Last Day of Community Builders!

It's bittersweet that today was the last day of community builders. The time really went by quickly with those kids. There were definitely some that I became closer to than others. Overall though, I think it was a really positive experience! In terms of how well we did today though, I think we were a little unprepared. We thought that everything was going to take a little longer than it did. So at the end of everything, we were just kind of sitting around, wondering what to do. What happened today was not really reflective of our entire though. Every other week we were always running out of time since we had so much planned and were having a lot of fun. I think that it was a good experience to work with someone who I had never gotten to work with before and really learn to grow with the students. Many times some of the input that the students gave was pretty impressive.

Now, how did this experience end up helping me grow? I think for one, I learned how to go with the flow and not panic when something didn't go right or when everything wasn't exactly planned out. In the end, everything always turned out fine. It wasn't perfect, but we definitely learned from our mistakes. I think the importance of communication was very clear in community builders as well. Matt and I needed to make sure that we were on the same page with each of our responsibilities. Communication was really important in those tight moments when we needed to figure out how to transition or what we needed to do next. Sometimes that communication was verbally talking with one another; most of the time it was using non-verbal communication to convey a message to the other across the room. In the future, communication will be helpful with a team or a group and figuring out how to get something done. However, the use of non-verbal and verbal communication will be more prevalent for a work-place that is fast paced.

An area that I still need to work on in terms of leading people would probably taking some of the responsibility off of my shoulders and letting someone else take charge. A lot of the time that we were in the classroom, I would automatically try and get control of the room and ask for the attention to be on me so that I could explain something. I felt like sometimes had fewer opportunities to speak because of my need to be so controlling. I think that in some opportunities I should have let him take control. However, part of me wonders if through our dynamic, it was alright that I did a lot of the marco duties like getting the students under control and explaining activities while Matt did some of the micro duties like taking care of the materials, making sure that each student had what they wanted, and just maintaining some of the conversations during our activities.

From the top of my head, I really can't think of anything else to add at the moment. I imagine that as I participate in other leadership-driven activities that the importance of working in Community Builders and learning how to my improve my leadership will be more apparent.

Thank you for the opportunity, Community Builder staff! It was truly a blessing!

Final Project Presentations

Well today was the second day of final project presentations. Matt and I were supposed to go today, but there wasn't enough time for our presentation. Honestly, I am surprisingly impressed with how good other people's presentations are and how different they are. I just expected that I would be listening to the same materials about leadership over and over again. However, people are bringing their experiences to the presentations. While some people focused on their majors and how they use leadership in them. One group focused on the strengths and weaknesses in leadership. This was probably the most interesting group to listen to because it definitely made me reflect on my own leadership styles. I finally realized how my inability to cooperate with people really can hinder my leadership. I get so easily annoyed by some people that I tend to get really snappy with them. Unfortunately, they're the same with me. No progress is going going to happen that way. The group didn't really address how to solve this problem, sadly enough. From what I have learned, I would think that patience would be important. Also, I  need to keep in mind what my goals and values are and make sure to maintain them.

I really don't have much more to say than what I've already said about my group project. Matt and I seem ready. We took our differences and managed to find some similarities and create a decent presentation. We'll just wait and see!

"Challenging the Process"

I am designating my theme for this post, "Challenging the Process;" a chapter out of The Student Leadership Challenge written by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. I think that in a classroom setting, this is the part of leadership that most students have a hard time with. Many of us are eager to lead, but the idea of change can be a little scary. One of the more obvious situations in this past week has been deciding what groups are which for the final group project presentation. Dr. Kittle said that we could make groups of people within our major or something along those lines, but when it comes down to it, people are going to stay with their friends and not venture to find anyone who may have similar academic interests.

