My Leadership Story

Who I am as a leader? Why?

I am an emerging leader who is learning to trust in her decision making ability and one who...over the course of this class...has become more aware. I am a focused and determined leader who has learned the beginnings of earning others respect. One of the most empowering and humbling things that I experienced in this was when Dr. Gower said to the entire class, about mid-way through the course “all of you are in this program because you are leaders. The very fact that you are here means that you already are a leader.” I think that really solidified and changed how I view myself as a leader and I think that will make all the difference. As a result of this class, my new motto is “own it and bring it”. I have learned that if I can demonstrate the confidence and knowledge then the rest will follow. I am a leader that is learning to trust in her decisions

Who do you want to be as leader?

After reflecting on Carnegie, I noticed that there are many ways I can improve relationships and influence people in the work place and as a result of reading this book, At the beginning of class I stated, I don't know if I've met or known a great leader. I still don't know, but I know that I want to be one. Based on Carnegie, I have started to think more about how I act and how I can phrase things to soften how they will be perceived by others. I want to be a leader that trusts and values the opinions of others. One who welcomes input and alternative suggestions, but one who embodies the practices of Lincoln and values each person I speak with and one who is able to accentuate and develop the strengths of others, because this is how I would want from a leader, so I will strive to be that person to others. Additionally, as leader I want to get to a point in my professional career where I matter, where my opinions, ideas and decisions are valued and carry weight.

What will help me get there?

Self-confidence, trust and practice will help me get there. I am very good at being humble in a professional environment, but not as good at announcing how I feel about something because I fear that my ideas will get shot down. I have learned that I can express my opinion in a way that is softened and and polished which will be more readily accepted than a blunt idea/suggestion. I need learn to develop a greater sense of self-confidence so that I can demonstrate my knowledge about the subject matter area. But this cannot exist on it's own, I also need to be trusted by others to make a knowledgeable and appropriate decision.

What parts of the class changed you, molded you, enhanced you, and challenged you?

The group structure definitely changed how I approached group work. I think it’s important to set expectations as well as express group fears at the beginning of a project, this builds an understanding and a foundation for trust.

How I think of myself as a leader enhanced and changed how I think about myself and how I interact and behave within an organization. The fact that I will be graduating from an MBA program demonstrates that I am a leader, and I just have to have the efficacy and awareness to back those credentials up. 

I was challenged by the workload and time commitment expected by this class. It was a challenge to create your own group identity, agenda and plan. This class is unlike any class that I have taken thus far in the MBA program due to the fact that we have had to wear many hats in this class, student, professional, team member, leader and volunteer. In my post collegiate work experience and my MBA program, I have learned that life is a juggling match and it's difficult to keep all the pins in the air at one time, but you just have to work as hard as you can every day to keep all pistons moving and celebrate the small successes in life. 

Deepwater Horizon Case Study

1.  The Deepwater Horizon disaster occurred due to multiple reasons. The primary three that are suspected are due to the failure were the well casing, number of centralizers used, and decision not to perform a cement bong log. Although those are considered main contributors, there were failures seen from every level; starting at the individual level and all through the industry as seen below.

Individual	Team	Corporate	Industry
Disabled the emergency gas alarms so that people could sleep at night	Under budget estimations of initial costs	Performance oriented vs safety oriented	Audit found 390 failures on rig but did not hold BP accountable
	11 different companies used to construct casing	Lack of safety in 18 core values	Did not establish set safety regulations that called for constant status updates
	Did not check integrity of cement	Too cost conscious
		Numerous signatures needed to make change

2.   The lack of BP leaders to side on caution was a common theme that lead to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. They originally under budgeted the project and therefore all of the time and money for safety was disregarded in order to make up for the immediate loss. They used the cheaper and less safe casing, did not repair the 390 failed components from an audit, and ignored science which proved the cement cap to be misaligned due to the extra money for repairs. The executives also did not have experience to start the project. The most tenured executive was three months. This lead to rash decisions to ignore the more expensive safety precautions for the need of immediate results. The industry also lead to the failure. There was an audit done in which they found 390 failures on the brig that needed immediate repairs. The auditors did not follow-up and did not hold BP accountable. The rig was never turned off and the repairs were never completed.

