Self Reflection Weeks 1-3

Week 1

Where to begin? After the first class, I felt, overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the amount of material to cover in such as short amount of time. Where am I going to fit this ONE class into my daily life? How is this going to come together? Our group met over at Kim's house. Kim was hospitable and gracious. Mike was energetic and enthusiastic.  Sarah was unexpectedly funny and well organized. Ray was insightful and sincere. I felt the group worked well together, and we were off to a great start!

Week 2

Trying to maintain a regular reading schedule so I won't fall too far behind  on my reading. I work second-shift from 3-11 every night and have to work weekends every two weeks. Biggest challenge is staying awake at night after I get home from work while reading. This was not working for me in the least. After I get my daughter around and ready for school, it is approximately 8:45. The way I see it, I have 3.5-4.0 hours of productive time for my studies. Time to clear myself of distraction and learn better time management skills. I am struggling with time management.

Week 3

I am now fully aware that I need to dedicate at least an hour a day to my group activities, so as not to play catch up. We are doing our first group volunteer at the multicultural event this Saturday. I am looking forward to helping set up the event and interacting with the members of the group. The more I am writing in this blog, the more comfortable it is. I view it as a "message in a bottle". Throwing my thoughts out to cyber space. 

Toolkit 3.1, 4.1, 5.1

Toolkit Activity 3.1 Generations at work

I belong in the Gen X category
40 years

1. What is the preferred length of a workday and the number of days worked per week?

I prefer to work 8 hours a day, Monday thru Friday 9:00am-5:00pm. 

2. Are you interested in flexible working hours? Working from home? Why or why not?

Flexible hours do not work well for me because of having two small children in daycare and school. Being on a regular schedule helps with managing my professional and family life. Working from home would be difficult. There would be so many distractions that may take you away from work. I would have to possess excellent time management skills.

3. Do you multitask  (do more than one thing at once) ?

I multitask and have no problems multitasking while in the workplace. It helps to be flexible and understand that multiple distractions occur.

4. What frequency and form of team meetings do you prefer?

I prefer small team meetings on a weekly basis.

5. What leadership style do you prefer? Why?

I like the transformation leadership style.   It inspires motivation while treating everyone as an individual.

6. What organizational rewards are meaningful to you? Why?

Organizational respect is the most meaningful to me. Of course, more pay is a close second.

7. How important is a balance between work and personal life to you? Explain.

Maintaining a balance is tricky between the two. I find it best not to overcompensate in either. Too much in either leads to the other one getting neglected.



Toolkit Activity 4.1 What Do Workers Want From Their Jobs

Promotion in the company - 4
Tactful discipline - 9
Job security - 3
Help with personal problems - 10
Personal loyalty of supervisor - 7
High wages - 5
Full appreciation of work being done - 6
Good working conditions - 2
Feeling of being in on things - 8
Interesting work - 1

1. In comparing the different ratings, what might account for the different opinions between you and your group?

Ratings are subjective and reflect each individual's mind set within the group. Some factors are age, what stage they are in their career, etc.

2. What might be the cause of the supervisor's rankings being so different from the employees?

The supervisor's ranking would differ from the employee's because of their mindset within the company. The supervisor may be well seasoned and has been with the company for a number of years already, thus, potentially ranking job security lower than an employee who is new and out to prove their worth to the company.

3. Do you think the results of this survey would change over time?

Absolutely. Rankings are dynamic and will change with an employee's experience and growth within the company.



Toolkit Activity 5.1 Understanding the Pygmalion Effect

Scenario 1

1. Is the manager communicating high or low expectations to the employee by his or her behavior?

The manager is presenting a daily status report outlining each employee's productivity. This does not communicate the manager's expectations.

2. How do you think the employee(s) will react to the manager's behavior? Choose several adjectives that you believe describe this reaction (e.g. , angry, motivated).

defeated, hostile, complacent, and jubilant

3. If low expectations are being communicated by the manager in the scenario, answer this question: If you were the manager in this scenario and wanted your employee(s) to respond in a positive manner, what would you have done differently?

I would set benchmarks for goals and have an award system in place for those who exceed them first.

