Building Business Leaders was quite the trip… quite unforgettable… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so bad, yet so confident about my leadership style/what kind of person I am in general in my whole life tbh. Confident because at least now I know how I function the best and around what environments I thrive in and which environments I will most likely fail. Throughout these two terms I was able to understand that as a closer, I tend to be productive and efficient in behind the scene jobs. Leadership positions that don’t do much interaction with a greater group of people. That’s cool and all but I’ve realized that, the person I am is not what companies are looking for. I had this idea that I could actual be someone that a company looked for, someone who wouldn’t have a difficult time looking for job because the person they are showed employers that they are worth being an employee of their company, but I guess not. I mean if I’m being completely honestly, the only reason I got the internship was because my dad new the director of the program, it wasn’t because I actually deserved it because I haven’t actually done anything.

I mean, it’s only the end of my freshman year, I’m only 18, it’s been recently thrown in my face just how great my life has actually been, not very many people are just handed the same opportunities that I have had in my life. There’s plenty of time for me to grow and become a better person. I’ll take what I have learned these last two terms and what I’ll continue to learn in life and become better. All good things.

Self-Evaluation (On a scale of 1-5, 1 being bad, 5 being good)

Branding Your Uniqueness: 2

            On the topic of branding my uniqueness I decided to give myself a 2 because I haven’t really gone out and joined clubs or gotten a leadership position. Shyness has gotten in the way of my actually accomplishing anything.

Using resources to overcome challenges: 3

            I feel like I actually haven’t done a good job in the section as well, maybe this should be a two as well. Usually when a challenge arises, I just think of another way to deal with it.

leveraging co-curricular opportunities: 3

            I’ve been attending AMA meetings and WIB meeting and trying to become a much more active member in each, but I feel like I could do a better job. I think that, that’s what next year will be more focused on, getting more involved, especially because I don’t have such a heavy work load.

team-building to reach goals: 4

            I gave myself a four in this section because I think that the first term of business leaders has taught me what it’s like to work in a group where everyone is actually doing their part. This was refreshing because it’s usually just me doing an entire project. In groups that are actually working efficiently, I feel like I really do, do great.

planning your academic and skill development: 3

Throughout this term I have been able to figure out why I’m not a good leader, and why I actually suck as a student. I think now all that left is to set up a plan, which, I’m actually not completely sure how to do, but I’ll figure it out.

 

This week in class we were paired up with an upperclassmen who gave us feedback on our presentation. I was paired up with Dewy So, he has been our mentor for the entire term and it was great to have been able to receive his feedback, it definitely helped. I think that one of the greatest pointer that I got from him was to be expressive with my hands because it shows that you have charisma and charm. While practicing I realized that my story was a bit superficial. I did not go into too much depth with some of the stories I told. I have another week to make sure that the story I tell is one that employers will actually remember. This project has actually proven to be quite a challenge. I feel like ultimately, it’s not that difficult of an assignment but IDK, I mean I’m mean I’m not the one to open up about my family or my private life. I feel like though they are definitely the answer to a lot of the reasons why I live the life I do, I rather just keep that to myself. Overall, I feel like I got really good advice on things that I should do better on, things I should include, things I should exclude. All good things.

This week in class we had Ken Kahrs, the retired VP of Human Resources from NBCUniversal. In class we discussed various ways of branding our uniqueness and making sure that we take all of the opportunities that are granted to us. Ken gave the class some very helpful pointers and tips that will help us broaden our horizon when it comes to filling up our resumes with intriguing content and also creating a great story that highlights our uniqueness to future employers.

One of the biggest tips that Ken gave to the class was the “always say YES” method. This method is simple, just say yes to any opportunity that is given to you. This is something that I have actually experience in my life. I was offered an internship at providence this summer exploring the healthcare management sector. Personally, I have no actual interest in healthcare management. Also, I heard that a lot of the applicants are third year college students going on to their senior year. So, not only did I have no interest, I felt so unqualified. Because the person in charge of the program was a family friend, I didn’t have to go through the application process, I just had to say yes and the internship was mine. In the end, I decided that the outcomes of going through with the internship outweighed whether or not I would find it engaging. Even if I find out the healthcare management isn’t for me, the experience and knowledge that I gain will be worth it. This experience has definitely taught me a valuable lesson, that is, don’t just look at opportunities for their face value and reject them, doing so only closes door.

