Monthly Archives: October 2013

Stating the Problem

It has been very tempting, since we started brainstorming about our proposal ,to come up with immediate solutions. When my team and I started working on the expanded POV statement we were able to address a need we all agreed on that addressed a problem. Once we were able to establish a POV statement the want ad was much easier to create. Creating the want ad was a different way to look at the problem we were addressing. At least for me, it made the problem we were addressing more clear.

When I got together with my group to talk about our presentation the focus of the group was centered around the solution to the problem. As for what I saw in the examples in class, my understanding of the presentation requirement was not necessarily to state our solution but to explain and convince the LCB committee about the problem we see in the LCB and state potential ways we can fix it. I thought maybe I had misunderstood and I was not going to question them but then I decided to voice my opinion and challenge the process(one of the 5 practices I ranked low in).  I asked them if they were sure that was what we needed to do and I explained why I thought differently. In the end they agreed that we should state our problem first and mention one or multiple solutions to our problem.

The more comfortable I start to get with my team the more courage I have to challenge the process. I am able to voice my opinion and express my thoughts even when I think I may be wrong. I look forward to continue asking questions and expressing my thoughts when I deem it necessary.

Getting the Plan Started

I’ve had a few meetings with my team now and  I am starting to notice my role in it.  In the meetings that we’ve had I’ve provided my computer to take notes in. Once we have all the information I am responsible to make it accessibly to everyone .In developing the teams need statement I started to take into action my Leadership Development Plan. Part of my Leadership Development Plan is to work on challenging the process. Many times throughout the brainstorming and formation of our needs statement I questioned if we were accurately describing what the entire group meant. This allowed for a reevaluation of the statement and the collaboration of all team members to agree on the final statement. Challenging the process was not as bad as I thought. I feared to challenge the process before in order to avoid arguments. My team, however, listens and takes into consideration my questions. My team creates a comfortable environment for me to ask questions to challenge the process. I hope to continue working on challenging the process not only in a comfortable environment but in times of hostility, which are bound to happen.

This week I received my MEMO and I was surprised  how well I did on it. Writing is not my forte, or so I thought, therefore I was feeling very nervous about it.  I tried to understand exactly what the assignment was asking for  and I believe the time I took to thoroughly understand the assignment was what led to a higher grade than I had anticipated. I am learning to not underestimate my writing skills . If I can thoroughly understand what I am suppose to write about I will be successful.

Reflecting on this week has allowed me to foresee what my role can be in my team and how I can best incorporate my strengths to benefit the team. I  learned I can start implementing my Leadership Development Project little by little. Lastly, I also learned writing continues to be challenging for me but I am improving.

 

Understanding my Strengths and Weaknesses as a Leader

This week in class I learned about the five practices of exemplary leadership and emotional intelligence.  It was interesting to read how the many great successful leaders shared a common ground with these practices. It is not that they were born geniuses they simply knew how to effectively execute these practices. After taking the assessment test and knowing which practices I had more strength in, I reflected back on the leadership roles I had and in the previous group projects I was a part of.  I noticed that the practices I was more competent in, were reflected in my role as a leader and as a team player.

Based on my realization I was able to implement a Leadership Development Plan and brainstorm on ways I can improve as a leader. I plan to further develop the practices I am currently competent in and strengthen on the practices I scored less favorably in.

This was the first week my group met and I’d say it was a successful meeting. We were able to get a start on the team agreement and have it finished by the deadline.  I noticed we all have a high emotional intelligence level. We were all very aware of our own emotions as well as understanding everyone else’s. One of our group members was going to be going out of the state for a family wedding and we were all very understanding of the situation and found a way to stay communicated with him.

Based on my assessment of the five practices and emotional intelligence my group and I decided that my role in my group should be meeting facilitator.  I enable others to act and I have a high competency in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management (the components of emotional intelligence).

Even though it has only been one week, I have learned about my strengths and weaknesses through the five practices of exemplary leadership and emotional intelligence. I hope to further develop these strengths and weaknesses throughout the term as I work with my group and learn about new content in the classroom.

Leadership Development Plan

BA352self scoresheet

 

Leadership Reflection

My reflection will be based mainly on my experience as a the state publicity director  for DECA-a business organization, while in high school. We were a team of six with officers and one coach. My term lasted a year of which lots of planning and organizing occurred to host the state conference.

#1 Rank-Strength-Enabling others to act

I dislike tension and in order to get rid of it I ask questions to try to find out what is causing it and how to get rid of it.