Ii do not know that many people in our class. Additionally, most of the people I do know have already presented early. Therefore, when Dr. Kittle announced that we should be thinking about who we are going to be in a group with, I got a little nervous. I didn't know who it was going to be! After we finished a class activity one day, instead of sticking around to find a group, I left the class amongst other students who also finished early. I was too nervous to ask anyone if I could be in their group or if they even had one or not. I am introverted, so reaching out to someone makes me very uncomfortable. Also, when I was in high school, people never asked me to be in their group. I always had to be asked to be in a group and I usually felt left out because everyone else knew one another really well and they weren't interested in my input. Plus, by working with different people, it gives an opportunity to have a unique experience and learn about other perspectives. However, without taking the challenge to do that, it limits the world of possibilities.

I was pleasantly surprised when one day, I opened my email to see a message from Matt (a different one than the one I work with for community builders) in my inbox. He said that he couldn't find a partner and he was wondering if he could join my group. Relieved, I said that the two of us could form our own group. In terms of  our group, I think that he took a challenge by having to ask to join a group and it ended up being for the better. Instead of feeling embarrassed and ashamed, I should have remembered the assignment as hand and that it was necessary that I find a group. Just putting it off until later would only make it harder to join a group. Matt reminded me that I do just have to put away my pride and get the job done when it needs to be done. A leader may not worry what other people think as long as the task at hand gets done and gets done well.

Communities

On Thursday, we had the joy in Neighborhood 1 to create our final group project. Since our group really liked doing games and activities, we decided that we should make our own that reflected what we did throughout the semester. Similar to the Game of Life, we created a Game of Community Builders! Matt and I printed out a long sheet of paper with the Community Builders logo for the game board and brought over construction paper, mini logos, scissors, glue, and colored pencils, but really the creation of the game was up to the students. I believe that handing over the project to the students did exemplify leadership. It was their project and they showed what they learned. However, also, sometimes leaders just need to step back and see what others can bring to a team in order to make it great. If Matt and I had prepared most of the game before we arrived, the activity would not have been as worthwhile. It would have reflected more of what Matt and I know rather than what the students learned. That's not the point! We had to look down from the balcony and see what we needed to do so that the students could do the best work that they could do.

An important theme from this week was making sure that everyone was getting involved. This meant that each student and the adult volunteer had a part in the creation of the game in addition to Matt and me. Since it's hard to get everyone involved in every single part of the game, we decided to delegate the making of the game a little bit as well as have some tasks that were universal. For instance, there were a couple students that were making the game board and the rest of the students were cutting and gluing. Then, we could make sure to use all of the students but utilize various skills. One issue that we had been having was getting our Adult Volunteer, Pat, involved. This week we put her in the group of the board decorating group so that she could have more interaction and conversation with the students. We had recognized that in previous meetings she didn't really include herself in the activities. By deliberately placing her in a group that needed to work through conversation, it actively made her get to know the students a little bit more and help out with the group. We realized that she was not going to place herself into group interactions but rather we needed to be intentional in involving her. I think that personally, sometimes I get so caught up in my position/job within a group, that I forget about encouraging others to participate as well. Sometimes I just assume that they will want to be involved and will jump right in. However, not everyone's personality gives them the strength to jump into a situation like that. It is important to look at everyone's strengths and weaknesses in a group and try to address those as much as possible so that the group and the individual grows.

This week was a fun time with the 6th graders. It's sad that our time with them is almost over - it has passed by so quickly! I really enjoy getting to know the students and having fun learning about leadership with them. Each of them brings a fresh perspective and challenges my thinking about the standard definition of leadership that I have in my head. For me, this just reflects my need to work with diverse groups in order to gain more understanding about leadership and how to work with various groups in distinct situations. As Mandie has mentioned, I am hoping that since I can work with 6th graders, that I can really work with anybody!