Secondly, Ken discussed accentuating what makes us different and making that our selling point for ourselves. This is what is meant by branding your uniqueness. Consequently, this is also what our final presentation is focused on. Its finding what makes us stand out from the crowd and making sure that we highlight that to our future employers. When I think about what makes be different from others…. Honestly nothing comes to mind. I’m literally so basic (lol). That’s kind of say tbh. As I have said before, I know that I’m hardworking and dedicated, but so is everyone else. Everyone has the same qualities as I do, and to be honest, some people are better than I at all of these things, so how do I make myself stand out from that?

Ken also talked about this three step system. Of which I tend to preach all the time. This three step system is: 1.) Learn 2.) Reflect 3.) Apply. I’ve learned that throughout my life there are going to be moments that are going to suck. Like suck so much that I am going want to give up on the task. But, feel like it’s during those times were I’m going to learn the biggest lesson and gain the most insight about myself. Which is why afterwards it’s important to look back and synthesize a proper conclusion of what exactly you learned about yourself, this is what is meant by reflect. I feel like sometimes I just kind of stay on this step, which I’ve learned is pretty useless because that just means that nothing changes. The last step, and probably the most important, also probably the most forgotten is application. After figuring out the issue, it’s important to not only come up with an action plan, but actually apply it to your life.

Ken gave everyone super good advice. Fridays class was a great reminder to always be checking in with yourself and being genuine with yourself about whether or not you’ve actually set yourself on the right path to achieve your goals.

This week in BBL we had the undergraduate program manager of the Warsaw sports marketing center and instructor of marketing at the University of Oregon, Joshua Gordon visit our class and discussed what truly motivates us. Joshua Gordon discussed the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. He defined intrinsic motivation as performing an action because you enjoy the act itself. On the opposition, he explained, extrinsic motivations is done for the sake of some external outcome. In the past I have heard of these types of motivation in the past but I had never really taken the time to think about what type of role they play in my life.

Joshua Gordon gave the class some time during class to think about what motivated them. I wrote a list of which family, faith, mentors, money (lol), and happiness were included. If I really think about it I feel like the list is probably longer but I’ll work with these for now.

I chose mentors as a motivation because seeing other people succeed kind of just propels me to want to succeed as well. Like Joshua, he explained that his upbringing was tough and that he didn’t have much support, and I mean, look at him now, he’s doing pretty well. I, on the other hand, didn’t have a difficult upbringing and have uber supportive parents, there is no excuse for me to accomplish any less. Also I feel like I’m just secretly petty AF which just means that I want to be better than the person next to me.. like always. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m genuinely happy for everyone and proud of their accomplishments, I just want to know that I can do better. I feel like this isn’t a bad thing, right? I don’t know. Anyways, the list I created in class also includes money. I feel like having security and peace of mind is something that I definitely aspire to attain in my future. I don’t need large sums of money, I think just enough to take care of my family and donate the world is enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Family is another big motivator, probably the biggest. My parents have always pushed my brothers and I to be the hardest workers, the most dedicated and the most passionate when in come to our work. It’s because of their love and support that I feel free to follow whatever dreams I have. My older brothers also are my greatest motivators. They’ve pushed me to break free of limitation I’ve placed on myself. They’re also the first to call me out on my bullshit and keep me accountable sooo… Also, they’re really accomplished and I just want to be better than them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I would consider all of these motivators extrinsic because they are all outside forces that have a great impact on my life.

In my list of various motivations, I also include faith. I feel like knowing that you can do all things through Christ is pretty motivating, idk. As my walk with Christ continues to move forward, I know that my future is bright because God says, “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). I also, included happiness in my list of motivation. Happiness, to me means being content with my accomplishments and with my life in general. I’m being to realize that I don’t really need a velvet wrapped Mercedes G Wagon like Kylie Jenner. I feel like that’s not really what will give me happiness in life. I would consider both happiness and faith as intrinsic motivation because the definition of both lies within myself.

As I said before, I feel like there is definitely more to this list and as life progresses, I’ll add and subtract more and more, but for now, this is good. Another thing that really stood out from class on Friday was the idea that successful people and unsuccessful people know the same things, they are given the same information. My whole life, I thought successful people are given some special information, a secret formula for success, but class on Friday taught me otherwise. Successful people and unsuccessful people are given the same path but successful people are the only ones willing to get off their butts and put in the work to accomplish their goals.

I feel like I’ve gotten to the point in the term where my motivation is literally lower than Rob Kardashian’s standards, but I definitely feel like class on Friday gave me the motivation to finish out the term. I was reminded of why I’m here, I was reminded that I’m actually a super motivated and like really smart. AHHH now pumped, lemme go do some homework and clean my room and organized my closet and ok bye.

