This week's lecture was given by Tom Holmoe, Director of Athletics at BYU. This lecture was one of the best lectures that I listened to this semester for this class. One adage he gave us I particularly liked: "Vision without effort is daydreaming, effort without vision is drudgery." I thought it was a good lesson. Especially in my life because I had been going through these problems. Sometimes, I feel that I have goals and desires, but I am not doing anything to bring these dreams to pass. So I forget myself and work hard to get things done. Then, when I look up, I realize that I've worn myself out after a short period of time. So I lift up my head, and remember what it is that I am working towards. By combining vision with diligence, life becomes truly productive and inspiring.
Another thing that was memorable about this presentation was the idea of fire-starters and fire-fighters. Fire-starters are people who bring you up. They are people who, wherever they go, light fires. They help people to see the silver lining in the grey clouds; they lift up those around them to help them realize their God-given potential; they feed your passions and your desires.
Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are fire-fighters. These are people who, whether done intentionally or unintentionally, bring you down. These people are people who see the glass of milk as half-empty. These people don't want, nor expect you to succeed. They discourage you, and have the cumulative effect of drawing you away from your dreams and desires.
Tom Holmoe's advice in pertaining to these two categories of people was that we should surround ourselves with fire-starters and get away from fire-fighters. On a basic, needs-based level, this advice is relevant. Constantly listening to words of discouragement are very harmful to you, while listening to words of encouragement are very good for our health and strength. However, there were some points brought up in our lab section that provoked a little more thought. What if you are on a team with a fire-fighter? Then it wouldn't be so simple as getting away from that person. Even with fire-fighters, it is necessary to draw upon the strengths of that team member to produce the best results in the best environment. I delved more into why people might want to bring me down.
Sometimes, people want to bring others down because they feel the other is better than them. They feel threatened by the other, and they don't like others taking up all the "glory." However, if the other can be a leader and foster an atmosphere in which they do not take up all the attention, but make sure to bring about an atmosphere in which the fire-fighter is recognized for his/her efforts, ultimately that fire-fighter's need to be recognized will be resolved. Then the fire-fighter will look to others to help them. Thus it is that we, as leaders, must respect and love for the fire-fighter whom we may have hardships with. Then, it is possible for them to focus their energies and talents on constructive efforts to build up their skill-base, and contribute to them, instead of wasting their energies caught up in being critical of others and cynical. I realized that was a solution. However, even when we respect and love that person, that person still maintains an attitude of criticism and cynicism, or if that person becomes consumed only with self-glorification, it is still the best thing to respect and love that person instead of seeking to "teach him a lesson."
To be a fire-starter, I realized that I must be a visionary. I must be able to see the potential in people, to believe in that potential, so that I can contribute to their growth by stoking their flames. Luckily, none of my roommates are fire-fighters. However, they are not fire-starters. They mostly like to keep to themselves, and are content with working for themselves. The next step that I can see from here is to help them become fire-starters as well. I can be an example to them, by being the best fire-starter I can be. When they realize what I am doing, I know that they will seek to bring about good all around them as well.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Situational Leadership - Anthony Bates
This week's lecture was given by Anthony Bates and he presented six different leadership styles that, supposedly, The Wall Street Journal published in its Guide to Management. These six leadership styles were: affiliative, coaching, commanding, democratic, pace-setting, and visionary. To quickly summarize each different style, the affiliative leadership style emphasized good relations among the members of the organization in order to bring about a better environment for accomplishment. The coaching leadership style had a greater focus on the individual. It is a one-on-one approach to help a struggling member of the group to provide greater group stimulus. The commanding leadership style is a style that replaces praise with criticism. It is appropriate only in situations when urgent action is required, such as a crises or any military operation. A democratic style employs the skills and knowledge of the members of the group, giving the reins to the group as a whole to deal with. A pace-setting style involves the team leader setting the bar for high performance and expecting the whole group to follow. A visionary style sets a clear and positive image of the future for the group, giving the group a clear and concise goal to work towards.
