Monday's class was about the importance of communication and active listening. These two things are extremely important in leadership. Without communication, it is hard to be able to direct your followers to success and to provide them feedback on their progress. Being able to communicate with your followers also know what is suppose to be done and how to do it. Communication is something that I believe goes overlooked. I believe that a lot of people do not realize the importance of it. A lot of conflicts whether they are personal, in the community, or internationally could be solved if there was better communication. A lot of the mishaps that go on in the world are started by lack of communication between countries. I know that there are a lot of leaders in the world that are difficult to communicate with because of their beliefs, however, it takes effort on both sides to prevent conflict.
The other point in communication that is essential is active listening. Feinberg was telling us the importance of clarifying the facts of questions and making sure you understand what is being told to you. I have heard this time and time again. The thing I hate about active listening was the experience I had over the summer. I was working as a summer intern in the Wealth Management Department of a local bank and they would give me a long list of verbal directions and when I would reiterate and clarify what they said, they looked at me as if I was retarded for repeating what they basically just said. It really made me feel small. I was just trying to clarify the directions and I guess they just don't understand active listening.
I do know that active listening is important and I really think lectures and classes in general would be much better if it was easier to communicate with the professor during the actual lecture rather than waiting until the end or through e-mail.
Communication and active listening should be part of our everyday lives and the more we practice it now in college and our early years in the workforce, the better leaders we will be.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Let's Fix This
Today in class, Feinberg did not show up. Instead, it was just our President and Group Leaders. We all got into our groups and worked together to see how we can improve our individual groups. I really think we needed to do this oh...about like 4 weeks ago. Actually, we needed to do this right away. Finally, my group will start sitting together and getting to know each other.
I was beginning to feel like these groups were pointless. I didn't know anybody in my group and felt that I barely knew who my group leader was. I was beginning to wonder what the point of even having the group was.
I do know that if I was a group leader, I would have had my group sitting together since our first class in groups and had people getting to know each other right away. It is the little things that make groups work and create cohesiveness.
I know now that we had today's class that things will be different and we will begin to mesh together as a group. I want to get as much out of this class as possible and am hoping that happens.
I was beginning to feel like these groups were pointless. I didn't know anybody in my group and felt that I barely knew who my group leader was. I was beginning to wonder what the point of even having the group was.
I do know that if I was a group leader, I would have had my group sitting together since our first class in groups and had people getting to know each other right away. It is the little things that make groups work and create cohesiveness.
I know now that we had today's class that things will be different and we will begin to mesh together as a group. I want to get as much out of this class as possible and am hoping that happens.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Lessons learned from Spring Break
So, I spent the last 8 days without any internet access in beautiful Naples, Florida. Oh it was absolutely amazing. The weather was 82 and sunny basically the entire time! Anyways, I stayed with my sister in the condo she rents during the "season" as she works as a seasonal Physical Therapist.
I went on Spring Break to relax and to get away from it all. I didn't think I would end up thinking about different examples of leadership I had experienced. I observed many different types of leadership over the past 8 days, however, two of the experiences really stick out.
The first one was on Thursday. My sister is a member of a Young Professionals Association in the Ft. Myers/Estero area. There she had met, a couple weeks ago, a financial planner from Ameriprise Financial Services. On Thursday, we went to one of the association's social events and the financial planner was there again. Being a financial counseling and planning major, once my sister introduced me, I took full advantage of the opportunity to network. I talked to her about the field and within twenty minutes I was offered an internship to work for her in Ft. Myers this summer. I unfortunately had to decline because I am taking two summer courses at a local college and living in Florida would get expensive. However, I must have impressed her enough because she wants me to e-mail her with my resume and cover letter so she can refer me to some advisors she knows in the Chicagoland area.
I did not go down to Florida expecting to come across this amazing opportunity. Actually, on my way to the Airport on Friday, the 13th, I listened to my mom lecture about how I was wasting my time going to Florida instead of staying home to look for an internship.
The interaction I had with the advisor really demonstrated to me how important it is to come across appropriately when you first meet someone. It also showed me the importance of making a good impression. Without the advisor seeing a resume, she was willing to hire me as an intern and when I was unavailable to work in Ft. Myers, she offered to help get me something closer to home.