Though I was unable to attend class this past Friday, I had the opportunity to talk to a classmate about what had happened. This past week in class we had a guest speaker from Moss Adams LLP, a firm that offers accounting and tax services to public and private middle market enterprises. Moss Adams has multiple locations across the United States and many locations within the State of Oregon.

After a little bit of investigation, I found out that Moss Adams offers a lot of opportunities for students focused on pursuing a career in accounting. My goal for the following school year is to become more confident in the concentration I wish to pursue during my time at the University of Oregon. A career in accounting has always been one I that have been wanting to learn more about. I’ve spoken with advisors within the college of business that have explained the requirements need to continue with a career in accounting.

If a career in accounting is something I wish to pursue, Moss Adams would be a good company to look at for potential internships and maybe even a job. Moss Adams offers both winter and summer internships for students each lasting about three months. Not only, but the benefits that are offered to employees of Moss Adams make it difficult to choose another accounting firm over it.

I was unable to attend class this week but I was able to talk with a classmate about the guest speaker, David Koranda who works in advertising. From what I gathered, David spoke about advertising and the difference people fail to see between it and marketing. David informed our group that marketing dealt more with money, and goals about a company’s money. It also dealt with company’s budget and the resources that it uses to attain more money. Advertising on the other hand, David explained was just a piece within the marketing chain. Advertising deal with communication. It controls where communication will take place. Advertising can also incorporate creative solutions to business problems.

An important topic that David discussed was the idea of branding. Before learning about David’s idea of branding, I had held an idea of branding that was completely different. From what I was told, David taught that branding was not what we want people to believe, it’s what we want people to perceive it as. Branding deals with emotion and they can be used to make decisions.

When it comes to branding, I believe it’s not only important to brand a business, I feel like it is equally, if not more important to brand ourselves to perspective employers. I imagine putting myself in the position of an employer and I ask what type of person they would want to hire. If I were the owner of a company I would want to be sure that the people I hire are going to be assets to my company, I mean at the end of the day employers pay people to do jobs they could probably do themselves, employees are essentially investments that an owner has made to the company, if an investment isn’t working, its fairly easy to let them go. Anyway, I was talking about branding right? As an employee we have to make ourselves not only appear, but actually BE the best investment out there for our future employer. We can achieve this by being proactive, especially in these crucial formative years. Being proactive means going out and finding internships, networking. It means making your name visible and allowing people to see not only that you are active within your community, but are making a difference.

This all may seem fine and dandy, but when it comes down to it, there are people out there that are better at branding themselves and are better at a certain job, that’s just the reality. It’s in this moment where we highlight our uniqueness. Our uniqueness is something that is going to make us stand out from the pool of applicants wanting the same job that we do. You uniqueness can really be anything you feel drives your life and the decisions, or that define what your values are and what you stand for. I don’t really know what sets me apart from the people in the pool, I feel like I’m still trying to find that. I mean, I know I’m hardworking, dedicated and have a good work ethic, but so does everyone else. As my years at the University of Oregon progress, I hope to find a better understanding of what it is that makes me different than the average person applying for a job, I mean I know there are plenty I just don’t really know what it is yet.

This week in class we discussed a new way to write statements on our resumes. The WHO method allows us to succinctly communicate to possible employers that we are capable of performing a task in an efficient manner with documentable results. If I put myself in the shoes of an employer, I would want to know that the person I am going to hire can do much more than hand me a piece of paper full of tasks they promise they’re good at. I would want to be able to know that the person I am going to employ has evidence to prove they are an efficient employee, I would want to be sure that I am hiring an asset, not a liability. The WHO method of writing statements on our resumes would be the best way for me to demonstrate this to future employees because it meshes together what task I did, how I did it, and what results were obtains from successfully completing the task at hand. When I actually tried writing a statement I realized that it was a much harder task than I had imagined it to be. I feel like there’s so much to be covered in one sentence.

Power Words

Details

When presented with a task most people believe that the goal it to finish the task soon as possible. Thought there is some truth to that, I feel like the ultimate goal to finish the task while also having paid close attention to all of the details. It is important to stress details in order to improve accuracy, prevent errors, and improve efficiency. Details are an important aspect of any job.

Ambitious

Ambitions tend to be something that many people my age tend to be lacking. Anyone can get the job done but it takes someone with ambition to get the job done and have positive results to prove that it was done in an efficient and successful manner.