In my current leadership role as one who wants his roommates to succeed in all aspects of life, there are some things that I have been doing well, some things I have been doing but can do better, and some things that I haven't done but should employ. I try to preserve harmony in the group by making sure every once in a while we have opportunities to talk and bond. I crack jokes and try to bring about an atmosphere of comfort and openness. I bring in topics that are always good fun for us - girls. We all have a girl, or girls, whom we think are alright. Talking about them while cracking fun at each other allow us to relax after the rush of the day and kind of bring us back to realize that we are good friends, not just strangers who just happen to live together. Instead of "coaching" someone, I do take time to sit down one on one with a roommate to talk about things. Every now and then, I sit down and ask them if there are any problems or dilemmas that I can help them with. Being the wonderful, friendly people they are, my roommates crack fun at me telling me that I am too "friendly" with them. As for the commanding style, I don't think I've ever used that because there has never been a crisis in our home, but I sometimes bark at my roommates when there is somewhere we have to get to in a very short amount of time. This usually gets them moving and the task gets accomplished, but there have never been any bad feelings about it. As for democratic, we are always talking to each other about problems and keeping each other afloat. There are not any specific projects we are all trying to finish, but we make sure to keep each other going strong. One of the best ways I feel satisfies many important roles in my life is the leadership style of pace-setting. By setting the pace for working extra hard, I get much of my work done, and the example of my hardworking self is much greater motivation to those who watch me than when I am lazy and indolent. These days, I go home early instead of socializing with my friends and sleep early, then I wake up early and I am out of the house even before any of my roommates wake up. It is a wonderful feeling because I find that I can focus much better in the morning. I know that my roommates will see this lifestyle change in me and they will soon start to recognize the great things that come of it. They will remember that and try it for themselves. That is not to say that my roommates are not working hard. By my working hard, I know that they will get greater strength from my example. One thing I need to do more is employing the leadership style of visionary. I realized that I have a vision for myself and for my friends, but I have not shared that vision. My roommates are not in the know of where I want to go with all the hard work that I put into progressing. Perhaps if I were to share my vision with them and create a vision in their minds of a glowing, successful us, they would work even harder in their lives to get better grades, to treat others with love and respect, and to serve honorable missions as worthy young men.
In my current leadership role as one who wants his roommates to succeed in all aspects of life, there are some things that I have been doing well, some things I have been doing but can do better, and some things that I haven't done but should employ. I try to preserve harmony in the group by making sure every once in a while we have opportunities to talk and bond. I crack jokes and try to bring about an atmosphere of comfort and openness. I bring in topics that are always good fun for us - girls. We all have a girl, or girls, whom we think are alright. Talking about them while cracking fun at each other allow us to relax after the rush of the day and kind of bring us back to realize that we are good friends, not just strangers who just happen to live together. Instead of "coaching" someone, I do take time to sit down one on one with a roommate to talk about things. Every now and then, I sit down and ask them if there are any problems or dilemmas that I can help them with. Being the wonderful, friendly people they are, my roommates crack fun at me telling me that I am too "friendly" with them. As for the commanding style, I don't think I've ever used that because there has never been a crisis in our home, but I sometimes bark at my roommates when there is somewhere we have to get to in a very short amount of time. This usually gets them moving and the task gets accomplished, but there have never been any bad feelings about it. As for democratic, we are always talking to each other about problems and keeping each other afloat. There are not any specific projects we are all trying to finish, but we make sure to keep each other going strong. One of the best ways I feel satisfies many important roles in my life is the leadership style of pace-setting. By setting the pace for working extra hard, I get much of my work done, and the example of my hardworking self is much greater motivation to those who watch me than when I am lazy and indolent. These days, I go home early instead of socializing with my friends and sleep early, then I wake up early and I am out of the house even before any of my roommates wake up. It is a wonderful feeling because I find that I can focus much better in the morning. I know that my roommates will see this lifestyle change in me and they will soon start to recognize the great things that come of it. They will remember that and try it for themselves. That is not to say that my roommates are not working hard. By my working hard, I know that they will get greater strength from my example. One thing I need to do more is employing the leadership style of visionary. I realized that I have a vision for myself and for my friends, but I have not shared that vision. My roommates are not in the know of where I want to go with all the hard work that I put into progressing. Perhaps if I were to share my vision with them and create a vision in their minds of a glowing, successful us, they would work even harder in their lives to get better grades, to treat others with love and respect, and to serve honorable missions as worthy young men.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Strength Based Leadership - Steve Smith
So I got my results back for my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The results were ENTJ, which stands for Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging.
