We had a remarkable speaker come to a special class, 5 hour special :) Kirk Weisler is a leadership speaker that has spoken to 309 for many years. The following are some of my scattered thoughts of my notes from the evening.
Everything we do now leads up to where we want to be in future. Being a good student is preparing me for the future with the dedication and perservance that it requires. My life has been going on for 23 years but my journey to great leadership is just beginning.
Being a good leader does not mean being everyones friend. Being a good leader is directing people in the appropriate direction and guiding them to success. Best friend leaders will be forgotten, teacher will lose control of their class, and a parent will have screwed up kids. To be a good leader takes an inner strength and the ability to care but be firm. Leadership is hard - connecting with people is not easy, neither is being great.
Being remarkable is one of the most influenical things that we can be as a leader. The leaders that are remarkable are the ones that have the most lasting effect on the people that they encounter. If we think about the people that we remember the most and have the greatest impact on our lifes, they are the remarkable. Mediocrity falls by the wayside and is easily forgotten as it is to be.
Our lives are our language. What we see is what we get, and what we say is what we get. It is all about perception. We should learn a second language and communicate with peple more openly. Name calling has no place in the grown-up world. We are all addicted to being right and this causes us to act defensively to any contradictino of what we believe. Being able to take critism and accept it is one skill that isn't taught and is hard for people to learn. We all have opportunities to grow and learn, it is up to us to take these opportunites for all they are worth and become better people and leaders because of them.
From this I also have purchased several books that Kirk recommended: The Big Moo, Make it Stick, Love'em or Lose'em, QBQ!; also we have recieved a copy of Kirk's book, The Dog Poop Initiative. Two other books that I have purchased at the recommendation of Dr. Feinberg are The Purpose Driven Life and 7 Traits of Successful People. These are my summer reading list and look forward to the knowledge contained within the pages.
"A key - perhaps the key- to leadership is the effective communication of a story." - Howard Gardner
Later....
Monday, March 24, 2008
Time Management
Dr. Feinberg gave a lecture devoted to time management. It has to be one of the more interesting lectures on a subject that is preached heavily in college. I definitely will remember more from this one than any of the others.
One clip that stands out to me the most was the one with Stephen Covey and the rocks. Filling the jar with the larger rocks then adding the little ones around them makes everything work. Granted this is not always easily done, we get in the habit of sweating the small stuff and putting off the big things until we have hardly enough if any time left to complete them.
Prioritizing is the most essential key to time managment. Knowing your priorities not only helps you with time managment but also lets you know what is important to you. That defines you and once you know your definition you know what makes you remarkable and therefore a better, and more influencial leader. And that's what I want to be....later.
One clip that stands out to me the most was the one with Stephen Covey and the rocks. Filling the jar with the larger rocks then adding the little ones around them makes everything work. Granted this is not always easily done, we get in the habit of sweating the small stuff and putting off the big things until we have hardly enough if any time left to complete them.
Prioritizing is the most essential key to time managment. Knowing your priorities not only helps you with time managment but also lets you know what is important to you. That defines you and once you know your definition you know what makes you remarkable and therefore a better, and more influencial leader. And that's what I want to be....later.
Playing Catch-up
Well as is probably obvious, I have not updated this in a while so I am starting and doing so now. I am going to start with today and work backwards.
Anyways today, we talked about Dr. Feinberg'ssecrets for leadership success. These five secrets are telling your members what you want/expect, make it doable, reward your members, give your members feedback, and reward your members again after it is over. Rewards are not just monetary but comes in many different forms. What most people just want to feel appreciated, that is the most important thing as a leader you can do for your followers. The second most important thing that you can do to reward your members is make your members feel like they are involved in the daily operations along with bigger decisions, even though as the leader you have the final say in whatever matter. The third one is showing your people that you care about them. There are many different ways to do this but it is important that your people do know that you care. The fourth, which was briefly mentioned, is knowing that there is a future for them.