Compassionate

When making important decisions, I believe it’s important to take into account the feelings and needs of everyone. Though there will need to be some compromise, taking in to account and being compassionate and caring of the feelings of others is an important characteristic to have.

During our first session of Building Business Leaders of the term, Tayah quickly reviewed the study strategies that were discussed during the first phase of BBL. Going into spring term I see the importance of having a well establish study routine. In class Tayah discussed the four stages process which includes: learning, reviewing, processing and reviewing the information once more. After taking another look at this process I realized that my own study habits are lacking in the area of processing and could use some more help in the first phase of review. I’ve noticed throughout both fall and winter term there would be moments where the extent of my studying consisted of  taking a look at my notes after class and maybe making some quick shorts cuts in my mind of the information that was given. Back in high school, that amount of studying was sufficient in order to maintain a 3.9 GPA. College has taught me that my version of studying is compatible to those of students who maintain at most a 2.00 (maybe not, I don’t know the actually numbers, but… like… go with it lol). Maintaining a 2.00 GPA really isn’t my goal at all! Though I feel like I sometimes still entertain weak study habits, I realize I have gotten better at making sure that I set enough time out throughout the week to go over my notes and discuss them with people in class. I’ve also made sure to make time throughout the week to try different forms of studying that require repetition, which I have learned is important when trying to retain information. I’ve quickly come to realize that spring term is going to be a busy one and taking another look at my study process is probably the best thing that I could do for myself when it comes to preparing for midterms.

We also discussed short term, mid-term, and long term goals or objective statement. I feel like having goals is important, it definitely holds you more accountable and pushes you to reach further to accomplish them. When presented with this assignment I found it kind of difficult to come up with short term and mid-term goals, mostly because I don’t really know exactly what I want to major in yet. I know I want to do something with numbers because that’s just what comes easiest to me, but I don’t know what exactly I would want to do. I’ve been looking into possibly working in the accounting field, it has definitely been a field that I have been interested in and has a lot of the perks that I am looking for with in a potential career.

My short term goals definitely include getting accepted into the Business Honors Program, well I guess I have to be accepted into the College of Business then the Business Honors Program but, we’ll see. I know that in order to accomplish this goal I have make sure that my grades and extracurricular activities stay at a competitive level. Another short term goal that I have includes finding what minors would best compliment my accounting major, if that’s the direction I pursue. As of right now, I know that I would need to take five more SPAN classes in order to receive a Spanish minor. I don’t really know exactly how a Spanish minor compliments an accounting major, but I know that being bilingual definitely gives you an edge when applying for jobs so… Exploring more minors is still a goal.

A mid-term goal I have is definitely to graduate from UO. I believe everyone is told to go to college, but I feel like going to college is not even half the battle. I feel like the real struggle is sticking with it and graduating, but that’s beside the point. I also hope to have a job before I graduate. I feel like the best way for me to accomplish this goal is by interning throughout my years at the University of Oregon, build relationships with employers and demonstrating through action and work ethic that I am an asset to a company. If accounting is the career field I end up in, there are many jobs I could apply for as an entry level employee. Some that I found include Internal Accountant at Providence Health Services and Junior Accountant at David Evan and Associates. While looking at job opportunities for accountants, I realize that a lot of them ask that you to have at least 2 years of experience prior to applying. This just drives the importance of internships while in college.

My long term goals… I don’t really know. Am I supposed to have those sorted out at this point in my life? I feel like I have the most generic long term goals. Obviously I want to be working at a big company making enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle. I want to be in a position where I could take time off whenever I want to spend time with family. I also want to be able to give like a gazillion dollars to charities every week… that would be cool. My parents have always taught me that giving is more important than receiving. I definitely have a lot of philanthropic plans for my life. In reality, I feel it’s not really about what you have in this world but what you’ve given to it. I see the importance of long term goals, but it’s difficult to build the penthouse when you don’t have the lobby, meaning it don’t know exactly what career field I wish to purse (my lobby) which make it kind of difficult to see exact what my future long term goals are (my penthouse)…. (that was a fire analogy.. just saying).

Class on Friday made me realize that there was still so much that I have to figure out. Primarily, what I want to focus my studies in. I know of the various types of support that the college of business offers to student who are figuring out what major they wish to pursue. It would be in my best interest to seek these resources out (another short term goal). All in all, I know I still have some time to figure all of this out, but I am quickly realizing that time goes by fast when you’re not paying attention. So becoming for familiar with my career interests in a timely manner would be the best thing I could do for myself.