3.   The ability to voice opinions were weak and inefficient. The ethical values were there and the science backed their concerns, but they did not voice their opinions appropriately. There were long e-mail chains between the individuals with concerns and BP executives. This is inefficient as e-mails may be interpreted incorrectly, such as targeting the executives. It also does not allow the individual to have the emotional impact as an in person meeting would. BP also used a decision tree that only they created. This means that there could have been vital decisions in the tree that were missing, but with only one group creating it, there was no input. Once the tree was reviewed in court it was proven that there could have been other cement capping safety options included in the tree.

  

4.   Linear casing involves hanging a steel tube from a liner hanger with a tube already in the well than inserting another tube on top of the prior one. This provides 4 barriers of protection against leaks. Long string casing involves a single string of steel casing from the seafloor to the bottom of the well. This provides 2 barriers and does take less time to install.

The main argument between the two was safety versus money and time. Linear casing is safer but will take more time to complete and will cost more money. Since BP was already behind schedule and running a much larger deficit than planned, they bypassed the safety for the long string casing. The estimated time saved was three days and the savings in cost was estimated to be approximately $7-$10 million. In the overall holistic viewpoint, this is a very small amount. BP was already spending over $500 million per day on the construction so the $7-$10 million in savings is minor.

5.   From this analysis, BP and the industry had ineffective organization. It originally took about eleven executive signatures to get any new process approved. This long process would drag out any safety decision. The short tenure of the executives in charge of the project lead them to be nearsighted. They looked at short term set-up costs and deficits versus the long-term gains from the additional safety investments. The industry also failed by not holding BP accountable for their failed audits. They also did not screen any of the project during the life the project.

6.   The Deepwater Horizon disaster could have been mitigated if they aired on the side of caution. The simulations and science behind the cement not being flush was ignored which caused the explosion. BP executives ignored the warnings because it would cost more time to repair the current issue. They also decided to save three days by choosing long string casing over linear casing. These unethical decisions can be traced to BP’s organizational structure. They were focused on results and product versus safety. In fact, of their 16 core business values, not a single one had to deal directly with safety. Also, each project was run by different executives who often competed with each other. This resulted in executives often not sharing best practices with each other.

7.   The BP executives, focused on cost reduction and performance, often dismissed safety regards. They called the cement bong log test not a quantifiable test and the need for it was not necessary in practical use. The rash decisions can be traced to multiple issues with the project. The project with under budgeted which resulted in immediate deficits. This put pressure on the new executives to cut costs to mitigate their immediate losses. This then caused them to be more close minded and only considering factors that were cheaper and faster without thinking of the long-term implications. The arguments for safety were also ineffective. They involved e-mails chains and targeted the executives and their decision making abilities. They should have conducted in person meetings to show that they are focusing on the long-term safety of the product.

8.   As the CEO we would have viewed both sides of the arguments and though of the situation as a long-term investment. The initial upfront cost are easily justifiable over a long-term life of the rig. We would also analyze worst case scenarios if we chose either safety or the cheaper solutions. Having a risk management team to analyze both may have produced the environmental scenarios which actually occurred. Short-term the culture needs to include safety in their core values. Changing that immediately will start the long-term shift towards a safety driven company. We would also not make each rig run by individual executives. There needs to be conferences and meetings were the executives can share best practices. Instead of competing with one another, they need to work to continue to grow the overall BP brand. There also needs to be an increased risk management team. When they present their findings, it needs to be in a personal meeting. E-mail chains and phone calls are not proper ways to exhibit such critical information.