CB efforts to date

So far in Community Builders, it has really been a fun journey. However, it has forced me to get a little bit out of my comfort zone. To be more specific, I am really a shy person; especially when first getting to know someone. I don't really feel comfortable starting conversations because I always draw blanks with what to say. I get intimidated by the fact that I don't know much about someone else because I don't know if there is anything that we have in common or anything that we will have in common. I usually hope to find a connection with someone if I really want to talk to them. When I am with the six graders, instead of withdrawing and sitting and waiting for someone else to start the conversation, I have had to be the one to bring something up. Rather than trying to find something that the students and I have in common, I ask them a lot of questions about themselves so that they will talk more. I feel more comfortable then because as long as they are talking, I have to ask less questions! However, they do like having someone listen to their stories and be interested in them. I am starting to be more conscious of when I start trying to relate everything back and try to stop myself. I believe that if I talk too much about myself, it might shut down other people who want to be heard. I am hoping that in future conversations, I can try to learn more about the person and only talk about myself when asked or if there is a big connection between us.

In terms of working with Matt, I feel like I was really lucky to get him as a partner. It's really easy working with him and I feel like we both generally work in a similar way. He's definitely more extroverted than I am, but his ability to be organized and punctual is something that we have in common (and it's something that is important to me and keeps me calm). I have started to realize that I rely on schedules and getting everything done on time and when that doesn't happen, I get a lot of anxiety. Therefore, when everything gets done in a timely fashion, I feel so much better. Although Matt and I are a great team, I'm afraid that I haven't really grown as much as I would had been with someone who was more different than I was. It is possible that we are more different than I realize though since we complement one another very well. Who knows? In terms of how this experience has helped me for the future, I have to realize that not everybody is going to be as awesome as Matt. Working with others is going to be a little more difficult.

For instance, working with someone of an older generation such as our AV, Pat. Pat is an enthusiastic volunteer. She always has feedback on what we do and is eager to implement her ideas into our lesson plan. Sometimes she can be a little too pushy though. After her first email with her commentary, we didn't really respond to her constructive criticism. I am not saying that we should have been defensive or anything, but rather recognized her expertise in working in Community Builders and how she's there to help. Some of her ideas are a little "old," and rather than just ignoring them, we should politely acknowledge her ideas, take them into account, and say that we might have decided to take a different approach. We are technically leading the lessons so we have to power to use or not use what we want, but we have to remember that she, too, is part of the group and can have some say. Additionally, her expertise can be helpful as I mentioned. I think that the lessons that I have learned from Pat would be being open to ideas, acknowledging someone's feedback and advice, but having the guts to use the advice or not. Plus, the older generations can feel like they are no longer useful. Pat can help us! We just need to make sure that we get her more involved in our group. Sometimes I want to please everyone, but that's not possible! I have to have faith that I have some good ideas too!

In terms of this week's lesson, I am excited to make a game of communities (similar to the game of life). Matt and I think that everyone can get involved and bring their own style to the game. Details will be shared later!

Class article activity

Article 1 - "What makes a great employee?" from Jan. 19, 2011 on Blake Mycoskie's blog

The article that I brought into class the other day was a blog post from the man who created TOMS shoes, Blake Mycoskie. He has gone on to write his own book as well as his own optical program one-for-one in other countries as well. However, in this employee, he gave a little anecdote of what he did when he started the company.

Rather than hiring employees with experience for his new business, Mycoskie looked for people interested who had the least amount of experience. His reasoning was that people with lesser experience would not have preconceived notions of what the right way to do certain tasks are. Therefore, he takes the risk of giving the inexperienced a change. What he expects out of these workers -unpaid interns actually - is passion and creativity.

It's as simple as that. I think that in society today, people have finally realized how different people are. More importantly though, society is not static, so we cannot assume that a certain model is going to be applicable for all people at all times. In order to be successful, a leader would have to recognize how society is always changing. They don't necessarily have to be the ones to know what to do, but rather be the one to recognize the change and find people to stay ahead of the curve.

Personally, I don't think that I am always good at thinking about what the next big thing is. However, I can think of the questions to push people outside of the box and look at the big picture. I guess in this context, I do better at being on the balcony and looking towards the future.