When I first read the prompt for this journal entry, I immediately thought about the list of goals I made for winter term 2016 after getting my grades back from fall term. After finishing out a term, I like to think back to what went well, what went didn’t go well and how can I improve overall. I started taking this process much more serious after finishing my first term at UO because I didn’t get the grades that I thought I was capable of. After much reflection I realized that I didn’t get the grades I wanted because I didn’t put the work in. I remember going into my Poli Sci midterm having only spent the night prior studying, it was obvious that I would not get a perfect score with those kinds of study methods. The lesson I learned from this experience and the goal I set for winter term was to spend more time on assignment making sure that the quality resembles the grade I’m aiming for as well setting time out to make sure that all of my assignments were finished in a timely manner. Another goal I had for this term was attending office hours much for frequently and becoming better acquainted with my professors. Organization was another thing I wanted to work on during winter term. When thinking back to fall term, I would say that a lot of the time that I was stressed could have been avoided if I had been a little more organized. Finally, one of the goals I had set for winter term was to get more involved in the college of business by joining more clubs.
When I wrote these goals, my intent was to make sure I can look back to this list after winter term was over and say I accomplished the majority. I feel like of the four that I included in this post the only goals that I can actually say I accomplished were becoming more organized and spending more time studying and making sure that assignments I turned in with my name on it, were done to the best of my ability. I stayed organized throughout the term by writing down all assignment due dates in my planner at the beginning of the term. I also made sure that the list I made before bed dedicated some time throughout my day to organize all of my homework and keep papers straight. In keeping organized, I realized it was much easier to stay on top of all of the assignments I was given. Staying organized helped me tremendously with time management which allowed me to set out enough time to make sure I did my best on each assignment. Thought there were one to two assignments that I totally had to and finish, it was considerably less than last term. I hope to continue the good habits I adopted this term into the next term.
While looking at the list I realized that there were some goals I didn’t really accomplish exactly like I had wished. One included going to office hours more often during winter term. I think throughout this whole term, I only went to office hours twice, and it was for the same class. The biggest reason I want to get to know my professor better, is because most study abroad applications request that you have a professor evaluation letter. I remember in High School I didn’t have to ask for recommendation letters, they were just handed to me. This was because I was able to build relationships with my teachers, relationships in which I was able to show them through actions every day in class that I was capable and responsible enough to any situation I was placed in, but now I’m in a class with a hundred other people and its proven to be really difficult to stand out. Next term, my improved goal is to attend office hours within the first week in order to introduce myself to professors, after that my goal is to attend office hours at least twice a week for a different class. The other goal I didn’t fully accomplish spring term was joining clubs within the LCB. I did attend some Women in Business meetings and some America Marketing Association, but not enough to be considered a dedicated member. My goal with joining clubs within the LCB is to meet new people who wish to pursue business as a career path and get a little taste of what certain career fields entail. My revised goal for spring term 2016 is to officially join both WIB and AMA and attend all meetings. Now that I have friends within each club I feel like meeting my goal of attend all meetings won’t be so hard to attain.
As I look at my performance in BA 199 through the eyes of my mentor, I would grade myself in the following way. For the category of branding my uniqueness I would check the box next to need improvement. Through I do believe I have made great strides in my ability to open up to others and present myself in a professional manner, I think I still have much room to improve. In the second category, used resources to overcome challenges I would check the box next to advanced. I think when I comes to accomplishing goals of finishing the task at hand, I think about the resource around me that are relevant. I seek some out for help but I know I could do better. For the category of taking co-curricular opportunities I would say that I am at an average standing. I believe I am at an average standing because throughout winter term I have been able to gain a better idea of what course I could take to compliment my business degree and what clubs I could get more involved in to learn more about the demands of certain career fields, but I have really acted upon these tasks. Like, there in my mind but I tend to dismiss them. For the using teamwork to reach goals section of the scoring sheet I would check the box next to advanced. I feel like I am a good team player but there is always room for improvement, and I haven’t really been a part of a lot group projects. Finally, for the last section of academic planning and skill development I would check the box next to advanced. I’ve learned after my first term here at UO the importance of academic planning and having some sort of idea what classes would best compliment the degree I wish to pursue. I feel like from the first phase of building business leaders I have learned more about myself than anything else. I’ve learned more about my aspirations and what I am actually looking for within my college experience. The first phase of building business leaders has taught me that I don’t just want to survive these next couple years in college, I want to thrive. I want to get straight A’s in all of my classes, I want an executive position within a club I want many things from my college experience, BBL has taught me that I am capable of accomplishing these goals, but I need to stop focusing on the fear of failing and just go out and do it.