To make these changes stick, as a CEO, we would have strict guidelines to hold other accountable. We would continually travel to different rigs to have random inspections and attend these conferences to ensure that the best practices were being shared. Also, with changing the core values to focus on safety, we would only hire and promote others who share the safety values that BP needs.

Leadership Rolodex

Leadership Rolodex

         I joined the Navy when I was 25 years old. On the second day of boot camp, I was forced into a leadership role by one of my Recruit Division Commanders. There were about 6 other leaders randomly chosen that day. We were meant to guide our division of fresh recruits and lead them through Boot Camp. We each had a specific role or job to do. I was the Master at Arms, the rule enforcer. If you made a mistake while in your leadership position, you would get fired on the spot, and a replacement was made immediately after your departure from that role. That's when I learned that all people are replaceable and the  machine will keep turning even when I am not there. While I was performing my duties as Master at Arms, I learned to stand by the choices I made, and found conviction in those choices. I quickly realized that the choices I made, did not just affect me, but, my entire division. Until joining the Navy, I hadn't been placed in too many leadership positions. I graduated boot camp as their Master at Arms for Division 050 with the confidence that I could handle any leadership position.
         During my 15 years in the Navy, I have been placed in several leadership positions that required different roles and duties. During my time in the military, I experienced all types of leadership. Every leader I encountered, good, bad, or indifferent. I took a trait or something I learned from them. I incorporated that trait and put it into my leadership Rolodex. No situation is always the same, and when needed, I would thumb through my Rolodex and apply that trait, style, or learned skill to the situation.
         My leadership transition into the civilian world has been relatively seamless, except for a few techniques, or motivators that I once used while in the military. I am currently in a job position where leadership is not part of the job description. However, I am earning my MBA, taking this Leadership and Organization class, and still adding to my Rolodex. I have learned quite a bit from my peers in this class. I enjoyed the Scandura textbook and its comprehensive approach to Organizational Behavior. The students in the class offered real-life instances and application of the many principles that we learned from the class and reading materials. The class seemed a daunting endeavor in the beginning, however, all the material synthesized and I was able to see the intended connections. Dr. Gower was an excellent facilitator, and being a great facilitator is an excellent leadership trait. I will continue on my life's journey with an open heart and mind, exploring all the facets of leadership and its principles.

Delicious Leadership Final Reflection

Delicious Leadership Reflection

This was an outstanding group to work with. At the beginning of the class, I was admittedly intimidated both by the amount of work that was expected of us throughout the eight week course and the feat that we were going to be all of the leadership qualities that were written on the white board the first night. I felt an intense pressure to "bring it" after the first class, and this really did not subside until after our second volunteer activity.

Over the course of the class, I have learned a lot about myself as a leader, working in groups and also being able to kick back and relax with your group, because teams can be fun too (that sounds so cliche).

Scheduling conflicts were challenging, as we all lead busy lives but we made it happen, and we did a great job at it! Everyone contributed and everyone was able to demonstrate their own strengths. I was able to confide in my group about fears and anxieties about upcoming projects. Kim and I both expressed that we were having trouble synthesizing questions for the Family Feud game, and expressed that we were both overthinking the questions. Ray, Dan and Mike took on our ideas and formulated  these ideas into questions. This was one of our great accomplishments - although this was not part of our grade. We were able to work together to move past challenges and highlight our strengths for the benefit of the team. Every one of our group members had a vision for the group and every one else's interest in mind and only wanted the best for the group, and because of this we were able to function as a unit and excel at our Leadership class.

Our group presentation was the perfect embodiment of how our group came together to make something larger than ourselves. Our Lincoln presentation came together in about 20 minutes sitting around a car waiting for our second volunteer activity to start. It wasn't forced and everyone had a great idea of what we should add to the presentation to make it great. We made a general plan and nailed it down the next weekend over chips and popcorn.

I think the thing that really made this class work - was the freedom with which we were able to complete all of the projects assigned. While this was frustrating at times, because expectations were vague, I think we made it what we thought was best for our group at the time and something that embodied our individual style. And somehow it all worked out!