4. If high expectations are being communicated by the manager in the scenario, discuss what benefits might result. For the sake of contrast, pretend the manager in the scenario held low expectations for the employee(s). What might that low expectation manager have done in these scenarios, and what would the result be?

The low expectation manager should get on the floor and observe the work habits of his employees. The observations could determine the causes of low productivity and error rates within the production line.

Case Study 5.1 Lombardi's Packers: From Last in the League to the Best Legs in the League

1. How did Lombardi’s actions help change the players’ perceptions of themselves and their abilities?   Coach Lombardi set a clear guideline outlining his expectations for the players and the team. He held everyone accountable for their actions, even the superstars and veterans.  

          

2. The Packers culture was tolerant of losing before Lombardi took over. How might this culture have created a Golem effect?  The coach prior held low expectations for the team which enabled the team to accept and tolerate loss.

3. How did Lombardi’s changes to the team's’ professionalism and physical ability help change the identity the Packers had created for themselves and their team? Coach Lombardi was teaching them how a professional football player should act and feel like. He empowered his players and made them accountable for their actions off and on the field.

4. Lombardi instituted a rule that players could not drink standing at a bar.  While not all players would drink alcohol or visit bars, the actions of those who did would be attributed to the entire team.  What kind of effect is this?  Why is it important to manage perceptions held not only by oneself but also by others?  The primacy effect. Perception is everything within any organization. This is important as your peers will hold you accountable as well, creating strength and unity throughout.

Team Toolkit and Case Study 5.1

Team Toolkit and Case Study 5.1

Team Toolkit 5.1: Understanding the Pygmalion Effect

As a group, we chose to review Scenario 1.
1. We felt that the manager is not communicating his expectations clearly and effectively. It does appear the manager has high expectations but he is not setting them in an appropriate manor.

2. Some employees may use the chart as a competitive tool and will improve in order to be ranked higher against their peers. Other employees will be embarrassed by their results which will lead to negativity and a decrease in both results and employee loyalty.

4. To better portray the manager's expectations, they first need to find the root cause of the decrease in results. The manager should meet with the employees and ask for their opinion in order to find the root cause and what motivates them to improve. More manager and employee interaction and collaboration will increase productivity and moral. 

Case Study 5.1: Lombardi’s Packers: From Last in the League to the Best Legs in the League

1. How did Lombardi’s actions help change the players’ perceptions of themselves and their abilities?

        

         Lombardi was able to set high expectations and hold all players accountable. He did not

         pick any favorites. Holding the players to a higher standard gained the buy-in, 

         which evolved into them holding one another accountable for their actions on and off the

         field.

2. The Packers culture was tolerant of losing before Lombardi took over. How might this culture have created a Golem effect?

The prior coach did not set any penalty for any players who behave against the rules or if the team losses. Not holding anyone accountable for their behaviors and actions lead to the Golem effect. The coach prior to Lombardi did not set any expectation, which, in turn lead to a team culture that was use to losing.

3. How did Lombardi’s changes to the team's’ professionalism and physical ability help change the identity the Packers had created for themselves and their team?

The high expectations off the field let to the players feeling more confident in themselves. The professionalism that was required taught the players self-worth. This lead to the high expectations on the field which lead to higher performance and more games won.

4. Lombardi instituted a rule that players could not drink standing at a bar.  While not all players would drink alcohol or visit bars, the actions of those who did would be attributed to the entire team.  What kind of effect is this?  Why is it important to manage perceptions held not only by oneself but also by others?  

The main effect was the primacy effect- if one person was caught drinking at a bar, the whole team was. This leads to a higher level of holding yourself and others accountable. When all of the players are effected by one individual, it leads to that person behaving at a higher professional standard.

Team Toolkit 4.1: What do workers want from their jobs?

Team Toolkit 4.1: What do workers want from their jobs?

Factor	Ray	Mike	Kim	Sarah	Group
Promotion in the company	4	3	6	4	5
Tactful discipline	8	9	8	8	8
Job Security	5	4	1	5	4
Help with personal problems	9	10	10	10	10
Personal loyalty of supervisor	7	6	9	7	7
High wages	3	1	4	3	2
Full appreciation of work being done	2	6	2	2	3
Good working conditions	6	5	5	6	6
Feeling of being in on things	10	8	7	9	9
Interesting work	1	2	3	1	1

1. In comparing the different ratings, what might account for the different opinions between you and your group?

There were actually several factors in which the group was close in their answers, just one or two rankings apart.  For areas where there were larger differences, some reasons for this may be from our age ranges, where we are in our careers (fairly new or mid-career and stable), as well as the things that are important in our lives now such as growth and building a family versus more stability in our personal and professional positions.

