary things done, people have to rely on each other. They need to have a sense of mutual dependence - a community of people in which each knows that they need the others to be successful" (233). A leader needs to be able to (in KP's words) "facilitate relationships." Like in a discussion, the facilitator does not act as the mother of the group - making sure everyone gets along - but just acts as the supervisor - making sure everyone in heard and no one is disrespected. That is the important part of a community understanding: if there is distrust or fear in the constituents of other constituents, nothing can be accomplished successfully or completely. KP puts it sharply, "Knowing how other people feel about issues enables you to incorporate aspects of all the relevant viewpoints into a project and demonstrate to others how their ideas have been heard and included" (232).
I've already spoken once about my grandpa's lesson "you have the power to make your day incredible." In chapter 10, "Strengthen Others," KP claims, "Accountability results in feelings of ownership, that you - not someone else - have the responsibility for what's going on around you" (258). This applies, obviously, to my grandpa's teaching, but I want to apply both of these to the idea of leading people. It should be stating the obvious when I say supporters look up to a true leader and mimic his or her actions. This is what happens with children's role models - they are leaders who, in some cases, may not even know they're leaders. This is what happened with the relationship between myself and my grandpa. I look up to him simply as the human being that he is and so, inadvertently, mimic his actions. I may not even realize it, but I perform and conduct myself in a similar manner to how my grandfather conducts himself simply because I view him as a leader. With children and their role models, the picture is clearer: a young boy dresses like Spiderman because he wants to be Spiderman. He wants to exhibit the same traits that Spiderman does: the same goes with children and firemen, policemen, their parents and guardians. And leaders.
This is where the leader must be careful, because he or she is always leading whether or not he/she realizes it. Every action and phrase echoes in the ears and hearts of their supporters. This is something I must be especially attuned to as an officer of a women's social club. Every single word and action - or inaction - I display is seen and recorded by the women I lead with.
On a related note and in congruence with the above passage on accountability, if I can allow these women to understand that this club is not mine, or our President's, but their's: if I can allow these girls the realization that this club exists for and because of them, perhaps they can understand the importance of being an active member and sharing their voices.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Extra Credit - The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner, Part 4
A few weeks ago, a co-worker was talking about failure. She claimed that a 3.8 is better than a 4.0 in the business world because a 3.8 shows that you know how to fail. Upon hearing this at first, a lot of people may not understand: why would a 3.8 have a better chance of getting the job over a 4.0? I couldn't adequately explain it at the time, but here in Part 4, KP have helped me, simply with their term "psychological hardiness." Specifically, there are two quotes which emphasize the point I would like to make:
On a related tangent, I wanted to dive into the idea of "small wins." When KP first began explaining the small wins idea, I immediately thought of to-do lists. I thought of the action-plan to-do lists made in Leadership Foundations. But I also thought of the often comedic scheme of putting an already completed task on a to-do list just so you can cross it off. This is comedic, sure, but it's also displays an extreme genius. Crossing off an already performed task gives you a small win from the very beginning and boosts morale to carry you through the whole list.
In Chapter 7, KP relate one leadership story that goes as follows, "When a senior engineer responded with 'it won't work' to a manager's question about a project's feasibility, everyone jumped on this melody and sounded ready to accept defeat. Stephen asked the group to take another tack: 'What is working?'" (170). How could one read this narration and not immediately think of mirror neurons? This leading scientifically thing has really stuck with me throughout this semester; mirror neurons fascinate me. The idea that one smile really can light up a room is the basis of how I live my life - and now it's proven. But anyway, I'm getting slightly off track. When you lead a small win to-do list with an already completed task you give yourself (or your team, depending on the environment) a boost: "We already achieved so much," say the mirror neurons, "We can achieve more!"
My grandpa always taught me that I have the power to make my day incredible or to ruin it. The above quotations and explanations summarize this perfectly. My mirror neurons, the way I react to failures and stresses, control how my day and how my life plays out. If I can control my emotional communications and interactions then I can control the emotions and motivations of the people around me. From a leadership standpoint, if I am psychologically hardy, if I stand tall and firm in times of failure and stress, I will automatically surround myself with supporters of the same strand.
1. "'Success does not breed success. It breeds failure. It is failure which breeds success" (200).KP's idea of psychological hardiness in leadership comes from innovation, inspiring change, and creating small wins over large, not achievable goals. From a business standpoint, someone who has failed before will be okay with failing again: this doesn't mean that you'll have a lazy, forever-failing employee. It means you'll have a supporter who can bounce back and be ready to try something different. "It isn't stress that makes you ill but how you perceive and respond to stressful events" (206). Someone who has responded to the stress that comes from failure will be familiar with it, not shocked and hurt. That is why the 3.8 wins over the 4.0. The 4.0, on paper, has never failed.
and
2. "If we're not making mistakes then we're only doing what we already know how to do....The only way that people can learn is by doing things they've never done before. This entails resilience and becoming psychologically hardy" (204).
On a related tangent, I wanted to dive into the idea of "small wins." When KP first began explaining the small wins idea, I immediately thought of to-do lists. I thought of the action-plan to-do lists made in Leadership Foundations. But I also thought of the often comedic scheme of putting an already completed task on a to-do list just so you can cross it off. This is comedic, sure, but it's also displays an extreme genius. Crossing off an already performed task gives you a small win from the very beginning and boosts morale to carry you through the whole list.
In Chapter 7, KP relate one leadership story that goes as follows, "When a senior engineer responded with 'it won't work' to a manager's question about a project's feasibility, everyone jumped on this melody and sounded ready to accept defeat. Stephen asked the group to take another tack: 'What is working?'" (170). How could one read this narration and not immediately think of mirror neurons? This leading scientifically thing has really stuck with me throughout this semester; mirror neurons fascinate me. The idea that one smile really can light up a room is the basis of how I live my life - and now it's proven. But anyway, I'm getting slightly off track. When you lead a small win to-do list with an already completed task you give yourself (or your team, depending on the environment) a boost: "We already achieved so much," say the mirror neurons, "We can achieve more!"
My grandpa always taught me that I have the power to make my day incredible or to ruin it. The above quotations and explanations summarize this perfectly. My mirror neurons, the way I react to failures and stresses, control how my day and how my life plays out. If I can control my emotional communications and interactions then I can control the emotions and motivations of the people around me. From a leadership standpoint, if I am psychologically hardy, if I stand tall and firm in times of failure and stress, I will automatically surround myself with supporters of the same strand.
Service Learning - Chi Alpha Kappa Sunday Meeting Discussion Style
Every Sunday Chi Alpha Kappa holds our weekly formal meetings. All semester we've been trying to convey the importance of these meetings: all communication cannot be done over the internet; meetings are supposed to be a time when we can straighten out any confusion, address problems, talk about improvements, share ideas, and set dates. We have asked the girls, for our own sake, to let us know 24 hours in advance if they can't make it to meeting and every week we get at least three girls ditch out an hour or two before. We've tried explaining that this is inconsiderate - let alone against our conduct code. It's been frustrating us all year - and we have a President who leads by words, instead of by example. In some cases, this has led to a necessary relegating, allowing the next two highest officer positions to lead subtly.
With all of these problems in hand, last Sunday my co-president and I decided to conduct meeting as an open-floor discussion. We began by passing around a box with pens and paper for girls to anonymously submit concerns and complaints. Through planning, we also were able to bring up the constant problem of officers leading by words, not actions. Predictably, the first discussion meeting was not as successful as we had hoped. We (my co-pres. and I) addressed a lot of issues that had been nagging at us without having to lecture and we were able to hear a lot of the concerns from the girls. The problem came when we asked these girls how they wanted to see these concerns addressed. In most cases they either didn't want to share or didn't know how to go about finding solutions. I think - especially with the amount of first year college women in our club - that a lot of these girls don't understand that leadership comes from every single individual: that every woman is a leader. They are under the impression that leadership comes with a title. I think a lot of the blame for this idea comes from our officers and the way meetings have been conducted in the past.
In Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge, they state, "Questioning the status quo is not only for leaders. Effective leaders create a climate in which others feel comfortable doing the same. If your organization is going to be the best it can be, everyone has to feel comfortable in speaking up and taking initiative" (186). This mantra is one that I think Chi Alpha Kappa has been dramatically lacking in so far. We have - because of the leaders and the titles we have doled out - created a climate where girls don't feel comfortable to share ideas. One of the concerns we had come up last meeting started with a complaint about not having enough sisters attending events and meetings and ended with our Event Coordinators receiving dozens of ideas for events that the majority of our sisters would enjoy. We would have had no idea that the girls weren't crazy about our past events because they never shared with us what they wanted. That is not their fault though, the fault lies with the leaders.
Our job, as a social club, is to improve our community and to improve the lives of our sisters. My goal, from here on out, with Chi Alpha Kappa is to use my title to teach these girls - especially our Freshmen - that leadership comes from every single corner of an organization. My goal, with Chi Alpha Kappa is to build confident women into confident leaders (by 2016).
With all of these problems in hand, last Sunday my co-president and I decided to conduct meeting as an open-floor discussion. We began by passing around a box with pens and paper for girls to anonymously submit concerns and complaints. Through planning, we also were able to bring up the constant problem of officers leading by words, not actions. Predictably, the first discussion meeting was not as successful as we had hoped. We (my co-pres. and I) addressed a lot of issues that had been nagging at us without having to lecture and we were able to hear a lot of the concerns from the girls. The problem came when we asked these girls how they wanted to see these concerns addressed. In most cases they either didn't want to share or didn't know how to go about finding solutions. I think - especially with the amount of first year college women in our club - that a lot of these girls don't understand that leadership comes from every single individual: that every woman is a leader. They are under the impression that leadership comes with a title. I think a lot of the blame for this idea comes from our officers and the way meetings have been conducted in the past.
In Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge, they state, "Questioning the status quo is not only for leaders. Effective leaders create a climate in which others feel comfortable doing the same. If your organization is going to be the best it can be, everyone has to feel comfortable in speaking up and taking initiative" (186). This mantra is one that I think Chi Alpha Kappa has been dramatically lacking in so far. We have - because of the leaders and the titles we have doled out - created a climate where girls don't feel comfortable to share ideas. One of the concerns we had come up last meeting started with a complaint about not having enough sisters attending events and meetings and ended with our Event Coordinators receiving dozens of ideas for events that the majority of our sisters would enjoy. We would have had no idea that the girls weren't crazy about our past events because they never shared with us what they wanted. That is not their fault though, the fault lies with the leaders.
Our job, as a social club, is to improve our community and to improve the lives of our sisters. My goal, from here on out, with Chi Alpha Kappa is to use my title to teach these girls - especially our Freshmen - that leadership comes from every single corner of an organization. My goal, with Chi Alpha Kappa is to build confident women into confident leaders (by 2016).
Service Learning - Chi Alpha Kappa's Run for Your Life 5k
On Halloween this year, Chi Alpha Kappa (a women's social club at MSU) put on its first ever philanthropic event. We spent months organizing the first annual Run For Your Life 5k to benefit the Bozeman Help Center. The stress that this event caused our leaders was immense, and come race day, we weren't entirely sure that it would be even a little bit successful. But we had 70 participants. SEVENTY PARTICIPANTS. That's huge!
The race started with a short fun run for the kids. Starting at the front of Bobcat Stadium, a huge group of kids ran down 11th, to campus, and up the mall where we had a few clubs, Chi Alpha Kappa girls, and fraternity men stationed handing out candy. They finished after running up 7th and back to the stadium. My favorite costume was definitely the kitten (who was only about four years old), but we also had two Buzz Lightyears who were a close second.