I think this final project says a lot about who we are as individuals but also who we are as leaders. We are so driven to accomplish the goals that we are able to put personal agendas aside and work together, support each other and emphasize each others strengths.

Lincoln and Leadership

Lincoln and Leadership 

After reading and researching Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I learned that before occupying the White House, President Obama was asked in an interview "what one book will you bring with you to the White House" and he said Team of Rivals. Before reading this book, I knew Abraham Lincoln was reveled and goes down in history as one of the great presidents, but I had no idea that he was so idealized for his leadership qualities. When describing Lincoln's leadership qualities, the word "finesse" effectively describes the maneuvering, ease, efficiency and skill that Lincoln demonstrated in his ability to lead his cabinet and the nation.

Lincoln was not one to jump to conclusions or react quickly but rather valued the opinions of those around him and took time to process and evaluate decisions. It takes great courage to surround yourself with those who are not your best allies but who have the most knowledge in a subject area and want the best for the nation.

The leadership quality that was most personally impactful and noticeable was Lincoln's psychological capital. Lincoln demonstrated all components: efficacy, optimism, hope and resiliency throughout his leadership roles and throughout his lifetime, both professionally and personally. He had a vision for the country and a plan for how he was to achieve the vision and he believed in himself, the union and his leadership team beyond all measures.

It was especially inspiring to read about a leader that was not the front runner or a domineering character who had to have the first and last say. I think Lincoln presented an efficient, but also a softer side of leadership that speaks measures to how efficient the Carnegie principals are. As we said in class, Lincoln was the embodiment of Carnegie's principles, many years before the Carnegie principles even existed. Lincoln was the cool, calm and collected leader that kept his friends close and his enemies closer who believed in vision larger than himself and was wiling to work with a team of rivals to serve the the nation as commander in chief. He was able to win friends and influence people by appealing to nobler motives and getting to know the person and be genuinely interested in other people. He was able to diffuse a tough situation with storytelling and able to rally the troops and stir things up when necessary.

I enjoyed both reading and listening to this book on audiobook. The book was daunting at first because it was such a large task in a short amount of time, but when great things are expected, people (and I) rise to the occasion to make it happen.

Delicious Leadership Final Reflection

The last eight weeks being with my group I have learned and developed tremendously. Having such a diverse group with different ages and backgrounds I absorbed as much personal experience that my peers would share with me. Throughout the semester we did our volunteering at three different locations. We also met multiple times outside of class and often sat together during class.

Team Delicious Leadership was a fun and exciting group; just like the name. Our team name came as a result of an accident but quickly stuck and our theme that a leader is made of up different ingredients carried out with us from the beginning. Each member has talents that others share and some that others lack. Together, all five of us were able to perform all tasks at optimal efficiency. Each one of us would take the lead on certain tasks that go to our strength while the other members  would follow until it is their turn to use their strengths.

Everyone brought their experiences, both professional and personal, and shared with everyone. We had an open environment which made our bonding easier. Delicious Leadership was a great team to have and I have learned more in this class as a group than I have in any other group so far in the MBA Program.

My Leadership Story

Who I am as a leader and why?

I like to think of individuals as a book still being written, they have many chapters that have built their story, and you really can’t tell who they are just by looking at the cover.  The story of my leadership style has a lot of chapters, starting from when I was a kid and called ‘bossy’ to spending over 12 years in a career field that was all about training individuals to be better leaders and managers. 

  

Because of my experiences and training opportunities, I feel I have a fairly good handle on who I am, warts and all.  I know I tend to be introverted, I like details, for things to line up, I have a hard time seeing the big picture, and I tend to be more serious and have a hard time relaxing.  But I also know that I care deeply about those around me, strive to communicate as clearly as possible, and can put myself in someone else shoes to see their perspective.  All of those things together make me who I am and the leader I am. I think because of all the self-awareness training I have had, it makes it almost impossible for me to just see one perspective on any issue, so I am more willing to listen and empathize with others.  I do set high expectations for myself and I expect others to work to their potential, which is different from mine.  