My second interaction with leadership came on Friday, the 20th. I went out to dinner and to a bar with my sister and one of her co-workers to watch the NCAA tournament games. My sister's co-worker is a very aggressive person and lives her life to where she will go up and talk to anyone and not care if they say "no" to her. She has the mentality of, "I just brush myself off and move on." I really admire this in her. My sister's co-worker approached several random guys and struck up several conversations with them.
I am not a very assertive person where I just go up and talk to people, I admit it is a very difficult thing for me to do. I am always afraid of the rejection. However, my sister's co-worker showed me that being assertive, confident, and not being afraid of the rejection can pay off. Whether it be receiving a phone number or even a free drink. I carefully observed how she approached people and how she dealt with a person who was not interested. It was amazing. I learned a lot from just those few hours of being out with her.
Although, I have taken mental notes and learned her tactics, I must put that into play.
Spring Break was relaxing and filled with different types of leadership. I learned a lot on Spring Break and did not expect to. Thank you Dr. Feinberg for lecturing about constantly observing leadership in everyday life and taking advantage of situations. I got much more out of Spring Break than I bargained for and I thank CSR 309.
I went on Spring Break to relax and to get away from it all. I didn't think I would end up thinking about different examples of leadership I had experienced. I observed many different types of leadership over the past 8 days, however, two of the experiences really stick out.
The first one was on Thursday. My sister is a member of a Young Professionals Association in the Ft. Myers/Estero area. There she had met, a couple weeks ago, a financial planner from Ameriprise Financial Services. On Thursday, we went to one of the association's social events and the financial planner was there again. Being a financial counseling and planning major, once my sister introduced me, I took full advantage of the opportunity to network. I talked to her about the field and within twenty minutes I was offered an internship to work for her in Ft. Myers this summer. I unfortunately had to decline because I am taking two summer courses at a local college and living in Florida would get expensive. However, I must have impressed her enough because she wants me to e-mail her with my resume and cover letter so she can refer me to some advisors she knows in the Chicagoland area.
I did not go down to Florida expecting to come across this amazing opportunity. Actually, on my way to the Airport on Friday, the 13th, I listened to my mom lecture about how I was wasting my time going to Florida instead of staying home to look for an internship.
The interaction I had with the advisor really demonstrated to me how important it is to come across appropriately when you first meet someone. It also showed me the importance of making a good impression. Without the advisor seeing a resume, she was willing to hire me as an intern and when I was unavailable to work in Ft. Myers, she offered to help get me something closer to home.
My second interaction with leadership came on Friday, the 20th. I went out to dinner and to a bar with my sister and one of her co-workers to watch the NCAA tournament games. My sister's co-worker is a very aggressive person and lives her life to where she will go up and talk to anyone and not care if they say "no" to her. She has the mentality of, "I just brush myself off and move on." I really admire this in her. My sister's co-worker approached several random guys and struck up several conversations with them.
I am not a very assertive person where I just go up and talk to people, I admit it is a very difficult thing for me to do. I am always afraid of the rejection. However, my sister's co-worker showed me that being assertive, confident, and not being afraid of the rejection can pay off. Whether it be receiving a phone number or even a free drink. I carefully observed how she approached people and how she dealt with a person who was not interested. It was amazing. I learned a lot from just those few hours of being out with her.
Although, I have taken mental notes and learned her tactics, I must put that into play.
Spring Break was relaxing and filled with different types of leadership. I learned a lot on Spring Break and did not expect to. Thank you Dr. Feinberg for lecturing about constantly observing leadership in everyday life and taking advantage of situations. I got much more out of Spring Break than I bargained for and I thank CSR 309.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday 3/9/09
Monday's class was the one that could change your life...if you didn't blink. How exactly was it suppose to? I personally didn't find it to be anything life changing. However, maybe it was and I just haven't realized it yet.
The class found out who our president would be. It ended up being someone who was a group leader during last spring semester. He really didn't come off as being really remarkable. I was actually disappointed at how he spoke to the class. He had everything written down, however, he was looking back at his notebook and not speaking directly to the class. That irritated me a little. If you are going to be our president talk to us, not away from us. His experiences and everything gave him the credentials to be our president. He seems like a stand up individual, 6 years in the Marines, made it to being a sergeant, brought all of his troops back home safely. He has my respect. He just needs to working on talking to us.
So the class now has a structure and Dr. Feinberg says that the class will start to turn around and real progress will be made. I have learned so much already, it will amaze me how much more I will be able to learn in the next five weeks.