After the fun run, the 5k began. Almost every participant was in full costume; we had a grandpa (who actually shaved a cul-de-sac into his hair) with his trophy wife as well as Paulie Bleeker (from Juno) and a slice of pizza, amongst other awesome costumes. As each runner crossed the finish line, they were handed a raffle ticket which they could enter into the drawing back by the registration tent. The baskets were spectacular; we had donations from Diesel Pros, Sage Spa Living, the MSU Bookstore, the MSU Ticket Office, as well as seven other local businesses. One basket had two free ski passes to Big Sky Resort. There were also two baskets available for silent auction. I was manning the face painting station, and to wrap it all off we gave the five best costumes gift cards to U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt. There was hot cider and hot chocolate provided by Town & Country Foods.
By the end of the day, the first annual Run For Your Life 5k was an incredible success and I know that relieved a huge weight off the shoulders of our event leads. I have some exciting news to reveal later this week which effects the future of Run For Your Life 5k. The plans as of right now are to make Run For Your Life an annual philanthropic event with Chi Alpha Kappa.
For the primary organization of this event, I took a side step, and allowed some of our girls who had never had the experience of organizing an event learn and create. I think I learned more this way than if I had taken the lead. I know a lot about my own leadership style, the way I handle stress, and my own adaptive leadership tricks, but I hadn't really been able to step back and observe other personalities at work. Our two main leads were extremely different, but worked together pretty well. One is oftentimes abrasive, but always made sure the job got done - I would go so far as to call her an Authoritative type. The other is a lot quieter and calmer and prefers communicating one on one with her supporters rather than in a meeting style. It was interesting to learn from both of them and as an officer of XAK, I was able to practice my coaching. Because of my experience, each one came to me on multiple occasions for advice and I practiced an aspect of leadership I don't often get to use. At one point I had to actually teach the idea of adaptive leadership to both, and press the idea that nothing is going to go right come event day - no matter how thoroughly you plan. At the end of the day, I think all of the club girls learned a lot and I know the Bozeman community enjoyed themselves and the Help Center appreciated the help.
Extra Credit - The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner, Part 3
There are far too many passages from Part 3 that hit me like a train. That's how I feel about Kouzes in general: every once in a while he'll have one sentence that just jumps off the page and influences more than the entirety of the chapter. There's one passage on page 119, "They develop a deep understanding of collective yearnings; they seek out the brewing consensus among those they would lead. They listen carefully for quiet whisperings and attend to subtle cues. They get a sense of what people want, what they value, and what they dream about." Normally his train-passages are even shorter than this one, but this is one I wanted to speak on directly. KP brings this idea up while discussing "Listen Deeply to Others" under the subheading "Find a Common Purpose." I know you're probably tired of hearing me preach about this "community" thing, but I can't help but emphasize mine and KP's (underlying) point. Community - being able to develop a sense of belonging, a sense of family - is a necessary aspect of leadership. The above passage is absolutely impossible if you have a low Emotional Intelligence and/or no understanding of your constituents. A leader needs to understand the individual in order to understand his or her wants, values, and dreams - and a leader must understand the differences between each individual so they can work in a team setting. In Finding a Common Purpose, KP states, "Leaders must show others how they, too, will be served by the long-term vision of the future, how their specific needs can be satisfied" (118). This cannot be done if the leader does not know who their individual is and, especially, if they don't know how to communicate socially and emotionally.
The above idea brings me to what I most wanted to talk about as I finished Part 3: Animate the Vision. This is something I often struggle with: when I feel passionate about something and want to convey that sense of importance to others, the idea often falls apart in the telling. As I was reading KP's suggestions - use symbolic language, make images of the future, practice positive communication, express your emotions, speak from the heart - I couldn't help but thinking it was all too robotic. Express your emotions and speaking from the heart, together, makes sense to me. But as I was reflecting on the Parts 1 and 2, I was thinking about the idea of clarifying your values so you can communicate them to others. This process is intrusive: you clarify your values to yourself first so that you can better grasp them. In your understanding of your own values, you're able to convey them to others: it's exactly like my scenario describing how I can now deliver my most important value immediately. I can do this because I, myself, know it and have defined it.
Then, I was thinking again on my inability to convey passionate ideas. I often times fall back on the joke that Writers can't talk; we're socially awkward creatures and can communicate better through a piece of paper than through our mouths. However, I then forced myself to take this idea past the joke and into the realm of understanding. When I laugh off my faltering communication skills, I usually claim I need more time than is allowed in regular conversation to formulate words: when writing I have backspace and a nearly infinite amount of time to make my message clear; in conversation, there is no such thing as backspace. Only then did I realize that what I need that time for is to clarify my idea, but if I mimic the same effort I took in defining my values into defining my passions before I communicate them I would be able to relate my ideas in the same immediate way that I can now relate my values. I can convey these to others simply because I understand them so well, myself. If, instead of jumping into a rambling explanation, I pause and reflect internally, I can understand my visions and passions well enough to convey them easily to others. I take that time the writer needs to develop an internal definition so I can successfully make it external.
The above idea brings me to what I most wanted to talk about as I finished Part 3: Animate the Vision. This is something I often struggle with: when I feel passionate about something and want to convey that sense of importance to others, the idea often falls apart in the telling. As I was reading KP's suggestions - use symbolic language, make images of the future, practice positive communication, express your emotions, speak from the heart - I couldn't help but thinking it was all too robotic. Express your emotions and speaking from the heart, together, makes sense to me. But as I was reflecting on the Parts 1 and 2, I was thinking about the idea of clarifying your values so you can communicate them to others. This process is intrusive: you clarify your values to yourself first so that you can better grasp them. In your understanding of your own values, you're able to convey them to others: it's exactly like my scenario describing how I can now deliver my most important value immediately. I can do this because I, myself, know it and have defined it.
Then, I was thinking again on my inability to convey passionate ideas. I often times fall back on the joke that Writers can't talk; we're socially awkward creatures and can communicate better through a piece of paper than through our mouths. However, I then forced myself to take this idea past the joke and into the realm of understanding. When I laugh off my faltering communication skills, I usually claim I need more time than is allowed in regular conversation to formulate words: when writing I have backspace and a nearly infinite amount of time to make my message clear; in conversation, there is no such thing as backspace. Only then did I realize that what I need that time for is to clarify my idea, but if I mimic the same effort I took in defining my values into defining my passions before I communicate them I would be able to relate my ideas in the same immediate way that I can now relate my values. I can convey these to others simply because I understand them so well, myself. If, instead of jumping into a rambling explanation, I pause and reflect internally, I can understand my visions and passions well enough to convey them easily to others. I take that time the writer needs to develop an internal definition so I can successfully make it external.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Service Learning - You've Been Caught Studying
As well as all of my other clubs, activities, and hobbies, I am a part of Alpha Lambda Delta (sorry about all the confusing Greek letters, Josh). ALD is a national student honor society that I was invited to join after my Freshman year here at MSU. With it, I have the opportunity to meet new students, network with community members as well as people outside of Bozeman, volunteer, and study, celebrate, and hang out with my peers. To make Dead Week a little easier on the MSU library population, our officers have organized "You've Been Caught Studying." This is mostly just a fun and celebratory thing. Friday, we spent a couple hours in the library putting together little gifts: it's a piece of candy with a note attached that reads, "You've been caught studying! Good luck with finals!" Throughout Dead Week and on the Monday of Final's Week, we'll have ALD members going around the library, handing out these gifts to everyone in the hopes that it will brighten up their day and week and finals for them.
I'm not hugely involved with ALD because I'm so busy with a lot of other, higher priority things, but when I got the email about "You've Been Caught Studying," and saw that I had the times free, I jumped on the idea. As an English Major, during Dead Week I am usually quite literally dead because of the sheer amount of papers and reading I have to do (I don't have that many actual testing finals, just pages and pages of papers and analysis). My roommate is a nursing major and my boyfriend is an engineer, so I understand how cruel finals can be, and I wanted so badly to help ease students' stress - even if it's only slightly. Not only that, but I know that being able to take a break myself to hand out presents to random strangers would certainly ease my stress.
Anyway, I walked into our study room on Friday ready to help put these gifts together. Not being hugely involved, I don't know a whole lot of other ALDers, so I was a bit nervous. I would be here for two hours, putting candy and notes together and conversation must certainly ensue. As much as I have branched out these past couple years and as much as I have learned and become more comfortable in similar - even more harrowing - situations, I still get a little nervous every time. I used to be cripplingly shy and that's not something easily let go of. Just last night, however, I had read the first three parts of The Leadership Challenge and was inspired by my own responses. I had preached this huge importance of community and here I was going into a room where I probably wouldn't know anyone. Being aware of this, I changed my habit of shutting down (crossing my arms) and went in with the goal of meeting and talking to five new people: it's pretty specific and weird, but trust me when I add that word "cripplingly" to shy; I used to be awful.
Then, as I went in and said hi to everyone, I remembered also what I had said in my responses and in my values paper about community and shared values and interests. I realized that all of these people were here because they too wanted to help out stressed out students and that they were in ALD because they too were invited based on their academic performance. We already had so much in common. A few of them might even be thinking about how awkward it might potentially be walking up to a studying stranger and handing them candy, but that's beside the point.
Now, I'm not saying that without Kouzes and UC202 I would have panicked and run in the opposite direction. I've grown a lot in the last year and have leaped out of my tiny, little comfort zone of my past. But without Kouzes and UC202 I wouldn't have been aware of how important all of these minute realizations are. I'm so glad that I have raised my awareness (shoutout to Annie).
Also, I'll be handing out candy to any studiers on Sunday, Dec. 8th from 1-2PM! So be sure to go study :)
I'm not hugely involved with ALD because I'm so busy with a lot of other, higher priority things, but when I got the email about "You've Been Caught Studying," and saw that I had the times free, I jumped on the idea. As an English Major, during Dead Week I am usually quite literally dead because of the sheer amount of papers and reading I have to do (I don't have that many actual testing finals, just pages and pages of papers and analysis). My roommate is a nursing major and my boyfriend is an engineer, so I understand how cruel finals can be, and I wanted so badly to help ease students' stress - even if it's only slightly. Not only that, but I know that being able to take a break myself to hand out presents to random strangers would certainly ease my stress.
Anyway, I walked into our study room on Friday ready to help put these gifts together. Not being hugely involved, I don't know a whole lot of other ALDers, so I was a bit nervous. I would be here for two hours, putting candy and notes together and conversation must certainly ensue. As much as I have branched out these past couple years and as much as I have learned and become more comfortable in similar - even more harrowing - situations, I still get a little nervous every time. I used to be cripplingly shy and that's not something easily let go of. Just last night, however, I had read the first three parts of The Leadership Challenge and was inspired by my own responses. I had preached this huge importance of community and here I was going into a room where I probably wouldn't know anyone. Being aware of this, I changed my habit of shutting down (crossing my arms) and went in with the goal of meeting and talking to five new people: it's pretty specific and weird, but trust me when I add that word "cripplingly" to shy; I used to be awful.
Then, as I went in and said hi to everyone, I remembered also what I had said in my responses and in my values paper about community and shared values and interests. I realized that all of these people were here because they too wanted to help out stressed out students and that they were in ALD because they too were invited based on their academic performance. We already had so much in common. A few of them might even be thinking about how awkward it might potentially be walking up to a studying stranger and handing them candy, but that's beside the point.
Now, I'm not saying that without Kouzes and UC202 I would have panicked and run in the opposite direction. I've grown a lot in the last year and have leaped out of my tiny, little comfort zone of my past. But without Kouzes and UC202 I wouldn't have been aware of how important all of these minute realizations are. I'm so glad that I have raised my awareness (shoutout to Annie).
Also, I'll be handing out candy to any studiers on Sunday, Dec. 8th from 1-2PM! So be sure to go study :)
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Service Learning - MSU Friday
MSU Fridays are harrowing and exhausting affairs.