Who do I want to be as a leader?

I know that part of personality style tends toward a perfectionist attitude, I have a deep need to be right, not to prove anyone else wrong, but because I don’t want to be wrong.  Usually I am more likely to back down from conflict, but when I do wade in, I want to know I have the right facts, and know all the information, and have a clear plan of how to argue my case.  I have realized over time, and this class, that this deep need to always have the right answer has limited my ability to see possibilities in new options and even to see and articulate an uncertain future.  How can I create a vision for others, when I can’t tell them exactly how to get there? 

I realize part of what I will always need to work on as a leader is creating the idea of the vision, and being ok with not knowing how exactly we are going to get there.  But as long as I am firm in my belief of that future vision or goal, and flexibility and open to possibilities, maybe the right way will present itself.  Dealing with ambiguity will always be a stressor for me, but how much it stresses me out is under my control. 

What will help me get there?

Even after 12 years of working in the training field and learning about leadership and management theory and tools, there is always something new to learn.  I believe that as long as I keep learning and keep seeking different perspectives, I think I will continue to evolve and grow.  I am already prone to self-reflection by being more introverted, but this class has made me think even more of the qualities I want to work on and strengthen.

It was reinforced to me during this class, and while I was struggling with some personal challenges, that self-talk can work.  It always seemed kind of silly to me to look in the mirror or whatever and give myself a pep-talk.  But I tried it when I was having a low point, and did feel better! I still think it will take some getting used to, and maybe I will start with some inspirational quotes I read everyday to see how it goes.  😊

What parts of this class changed and challenged me?

The workload of this class challenged me to juggle work, home and school life and tested my commitment to my goals.  There were numerous times when I felt I just couldn’t cope with all the stress and demands of all the juggling balls.  My husband was my biggest cheerleader during those times and reminded me of my goals.  By helping me focus on the big picture he challenged me to remember why I was here and that I was able to do this and more.  It gave me perspective that as a leader, some days the simplest things to one can seem like the tallest mountain to another. 

I was motivated and inspired by the Lincoln book and how Lincoln was able to find and leverage the best of those around him for the betterment of the country.  I marveled at his resolve and dedication to a task that some said was impossible.  Lincoln always had the single goal of a unified country in mind and was able to base all his decisions and direction from that single goal.  I hope to emulate his strengths in emotional intelligence, organizational mastery, and  ability to articulate a thought or vision in a way that not only was understandable, but that others rallied for and around.

This class reminded me of everything I already knew about people, and everything I don’t know about people.  People are such unique and weird creatures and each one brings their own strengths and weakness and baggage every day.  It is my job as a leader to identify those strengths and leverage them, minimize or lessen weaknesses, and manage and support others baggage.  I will strive to remember to give myself time for self-reflection and growth and to always strive to be a better leader and a better follower. 

Delicious Leadership Reflection

        I am immediately apprehensive when I am assigned a group with whom I am to expected to work with. My apprehension has been grounded in disappointment and unequal work distribution. However, Delicious Leadership, extinguished any apprehension after our first meeting at Kim's house. I truly believe that our Group Formation exercise facilitated in creating the strong foundation in our group, and set us up for success. Clear, direct paths were given on how we were to meet our objectives from the beginning. I have since learned to employ these techniques from this point going forth in any group that I am to work with.
       Communication on a group and individual level has proven to be a key component of our success. During our preparation for the Lincoln assignment, I had voiced my concerns to the group. My concerns were addressed by the group with sincerity, empathy, and professionalism. My concerns sparked a group conversation that embodied what this class was all about. I wished it had been recorded and incorporated into this iBook. I have grown as a person and leader because of this class and group. I want to personally thank each member of Delicious Leadership for their keen insight and support these past 8 weeks. I would certainly welcome any chance to work with these fine individuals again. I will always remember, that leadership can be delicious!