As long as you can give your members what you want while still getting the job done, you will be a great and remarkable leader.....later
Anyways today, we talked about Dr. Feinberg'ssecrets for leadership success. These five secrets are telling your members what you want/expect, make it doable, reward your members, give your members feedback, and reward your members again after it is over. Rewards are not just monetary but comes in many different forms. What most people just want to feel appreciated, that is the most important thing as a leader you can do for your followers. The second most important thing that you can do to reward your members is make your members feel like they are involved in the daily operations along with bigger decisions, even though as the leader you have the final say in whatever matter. The third one is showing your people that you care about them. There are many different ways to do this but it is important that your people do know that you care. The fourth, which was briefly mentioned, is knowing that there is a future for them.
As long as you can give your members what you want while still getting the job done, you will be a great and remarkable leader.....later
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Week of 2/25
I have found myself very uninspired this week. Hence why this is being written on Sunday. We had an exam on Wednesday, no biggie. Monday was really the same old, same old. I know I am not supposed to recap classes but really my frame of mind has not been very condusive to class. I must say that I am still at class and my work is just as good but I have not been retaining anything but the necessaries this past week. But whatever......something about leadership.
I have been getting the magazine, INC. I don't remember if I bought this from my little sister as a fundraiser or what but I have been getting it here lately. Anyways, there was a preview of a book, I apologize that I have thrown the magazine away and no longer have the title or author, who talked about the gaining importance of followership. Followership is the ideal that the people under the leader really have all the power. These followers are crucial for anything to be successful. If the followers do not believe in a project, for any reason personal or professional, they will in essence kill it. Granted this was a preview so that is really all the article spoke of. As I read it I thought at first how this was absolutely crazy. Followers more important than leaders? That's absurd......but not really. A leader is nothing without people who will follow. The nature of the relationship of the follower, is important and does carry significant weight in determining the outcome of anything done by the organization. I still do believe that the emphasis of the followers is over-rated by this book. Leadership is still more important than followership. It is the job of a good leader to recognize followers who want to kamikaze a project or who are just not giving their best, and either convert them or get rid of them, for the sake of the organization. Leadership is about making the tough decisions and backing them to their followers and doubters, followership doesn't do that. I am not completely dismissing this concept but with my education so far, I do not give it as much credit as the author did. Also if followership was so important, wouldn't they be teaching it in college? That's what I thought.....later.
I have been getting the magazine, INC. I don't remember if I bought this from my little sister as a fundraiser or what but I have been getting it here lately. Anyways, there was a preview of a book, I apologize that I have thrown the magazine away and no longer have the title or author, who talked about the gaining importance of followership. Followership is the ideal that the people under the leader really have all the power. These followers are crucial for anything to be successful. If the followers do not believe in a project, for any reason personal or professional, they will in essence kill it. Granted this was a preview so that is really all the article spoke of. As I read it I thought at first how this was absolutely crazy. Followers more important than leaders? That's absurd......but not really. A leader is nothing without people who will follow. The nature of the relationship of the follower, is important and does carry significant weight in determining the outcome of anything done by the organization. I still do believe that the emphasis of the followers is over-rated by this book. Leadership is still more important than followership. It is the job of a good leader to recognize followers who want to kamikaze a project or who are just not giving their best, and either convert them or get rid of them, for the sake of the organization. Leadership is about making the tough decisions and backing them to their followers and doubters, followership doesn't do that. I am not completely dismissing this concept but with my education so far, I do not give it as much credit as the author did. Also if followership was so important, wouldn't they be teaching it in college? That's what I thought.....later.
Monday, February 18, 2008
2/18/2008
Today I wasn't in class and Wednesday I won't be either. My grandmother has passed away today and if anyone notices the time stamp on this, I obviously can't sleep.
Thinking about my grandmother has made me realize that she is my idol. I know I always have looked up to her and wanted to be like her but the more I think about it she is really my idol. And in the context of this course, she has been the strongest female presence in my life. She has kept us all happy and healthy over the years and I am truly thankful for being blessed with her life in mine. She has taught me so much, to cook, to sew, to garden, and most importantly to listen. When she was ever asked for advice at like a bridal shower she almost always replied, "It takes two to argue, and one to listen, if no one is listening then you get no where." She was always listening. At Sunday dinners as we all talked about our weeks and experiences, she listened...and answered the questions that were posed to her. She always got what she wanted to done. Granted I still don't like cleaning a house top to bottom, but that's what we would do, and no matter what obstacle came out way we figured it out and got it done. She lived her life so mine would be better. Granted this isn't what Feinberg necessarily teaches but she represents the attributes that sometimes go unsaid, but not unnoticed.