I am an Advocat. As I have explained before, that means that I am a volunteer student tour guide. I give regular tours every Thursday morning at 9AM to any visiting, prospective students and their parents. There are four MSU Fridays every year and Advos are required to work them. MSU Fridays, for those who don't know, are the very organized and structured days (on the organizing side of things) in which visiting families get a presentation of MSU - there are campus tours all day and a big presentation at 9AM. They have the opportunity to go to sample classes, meet with department heads, deans, the Honors College; there are presentations by the Office of Student Success, Study Abroad, and Financial Education. They get a free meal pass so they can eat on campus, in the SUB. And we, as AdvoCats, run the whole show. We don't miss any classes, though, which means that we start the day at 7AM, and work in between classes and other engagements until 4PM.
At the first MSU Friday of this year, there were upwards of 300 attendees (something like that - it felt like 600 at some points during the day). My day started bright and early at 7AM, at which time I was in the SUB practicing a skit I was to perform with seven others in front of 300 people. The purpose of the skit was to formally introduce the student AdvoCats, relay a variety of majors and years, and discuss an abundance of reasons why to come to MSU. We ran down the isles, through the chairs, from the very back of the SUB Ballrooms, jumped on stage, sang YMSU (to the tune of YMCA), and sent the microphone down the line explaining who we were and why we came to MSU. The problem was, that the Office of Admissions needed more than just the typical reasons (skiing and Bozeman), so I was up there in front of 300 people telling them that I came to MSU because of the variety of student resources and assistance on campus - trying to sound authentic. In the end, I think I did okay. Then we jumped off stage and ran back to the back of the Ballrooms.
Then, my day continued with the setting up of lunch tables and decorations in the SUB Ballrooms (after the guests had filed out and the previous set-up had been cleared away). I then had to run from there to Linfield to collect a crowd of potential Agriculture students and families so I could escort them safely and quickly back to the SUB for a sample class. This was difficult; I don't know if you have met the dean of Agriculture, but she is potentially the nicest person you've ever met: which means she talks a lot. So at 12:01 (the students were supposed to be on the move by 12), I had to step into the meeting room and relate the her that we needed to move these people out of here. Of course, she's the nicest person in the world, so it wasn't a big deal. BUT THEN, I had to move thirty people from the very top of Linfield, down a narrow staircase, up the mall, and through the SUB without losing them. To be honest, I still don't know if I lost anyone and if I did, I hope they're not still out there. The purpose of the AdvoCats, though, is to make MSU's first impression on these families. If we're rushed, unfriendly, and rude, that's how these families will remember the university. It wasn't hard for me to make conversation with these lovely people, but there was a pressure there and I was constantly worried about those in the very back of the crows whom I couldn't speak to.
Come lunch time, I was assigned to mingle. I literally had to walk up to random families, who were eating their lunches, and make conversation. This is one of those things that brings flashbacks of my old, shy self back to my mind. I worry a bit about how awkward I could potentially be and how I might find I have nothing to say. But I realized that I was there, representing my school as a leader and that I needed to just jump in. So that's what I did. I didn't give myself any more time to worry, I just picked a girl sitting with her mom and sat down across from them. And (surprise, surprise) it was actually really fun!
Long ago, in the age of high school, I, myself, attended an MSU Friday. I still remember it; I don't remember the details; I don't remember my AdvoCat's name, or any skits. But I remember it. That's why we do them and that's why I'm an AdvoCat. My Advo friends and I represent our school as leaders, as students, as community members, and we are usually the very first impression for a lot of our visitors. That's the goal, just to help these high school students decide where they want to go to start the rest of their lives. When I remember that, at the end of MSU Friday when I'm on my way home for a well deserved nap, it makes it all worth it.
I am an Advocat. As I have explained before, that means that I am a volunteer student tour guide. I give regular tours every Thursday morning at 9AM to any visiting, prospective students and their parents. There are four MSU Fridays every year and Advos are required to work them. MSU Fridays, for those who don't know, are the very organized and structured days (on the organizing side of things) in which visiting families get a presentation of MSU - there are campus tours all day and a big presentation at 9AM. They have the opportunity to go to sample classes, meet with department heads, deans, the Honors College; there are presentations by the Office of Student Success, Study Abroad, and Financial Education. They get a free meal pass so they can eat on campus, in the SUB. And we, as AdvoCats, run the whole show. We don't miss any classes, though, which means that we start the day at 7AM, and work in between classes and other engagements until 4PM.
At the first MSU Friday of this year, there were upwards of 300 attendees (something like that - it felt like 600 at some points during the day). My day started bright and early at 7AM, at which time I was in the SUB practicing a skit I was to perform with seven others in front of 300 people. The purpose of the skit was to formally introduce the student AdvoCats, relay a variety of majors and years, and discuss an abundance of reasons why to come to MSU. We ran down the isles, through the chairs, from the very back of the SUB Ballrooms, jumped on stage, sang YMSU (to the tune of YMCA), and sent the microphone down the line explaining who we were and why we came to MSU. The problem was, that the Office of Admissions needed more than just the typical reasons (skiing and Bozeman), so I was up there in front of 300 people telling them that I came to MSU because of the variety of student resources and assistance on campus - trying to sound authentic. In the end, I think I did okay. Then we jumped off stage and ran back to the back of the Ballrooms.
Then, my day continued with the setting up of lunch tables and decorations in the SUB Ballrooms (after the guests had filed out and the previous set-up had been cleared away). I then had to run from there to Linfield to collect a crowd of potential Agriculture students and families so I could escort them safely and quickly back to the SUB for a sample class. This was difficult; I don't know if you have met the dean of Agriculture, but she is potentially the nicest person you've ever met: which means she talks a lot. So at 12:01 (the students were supposed to be on the move by 12), I had to step into the meeting room and relate the her that we needed to move these people out of here. Of course, she's the nicest person in the world, so it wasn't a big deal. BUT THEN, I had to move thirty people from the very top of Linfield, down a narrow staircase, up the mall, and through the SUB without losing them. To be honest, I still don't know if I lost anyone and if I did, I hope they're not still out there. The purpose of the AdvoCats, though, is to make MSU's first impression on these families. If we're rushed, unfriendly, and rude, that's how these families will remember the university. It wasn't hard for me to make conversation with these lovely people, but there was a pressure there and I was constantly worried about those in the very back of the crows whom I couldn't speak to.
Come lunch time, I was assigned to mingle. I literally had to walk up to random families, who were eating their lunches, and make conversation. This is one of those things that brings flashbacks of my old, shy self back to my mind. I worry a bit about how awkward I could potentially be and how I might find I have nothing to say. But I realized that I was there, representing my school as a leader and that I needed to just jump in. So that's what I did. I didn't give myself any more time to worry, I just picked a girl sitting with her mom and sat down across from them. And (surprise, surprise) it was actually really fun!
Long ago, in the age of high school, I, myself, attended an MSU Friday. I still remember it; I don't remember the details; I don't remember my AdvoCat's name, or any skits. But I remember it. That's why we do them and that's why I'm an AdvoCat. My Advo friends and I represent our school as leaders, as students, as community members, and we are usually the very first impression for a lot of our visitors. That's the goal, just to help these high school students decide where they want to go to start the rest of their lives. When I remember that, at the end of MSU Friday when I'm on my way home for a well deserved nap, it makes it all worth it.
Extra Credit - The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner, Part 2
In Chapter 3 (the first chapter of Part 1), Kouzes and Posner (from here on, referred to as KP) discuss values and the personal and public (community based) clarification of those values. Nearing the end of this chapter, KP suggest writing yourself a memo of your values, but we've done that already in Leadership Foundations (how convenient!). Further than just defining your values, though, they suggest writing a one page, concise "Credo Memo." This is, in essence, your values and what you intend to use those values for. In their model, it is easily used for a specific time frame and goal, but I think this Credo Memo could also easily be used for a more broad sense of how you live your life: because values are not only applied to goals. The values you use in leadership are the values you lead your own life by.
Near the beginning of the chapter, KP state, "You can't believe in the messenger if you don't know what the messenger believes," and "You can't be the messenger if you don't know what you believe." The discussion and the struggle of finding one's own voice is one that any college student, or anyone around the age of 18, should be familiar with: after all, we've become adults and we've left home. If you leave home prepared to spout all the beliefs you've grown up with, without branching out, researching them and owning them yourself, you're not going to come off as authentic. It just won't happen, and I can promise you that.
Finding your own voice is a battle you'll fight against others, members of your community, our family, and with yourself. Because at some point you will think that what you are saying is something you believe in, and then something will happen or you'll hear something or meet someone who completely changes that belief or value. That is exactly why it is incredibly important to make these values a conscious decision. Now that I know and have written out my own leadership (AKA life) values, I couldn't imagine going through life without having that necessary moral mind struggle that I had while writing that paper.
Before writing the Values paper, I was in a place a lot of people, both young and old, are stuck in. Let's imagine I hadn't defined my values at the beginning of the semester, and let's then imagine that someone asks me what my most important value is. I would have no idea; and I would probably just pick the first one that came to mind. Then, when someone else asked me weeks down the road, it would be different. But now, I know what my values are. I know and am conscious of them at all times of the day and night. If someone were to come to me now and ask what my most important value is I would say, "Community," without any hesitation. And that answer would be the same weeks later.
In the beginning of Chapter 4, KP introduce Juan, the industry solution manager at IBM. Juan introduces a real life leadership problem he once faced and says, "'I found that I could drive myself harder by letting my voice - my clarity about my values - remind me of the importance of my actions. The voice was fundamental in my decisions about getting personally involved in taking action'" (74). This passage immediately brought to me echoes of Deedee's friend Annie and her lesson on wakefulness. In tangent, I am glad I am reading this because I don't know when else I could make this complete connection. In knowing, being aware of, defining, and living by values, one is more able to be awake to the day-to-day occurrences: to change the habitual pathways and automatic spindle cell tendencies. In knowing my own values and practicing them consciously I am more easily and more comfortably - more naturally - aware (as opposed to asleep).
This awareness isn't something that just comes naturally though after the definition of values. They must be consciously practiced: that's the key. The following passage is in discussion much later on in the chapter, but it applies well here:
"Critical incidents - chance occurrences, particularly at a time of stress and challenge - offer significant moments of learning for leaders and constituents. Critical incidents present opportunities for leaders to leach important lessons about appropriate norms of behavior" (88). This brings us full circle to the beginning passage, "You can't believe in the messenger if you don't know what the messenger believes." The messenger - the leader - you and I - must have values that are clear, defined, and practiced in our own minds completely enough that we can clearly communicate them to our supporters and our community. In this way, leaders perform one of the functions present in my PLP: teaching. Teaching by example, not by title. By owning my values, I teach them to others. If I don't understand them myself, or if I allow them to falter, I teach false and dangerous lessons.
"Critical incidents - chance occurrences, particularly at a time of stress and challenge - offer significant moments of learning for leaders and constituents. Critical incidents present opportunities for leaders to leach important lessons about appropriate norms of behavior" (88). This brings us full circle to the beginning passage, "You can't believe in the messenger if you don't know what the messenger believes." The messenger - the leader - you and I - must have values that are clear, defined, and practiced in our own minds completely enough that we can clearly communicate them to our supporters and our community. In this way, leaders perform one of the functions present in my PLP: teaching. Teaching by example, not by title. By owning my values, I teach them to others. If I don't understand them myself, or if I allow them to falter, I teach false and dangerous lessons.
Extra Credit - The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner, Part 1
Chapter one of The Leadership Challenge served as a quick summary of the first main chapters of The Student Leadership Challenge which we read in class. In one chapter, it briefly described the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. What I realized in reading them all together is that they all work together in such a way that a leader could not use one practice without also using the other four. They all work together in order to build the ultimate ideal of community. It's an idea present and as an outcome of each practice.
In Model The Way, Kouzes claims, "Leaders must forge agreement around common principles and common ideals," and some important elements are, "the power of spending time with someone, of working side by side with colleagues, of telling stories that made values come alive, of being highly visible during times of uncertainty, and of asking questions to get people to think about values and priorities." All of these elements build a sense of community. By trusting and enjoying the people and leaders that surround you, a common culture, goal, and values can be developed - all of which are necessary in a community setting.