The descriptions are:
Extraversion - People who prefer Extraversion tend to focus their attention on the outer world of people and things.
Intuition - People who prefer Intuition tend to take in information from patterns and the big picture and focus on future possibilities.
Thinking - People who prefer Thinking tend to make decisions based primarily on logic and on objective analysis of cause and effect.
Judging - People who prefer Judging tend to like a planned and organized approach to life and prefer to have things settled.
Point wise, my results are: Extraversion 18, Intuition 8, Thinking 6, Judging 6.
My preferred work tasks are:
-Organizing resources, including people, to achieve lofty goals.
-Communicating a vision for the future.
-Preparing a systematic plan to achieve the vision.
-Solving system-level problems.
-Making the tough decisions needed to move forward.
My preferred work environment is:
-is fast growing, with continual new challenges
-has people who drive hard to meet goals
-offers organized and efficient tasks, resources, and people
-has people who are task oriented and focused on achieving their goals
-fosters competition and rewards achievement
The challenges are:
-You may neglect to recognize and appreciate the contributions of others.
-You may neglect to consider the needs of the people who must implement your plans.
-You may drive others as hard as you drive yourself.
The most attractive job families for me were:
-Architecture and Engineering (100) - Architect, surveyor, mechanical engineer, chemical engineer
-Life, Physical, and Social Sciences (99) - Biologist, chemist, economist, psychologist
-Business and Finance (98) - Operations, finance, marketing, human resources
-Legal (96) - Lawyer, arbitrator, paralegal, court reporter
The most popular occupations for ENTJs:
1. Anesthesiologist
2. Management Consultant
3. Top executive, Legal
4. Top executive, Architecture and engineering
5. Top executive, Life, physical and social sciences
6. Urban/regional planner
7. Top executive, Transportation and materials moving
8. Internist
9. Top executive, Sales
10. Top executive, Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
11. Commercial art director
12. Top executive, Education, training, and library
13. Survey researcher
14. Surgeon
15. Top executive, Business and financial operations
These results confirmed my own thoughts on my future career. I had been thinking about careers in management. I had also been thinking about how to get to that point - through a law degree, through a business degree, or through an accounting degree. I know that I am not good at science so I know that I am not going to be an Anesthesiologist or anything medical related. However, I do want to get into a position of management to exercise and improve my style of leadership, to lead organizations to produce successful results and happy lives. I love dealing with people and putting my abilities to the test by trying to figure out how to motivate them, how to produce results in the best possible way. I know that I would have so much fun in this kind of career, but I also know that I am going to have to amass a certain level of competency and excellence in a technical area. And that is the area that I am trying to figure out right now.
This test told me that I need to be careful not pushing people too hard or whatnot, but I feel that I don't push myself too hard. In fact, I am too lazy and unproductive most of the time. Thus, before I can lead others to work hard, I must push myself to work hard to maximize my productivity. This test really confirmed my thoughts and knowing that my innate personality and preferences match up with my thoughts feels great. But I know that I must constantly try to understand others and employ the many different kinds of motivational tools that I must amass through experience, to cater to the different kinds of people, so that I can motivate and consolidate the whole organization into one, and put forth a vision, and bring that vision to realization.
The descriptions are:
Extraversion - People who prefer Extraversion tend to focus their attention on the outer world of people and things.
Intuition - People who prefer Intuition tend to take in information from patterns and the big picture and focus on future possibilities.
Thinking - People who prefer Thinking tend to make decisions based primarily on logic and on objective analysis of cause and effect.
Judging - People who prefer Judging tend to like a planned and organized approach to life and prefer to have things settled.
Point wise, my results are: Extraversion 18, Intuition 8, Thinking 6, Judging 6.
My preferred work tasks are:
-Organizing resources, including people, to achieve lofty goals.