I'll rap this up, since everyone probably thinks I'm off point, but screw you anyways.
To my wonderful grandmother.....I miss you so much. I feel like there is a hole left in me that only time will heal. I love you so much. I love you Grandma.
Thinking about my grandmother has made me realize that she is my idol. I know I always have looked up to her and wanted to be like her but the more I think about it she is really my idol. And in the context of this course, she has been the strongest female presence in my life. She has kept us all happy and healthy over the years and I am truly thankful for being blessed with her life in mine. She has taught me so much, to cook, to sew, to garden, and most importantly to listen. When she was ever asked for advice at like a bridal shower she almost always replied, "It takes two to argue, and one to listen, if no one is listening then you get no where." She was always listening. At Sunday dinners as we all talked about our weeks and experiences, she listened...and answered the questions that were posed to her. She always got what she wanted to done. Granted I still don't like cleaning a house top to bottom, but that's what we would do, and no matter what obstacle came out way we figured it out and got it done. She lived her life so mine would be better. Granted this isn't what Feinberg necessarily teaches but she represents the attributes that sometimes go unsaid, but not unnoticed.
I'll rap this up, since everyone probably thinks I'm off point, but screw you anyways.
To my wonderful grandmother.....I miss you so much. I feel like there is a hole left in me that only time will heal. I love you so much. I love you Grandma.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
2/13/2008
I'm just going to get to the points of this class......what and where you have been doesn't count for shit. There are certain bits of information that can give an insight about the type of person that you are, but it doesn't mean we should just go by them alone.
Secondly, fairness is over-rated. We all deserve the best and if we don't feel we do then we will never get the best and will only have ourselves to blame for this. We have all been conditioned to be fair and equal....well this doesn't work in the real world. Those who focus on being fair will be the ones left behind, stuck in the same job forever. If you are the best at something do not be ashamed to admit it. This doesn't mean you are necessarily an ass, you just know what you are good at. You also want to be the best and considered that by others. If you don't think that about yourself to begin with then no one else will. All for now....later.
Secondly, fairness is over-rated. We all deserve the best and if we don't feel we do then we will never get the best and will only have ourselves to blame for this. We have all been conditioned to be fair and equal....well this doesn't work in the real world. Those who focus on being fair will be the ones left behind, stuck in the same job forever. If you are the best at something do not be ashamed to admit it. This doesn't mean you are necessarily an ass, you just know what you are good at. You also want to be the best and considered that by others. If you don't think that about yourself to begin with then no one else will. All for now....later.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
2/11/2008...again
Well needless to say today was interesting.....started off by writing about our personal pain. Not physical pain necessarily but more emotional....Feinburgh says he'll use them later, should be interesting. Anyways so we move on to the whole tower building exercise. Talk about organized chaos. We didn't win but there was some very interesting entries.
For our group, it was a classic instance of too many chiefs and not enough indians. This could have been avoided if we had planned out not only what we were going to do but how we were going to do it. Note of essential planning part for next time. In hindsight we should have used the heirarchy that has been set up with a group and subgroup leaders, but hindsight is 20/20. Next time we, either as a group or later in life, tackle something like this again we will take what we have learned from this and do better the next time. Sounds like the point to me....later.
For our group, it was a classic instance of too many chiefs and not enough indians. This could have been avoided if we had planned out not only what we were going to do but how we were going to do it. Note of essential planning part for next time. In hindsight we should have used the heirarchy that has been set up with a group and subgroup leaders, but hindsight is 20/20. Next time we, either as a group or later in life, tackle something like this again we will take what we have learned from this and do better the next time. Sounds like the point to me....later.
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