In Inspire a Shared Vision, Kouzes says, "Their own enthusiasm was catching; it spread from leader to constituents. Their belief in and enthusiasm for the vision were the sparks that ignited the flame of inspiration." The whole idea of inspiring a shared vision is one of the most important tools in building a community: a team must share a goal and the values. A leader is the tool that brings all the members together and communicates and delegates those goals and values.
In Challenge the Process, the most important sentence in the entire passage is, "You can't exhort people to take risks if they don't also feel safe." In the paper I wrote, early in the semester, on the necessary values in leadership, I explained that safety is a necessary component and it helps to build community. Kouzes claims that without a sense of safety, your supporters won't listen and follow with what you ask.
Enabling Others to Act requires inclusion. "Inclusion...ensures that everyone feels and thinks that they are owners and leaders....when people are trusted and have more discretion, more authority, and more information, they're much more likely to use their energies to produce extraordinary results." It must be becoming quite obvious where all of this is going: every single aspect and practice builds and is a requirement of community. And community is a requirement and a practice of leadership. "Leaders foster collaboration and trust," might as well be saying 'Leaders foster community.'
In the final practice, Encouraging the Heart, the authors say, "Leaders also know that celebrations and rituals, when done with authenticity and from the heart, build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through extraordinary times." The emphasis, here, is put on the team and the group - synonymous with community. And only with community knowledge can a leader be authentic and aware of his/her individuals.
In the final practice, Encouraging the Heart, the authors say, "Leaders also know that celebrations and rituals, when done with authenticity and from the heart, build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through extraordinary times." The emphasis, here, is put on the team and the group - synonymous with community. And only with community knowledge can a leader be authentic and aware of his/her individuals.
I spoke in my last blog post (Combs) of the fact that I seem to have had in me a lot of the ideas we've learned and developed over this semester. This reading, as well as many of the others, have helped to realize that these ideas I had - community, in this case - are actual, conscious elements of leadership and that I must foster them and build upon them.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Extra Credit - Combs, Pg.164-170
There is a lot in this short passage of reading that I found very personal connections to. The first that jumped out at me was the passage on 163, "if we 'unlearn' crossing our arms and legs, we both feel and are perceived as more open and approachable." This idea is one that I have heard echo throughout my life. It was only this last summer with my co-ed kickball team that it really stuck. I don't know why this particular moment stays in my mind, but it happened at lunch with my teammates after a game one Sunday. We were sitting at our table, our meals done, just hanging out, and my arms were crossed as they often are. One my teammates, DeWayne, pointed at me, looked at me sister, and said, "Will you please explain to her." Everyone laughed, as it was a joke within their group, but my sister and DeWayne quickly explained to me that as soon as a woman crosses her arms or puts her hands on her hips she becomes unapproachable.
Now, whenever I find myself with my arms crossed or my hands on my hips I consciously work to put them somewhere else. In a way, I'm trying to reconstruct the mental pathway (spindle cells) that lead me to cross my arms.
Long ago, in fifth grade as my classmates and I were sitting to take CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment, or something like that), my teacher told us that if our brains were tired or we weren't thinking clearly, we should cross our legs or arms because it would activate and reawaken our minds. As I read about the EMF displayed in our minds and hearts and how crossing the arms blocks the heart's EMF, it all made more sense. Perhaps, if your mind is wandering or unfocused, it is because you're uncrossed - your heart is leading more than your mind. Unfortunately, in a standardized testing arena, the mind must generally be leading, s crossing your arms allows your mind to take control again. This could potentially be used in a very strong argument against standardized testing, but that is for another time.
The second passage that struck me starts with a quote on 167 from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." This brought me immediately to the lesson in my PLP: everyone has the ability and power to create something. In tandem, everything has the ability and possibility to be made into something. In Deedee's words, "We only find what we are looking for." We can create, if we believe we can create.
The last passage that I want to highlight is one that has been imprinted in my heart ever since I could understand my grandpa. "What would happen if in every conversation we believed that we were speaking with the teacher who holds all the answers in every conflict?" (168). And this brought me immediately to Myron Rolle's comment, "Always talk to the janitors and the lunch ladies." This is a lesson in leadership that many Americans - many people in general - seem to be lacking: occupation does not denote wisdom. It goes along the same lines as what I say in my PLP, "I will be a teacher in the same way I will be a leader; I don't need the title." It's something I spoke of at the Leadership Summit just this week; every person in every part of every team is a leader whether they realize or even whether they want it. Every person has a wisdom to share. And every person should be willing and trying to hear that.
Now, whenever I find myself with my arms crossed or my hands on my hips I consciously work to put them somewhere else. In a way, I'm trying to reconstruct the mental pathway (spindle cells) that lead me to cross my arms.
Long ago, in fifth grade as my classmates and I were sitting to take CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment, or something like that), my teacher told us that if our brains were tired or we weren't thinking clearly, we should cross our legs or arms because it would activate and reawaken our minds. As I read about the EMF displayed in our minds and hearts and how crossing the arms blocks the heart's EMF, it all made more sense. Perhaps, if your mind is wandering or unfocused, it is because you're uncrossed - your heart is leading more than your mind. Unfortunately, in a standardized testing arena, the mind must generally be leading, s crossing your arms allows your mind to take control again. This could potentially be used in a very strong argument against standardized testing, but that is for another time.
The second passage that struck me starts with a quote on 167 from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." This brought me immediately to the lesson in my PLP: everyone has the ability and power to create something. In tandem, everything has the ability and possibility to be made into something. In Deedee's words, "We only find what we are looking for." We can create, if we believe we can create.
The last passage that I want to highlight is one that has been imprinted in my heart ever since I could understand my grandpa. "What would happen if in every conversation we believed that we were speaking with the teacher who holds all the answers in every conflict?" (168). And this brought me immediately to Myron Rolle's comment, "Always talk to the janitors and the lunch ladies." This is a lesson in leadership that many Americans - many people in general - seem to be lacking: occupation does not denote wisdom. It goes along the same lines as what I say in my PLP, "I will be a teacher in the same way I will be a leader; I don't need the title." It's something I spoke of at the Leadership Summit just this week; every person in every part of every team is a leader whether they realize or even whether they want it. Every person has a wisdom to share. And every person should be willing and trying to hear that.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Kouzes Ch. 8
I have compiled a list of quotes from Chapter 8 of The Student Leadership Challenge which serve to effectively summarize literally everything I have discussed,written, or spoken about on my own in Leadership Foundations this semester.
"Leadership is about relationships, about credibility, and about what you do" (142).And finally,
"No matter what your position is in your group, you have to take responsibility for the quality of its leadership" (144).
"If you are to become a better leader, you must first believe that leadership applies to you and that you can be a positive force in the world" (147).
"Sometimes we imagine leadership to be something majestic--about grand visions, about world-changing initiatives, about transforming the lives of millions. All these are noble possibilities, but real leadership occurs one moment at a time. Real leadership approaches every interaction and every situation as an opportunity to lead" (153).After I have already said these same things in my own words - without reading this chapter - I was astounded to find that these ideas and ideals were already part of my repertoire: already part of my own leader. This realization brought me to the quote on page 157, "Leadership doesn't begin until you believe in yourself so much that you are willing to give voice and take action even if at the beginning the only person following you is yourself." Reflecting on this semester, I had the important, base leadership traits down; I knew what I wanted and what I valued. I knew I couldn't do it alone and that I didn't need a title in order to lead. What I have learned most from this class is to trust all of that knowledge - and so to trust myself. Kouzes says it plainly, "Leadership doesn't begin until you believe in yourself." And I can't allow my belief to jump up on its own in times of dire need. I must harvest it, grow it, and use it consciously: along with all the specific conflict, element, biological, psychological knowledge learned this semester. Leadership is a conscious effort, a conscious drive. Without Kouzes, but most importantly, without this class, I would still be asleep to my knowledge. I would still doubt it.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Kouzes Ch. 6 and 7
These two chapters pretty seem to be talking about everything I have written or spoken about this semester. It was interesting to finish up practicing my PLP speech on inspiring action, then to open up Kouzes and see "Enable Others to Act."
It is interesting as well that the two chapters were separate or - more noticeably - that "Enable Others to Act" isn't the very last chapter. What I'm getting at is: encouraging the heart is enabling others to act.
My own responses to the chapter questions also surprised me; the first three from Enabling Others to Act were all moments from the same team. It just goes to show that every person is a leader, whether they know or acknowledge that title. One team member can say something that makes you feel small and weak; the coach can say something that makes you feel powerful; the whole team can still - in most moments - click. But what I learned from these responses is that in order to make others always feel powerful - in order to build a team and a community, a leader must "Learn from the many small and often casual acts of appreciation what works for each constituent and how best to personalize recognition." In order to build a community, a leader must encourage the heart. More specifically, a leader must strive to learn as much about the individuals he or she is leading as possible.
It is interesting as well that the two chapters were separate or - more noticeably - that "Enable Others to Act" isn't the very last chapter. What I'm getting at is: encouraging the heart is enabling others to act.
"To get extraordinary things done you must foster collaboration and create conditions whereby people know they can count on one another, by building trust and strong relationships within your group" (Enable Others to Act, 99).This can only be done by "Acknowledging the community ("common unity"), student leaders create a sense of belonging and team spirit, building and maintaining the necessary social support, especially in stressful times" (Encouraging the Heart, 132).
My own responses to the chapter questions also surprised me; the first three from Enabling Others to Act were all moments from the same team. It just goes to show that every person is a leader, whether they know or acknowledge that title. One team member can say something that makes you feel small and weak; the coach can say something that makes you feel powerful; the whole team can still - in most moments - click. But what I learned from these responses is that in order to make others always feel powerful - in order to build a team and a community, a leader must "Learn from the many small and often casual acts of appreciation what works for each constituent and how best to personalize recognition." In order to build a community, a leader must encourage the heart. More specifically, a leader must strive to learn as much about the individuals he or she is leading as possible.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Peter Senge and Margaret Wheatley
I want to discuss two specific passages that stuck out to me for their similarities and direction:
This relates directly to Margaret Wheatley's discussion of "self-organization." Working as individuals, we are in the realm that resists change because we are blinded; as a team, we are able to identify the changes and those opportunities that are so created.
"Organizations break down, despite individual brilliance and innovative products, because they are unable to pull their diverse functions and talents into a productive whole" ("A Shift of Mind," Peter Senge, 69).
"When our initial efforts fail to produce lasting improvements, we push harder...all the while blinding ourselves to how we are contributing to the obstacles ourselves" ("The Laws of the Fifth Discipline," Peter Senge, 59-60).In retrospect, I should have read Senge's Chapter 4 before I read Chapter 5, but for some reason I flip-flopped them. His discussion of thinking of people as individual reactors instead of as parts of a whole is elaborated by the second quote; if, unlike the horse Boxer, we work as a whole or as a team, we are more able to see problems, to view future effects, and to gain new insights on what we are doing. When, like Boxer, we work alone and incessantly at one objective we are blinded by that objective. The step-by-step action plan disintegrates and the objective becomes overwhelming. The "individual brilliance" of the first quote becomes destructive.
This relates directly to Margaret Wheatley's discussion of "self-organization." Working as individuals, we are in the realm that resists change because we are blinded; as a team, we are able to identify the changes and those opportunities that are so created.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Service Learning - Chi Alpha Kappa to Delta Gamma
Every Sunday night our women's social club Chi Alpha Kappa has a meeting; however, tonight's meeting was different than any other, because at tonight's meeting the three founders (myself, my roommate, and our friend) announced to our girls that we received the okay from the national sorority Delta Gamma (DG) to colonize at Montana State. This past summer, we got a group of girls together in the hopes of bringing DG to MSU, but we were told we couldn't yet, so we made Chi Alpha Kappa instead. Finally bringing DG to campus is extremely exciting for us - probably the most exciting thing to happen to any of us all year. But we had a delicate task at hand: we had to announce to a room full of girls that their club, Chi Alpha Kappa, wouldn't exist anymore, that we would become DG pledges. This involves learning new, strict traditions; knowing and loving new colors, new themes, new mottos and chants. Most importantly, though, it involves offering a lot more commitment to us and to our girls and to DG.