-Communicating a vision for the future.
-Preparing a systematic plan to achieve the vision.
-Solving system-level problems.
-Making the tough decisions needed to move forward.
My preferred work environment is:
-is fast growing, with continual new challenges
-has people who drive hard to meet goals
-offers organized and efficient tasks, resources, and people
-has people who are task oriented and focused on achieving their goals
-fosters competition and rewards achievement
The challenges are:
-You may neglect to recognize and appreciate the contributions of others.
-You may neglect to consider the needs of the people who must implement your plans.
-You may drive others as hard as you drive yourself.
The most attractive job families for me were:
-Architecture and Engineering (100) - Architect, surveyor, mechanical engineer, chemical engineer
-Life, Physical, and Social Sciences (99) - Biologist, chemist, economist, psychologist
-Business and Finance (98) - Operations, finance, marketing, human resources
-Legal (96) - Lawyer, arbitrator, paralegal, court reporter
The most popular occupations for ENTJs:
1. Anesthesiologist
2. Management Consultant
3. Top executive, Legal
4. Top executive, Architecture and engineering
5. Top executive, Life, physical and social sciences
6. Urban/regional planner
7. Top executive, Transportation and materials moving
8. Internist
9. Top executive, Sales
10. Top executive, Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
11. Commercial art director
12. Top executive, Education, training, and library
13. Survey researcher
14. Surgeon
15. Top executive, Business and financial operations
These results confirmed my own thoughts on my future career. I had been thinking about careers in management. I had also been thinking about how to get to that point - through a law degree, through a business degree, or through an accounting degree. I know that I am not good at science so I know that I am not going to be an Anesthesiologist or anything medical related. However, I do want to get into a position of management to exercise and improve my style of leadership, to lead organizations to produce successful results and happy lives. I love dealing with people and putting my abilities to the test by trying to figure out how to motivate them, how to produce results in the best possible way. I know that I would have so much fun in this kind of career, but I also know that I am going to have to amass a certain level of competency and excellence in a technical area. And that is the area that I am trying to figure out right now.
This test told me that I need to be careful not pushing people too hard or whatnot, but I feel that I don't push myself too hard. In fact, I am too lazy and unproductive most of the time. Thus, before I can lead others to work hard, I must push myself to work hard to maximize my productivity. This test really confirmed my thoughts and knowing that my innate personality and preferences match up with my thoughts feels great. But I know that I must constantly try to understand others and employ the many different kinds of motivational tools that I must amass through experience, to cater to the different kinds of people, so that I can motivate and consolidate the whole organization into one, and put forth a vision, and bring that vision to realization.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Servant Leadership - Dr. Neil Cox
These days I am not being a very good leader. I have been feeling a bit down because of the constant buffetings of Satan, who wants me to feel feelings of guilt, malice, and envy. I have not been a good example this week because I was down a bit. However, Dr. Neil Cox's advise to lead to serve, not serve to lead, was wonderful advise. He taught the principles of servant leadership. I loved a quote he presented by Robert K. Greenleaf, "the servant-leader is a servant first... it begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead." The story of Ken Iverson was awesome. He was CEO of Nucor Steel and as a CEO, he was not intent on getting as much benefits as possible out of his position, but in enhancing as much as possible the positions of his employees. He loved them and used his power and money to provide scholarships for his employees, even when one guy had nine children. Such a mind is admirable and amazing, but it is also a very difficult mindset to cultivate in today's world of big salaries and selfishness.
One thing I can try is to use this principle to serve others. But I find it difficult to serve others without expecting anything back at all, even their recognition or respect. When I serve, I find that I expect them to recognize my sacrifice and be thankful for it and recognize me for my efforts. But I know that in order for service to be of service, it must be given in the spirit of love. I know then that I will be blessed, and that person will be blessed.
One thing I can try is to use this principle to serve others. But I find it difficult to serve others without expecting anything back at all, even their recognition or respect. When I serve, I find that I expect them to recognize my sacrifice and be thankful for it and recognize me for my efforts. But I know that in order for service to be of service, it must be given in the spirit of love. I know then that I will be blessed, and that person will be blessed.
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