I feel like I have been doing pretty well in the class considering Dr. Feinberg being a bad leader and not really knowing 100% what he expects out of our assignments. I'm going to take the credit of my own leadership, that I have been doing well. I set out at the very beginning of every semester to try hard in every single class. I'm not saying I try to do my best because I do not have time to do my best in every class. There's simply not enough hours in a day. I know I am selling myself short, however, I know that me selling myself a little short in a class or two is someone else trying their best.
So Dr. Feinberg had up on a slide, "You are 90, What did you do wrong? What did you do right?" I'm going to answer that from a 21 year olds standpoint.
What did I do wrong? I just mentioned it. I sold myself short in some classes. Why did I do that? Let's just say going out to parties and hanging out with friends was much more important than put all my effort into studying and completing assignments.
Let's see what else did I do wrong in my life so far? ....Oh the one thing I will regret for the rest of my life, not applying to Notre Dame for undergrad. I know I would have gotten in, I had the grades, extracurriculars, and the connections. I did not take advantage of my opportunity that I had.
My final one is transferring high schools after my sophomore year. I started high school at a tremendous private school called Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, IL. However, I started to take things too seriously and became extremely stressed out and decided to transfer to my hometown public high school, Munster. Had I just sucked it up and dealt with my problems instead of running away from them, I would probably be a much better student and at a different school, not that Purdue is a terrible place to end up at.
What did I do right?
I currently have a 3.15 GPA, which I am hoping after this semester and summer school, to be up to be up around a 3.5. I am also this summer going to prepare to study for my GMAT. I am hoping to make up for the mistake of not applying to ND for undergrad by applying there for my Masters. I know it will be difficult by I am working hard to establish myself so I can get in. I have also done right in recognizing and admitting in areas that I have been wrong. Whether that be with little tiffs with friends or choices I have made in the past. I continue to work so that my future is bright and I can become the best person I can possibly be.
The class found out who our president would be. It ended up being someone who was a group leader during last spring semester. He really didn't come off as being really remarkable. I was actually disappointed at how he spoke to the class. He had everything written down, however, he was looking back at his notebook and not speaking directly to the class. That irritated me a little. If you are going to be our president talk to us, not away from us. His experiences and everything gave him the credentials to be our president. He seems like a stand up individual, 6 years in the Marines, made it to being a sergeant, brought all of his troops back home safely. He has my respect. He just needs to working on talking to us.
So the class now has a structure and Dr. Feinberg says that the class will start to turn around and real progress will be made. I have learned so much already, it will amaze me how much more I will be able to learn in the next five weeks.
I feel like I have been doing pretty well in the class considering Dr. Feinberg being a bad leader and not really knowing 100% what he expects out of our assignments. I'm going to take the credit of my own leadership, that I have been doing well. I set out at the very beginning of every semester to try hard in every single class. I'm not saying I try to do my best because I do not have time to do my best in every class. There's simply not enough hours in a day. I know I am selling myself short, however, I know that me selling myself a little short in a class or two is someone else trying their best.
So Dr. Feinberg had up on a slide, "You are 90, What did you do wrong? What did you do right?" I'm going to answer that from a 21 year olds standpoint.
What did I do wrong? I just mentioned it. I sold myself short in some classes. Why did I do that? Let's just say going out to parties and hanging out with friends was much more important than put all my effort into studying and completing assignments.
Let's see what else did I do wrong in my life so far? ....Oh the one thing I will regret for the rest of my life, not applying to Notre Dame for undergrad. I know I would have gotten in, I had the grades, extracurriculars, and the connections. I did not take advantage of my opportunity that I had.
My final one is transferring high schools after my sophomore year. I started high school at a tremendous private school called Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, IL. However, I started to take things too seriously and became extremely stressed out and decided to transfer to my hometown public high school, Munster. Had I just sucked it up and dealt with my problems instead of running away from them, I would probably be a much better student and at a different school, not that Purdue is a terrible place to end up at.
What did I do right?
I currently have a 3.15 GPA, which I am hoping after this semester and summer school, to be up to be up around a 3.5. I am also this summer going to prepare to study for my GMAT. I am hoping to make up for the mistake of not applying to ND for undergrad by applying there for my Masters. I know it will be difficult by I am working hard to establish myself so I can get in. I have also done right in recognizing and admitting in areas that I have been wrong. Whether that be with little tiffs with friends or choices I have made in the past. I continue to work so that my future is bright and I can become the best person I can possibly be.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Communication
As the semester continues to move along, it is easy to see how much improvement has come from ourselves, our group leaders, and Dr. Feinberg. The biggest improvement has come in the form of communication. It makes everything so much easier. Our class has now established a chain of command. We ask our group leaders, they discuss amongst themselves, then ask Dr. Feinberg, and Dr. Feinberg responds with either an e-mail to the whole class or to just the group leaders.