My co-founders both understood that they were not too adept at making speeches or conveying delicate information, so at 11AM this morning, I was delegated the task of coming up with a way to convey all of this to our girls. I needed simultaneously to offer excitement, caution, and elevate the importance. I needed to explain to these girls why this information mattered, why we need more time from them, and why they need to make this decision only after intense consideration. We have a lot of girls who have been with us since we first started (back when the main goal was to bring DG to MSU), but we also have a lot of girls who have joined along the way and have only ever known Chi Alpha Kappa. I spent hours trying to formulate the right speech. I would soon have an unstructured room full of girls sitting on the floor in front of me. The venue is my living room - it's not at all formal or important - and I had to preach these girls things I could barely comprehend myself; and I had to do it quickly, lest I lose their attention.
So I just started writing, because that's what I do best. And I came up with this:
It's been a few hours since meeting ended and we've now heard from a few girls - so far only those who do want to join. We expect to lose a few, in some extreme cases, we hope to lose a few, but that's important because we need girls who will be dedicated to this. It isn't a club anymore, it's a sorority: a sorority with an important image to uphold.
At the end of the day, I feel like I did my job well. I let the girls know that we cared about all of them, even those who don't want to join us. And I let them know in a kind and delicate way. I'm so excited to see where this goes and I can't wait to be DG!
My co-founders both understood that they were not too adept at making speeches or conveying delicate information, so at 11AM this morning, I was delegated the task of coming up with a way to convey all of this to our girls. I needed simultaneously to offer excitement, caution, and elevate the importance. I needed to explain to these girls why this information mattered, why we need more time from them, and why they need to make this decision only after intense consideration. We have a lot of girls who have been with us since we first started (back when the main goal was to bring DG to MSU), but we also have a lot of girls who have joined along the way and have only ever known Chi Alpha Kappa. I spent hours trying to formulate the right speech. I would soon have an unstructured room full of girls sitting on the floor in front of me. The venue is my living room - it's not at all formal or important - and I had to preach these girls things I could barely comprehend myself; and I had to do it quickly, lest I lose their attention.
So I just started writing, because that's what I do best. And I came up with this:
Those of you who have been with us since the very beginning will remember that we started this group of girls because we wanted to bring Delta Gamma to the MSU campus. Then we were told that we couldn’t, but we didn’t just drop everything and quit. We became Chi Alpha Kappa. And we have moved through some shit this semester, but we’re still Chi Alpha Kappa. We just had seventy registered participants in our first ever philanthropic event: that’s big. And now we can finally be Delta Gammas, but this means we’re not just a club any more. We are a colony of an actual, national sorority which means we need more commitment from you fabulous people than we have seen so far. Most of the girls here have shown us great passion and we love you for that; unfortunately, it’s a lot of the girls who aren’t here today who I wish would hear this. But I want everyone to know that we’re asking you to help us, to be our sisters, but that means we need your word and your time and your passion. What we’re doing here and what we are working so hard to succeed in is the true definition of sisterhood. We are bringing DG to Montana State. I just want you to understand how important this is. If you don’t feel excited about this, if you don’t want to or don’t think you have the time to give us your full effort, then we are so sorry to see you go, but we need girls who will give this their all. Because this means everything to us: this is why we started and it has happened so much faster and more spontaneously than I had ever hoped it would. We are DG, will you join us?We didn't let anyone make any decisions right away: even those who were just as psyched as we are, because we need them to understand what a big decision this is and how much time and effort it will take.
It's been a few hours since meeting ended and we've now heard from a few girls - so far only those who do want to join. We expect to lose a few, in some extreme cases, we hope to lose a few, but that's important because we need girls who will be dedicated to this. It isn't a club anymore, it's a sorority: a sorority with an important image to uphold.
At the end of the day, I feel like I did my job well. I let the girls know that we cared about all of them, even those who don't want to join us. And I let them know in a kind and delicate way. I'm so excited to see where this goes and I can't wait to be DG!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
The Bozeman Help Center - Service Learning
On Halloween this year Chi Alpha Kappa (a woman’s social club on campus) is organizing a 5K run, Run For Your Life, and all proceeds are going to Bozeman’s Help Center. To provide more information for us about what it is they do, they invited us on a tour of their facilities – “facilities” meaning a small house just below Main Street with counseling areas and telephones. For those of you who don’t know, the Help Center runs a 24-hour crisis hotline; any kind of emergency, whether you’re the victim or a friend of one, can be directed there. They also serve as advocates, counselors, and a strong support system for sexual assault victims, attempted suicides, and anyone else who needs help or a caring ear. The Bozeman Help Center is the only one of its kind in the Northwest Region when it comes to Sexual Assault because they do not only advocate for the victim, but offer long-term counseling after the fact. The Help Center also runs a program called Telecare in which they make daily calls to homebound people – those who don’t have many places to go or people to see, often times they can’t leave their homes – simply to provide care and a friendly voice.
During the tour I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who has been with the program nearly from its founding, Wendy. In her own words, she’s “only been with the program since 1975 and it was already four years old.” She is a delightful presence and I was honored to meet her.
The girls of Chi Alpha Kappa, including myself, are so excited to be able to benefit Wendy and the Help Center, especially after being invited into their home and given a tour, meeting the amazing staff and volunteers, and learning more about the organization. If you ever need the hotline, the number is (406) 586-3333 and if you would like more information on the Halloween 5K follow this link.
Homecoming Parade - Service Learning
Homecoming weekend a group of fellow students and I took our TEAs to the Homecoming parade on Main Street. The TEAs had never seen anything like it. They were literally jumping up and down with excitement for every float and every horse and every trumpet. Multiple times we had to pull them out of the street at the last minute just so they didn’t get run over by a horse or a fleet of band members. They took pictures with everything and everyone. And when one of the floats started handing out those blue and gold headbands with the crazy hair they flocked to them; every woman we had in our company collected at least two head bands.
It was an interesting contrast: to think of our American culture that has parades for pretty much every event and every holiday juxtaposed with the Nicaraguan (where most of our attending TEAs are from) culture which, apparently, does not. Sydney, Bridget, Mackenzie, and I have seen so many parades that they've just become second nature. I didn't even go to the Homecoming Parade last year, but I'm so glad that I went this year with Ana and the other TEAs.
The language barrier, for me, is not an enormous obstacle. I understand Spanish, though I cannot speak very well. But keeping eyes on all of our TEAs was a challenge; they wanted to see everything, so naturally, they ran in every direction. At least twice (once was when we were trying to get organized for the above picture) I lost track of Ana. Both times, a lot of shouting ensued until she came running back to the group, laughing.
By the end of that morning, I had developed a completely new view of Homecoming parades, and parades in general. I remember how excited I was a kid when I heard I was going to a parade - because I hadn't seen one thousand of them yet. But now, I've been able to realize this desensitization and perhaps be excited again. And it's not just parades, of course. You might have already realized that this is getting bigger than parades, but I'm excited to see what else I can learn from Ana and realize about my own culture, as well as hers.
It was an interesting contrast: to think of our American culture that has parades for pretty much every event and every holiday juxtaposed with the Nicaraguan (where most of our attending TEAs are from) culture which, apparently, does not. Sydney, Bridget, Mackenzie, and I have seen so many parades that they've just become second nature. I didn't even go to the Homecoming Parade last year, but I'm so glad that I went this year with Ana and the other TEAs.The language barrier, for me, is not an enormous obstacle. I understand Spanish, though I cannot speak very well. But keeping eyes on all of our TEAs was a challenge; they wanted to see everything, so naturally, they ran in every direction. At least twice (once was when we were trying to get organized for the above picture) I lost track of Ana. Both times, a lot of shouting ensued until she came running back to the group, laughing.
By the end of that morning, I had developed a completely new view of Homecoming parades, and parades in general. I remember how excited I was a kid when I heard I was going to a parade - because I hadn't seen one thousand of them yet. But now, I've been able to realize this desensitization and perhaps be excited again. And it's not just parades, of course. You might have already realized that this is getting bigger than parades, but I'm excited to see what else I can learn from Ana and realize about my own culture, as well as hers.
Chi Alpha Kappa - Service Learning
This past summer, my roommate approached me with a desire to bring the sorority Delta Gamma to the MSU campus. Naturally, I said I would help. We got a bunch of girls who wanted the same thing, we contacted the DG alum in Bozeman, and we all approached the school's Panhel counsel. There wasn't room for another house. But we had forty girls who wanted to do this; we needed to give them something. So my roommate, another friend, and I created Chi Alpha Kappa, a social club.
Every Sunday we have meeting; we discuss absolutely everything and they can run from forty-five minutes all the way up to two hours (which definitely cuts into Sunday Night Football, but I'm slowly learning to deal with it). I've made a lot of new friends through this club; I've had to coordinate and oftentimes control (through the use of Emotional Leadership Skills) my co-founders reactions to events and to members. We have integrated ourselves and been invited by some into the Greek life on campus. We've had to control our reputation and create our definition - and still, everyone who isn't a part of XAK seems vastly confused. We are comprised mostly of Freshman and Sophomores, and the Freshman girls we've welcomed to MSU are some of the best I've met; I'm so glad we could be here for them during that stressful time. And the Sophomores are some I recognize from around campus last year, though I knew none of them personally. During this semester, we've welcomed five new girls to the club already and we have twenty interested in joining in the spring.
One of the things I am most excited about is our first ever philanthropy event, the first annual Run For Your Life 5k. The idea came from one of the Sophomore girls; I told her to run with it. I gave her some tips, I gave her the information that she needed, and I stepped back and supervised her awesomeness. As a group, we have organized sponsors, received funding through the school, made posters, t-shirts, a website, and we're donating all the proceeds to the Bozeman Help Center: a cause we decided as a community is the one we wanted to support and assist. This 5k is being held on Halloween afternoon, and as the day approaches I see the familiar scramble to get everything in order. It's interesting to compare the LI events and staff to the girls of XAK. Most of us have never created an event from the ground up, but it's been an amazing surprise to see the success we've had so far.
There are some exciting things happening for XAK - we haven't given up our goal of bringing Delta Gamma to the MSU campus, and right now, things are looking good for us. But for now, I'll settle for this awesome group of outstanding women that I, with help of course, was able to bring together.
Every Sunday we have meeting; we discuss absolutely everything and they can run from forty-five minutes all the way up to two hours (which definitely cuts into Sunday Night Football, but I'm slowly learning to deal with it). I've made a lot of new friends through this club; I've had to coordinate and oftentimes control (through the use of Emotional Leadership Skills) my co-founders reactions to events and to members. We have integrated ourselves and been invited by some into the Greek life on campus. We've had to control our reputation and create our definition - and still, everyone who isn't a part of XAK seems vastly confused. We are comprised mostly of Freshman and Sophomores, and the Freshman girls we've welcomed to MSU are some of the best I've met; I'm so glad we could be here for them during that stressful time. And the Sophomores are some I recognize from around campus last year, though I knew none of them personally. During this semester, we've welcomed five new girls to the club already and we have twenty interested in joining in the spring.
One of the things I am most excited about is our first ever philanthropy event, the first annual Run For Your Life 5k. The idea came from one of the Sophomore girls; I told her to run with it. I gave her some tips, I gave her the information that she needed, and I stepped back and supervised her awesomeness. As a group, we have organized sponsors, received funding through the school, made posters, t-shirts, a website, and we're donating all the proceeds to the Bozeman Help Center: a cause we decided as a community is the one we wanted to support and assist. This 5k is being held on Halloween afternoon, and as the day approaches I see the familiar scramble to get everything in order. It's interesting to compare the LI events and staff to the girls of XAK. Most of us have never created an event from the ground up, but it's been an amazing surprise to see the success we've had so far.