2. What might be the cause of the supervisor's rankings being so different from the employees?

Some of the times of difference between the supervisors and employees could relate to position in the company, their current level of involvement in decisions or the perception of decision making.  Additionally, differences could be from differences in drive or ambition and experience in the workplace.

3. Do you think the results of this survey would change over time?

These results may likely change over time, as individual priorities shift depending on life and career choices and events. They could also shift if current factors change at work and someone's personal values are infringed on, they would change what their priorities are overall.  

Team Toolkit 3.1: Generations At Work

Team Toolkit 3.1: Generations At Work

Generations of our group:

Ray - Millennial

Mike - Gen X

Kim - Millennial -but on the cusp & ID with Gen X

Sarah -Millennial

Ages in our group:

Ages ranged from 25-37

1. What is your preferred length of workday and the number of days worked per week?

As a group we were divided fairly evenly on preferences.  Half liked a regular 5 days, 8-hour work week while the other half preferred a flexible schedule of some sort.

2. Are you interested in working flexible working hours?  Working from home? Why or why not?

The group was pretty well agreed to wanting a flexible work week, if we can choose the flexible days/times, as well as the option to work from home.  Most reasons for the flexibility was better work-life balance and ability to work without distractions.

3. Do you multitask?

All were in agreement that we multi-task, and often!

4. What frequency and form of team meetings to you prefer?

The group had a consensus that weekly small meetings were good for casual conversations.

5. What style of leadership do you prefer?  Why?

The majority of us prefer a transformational style of leadership in which there is an element of a personal relationship with our boss in terms of career and motivational support.  We also preferred this style of leadership as it assumes competence and assists with development and growth in our careers.

6. What organizational rewards are meaningful to you? Why?

There were some differences among the group in what was most meaningful to us for rewards, but there was a common theme of increased pay/promotion. Increased responsibilities and respect were also mentioned.

7. How important is a balance between work and personal life to you? Explain.

Work-life balance is extremely important to all of us, and all for various reasons, but a common theme of spending time with family and friends was present as well as just enjoying life.

Reflections on 'How to Win Friends & Influence People'

I had never read Dale Carnegie's book "How to Win Friends and Influence People", though I had heard of it and it's influence through the ages.  I was interested to see what all the praise was about and how it had not only survived, but thrived, this many years later as a great work for business and interpersonal relations.

I think it was said at the beginning of class that this book was not revolutionary in it's teachings, it is everyday things that most people just hadn't verbalized, or didn't remember in their interactions with others.  I really enjoyed reading the book and seeing how Carnegie wove the sections and Principles together in a way that was more like a gentle reminder of how to behave than instructing.  It reminded me throughout that many of these principles stemmed from having good manners and that too often I feel that these manners are forgotten by most people.

I have heard many of the principles taught in various ways through leadership classes that I manage, such as: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.  I see this today in the skill of Active Listening that is taught.  Being open and interested in the other person, and not speaking or thinking to speak, while the other person is sharing their ideas or concerns.

Another Principle that I see in a slight variation is: Arose in the other person an eager want. When I was reading this section it brought to mind a variation of the Golden Rule, that is the Platinum Rule: Treat others as they want to be treated.  Several principles in this book had that running theme of know the other person and be courteous to them, or interested in them, or encouraging of them.  To be a good leader one of the most important things to remember, in my opinion, is that; it's not about you.

As I read these principles and reflected on if I was incorporating them in my life, I saw areas for improvement, as hopefully all leaders can see improvement in their actions and behaviors.  Some specific areas that I know I need to work on are:

Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.  I confess that I am terrible at remembering names, even after meeting someone more than once.  I have found the best way for me to remember someones name is to write it down right away.  Often if I have met with someone, I will send them a follow up email, just so I have an occasion to use their name.  When I don't have the opportunity to write a name down, I struggle to put the name to the face the next time we meet.  This reading reinforced to me how important it is to develop this skill.

Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers. I struggle with this principle in knowing how much of a seed to plant for an idea and how long to wait to poke at it to see if it is growing in someone else.  I am energized to try some of the suggestions and see if I can improve this skill, as it has benefits in work and home life! :)

Dramatize your ideas. This is hard for me, as my personality is all about facts and logic and I feel they should speak for themselves.  I know that the many different personalities like to recite information in different ways, and some like to have ideas that are sexy or intriguing presented to them.  I am hoping to work on this skill by partnering with others who have a flair for words and can help me translate boring ideas into a vision that others can follow or get excited about.

While these principles can be argued as manners, or common ideas, they are uncommon in action often.  A quote in the beginning of the book is a good reminder of why we should pick up this book every so often to re-read it and should tape the principles to our mirror;  "Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind." (pg. XXV) To be a better leader, we have to take action on this knowledge we now have.

Self Reflection weeks 1-3

So far, after just a few short weeks, I have learned much in organizational behavior. As a class we have discussed personal stories and developments that have lead to self reflections. I have been taking notes on the differences in types of climates in different types of employment, including the private and public sectors.

The discussions have lead to self reflection the past few weeks. Through group discussion and Scandura self-assessments, I view that my personal leadership styles reflect how am I as an individual. One of my strengths have always been the ability to read people's behaviors and change myself to best suit them. Whether that is for coaching at work or being an active listener to friends and family at home. I also view myself as honest and hardworking. Being honest, in my opinion, is one of the largest factors of success. Dishonesty leads to disloyalty by your peers, bosses, and employees.

I have also noticed some areas of opportunities to further develop my personalities. I often have been known to not 'smile' or seem happy or positive. I have been focusing on my posture and facial features recently but it has been difficult to constantly notice and change my personality.

The initial classes have lead to much self-reflection and I am enthusiastic about my continued reflection and class discussion.

Self Reflection on How to Win Friends & Influence People

Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends & Influence People, provides extreme leadership development opportunities for those who have read it. Dale does an excellent job at not only explaining his points of view but also giving successful examples with ordinary people that have used his techniques.

Being a successful leader requires numerous responsibilities and constant development. An effective leader must be genuine in his interest, responses, and approaches to their employees. If a leader is not genuine, the employee will notice and have an adverse affect to what the leader is trying to portray or accomplish.

If a leader wants to motive or change a behavior of an individual, they must make the individual feel as though the idea for change is their idea and it is in their best interest. Appeal to their motives will use the change as a challenge to better themselves or their performance.

A leader must never forget to praise improvement and constantly give positive feedback. Showing respect in a positive manor will feed off from you to your entire team. Having a positive team leads to positive results and positive customer service. Positivity, just like negativity, is contagious in any company.

Carnegie gave me many self-reflections from this book but they all can be summarized, a leader must be able to think outside of oneself and be able to address their audience's behaviors in order to produce the most effect response.

I have already taken some of the positivity approaches to change management and coaching into my team, which I currently have ten members. The 'yes, yes' approach has been proven successful so far in its use. When coaching I acknowledge my employee's strengths and lead them to notice their area of opportunity by asking yes questions. This has lead them to their own root cause which, in turn, has lead to a collaborative effort to make the opportunity into a strength.

Overall, Carnegie provided me with vital leadership development. I intend to watch my own posture, expressions, and other people's behaviors in order to produce the most effective and excited team.

First reflections

We have had two weeks of class now and I am going to give this reflection post a try.  I am going to start out by saying how much I dislike writing or journaling.  I have never found it to be a useful way to collect my thoughts.  I have always found that nothing organizes my thoughts like a nice long car ride.  I love to drive and I especially love long car rides; the 3-5 hour ones are my favorite.  It is like my Zen time where I organize my thoughts and reflect on what is going on in my life.  In essence, I am typing this reflection under duress!  I was rather nervous before the first day of class because of how the class and the syllabus were laid out.  The impression I got was that this is going to be a class of busy work and that is the type of class I dislike the most.  However, after two nights of class, I am no longer worried.  Even though I am not a big fan of the amount of reading involved, I find that the overall class format of discussion and sharing of our personal thoughts regarding a variety of topics makes the class time go by quickly.  And as far as the discussion posts go…I’d still prefer a long car ride.

