NonProfit Management

Being that I did not have much knowledge, aside from the basics, on nonprofit management. I opted to look up what other nonprofit management courses were using for their text book and use that book as reference (for annotated bibliography, please see exhibition agenda). To complete my course objectives, I choose to do a comparision to the MET. The reason why I choose to do this comparison is because the MET is often referred to as a nonprofit, and while I know we are a quasi state agency, I never really understood what the difference was. I have done a comparison chart to easily explain what the differences between are. What I found was the only real difference between the MET and a non-profit is we are quasi-state agency, we receive state funds so we are not a nonprofit.







Non-profit vs the MET

Understanding Nonprofit Organizations: Goverance, Leadership and Management (2nd Edition) by J. Steven Ott and Lisa A. Dicke

Reading Reflection: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, Part Three: Profits, Passion and Purpose

I was sad to see the book come to an end. I feel like I could have read 1,000 more pages and been perfectly fine with that. What I really took away from this section/ entire book is, the little things make a difference, make room for change; but first, you have to know what your purpose and passion is. With this knowledge, you can make changes in the world. I loved Tony's vision for company, and the way in  which he managed that vision (through transparency, through honest communication, through pure passion for the work).  I walk away from this book, not only with a better idea with of improving work culture but for improving myself. Having that natural quest for happiness is buried within each of us, but we often overlook it to meet our responsibilities and the realities of life. But I ask, is happiness not a reality? And if you know that is, what is stopping you from being happy? What is your purpose, is it to be happy? Do you have the passion to be happy?

Reading Reflection: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh, Part Two: Profits and Passion

I really enjoyed Part Two of this book. These chapters focused on Tony's formative years at Zappos. I really appreciated that they offered such an in-depth look into the Zappo culture and decision making process. Some of the key things that I can see myself proposing to institute or enhance current procedures:

• Culture Book (handed out to prospective staff, vendors, etc) - keep it transparent as possible by using positive and negative employee responses, no edits - facing the brutal facts (just like Good to Great)!
• The Brand, the Culture,  and employee training and development are the competitive advantage
• Once hired, everyone receives basic core value training...no matter the position
• Once hired, everyone receives training...no matter the position

Some of the concepts that stood out to me are:

• Part of growth is constant change... (you cannot grow without change, they come hand in hand)
• Many similarities between theories in Good to Great and Delivering Happiness...build the culture, and they/ it will follow
• For individuals, character is destiny. For organizations, culture is destiny.

I was also pleased to see that Zappo's uses an Ask Anything box, which is the electronic version of the MET's Affirmations, Suggestions & Questions box. Both allow employees to ask any questions (or offer a suggestion or an affirmation), and those submissions will be answered in a monthly newletter (a blog post/ newsletter at Zappos). I was glad to see that we are on the right path. 

This section speaks of the growth of profits and the the development of the passion behind Zappos. Seeing their growth period, shows that even the great companies can make mistakes, and sometimes not knowing and acting on pure belief and passion, will yield the best results. Taking risks is ok, as long as you have your core organizational beliefs to guide you.

Employer Brand 101

One of my goals this semester, was to look at different employment websites, and see what they have to offer. I was to take notes on things that stood out to me, and while I did come up with some design details that I really liked; I found that one thing the MET seemed to be lacking was an employer brand. There really wasn't much the celebrated the reason to work at the MET, or the successes of the MET staff. The employer brand is bigger than a human resource issue or a recruitment issue, it is a organizational wide issue. I decided that before one can successfully put up a website dedicated to human resources/ recruitment, we need to have something that would lead us down the right path. So I came up with a plan for creating an Employer Brand for the MET. Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/1f7OCiNIBmFEo-fEGv4fIMsBYRMsJJ5MRLHbwcxNP6ZY/edit

Oragnizational Theory and Management Course - Political Frame {Draft}

The first draft of the politcal frame of Org Theory paper...