There are some exciting things happening for XAK - we haven't given up our goal of bringing Delta Gamma to the MSU campus, and right now, things are looking good for us. But for now, I'll settle for this awesome group of outstanding women that I, with help of course, was able to bring together.
AdvoCats - Service Learning
No body ever seems to know what an AdvoCat is; whenever I mention it, my audience will nod their heads until I finish and then say something like, "Now, what's an Advocat?" AdvoCats are the student volunteers for the Office of Admissions who provide weekly tours for prospective students and families. You've probably seen us on campus; we're always walking backwards followed by a confused-looking group of people.
Once a week we have Advocat Class where we learn how to put our best foot forward. On the first day of class this semester (my first Advo. class ever) we were supposed to work out our tour schedules. I knew that much, but when the class began, we were bombarded (nicely, of course, because the people at the Office of Admissions are awesome) with information about the school - facts, numbers, stories, tour routes. I knew nothing: or at least, that's the idea that was swimming through my head.
And then, as we neared the end of class, the coordinator pulled out the tour schedule. I had no idea how the tour schedule worked; I was expecting to give tours whenever I was available, something I know I wasn't ready for. However, I was relieved of this worry when I found out AdvoCats only give one tour a week and it's the same day, same time every week. I was even further relieved when I found my name under the "Thursday morning Alternates" list which would mean I only give tours when the "Regulars" can't make it. Now, I'll be honest: I was relieved, because a lot of my worries had suddenly disappeared, but I was also a bit bummed. I wanted to be an Advocat; I went through the application process and the interviews and I got it: they chose me and I wanted to give tours.
But then they moved me up.
Advocat class is on Wednesdays. The coordinator had just moved my name up from the "Alternates" to an empty spot on the "Regulars" list for the very next morning. I had just seen the tour route and information for the first time and I was going to have to give a tour the very next morning?! Yes. But, I was relieved yet again by the other Regular who had been an Advocat before; she took the real tour group while the practicing newbies took a practice tour by themselves.
Last Thursday, I gave my very first solo tour. I was just me waling backwards, and fifteen other potential Bobcats and despite my nervousness the night before, it went swimmingly. I gave three more solo tours the very next day (last Friday) at MSU Friday.
Once a week we have Advocat Class where we learn how to put our best foot forward. On the first day of class this semester (my first Advo. class ever) we were supposed to work out our tour schedules. I knew that much, but when the class began, we were bombarded (nicely, of course, because the people at the Office of Admissions are awesome) with information about the school - facts, numbers, stories, tour routes. I knew nothing: or at least, that's the idea that was swimming through my head.
And then, as we neared the end of class, the coordinator pulled out the tour schedule. I had no idea how the tour schedule worked; I was expecting to give tours whenever I was available, something I know I wasn't ready for. However, I was relieved of this worry when I found out AdvoCats only give one tour a week and it's the same day, same time every week. I was even further relieved when I found my name under the "Thursday morning Alternates" list which would mean I only give tours when the "Regulars" can't make it. Now, I'll be honest: I was relieved, because a lot of my worries had suddenly disappeared, but I was also a bit bummed. I wanted to be an Advocat; I went through the application process and the interviews and I got it: they chose me and I wanted to give tours.
But then they moved me up.
Advocat class is on Wednesdays. The coordinator had just moved my name up from the "Alternates" to an empty spot on the "Regulars" list for the very next morning. I had just seen the tour route and information for the first time and I was going to have to give a tour the very next morning?! Yes. But, I was relieved yet again by the other Regular who had been an Advocat before; she took the real tour group while the practicing newbies took a practice tour by themselves.
Last Thursday, I gave my very first solo tour. I was just me waling backwards, and fifteen other potential Bobcats and despite my nervousness the night before, it went swimmingly. I gave three more solo tours the very next day (last Friday) at MSU Friday.
Volunteer at Convocation - Service Learning
Near the beginning of this year, my coordinator for Advocats sent out an email to all of us that the Leadership Institute needed volunteers to help at Convocation. There was a T-shirt, a ticket to the Master Class, and a meal involved so obviously, I decided I would help out. It's funny, looking back on the time now, because I work with the people I had to interact with during my volunteer hours. I was a little nervous to go to the office and get my t-shirt - I had never been to the LI office before - and Aleks helped me out, though I didn't know her at the time.
On the day of the event, I had a full schedule of classes, so I didn't have time to coordinate with my Advo. buddies who were also volunteering; I showed up at the Master Class by myself. I was wearing the volunteer t-shirt; I felt terribly under-dressed. But then I introduced myself to some fun looking strangers and my anxiety levels went down a bit.
After the Master Class, I was supposed to find Eric who would be wearing a blue shirt and khakis. Now I know exactly who Eric is and I have a blue LI shirt of my own, but back then, as a volunteer, I had no idea what to expect or who I was looking for. Luckily, though, I quickly noticed the uniform blue shirt and a cluster of volunteer shirts so I sorted myself out and got myself where I was supposed to be.
After the general confusion had died down - we reached the fieldhouse, we ate our dinner, I found some familiar faces - I felt much more at ease. Then Josh told me I would be escorting Yann Martel from his car to his green room. So that was the end of that peacefulness. As an aspiring writer myself, I was so excited to actually be walking with Mr. Martel and potentially talking to him; naturally, I sent a text to my mom, my dad, and my roommate (who were all equally as excited - with the exception of my dad who still does not know who Yann Martel is).
It was an important job; I waited in the back hall, where the greenrooms and all the important people of MSU were also waiting. I escorted lost freshman to their corresponding entrance. And eventually, Destini (another volunteer) and I were delegated the responsibility of escorting President Cruzado through the mob of freshman inside the fieldhouse. Somehow, despite the fact that my partner was much taller than me, I ended up in the front of Pres. Waded while we pushed our way through the mob, but it worked; we got her where she needed to be.
At the end of the day, I had participated in my first LI event; I came to more fully understand my sense of unease when I know I don't know what I'm doing or when I don't have something to do. I practiced approaching people - from students I don't know to the President of the school. And then I was able to sit back and relax while I saw a tiger and heard Mr. Martel.
On the day of the event, I had a full schedule of classes, so I didn't have time to coordinate with my Advo. buddies who were also volunteering; I showed up at the Master Class by myself. I was wearing the volunteer t-shirt; I felt terribly under-dressed. But then I introduced myself to some fun looking strangers and my anxiety levels went down a bit.
After the Master Class, I was supposed to find Eric who would be wearing a blue shirt and khakis. Now I know exactly who Eric is and I have a blue LI shirt of my own, but back then, as a volunteer, I had no idea what to expect or who I was looking for. Luckily, though, I quickly noticed the uniform blue shirt and a cluster of volunteer shirts so I sorted myself out and got myself where I was supposed to be.
After the general confusion had died down - we reached the fieldhouse, we ate our dinner, I found some familiar faces - I felt much more at ease. Then Josh told me I would be escorting Yann Martel from his car to his green room. So that was the end of that peacefulness. As an aspiring writer myself, I was so excited to actually be walking with Mr. Martel and potentially talking to him; naturally, I sent a text to my mom, my dad, and my roommate (who were all equally as excited - with the exception of my dad who still does not know who Yann Martel is).
It was an important job; I waited in the back hall, where the greenrooms and all the important people of MSU were also waiting. I escorted lost freshman to their corresponding entrance. And eventually, Destini (another volunteer) and I were delegated the responsibility of escorting President Cruzado through the mob of freshman inside the fieldhouse. Somehow, despite the fact that my partner was much taller than me, I ended up in the front of Pres. Waded while we pushed our way through the mob, but it worked; we got her where she needed to be.
At the end of the day, I had participated in my first LI event; I came to more fully understand my sense of unease when I know I don't know what I'm doing or when I don't have something to do. I practiced approaching people - from students I don't know to the President of the school. And then I was able to sit back and relax while I saw a tiger and heard Mr. Martel.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Decision Making
I enjoyed the "Hidden Traps" article the most, perhaps out of anything we've read so far, because it discussed the psychological, subconscious issues that are easy to ignore - even if done simply out of ignorance. I find myself falling into the Status-Quo Trap more often than any other and I didn't recognize that until I read this article. I knew of a few problems I had in decision making, but couldn't label the problem (or trap) until just now. I've found this semester that labeling the problems - and the successes - is half the battle. As humans, we find order in labeling and organizing. Like "Leadership Styles" mentions, when something is hazy we tend to imagine it is farther away; similarly, when something is not labeled, it's easy to dismiss or ignore. Being able to label each of these decision-making traps, not only allows for us to move forward in decision-making, but ultimately to be more comfortable in general (less stressed out about subconscious problems) and so to be able to lead more completely. If the leader is comfortable, the supporters are comfortable.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Deidre, Annie, and Richard Lewis
Today we meditated in class, led by Annie. And as I read Part three of Deedee's The Way of Conflict, I kept seeing connection after connection. For example, the statement on page 78, "When I am centered, finding answers becomes effortless; indeed, solutions seem to find me." This sentence was the third that I highlighted, the first that made me realize all of my highlighted passages were connected to Annie's lesson today. In the previous passage, "centered" is synonymous with "mindful;" and "finding answers" is the result we achieve from being awake, from controlling our reactions. I like the sentence "Conflict frequently begins as a win-lose proposition" (76). Because, more than explicitly stating it, this sentence forces the reader to realize that in order to reach any successful goal, you must move past that initial beginning: conflict, when it begins, will suck, but if you want to make it better you have to move past that beginning.
It is interesting to me that the meditation technique from DeeDee's discussion on grounding a fire conflict highlights the difference between the mind and the body: "try moving your focus from your center to your head and back to center, and note the strength and stability." I regularly meditate - or, at least, I try to - and each time I sit down and close my eyes, once I empty my mind and begin to breathe, I am faced with my fear of wide open, empty space. When I'm in my mind what I see is the empty blackness that is me stuck behind my eyelids. When I bring myself and my focus to my body, my fear is gone and my mind can't even dwell on it. This happens every single time: I start with anxiety and a focus on the body and on the earth brings me peace.
The idea of this initial discomfort reminds me of Lewis' parting statement, "If [he] takes off [his] national spectacles, the world is initially blurred and out of focus." It takes multiple attempts - often more chances than you think reasonable - in order to find balance, or sensitivity, or resolution, whatever it is you're looking for. When I first started meditating, all I saw for a long time was that nerve-racking emptiness, but if you're willing to reach past those, to stretch your edge, you'll reach your goal.
It is interesting to me that the meditation technique from DeeDee's discussion on grounding a fire conflict highlights the difference between the mind and the body: "try moving your focus from your center to your head and back to center, and note the strength and stability." I regularly meditate - or, at least, I try to - and each time I sit down and close my eyes, once I empty my mind and begin to breathe, I am faced with my fear of wide open, empty space. When I'm in my mind what I see is the empty blackness that is me stuck behind my eyelids. When I bring myself and my focus to my body, my fear is gone and my mind can't even dwell on it. This happens every single time: I start with anxiety and a focus on the body and on the earth brings me peace.
The idea of this initial discomfort reminds me of Lewis' parting statement, "If [he] takes off [his] national spectacles, the world is initially blurred and out of focus." It takes multiple attempts - often more chances than you think reasonable - in order to find balance, or sensitivity, or resolution, whatever it is you're looking for. When I first started meditating, all I saw for a long time was that nerve-racking emptiness, but if you're willing to reach past those, to stretch your edge, you'll reach your goal.
Karl Heiselmann interview
"So I think getting people into the right state is half the battle. If you create those conditions, you can get great people. And I’m always amazed at what people will do if you give them the right context and the right environment."The above quote, from Karl Heiselmann, seems an apt summary of my Leadership Attributes paper. I love this man, and I don't even know him. Well, maybe that's a bit extreme: I love his leadership style and the way he approaches leadership. Yeah, that's better.