Most of the questions that we come up with on assignments are answered and that leaves us feeling a lot less frustrated with our assignments.
Good communication skills are very important to have in a leader. It makes everything so much easier for all that are involved. It is also refreshing for your followers to be able to have a leader that will fill them in on anything that will affect them. Could you imagine what it would be like to not have any communication? It would be much like our first few days of class...chaos! Sure things would get done but they definitely would not be done properly. With communication everyone is able to know exactly what is expected of them to do and then they can lead themselves by either just doing what is expected of them or going above and beyond to standout.
I am anxious for the semester to be over so I can see how much we change we can make in Dr. Feinberg and how much I have changed as a leader. I hope it wows me!
Most of the questions that we come up with on assignments are answered and that leaves us feeling a lot less frustrated with our assignments.
Good communication skills are very important to have in a leader. It makes everything so much easier for all that are involved. It is also refreshing for your followers to be able to have a leader that will fill them in on anything that will affect them. Could you imagine what it would be like to not have any communication? It would be much like our first few days of class...chaos! Sure things would get done but they definitely would not be done properly. With communication everyone is able to know exactly what is expected of them to do and then they can lead themselves by either just doing what is expected of them or going above and beyond to standout.
I am anxious for the semester to be over so I can see how much we change we can make in Dr. Feinberg and how much I have changed as a leader. I hope it wows me!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Opportunities
Opportunities to become a leader are all around us. Whether we take advantage of those opportunities is another thing. As the semester is half way through, a lot of club organizations are beginning to send out e-mails about officer positions. Usually I just ignore those e-mails and just stay content doing minimal effort in being a member. However, since taking CSR 309, I now am reading those e-mails and trying to find a position I would like to take.
Another reason for my sudden interest in leadership positions is I need a story. I have plenty of leadership stories from high school, but what about college? I have held a position in my sorority, although it was a very minor one, one that no one really paid attention to. I need to have a position that I can be proud of. I only have one year left at Purdue and I feel like I have become mediocre and lazy since I came here. I am definitely not the same person I use to be. I feel like I am letting my ability to lead fall dwindle and not be an important factor in my life.
In Monday's class, Dr. Feinberg had two recruiters, from JcPenny's, come in and talk about what makes for a strong intern candidate. They specifically said the one that showed some leadership in their outside activities or their work positions were the ones that would get the interviews. That got me wondering how can I be the one that gets all of the interviews. I need to make the most of the opportunities that are coming my way. I have spent the past three years sitting on the sidelines and now it is time to step up and take charge.
Making the most out of your years in college is not only important for education and social purposes but also leadership. This is the time we are to be going out and taking charge of our lives and becoming active members is groups that mean the most to us. We cannot waste the valuable four or five years sitting on the sidelines. Opportunities are all around us in college. We just have to open our eyes and take advantage of them.
Another reason for my sudden interest in leadership positions is I need a story. I have plenty of leadership stories from high school, but what about college? I have held a position in my sorority, although it was a very minor one, one that no one really paid attention to. I need to have a position that I can be proud of. I only have one year left at Purdue and I feel like I have become mediocre and lazy since I came here. I am definitely not the same person I use to be. I feel like I am letting my ability to lead fall dwindle and not be an important factor in my life.
In Monday's class, Dr. Feinberg had two recruiters, from JcPenny's, come in and talk about what makes for a strong intern candidate. They specifically said the one that showed some leadership in their outside activities or their work positions were the ones that would get the interviews. That got me wondering how can I be the one that gets all of the interviews. I need to make the most of the opportunities that are coming my way. I have spent the past three years sitting on the sidelines and now it is time to step up and take charge.
Making the most out of your years in college is not only important for education and social purposes but also leadership. This is the time we are to be going out and taking charge of our lives and becoming active members is groups that mean the most to us. We cannot waste the valuable four or five years sitting on the sidelines. Opportunities are all around us in college. We just have to open our eyes and take advantage of them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)