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/1L9gRjUh-UWNwEjDug7F7dxOUwN9qmDqIWe8fTqszu-A/edit

Reading Reflection: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh - Part One: Profits

In the introduction, Tony warns you that this book is not just about Zappos, or any other company he has been a part of; and it is not an autobiography. It is about him, and his path to happiness and finding out what that is and how to obtain it. Now naturally, information will come from his business life but what I really loved about the first part of this book, is that he includes bits of humor, to keep the reading light and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the first part of this book.

Now, to the reading; the second to last line of the second chapter is, "...I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion." WOW! This coming from the man who just sold his multi million dollar company, is pretty amazing! What I really loved about this first section, is he did not money control his happiness. Whenever he wasn't being true to his passion, and followed money, his productivity suffered. I loved that he was able to stop, right in the middle of all his LinkExchane/ Microsoft success, and say, what makes me happy? What do I love to do? When he realized that he what he was doing wasn't on that list, he walked away. I am sure it wasn't quite that simple, but to me, pretty amazing!

Another one of my favorite lines is, "...ultimate happiness is really just about enjoying life." I found that many of Tony's choices stemmed from his desire to be happy. It was not about status, money or power, just pure happiness. I believe that was his greatest profit of all.

Non-Profit Times "Best Non-Profits to Work For" analysis

I thought it would be interesting to compare the Non-Profit Times Best to Work For requirements to the Fortune/Great Place to Work requirements. The Non-Profit Times teams up with the Best Companies Group to conduct the analysis and assesment of each non-profit.

1) Registration and Eligibility

• Must be in business a minimum of 1 year
• Must be a non-profit with a 501(c)3 status
• Have a facility in US
• Have a minimum of 15 employees in US
• Non-profits may enter as a group, or as an individual organization as long as each participating organization is a separate legal entity.
• Registration deadline is mid October

2) Assesment

• Part 1: Employer Benefits and Policies Questionnaire
• Non-profit policies, practices and demographics.
• Part 2: Employee Engagement & Satisfaction Survey
• will select up to 400 randomly selected employees (amount will depend on size)
• Leadership and Planning
• Corporate culture and communciations
• Role Satisfaction
• Work Environment
• Relationship with Supervisor
• Training and Development
• Pay and Benefits
• Overall Engagement

3) Results

• All participating companies will receive an Employer benchmark report at no cost. The Employee Feedback reports are available for purchase to gain in-depth insight forom the employee survey process.

Great Place to Work diagram

Below is a diagram for the Great Place to Work organization. They believe that this diagram what make a great workplace, and you will notice that you see experiences and relationships - not bonuses and perks. That is not to say that having bonuses and perks will hurt your organization, but if you think about it - if your company can only provide those perks and bonuses but does not provide positive working relationships and experiences, how great of a workplace do you really have??

 

 

 

 

On the bottom portion you see three arrows steming from the word "Employee". This is how the employee views a great workplace - they can trust the people they work for, have pride in the work they do, and enjoy the people they work with. Trust is demonstrated through management's credibility, respect by how the employee is treated and fairness on how the employee feel's they should be treated.

 

When I initally looked at this, I did not get it; but as I am doing more and more research, I do understand. It comes down to the Employee, and if the employee doesn't trust the organization to do right, the culture will suffer.

"Best Place to Work For" analysis

As this project developed, I wasn't sure which way it was going to go. Instead of attempting to analyze individual companies and compare to the MET (which would be hard to do because not all the information is readily available). I wanted to focus on what is required to be considered a "Best Place to Work For". While that may not be the ultimate goal of the MET, I think it is important to know what is considered when looking at those companies that are considered "Best Place to Wor"k For

There are a few different "Best Place to Work For"(BPWF) lists floating around. The two that I will be focusing on will the Fortune's Top 100 and Great Place to Work's Best Small & Medium Workplace.

There are five steps to the whole process:
1) Registration Deadlines & Eligibility: companies must apply, they are not picked...if you don't apply, you don't get picked!
Fortune 100

• be five years or older
• have at least 1,000 regular FT and PT US employees
• must be registed by July 1

Great Place to Work

• be two years or older
• have between 25 and 999 regular FT and PT US employees
• must be registered by April 1

2) Assessment: Trust Index Employee Survery and Culture Audit. 2/3 of results are based on Trust Index and 1/3 on the Culture Audit
Fortune 100

• March - July (employee survery)
• July (culture Audit)

Great Place to Work

• February - May (employee survey)
• May (culture audit)

3) Evaluation
Fortune 100

• Aug - Dec

Great Place to Work

• June - Sept

4) Feedback: companies may use benchmarks, analysis and survey results to measure the healht and success of their organiztion, and to see steps that are needed to improve culture and business results.