I love what he said about people and the people he wants to work with: "When they’re not being looked at, you can tell a lot by the expression on their face." It matters that Karl cares enough to notice the looks on their faces. It matters that he asks, "What's your story." It comes back to the most important attribute of my paper - Community. When you ask about people, you learn about them and you care about them.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Kouzes, Ch.5
This chapter really resonated with me and what I'm involved with on campus right now. When Kouzes discussed Regan Bergmark and her struggles with bringing a new organization to her campus, I completely felt for her. This summer, my roommate and I worked toward bringing a chapter of Delta Gamma to the Montana State campus. We got a group of girls interested, connected DG alum in Bozeman, had everything we needed...except for space on campus: the current houses aren't full and so a new house wouldn't be allowed on campus for another four years. But we had all these girls who wanted something from us; so we made a club - a local sorority. We're now at 43 girls - which is big, really big for Bozeman. We have as many girls as the national sorority chapters on campus have (but that's not the point, I'm just bragging). Which brings me to the next point, "Unless external communication is actively encouraged, people interact with outsiders less and less frequently and new ideas are cut off" (80). As our name grew on campus we received extremely mixed reviews from Greek life, but instead of hiding, we reached out. We've so far had socials with three fraternities on campus and have an upcoming mixer with one of the sororities. As we reach out, we can better explain ourselves; we get help and advice, and - most importantly - support from these students who become our friends. I like the Rumi quote on page 81, "Looking up gives light, although at first it makes you dizzy." This is our first semester and so far it looks like this club is holding on for the long haul; we have two girls who have stepped up out of nowhere to organize our first philanthropic event. We're creating leaders out of these women and it feels amazing to be able to do this and to watch them succeed. This is our first semester and we're not even through it yet; the prospects are daunting - dizzying - but exciting. It's just like what we learned when Tom came to class: What you interpret at first as fear is actually excitement.
Kouzes, Ch. 4
This is coming in late, but I did the responses in the book and generated some good ideas so I'm going to put this out there anyway. I want to start with the quote on page 63:
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."
-Antoine de Saint-ExuperyAnd Kouzes words just prior to that, "You have to paint a compelling picture of the future, one that enables constituents to experience viscerally what it would be like to actually experience and participate in an exciting and uplifting future." Chapter four has spoken to me more deeply than any other of Kouzes' chapters as of yet. I spoke in my 'Leader' speech about inspiration, "I want to be able to inspire;" it was the last of all my goals, the epitome of all the dreams for myself. When I did the exercises at the end of this chapter, I found first that the patterns and themes for my "turning points" all equaled to Adaptation; every single experience necessitated an immediate change of plan and a permanent change of plan. My injury junior year of high school ended my competitive athletic career; my grandpa and high school English teacher begged me to consider Creative Writing as a study and career; my choice to come to Montana State literally moved my entire life. The second part of the exercises really stuck with me though because what I found was that my ultimate goal for myself and my projects and for my audiences is inspiration. I want my work to inspire. I almost think this chapter should have come before the values chapter because this better helped me understand my goal - my ultimate value: inspiration.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Personal Vision and Purpose
It seems to be a whole lot easier to imagine a far off future (think twenty, thirty years) than to think about any sort of immediate future - even if I'm just imagining, even if it's three years from now. It is easier, though, because that far off future is more fantasy; the closer to the present, the more real the decisions: the more real the to-do list. When I imagine my future, and when I follow Senge's initial steps to imagining, I have just one image, like a snapshot, of myself at a cafe surrounded by dazzling sunlight with a pen and paper. It's just a snapshot: I know I'm writing, but what am I writing? Where is this cafe? France, Ireland, New York, Bozeman? It doesn't get less specific, more fanciful than this image. When I try, then, to apply specifics, my relaxed brain seems to resist, my fight or flight kicks in immediately: because as soon as I try to apply specifics to this image, I am implying and envisioning the decisions that got me there - the decisions I have to make from now until then that will get me to my dream.
The element of Senge's experiment that fascinated me the most is in Step 4, "Assume I have it now. What does it bring me?" In my vision, I have absolutely no worries. I am free to spend my time doing whatever it is that I want to do (to write) wherever it is I want to do it; I have zero ounces of stress and nothing urgent on my to-do list. My life is about bettering myself, living in Quadrant II.
It's easy to fantasize, to just imagine, but dreams don't get you anywhere; decisions move you; choices and actions further you. I have issue with the Umair Haque article in that he claims that if you live your life in a certain way, your purpose will find you. But that's far too passive. That's not how the world works. It's true that if you live in a Big Love way, in the manner of goodness and honor, you will eventually have reached some sort of destination - probably a decent one, but if you live in a manner of little love you will too. You can live life in Big Love, and I think that is an excellent idea - but you can't think passively: you can't expect to run into your purpose one day on the streets. It is much more important to live your life in David Allen's "What's the next action?" mindset. But then again, that's only if you ever want to get anything done.
I'm an artist and a writer so believe me when I say I entirely understand the desire to live with Big Love in mind - with only the big, beautiful picture of the world. It's a curse, really, to envision the world like this by nature and by practice (practice being the art and the writing) but you can't live solely like this, especially if you have goals which you strive to accomplish in reality.
The element of Senge's experiment that fascinated me the most is in Step 4, "Assume I have it now. What does it bring me?" In my vision, I have absolutely no worries. I am free to spend my time doing whatever it is that I want to do (to write) wherever it is I want to do it; I have zero ounces of stress and nothing urgent on my to-do list. My life is about bettering myself, living in Quadrant II.
It's easy to fantasize, to just imagine, but dreams don't get you anywhere; decisions move you; choices and actions further you. I have issue with the Umair Haque article in that he claims that if you live your life in a certain way, your purpose will find you. But that's far too passive. That's not how the world works. It's true that if you live in a Big Love way, in the manner of goodness and honor, you will eventually have reached some sort of destination - probably a decent one, but if you live in a manner of little love you will too. You can live life in Big Love, and I think that is an excellent idea - but you can't think passively: you can't expect to run into your purpose one day on the streets. It is much more important to live your life in David Allen's "What's the next action?" mindset. But then again, that's only if you ever want to get anything done.
I'm an artist and a writer so believe me when I say I entirely understand the desire to live with Big Love in mind - with only the big, beautiful picture of the world. It's a curse, really, to envision the world like this by nature and by practice (practice being the art and the writing) but you can't live solely like this, especially if you have goals which you strive to accomplish in reality.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Stephen Corey and David Allen
Stephen Corey had one specific line in "First Things First" that jumped out at me immediately: "It's easy to think because something is urgent, it's important." This is a common miscalculation; but an equally important one - and one that I struggle with personally - is defining true urgency. Often times - especially as of late - when I am extremely busy and it feels like I must constantly be doing something, I mistakenly view certain tasks as urgent when they are not (though they may be important). When I have an overwhelming to-do list I sometimes tend to choose any task just so I can say I accomplished something. Now, when you're entirely too overwhelmed with anything it is usually a good idea to take a slight break with some of your more menial tasks, but it's important that I don't allow myself to fall into that habit every time I have a lot to do. Later on, Corey also says, "They're not urgent. They aren't pressing. They don't act on you. You have to act on them." Meaning that those tasks that I tend to jump to because they're easy - while I have to realize that they are not equally as urgent as some others - I have to realize that they do still have to get done. It comes to David Allen's statement, "We are all accountable to define what, if anything, we are committed to make happen as we engage with ourselves and with others."
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Kouzes, Ch. 3
When Kouzes, in his exercises, asked me to recall a few meaningful moments of leadership and relate why they were meaningful, I found a persistent and recurring theme. The first, was as soccer captain when we were able to celebrate our successes (which we did at the end of each season whether it was a good one or a bad one). Another was as a vision and hearing tester for elementary age children; there was a boy going into kindergarten who didn't know his alphabet yet. I got there late and my colleague had given up on him; the boy looked miserable. I got on a computer and printed out a new vision chart that used directions instead of letters and asked him if we could try again. As he moved further and further down the chart, he got this huge smile on his face and he and his mom left happy. But the most meaningful, at the time that I was filling out the chart, was something that had just happened an hour before. Last night, a freshman from Chi Alpha Kappa called me and explained to me how stressed she is with the club and with her other friends and her family; she wanted to quit. Luckily for me, my Freshman Council President has a freshman meeting scheduled for tonight and we had just met to discuss the most important points she was going to bring up - pertaining to club unity, sisterhood, bonding, less drama. I told Courtney that I completely understood where she was coming from; I told her that I'd heard from a lot of other girls who were struggling with these same issues; I asked her if she could do me the favor of going to her President's meeting and hearing what she had to say and then call me afterward. Regardless of whether or not she does quit, I celebrated that moment. I was able to calm her down, make her feel better, convince her that we didn't want to lose her as a sister, and, ultimately, to take a moment to breathe and think thoroughly.
This instance was the one that helped me most in choosing my values from the given list: Happiness, Family, Achievement, Organization, Patience. Family, though, not in the specific sense, but rather in a feeling of community; and Patience last, but not least: more of an overarching concept for the whole leadership process. I'm excited to have these in my mind consciously so I can further develop them as skills and put these values into action.
This instance was the one that helped me most in choosing my values from the given list: Happiness, Family, Achievement, Organization, Patience. Family, though, not in the specific sense, but rather in a feeling of community; and Patience last, but not least: more of an overarching concept for the whole leadership process. I'm excited to have these in my mind consciously so I can further develop them as skills and put these values into action.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Kathy Castania, Peter F Drucker, and Dave Meldahl
Simply by coincidence, I read these articles in the order that I liked them - or liked their message - from least to greatest. Starting with "The Evolving Language of Diversity," I was biased going in. In my Literature class this semester we are discussing how sexuality came to be defined in the Victorian Era; it was done mostly through the control and enforcement of language and discourse. So while Castania might think she is breaking through boundaries and walls of suppression with these language ideas, I am led to believe that she is doing exactly what the suppressors want her to do. Extreme, I know, but my Literature class basically ruined this article for me, because the following passage on page one exactly relates to the ideas we have discussed:
But I'm getting off topic. What I really wanted to emphasize was the highlight of inner difficulties and strife that all of these articles discussed. Castania supports an idea that will require us all to delve deep and decide how we have been using language and how we can consciously change it; Peter Drucker encourages us to, "waste as little effort as possible on improving areas of low competence" (4), which would be hard for a majority of people - to basically disregard those areas and accept that there can be no major improvement.
Drucker's idea is a relatively easy one to grasp, but very difficult to apply: "Do not try to change yourself....But work hard to improve the way you perform" (5). And especially, "The person who has learned that he or she does not perform well in a big organization should have learned to say no to a position in one" (7).
Then, Dave Meldahl's article delves even deeper into the personal as it explains that we must not get defensive when confronted with our weaknesses, "Your approach needs to be listening-focused and non-defensive." This is an idea that I know I have a problem with and I know many others to struggle with.
All three of these pieces encourage us to do things that will be difficult and that we will have to actively enforce within ourselves.
"We need to know how to name what is all around us and to do it in ways that will keep everyone involved. Having an understanding of the overall dynamics of a dominator society with a history of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, adultism, etc. allows us to engage each other in what to do about it. Using words that describe groups more accurately is a part of this process."In the Victorian Era, discourse on all of these "Others" was encouraged because it made them into "Others."
But I'm getting off topic. What I really wanted to emphasize was the highlight of inner difficulties and strife that all of these articles discussed. Castania supports an idea that will require us all to delve deep and decide how we have been using language and how we can consciously change it; Peter Drucker encourages us to, "waste as little effort as possible on improving areas of low competence" (4), which would be hard for a majority of people - to basically disregard those areas and accept that there can be no major improvement.