Article 2 - "5 Leadership and Life Lessons from John Wooden" by Kevin Eikenberry

This article was Eddie's that he shared with me in our "speed dating" activity. The article takes some of John Wooden's famous quotes and puts them into the context of leadership. The quotes are the following:

"Move, Move, Move!"/"Earn the right to be proud and confident."/"Ability may get you to the top. But character will keep you there."/"You can do more by being good than any other way."/"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

Being an athlete (and after playing basketball for eight years), these quotes are very relatable. I can see them in the context of sports. For me, sometimes it's easier to see my relationships in terms of a team. My friends and family are my teammates and ideally, I want to work well with all of them in order to "win" or have peace. Therefore, I have to remember how to work hard and be a good person. These lessons do not have to apply just to sports or to being a leader, but just being human. I think it's a good way to keep perspective and remain humble.

Reflective Class Activity - 2/19

By the beginning of class today, we have all read the Leadership on the Line book by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky. We have learned the ups and the downs of leadership as well as some skills in order to improve our leadership. Dr. Kittle really helped us reflect just a little further about our leadership, and I'm going to go ahead and share some of the more important questions (to me personally) with you.

Who helps you be honest with yourself?

At this point in my life, being part of "teams" are very important. I put teams in quotations because it doesn't have to include a sport. For me, yes, some people who help me be myself are my co-captains and teammates on the Ultimate Frisbee team. The other day I had a conversation with my co-captain, Kyle, about a rut that I've been in. He reminded me of why I was voted captain in the first place - because I play hard and I show up every day. I give everything I have to give to the team. My dedication helped me earn my position. I don't need to boss people around in order to be a captain. I need to remember to be myself.

Other people in some of my "teams" are my family members, people I work with, and my academic advisors. They remind me of what my goals are in life and to not be distracted by the little things. They remind me to keep on going and not be discouraged by small failures, because those are just life lessons waiting to happen. Without some of these people on my "teams," I might have lost sight of who I am and who I want to be.

What are some of your leadership weaknesses?

I don't really like to think about this topic very much. I am a person who in the big picture has had a lot of success (not to toot my own horn). I try to avoid these weaknesses while trying to succeed. However, I have learned in other leadership courses, like LS 115, that sometimes it can be beneficial to try and work on those weaknesses to be a more well-rounded leader. Being aware of these weaknesses is probably one of the more important topics those.

Some of my weaknesses:
- Constructive criticism: I hate having people tell me I am wrong when I am not ready to accept the criticism. Unfortunately, sometimes I think that people don't listen to the way that I am thinking about an issue, when the real story is that I close my mind to their ideas.
- Trust: It can seem easier to get something done on my own because I know how I want it to get down and which way it should be. However, I have to trust that other people are trying to achieve the same goal as I am and they, too, are capable of getting something done.
- Clear communication: I like it when there is clear communication. Unfortunately, I believe that I am terrible at expressive myself in a clear and concise manner. I get too wordy or forget something or explain a task in an absolutely confusing way. I have learned that sometimes by writing down directions/idea first and then saying them out loud helps me make sure to more effectively communicate some of my thoughts better. Of course, I can't do this all the time, so this will be a work in progress.

There are a few more that I could address, but it would take up too much time to list everything. I'm a hard critic of myself, so it could go on for a while!

How do I "anchor" myself?

The term of "anchor" is still a little bit abstract for me. However, my understanding of the word is what helps me/encourages me to become a better leader (or be a leader in general).
1. Goals: I am a very goal-oriented person. I like knowing where I have to go, but have the freedom to explore approaches on how to get there. Goals help me remember what I need to do rather than focusing on my position in an organization (because that can intimidate me).
2. Being in an open community where ideas are shared: I do not think that my ideas are the best ideas out there. I don't believe that one person always has the right answer either. That's why I really feel comfortable in an environment where ideas can be shared with one another in order to find the best solution/idea. I really like brainstorming and it's potential. In order for me to best formulate an idea, I need to see how other people see the issue.
3. Trust: Yes, this is in my weakness area as well. I have been able to find places where I am really comfortable with people and trust what they do. I feel that my work is more efficient when I don't have to look over my shoulder or double-check everything. I also think that promotes efficiency as well.

Alright, I think this might be it for today. There is so much more that I could say or expand on, but I think that can be another challenge for another day. Until next time, everyone!