How to win friends and influence people

In reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, I found that many of the principles identified in the book were somewhat obvious or I could picture a good leader doing, but I found that I have a lot to work on to begin to include these principles in my own live and professional career. I’ve identified several strengths, weaknesses and takeaways below.

Strengths

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

• I find that I do this fairly well, but probably more as a result of being non-confrontational. In group settings and professional environments, it bothers me when there is tension between people.

Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person

• In my professional career, I have found that I am quick to admit and point out my own faults, I think it shows initiative, self-awareness and self respect to point out your own mistakes. I have also found, that if you do it first, and call attention to it, it makes the other person more relaxed, because they don’t have to find a way to say it to you without hurting your feelings.

Ask questions instead of giving direct orders

• This is a more recent skill that I have developed. I have found that this can be particularly useful with supervisors. Instead of announcing how you are going to solve the problem, it is tactful to say: “Would you like me to do…” or “Do you think it’s appropriate for me to…” This softens the tone of the request and allows for the other person to make his/her own suggestion to the problem.

Weaknesses 

Give honest sincere appreciation

• I find it difficult to steer clear of canned responses when giving appreciation. I think I can improve upon this by identifying at least one specific item that that person did particularly well, and include that in my appreciation.

Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves

• After reading this book, I realize how much I talk about myself in conversation and it is really gnawing and becoming annoying to me. They say “people love to hear themselves talk”…but not after this book, this brings a whole new awareness and consciousness of how much we talk about ourselves. I plan to make a conscientious effort to direct conversation away from me and learn more about other people.

Let the other person feel that the idea is his/hers.

• I think this is an important skill that I would like to learn how to develop. I think it can be very powerful if used correctly, and I would like to explore more examples of how this is successfully done, so I may apply this in my own life and professional career.

Case Study 2.1: Which boss would you rather work for?

1. Compare the experiences of the two employees (Ting and Lisa). Which boss would you rather work for? Why?

We all agreed that we would rather work for Ting’s boss. Ting’s boss is more supportive, empathetic and helped to set her up for personal and professional success. Ting’s is viewed as more than just an employee, but is appreciated as a contributing member and an asset to the company. As a whole, people will be more receptive and willing to work for bosses who are willing to take time to make sure you are acknowledged, heard and appreciated and are willing to help you with both professional and personal problems.

2. Think about the leadership theories that were covered in this chapter, and determine which leadership styles are exemplified in the two scenarios.  Which ones should have been used?

These two scenarios demonstrate individualized consideration and nonleadership/laissez-faire leadership. Ting was treated as an individual and with respect and concern for her as an individual and a contributing member of the organization. Lisa’s boss did not provide Lisa with interaction, feedback or concern for her as a person or an individual. As a result, Lisa became dissatisfied with the organization and eventually left her job. Individualized consideration is the ideal leadership theory, but in Lisa’s situation, a managerial or situational leadership style would have been more beneficial and provided the feedback and recognition she so vehemently wanted.

3. What steps could Lisa have taken to develop a higher-quality LMX relationship or “manager her boss” more effectively?  Do you think this would work in this case?
Our group discussed and agreed that Lisa should have been more open with her boss. She should have met with her boss at the start employment in order to set role standards, what to expect from her boss, and what her boss can expect from her. The initial meeting should have been followed up with pre-scheduled consistent meetings in order to receive constant feedback and any support that Lisa may need. Being open and honest with Lisa’s expectations to her boss will gain her a more effective working relationship.
 

4. What were the outcomes for each of the employees and companies in these two scenarios? Thinking about these outcomes, why is it important for organizations to have effective leaders?
Ting became an active employee and a strong advocate of the company. Ting was forward with her situation and the owner followed individualized consideration through the 4 Is as  a transformational leader to produce an everlasting productive employee. Lisa’s manager used a laissez-faire approach which was not individualized to Lisa’s learning style. This cause Lisa to become negatively influenced, which later produced turnover. Having effective leaders are a vital component to company success. Having a leader that will not individualize styles to their employees leads to a negative outlook and future for the company. It leads to higher turnover of quality employees. This directly affects company profit and long term sustainability.