Drucker's idea is a relatively easy one to grasp, but very difficult to apply: "Do not try to change yourself....But work hard to improve the way you perform" (5). And especially, "The person who has learned that he or she does not perform well in a big organization should have learned to say no to a position in one" (7).
Then, Dave Meldahl's article delves even deeper into the personal as it explains that we must not get defensive when confronted with our weaknesses, "Your approach needs to be listening-focused and non-defensive." This is an idea that I know I have a problem with and I know many others to struggle with.
All three of these pieces encourage us to do things that will be difficult and that we will have to actively enforce within ourselves.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Convocation and The Master Class with Yann Martel
As a volunteer for Freshman Convocation, I
was able to attend the Master Class with Yann Martel immediately preceding the
event. Decked out in my volunteer t-shirt, I felt a bit underdressed; I knew
from last year that a lot of attendees dressed up for this event and I was
worried I might not belong. However, I soon found more volunteers in their
shirts, made quick friends, and was a bit more comfortable. Then, as soon as
Yann showed up and started answering questions I was so wrapped up in his
answers that all of my self-consciousness and slight worriedness dissipated. I
hadn’t taken my notebook out of my backpack and knew that if I tried to at that
moment the zipper and the shuffling would be too much; I settled for typing
notes into my phone (which created a new self-consciousness problem, but more
on that later). Thinking back, and reading the notes in my phone, they seem all
to create a theme despite all of them stemming from different questions. “Man’s
inhumanity to man does not surprise anyone;” “Make a leap of faith and be the
better for it;” “Being able to create presence and then to live with it;” “It’s
great to have a car, but you need to know why you’re going from A to B.” All of
these together seem to speak to the idea of finding a purpose; one needs to
first realize and understand the world around oneself, consciously make an
effort to achieve something, and ultimately to understand why it matters—why you’re
doing it in the first place. This entire theme is one that is found inside of a
good leader; and as I realized that, I realized that an exceptional leader must
first and foremost be an exceptional person. Being a leader is not something
you can do separately from yourself; you cannot perform leadership. You have to
be leadership.
In Mr. Martel’s Convocation address he
furthered this idea with a few more choice phrases, “Your future would come no
matter what you did, but you made a choice.” However, in essence, in my
interpretation, he grew a bit more personal. He spoke more often about art,
painting, reading, writing—all of it. He said, “If you’re excessively
reasonable, art suffers;” “Art was what gave us an understanding of who we
were, why we were here;” “It doesn’t matter where you get your stories….In a
sense you know less if you’ve read; it shows you how uncertain life is.” This seemingly
separate tangent struck me on a personal level; I am both a writer and a
painter so I understood these statements deeply. They resonated. But then
again, as I look back I see that even these elements speak to leadership; they
speak to an understanding of the world and especially of an understanding of
oneself—of myself. And I further realize that every single element of every
single day affects and is structured by the elements of leadership. Your
understanding and your reaction either advances or undermines your own leadership
development. It will happen in any case, but is all determined by your choice.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Managing With the Brain in Mind, David Rock
"Studies now show that the brain equates social needs with survival; for example, being hungry and being ostracized activate similar neural responses" (3). Perhaps, since society has changed from a purely survival environment to a socially focused environment, the brain has evolved along side: realizing, now, that the most important part of survival in the current culture is social interaction. "Because human brains evolved in response to stressors over thousands of years, they are constantly attuned, usually at a subconscious level, to the ways in which social encounters threaten or support the capacity for choice" (5). The idea that the human brain has evolved in order to set social interaction and social standing as a main survival factor is interesting. It certainly supports those who seemingly overreact and over-analyze social encounters.
One of the passages in Rock's article that struck me the most reads as follows:
Sabrina
One of the passages in Rock's article that struck me the most reads as follows:
"If you are an executive leader, the more practiced you are at reading yourself, the more effective you will be. For example, if you understand that micromanaging threatens status and autonomy, you will resist your own impulse to gain certainty by dictating every detail. Instead, you’ll seek to disarm people by giving them latitude to make their own mistakes. If you have felt the hairs on the back of your own neck rise when someone says, “Can I offer you some feedback?” you will know it’s best to create opportunities for people to do the hard work of self-assessment rather than insisting they depend on performance reviews" (8).This first struck me because it described me and situations I have been in and reacted to so acutely. Then I reread it once again as an Earth personality and it resonated even further: uncomfortable with criticism or disagreements, desire for detailed order, tendency to micromanage. In fact, so much of this article seemed to nod to Earth personalities - "When perceived uncertainty gets out of hand, people panic and make bad decisions" (5) - and it made me further realize that every person has a tendency toward each personality, especially situationally. The article made me understand the Earth personality better, simply because it got me thinking about it; and because I am now striving to better understand not only the Earth personality, but all personalities, I am learning to better understand myself. According to Rock, "the more practiced you are at reading yourself, the more effective you will be."
Sabrina
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The Way of Conflict, Part 1
According to "The Way of Conflict Style Inventory" I am an Earth personality. However, the differences were very small; I tallied 18 A's, 15 B's, 12 C's, and 15 D's. As I read the Earth description, I have no scruples and am comfortable identifying myself this way - overall, it is pretty accurate. But I can also see myself in each of the other descriptions, which brings me to the sentence on page 27, "We cannot judge a person's elemental conflict personality by how they are currently acting," and a similar statement on page 41, "No one can be put into a box, let alone ever be fully summarized in a table." I hold stock in the idea of elemental personalities, but it is rife to say that any person is all and only one of them. I am an Earth personality, but almost equally a Water and an Air personality with a very close comparison to Fire. After all, doesn't everyone want questions to be asked of them, humility shown to them, acknowledgement, and honesty in life let alone in a transformer?
After reading through the entirety of Part 1 I can agree that identifying personalities is an important part of conflict resolution, but it becomes muddled in terms of the individual; it's not as easy as Amy is Air, Blaze is Fire, Gene is Water, and Edina is Earth. Every individual is different amounts of each element and no individual is all one. In terms of team identification though, elemental personalities function much better and more easy to identify. I structured my answers in "Way of Conflict Team Personality Inventory" off of the Sophomore Council of my social club, Chi Alpha Kappa. When I read the description of a Fire Team to my fellow council members we all laughed; it was hilariously accurate. It seems that as a team we can better find a balance and agree on a definition; ironically, it is more difficult to find balance as an individual.
After reading through the entirety of Part 1 I can agree that identifying personalities is an important part of conflict resolution, but it becomes muddled in terms of the individual; it's not as easy as Amy is Air, Blaze is Fire, Gene is Water, and Edina is Earth. Every individual is different amounts of each element and no individual is all one. In terms of team identification though, elemental personalities function much better and more easy to identify. I structured my answers in "Way of Conflict Team Personality Inventory" off of the Sophomore Council of my social club, Chi Alpha Kappa. When I read the description of a Fire Team to my fellow council members we all laughed; it was hilariously accurate. It seems that as a team we can better find a balance and agree on a definition; ironically, it is more difficult to find balance as an individual.
We don't accomplish anything in this world alone...
and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life
and all the weavings of individual threads from one
to another that creates something.
-Sandra Day O'Connor, quoted in Chapter 2 "Identifying the Team's Personality"
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Personal Best
As Captain of my club soccer team, I ran into a lot of uncomfortable scenarios; however, there was one which stands out in my mind because it was a time, as high schoolers, that we were all - including myself - beginning to enter that weird rebel, partying, reckless stage. It was an early morning Saturday game and three of our best players showed up late, not wearing their equipment, with severe hangovers. Our coach was so mad that she wouldn't talk to them (not the best leadership tactic, if you ask me) and one of the three was my co-captain. I was furious and wished at the time that I could have reacted like my coach, but it just wasn't an option. I was the only available authority and I had to step up. I knew we needed their skill on the field, but also knew they wouldn't be on their top game anyway and there must be some sort of consequence, right? Sure, making them play might have been a severe enough punishment, but it would have hurt the rest of the team. So I sat them on the bench. I looked at second string and told them I knew they could play as well as anyone else; I asked for their best and reminded them that there was an entire team standing with them. I left the hungover trio on the bench, delegated the stern talking-to to our coach, and ran onto the field. The hardest part was riling up the rest of my team while my mind was distracted by my anger, but we managed. I asked that those three remain on the bench for the second half and they did.
Looking back, I don't even remember if we won that game. At this point in my life, it doesn't matter; what do matter are the lessons in leadership that were shoved upon me that day. With my two co-leaders incapacitated by their own individual conditions, I was given a choice whether or not to step up. That's the lesson: leadership is a choice. I wasn't forced to step up. I could have done nothing, let my anger win over, yelled a little bit, but instead I chose to organize, to commit to my leadership role, and do something constructive. I didn't have to, but I did. I also learned an important lesson about team leadership in that, the best of the whole should always come first. I could have put myself first by letting my anger out and screaming, but that would have brought the whole team down. I could have put the hungover three first and punished them immediately, but the whole team would suffer. To the best of my ability, I tried to do what was best for the team's morale and the team's success - which included delegating the stern talking-to to our coach. This is a lesson which Kouzes speaks to: "it is okay to rely on others to get the job done" (18). There was far too much responsibility for me to handle right in that moment. I had to be on the field, so I encouraged our coach to calm herself so that she could speak to those three on our behalf.
The above happened all in the span of about 60 minutes. These were all lessons I could learn so quickly myself because they were lessons I had seen used by my foremost inspiration: my grandpa. He has always been the best leader I know because simultaneously he can encourage, teach, befriend, trust, and enliven any situation - with any person, whether he's in a leadership role or just walking down the street. If I had to choose a single person who inspired leadership in me, who taught me what I know, it would be him. He has taught me the most, including (but not limited to) his motto, "We don't sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff." As a person, but especially as a leader I think this is a vastly important lesson. It keeps one from overreacting in a negative manner (much like in the above instance when my coach wouldn't speak to her players). It reminds a leader to calm down (don't sweat) and therefore provides time and the peace of mind needed to reach solutions.
So, if, in all of this, there is one lesson in leadership that is the absolute most important it is this:
Looking back, I don't even remember if we won that game. At this point in my life, it doesn't matter; what do matter are the lessons in leadership that were shoved upon me that day. With my two co-leaders incapacitated by their own individual conditions, I was given a choice whether or not to step up. That's the lesson: leadership is a choice. I wasn't forced to step up. I could have done nothing, let my anger win over, yelled a little bit, but instead I chose to organize, to commit to my leadership role, and do something constructive. I didn't have to, but I did. I also learned an important lesson about team leadership in that, the best of the whole should always come first. I could have put myself first by letting my anger out and screaming, but that would have brought the whole team down. I could have put the hungover three first and punished them immediately, but the whole team would suffer. To the best of my ability, I tried to do what was best for the team's morale and the team's success - which included delegating the stern talking-to to our coach. This is a lesson which Kouzes speaks to: "it is okay to rely on others to get the job done" (18). There was far too much responsibility for me to handle right in that moment. I had to be on the field, so I encouraged our coach to calm herself so that she could speak to those three on our behalf.
The above happened all in the span of about 60 minutes. These were all lessons I could learn so quickly myself because they were lessons I had seen used by my foremost inspiration: my grandpa. He has always been the best leader I know because simultaneously he can encourage, teach, befriend, trust, and enliven any situation - with any person, whether he's in a leadership role or just walking down the street. If I had to choose a single person who inspired leadership in me, who taught me what I know, it would be him. He has taught me the most, including (but not limited to) his motto, "We don't sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff." As a person, but especially as a leader I think this is a vastly important lesson. It keeps one from overreacting in a negative manner (much like in the above instance when my coach wouldn't speak to her players). It reminds a leader to calm down (don't sweat) and therefore provides time and the peace of mind needed to reach solutions.
So, if, in all of this, there is one lesson in leadership that is the absolute most important it is this:
Don't sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff.
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