I always tried to initiate conversation amongst the team to come up with a solution to a project so no one would get frustrated. I tended to ask many questions to see how a solution could be found. I liked to ask everyone in the group so no one was left out and to make sure everyone agreed on the final decision.

#2 Rank-Strength- Encourage the Heart

I seek to stay motivated and motivate my team members. I am able to recognize when things are going downhill and I offer encouragement.

When we needed to be in a conference room for hours planning speeches and workshops, it was hard to stay motivated to the very end. This is when I tried to stay motivated the most even when I was really tired. It was more fun to accomplish things as a group when everyone was showing interest and pitching in.

#3 Rank-Strength- Model the Way

I strive to complete work on schedule. Tasks I am assigned, I take as a challenge and invest all my effort into them.

For example for the state conference we were to distribute tags to all members that said “Follow me on Twitter” or “Like me on Facebook” as a means to get all members involved in social media. I was the only one out of the team to distribute all of the tags. It only took the extra effort of talking to members to have them wear the tags.

We also delivered speeches at our state conference. The majority of the speeches were very informative but boring. I decided I did not want my speech to be boring so I came up with a creative speech to deliver the code of conduct of the conference. My speech had a great response and it ended up creating an overall theme throughout the conference.

 

#4 Rank-Development-Inspire a shared vision, Challenge the process

I focus on getting my work done forgetting about the big picture. As I have mentioned previously I dislike tension, and in order to avoid it I tend to not ask critical questions or challenge team decisions.

Within the team we all had the general vision of being a successful team and organizing a state conference. I could have done a better job of bringing the enthusiasm and trying to create a more personalized vision for our group to share. Instead I tried to create progress by trying to cross things of the list. This led me to not challenge the process. If an idea seemed to get the work done I agreed to it and moved forward without questioning how we could make it better or what could be a better option.

Action Plan 1- 5 Practices of Leadership

I would like to improve on the two practices I ranked low in, Inspire a shared vision and Challenge the process.

What I do now?

I focus on getting my work done forgetting about the big picture.

As I have mentioned previously I dislike tension, and in order to avoid it I tend to not ask critical questions or challenge team decisions.

What I would like to do?

I would like to focus on having a shared vision amongst the group, staying focused on team goals rather than just my own. I would also like to learn more about my team like what their aspirations are and what motivates them.

I would like to challenge team decisions when I have doubts or concerns. I would like to learn how to deal with tension professionally instead of strictly trying to avoid it.  I would also like to encourage the team to take risks and try something new instead of simply sticking with what we know.

Action plan

Inspire a share vision

  • Take the initiative to create a team vision for our project amongst the group.
  • Remind the team of our vision at every meeting.
  • Speak up when the team is swerving away from the team vision.
  • Suggest to edit or refresh team vision if it is not working for the team.
  • Have an ice breaker or a quick fun activity for the team to perform when taking a break.

Challenge the process

  • Ask questions in a polite manner as to not hurt anyone’s feelings when I am in doubt of a team decision.
  • Voice my opinion about team progress.
  • Many of our business friends have taken this class before and we will be tempted to do as they did in certain aspects of the project. I plan to encourage innovation within our team and not try to go by what previous classmates have done.
  • Because we all have busy schedules we will be tempted to do the bare minimum. I plan to encourage the team to try to take it an extra step further.

 

 

Action plan 2-Emotional Intelligence

What I do now?

My fear of confrontation causes for me to keep my questions or doubts to myself. I am good at detecting tension and frustration and try to find a common ground, however, I focus more on the negative than the positive and tend to not celebrate team and individual accomplishments.

 

What I would like to do?

I would like to not make the assumption that confrontation will occur if I question a group decision.  I would also like to acknowledge the positive emotions such as happiness and enjoyment in the team and not simply focus on scoping out the negative emotions.  I want to be socially aware to be able to understand the different perspectives my team member may have.

 

Plan of Action

  • Be aware of emotions and the effect they can have on the whole team, I will try to remain productive and positive.
  • Ask my team members how they are doing, to observe the different responses and get a general grasp of what the meeting could end up like.
  • Know that not everyone is going to be happy and positive all the time, so have a backup plan on how to deal with uncomfortable situations.
  • Ask my team members if anyone wants to vent at the start of meetings. I rather have a member explode at the beginning of our meeting than in the middle of a task.

My general impression of BA 352

Thus far I have enjoyed the  content and atmosphere of the class. I like the interaction we all had the first day of class playing Bingo to get to know a little bit about each other. The humor the professor and the students bring to the class allows me to stay alert during class. I look forward to working with my team and continue learning about business leadership and communication.