Skills USA

         For our final volunteering event, we attended a Skills USA workforce competition located at Germanna Community College. I first heard of Skills USA from my wife, Sandra. Sandra works for Germanna and enjoyed the experience last year. Sandra asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I accepted her invitation and extended that invitation to my team, Delicious Leadership. Delicious Leadership had no idea what to expect, but, we were determined to help out any way that we could.

         Details were sketchy on what our duties would be, and mired in ambiguity. Of course we laughed about it, and decided not to let that derail the team. Our team was split into 3 groups. I was to sit upon a panel of 4 of judges and we were to judge an Extemporaneous Speech on, Leadership! The participants were given 5 minutes of prep time, and their speech was not to exceed 5 minutes. The grading rubric consisted of professional appearance, voice, opening, closing, transitioning, speech cohesiveness, and understanding.
         During the competition, two students stood out to me for different reasons. One student's speech was about his prospective career field, Cosmetology. His speech talked about gender perception and equality in the workplace. I thought that was a very mature topic for someone of his age to discuss. He was well-informed, and executed his speech almost flawlessly. He was one of the best presenters that day. The second student, spoke of her speech impediment and how Skills USA empowered her and helped turn her disability into her greatest strength. I remembered the courage, passion, and determination that resonated from her. I walked away inspired from what I had witnessed.
         I had an amazing experience from Skills USA. The greatest take-away was empowerment and courage. I will remember the feeling I had as I exited the conference room from the competition, forever. More importantly, I will remember to empower any member of a team that I am apart of. People will pleasantly surprise you and overcome any obstacle, if given the chance.

Skills USA Volunteering

For our final volunteer activity we volunteered with Skills USA on Saturday, April 29 at Germanna Community College. Skills USA is a partnership of students, teachers and professionals that improves the American skilled workforce by through a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training.

When I first arrived, I knew I would be judging a competition, but I really had no idea what to expect. The five of us were split into three groups and Mike and I were tasked with judging the skills competition. We judged twelve student presentations on seven different categories that included opening, speech, organization, effectiveness, skills, conclusion as well as several other categories. We were given a packet of information before the presentations started which included the instructions for grading, what was expected of the students, and scorecards. After reading the instructions for grading, I still felt as though I needed more of an explanation about how we were expected to grade the students and what constituted each grade. There were also three categories at the bottom of the scorecard for timing, attire and safety. Each of the students were given 3 minutes for setup, 6 minutes for their presentation and 3 minutes for clean-up. Students were also expected to dress in the official blazer or sweater with a white collard shirt, black slacks or knee length skirt or attire appropriate for their profession, such as an apron for a chef.

I found that I learned how to grade the students as the presentations progressed along and as I saw more students. We saw and judged a variety of student skills, from police officers, chefs, hair styling, computer assembly and computer programming. I felt that the students knew the "how" of their skills very well but the trouble was in communicating the "why". Almost all of the presentations opened with a strong introduction, faded somewhat during the presentation and concluded too softly. Additionally, I think the students would have also benefited from a criteria worksheet that explained exactly what they would be graded on. More than half of the students were not wearing official clothing that was required by the organization.

While I did note some areas for potential improvement, I think the true take-away from this volunteering event was that these students were tremendously brave and determined. None of the students walked in with a parent or advisor and they all knew their skill to a tee. I think the point of this organization is to get students familiar with getting up in front of peers and panels and get them used to speaking in public about something they know very well. This is a skill that is often lacking in the millennial generation and the more familiar students become with this skill the more confident they will be in the workplace and also in life.
After our volunteering, Delicious Leadership moseyed over to Red Robin to grab a bite to eat, we were all famished and were glad to take in the laughs, reflect on volunteering, discuss our looming blog presentation, laugh and decompress among friends.