5) Results and Awards: Not everyone makes the list, but those that do will be notified
 of their status and which media partner will be puslishing the list.

The Great Place to Work company has over 25 years of workplace culture insight. The companies are assessed by their:

• employee trust and engagement measures and benchmarks
• workplace culture and assessment
• best practices in hiring, two-way communciaiton, employee development, work-life balance, recognitition

I think analyzing the requirements for these competitions are a good start to determining what makes a great employment brand.

Organizational Theory and Management course - Human Resources Frame {Draft}

The 1st draft of the Human Resources frame of my org theory paper...

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/14Q5k-JeLaQ1AGgwz6oXxbM92B7KbwvIsjSIPnfU69I4/edit

Organization Theory and Management Course - Structural Frame {Draft}

First Draft of Structural Frame portion of my paper for Organizational Theory and Management course..this is the first section of four to be done...

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/17MNdO1AovlgWsFCUzZVFhlRU8L9VS__JQT92caXxBn0/edit

Case Study: Best Non-Profit to Work For: Year Up

In determining what my project will be, I decided to change my focus to the exploration of what makes a "Best Company to Work For?" and what does one need to create an employment brand. My hope is that this information/my findings will be applied to the website that I will be creating for the next semester. I will be doing a case study on selected companies (both for profit and non-profit) and compare them to the MET.

What is the name of the company? Year-Up
What type of agency/company is this? Non-Profit
What year was it founded? 2000
How many satelites (if any) are there? 8
What is the mission of the agency/company? To close the Opportunity Divide (the gap that exists between the 5 million urban young adults looking for career pathways and the projected 14 million vacant jobs over the next decade that businesses need to fill in order to prosper) by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.
Best to Work forAwards? #4 Best Non Profit to Work for in 2011, #25 Best Non Profit to Work for 2012
Recruitment/HR Website? Have a "Careers" section, that lists the misson and staff culture/expectations/diversity/ cultural competency. Also have a seperate section on Planned Growth.
Did anything stand out about the website? Staff picture, block letters (matches logo), Founder's book, link to blog that discussed different information (kind of like a TGIF, just not a weekly collaboration)

What differences did I see?
The MET is...
 a quasi-state agency
founded in 1996
3 satelites
although the missions are different, they both seek to help youth grow to do better
we have not signed up for any Best to Work for awards
we have a Career Opportunities section, that lists the jobs available and what it means to be a MET staff member

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Nine: From Good to Great to Built to Last (the last chapter)

I read Good to Great first, and plan to read Built to Last next, so I couldn't elaborate and reflect on all that was mentioned in this chapter. However, it was mentioned that Good to Great was considered a prequel to Built to Last because this book tells you how to build momentum and breakthrough as a great company (which can be applied to entreprenuers and start up companies, not just existing companies). Built to Last tells you how to stand strong, and become built to last throughout the changing CEO's, market changes, etc. So, can I see a correaltion between Good to Great and Built to Last? Absolutely! With all that has been mentioned in Good to Great, I see it as the groundwork to becoming an iconic company that is mentioned in Built to Last. You can't have an company endure years and generations of changes, without having solid groundwork.

I really, really enjoyed this book for many reasons, but most important of them being, I could relate this to my own experiences. I could see the material being applied to my work and the work that I have yet to do. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to start a business, or anyone looking to make a change in their personal life. The concepts are easy to understand, and while it is anticipated that the book would be dull and mundane, it really was not. I found the book to be a perfect mix of light hearted analogies, with concrete and real information. I am glad that Jodie suggested the book to me, because it really was a great read.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Eight: The Flywheel and the Doom Loop

The Flywheel and the Doom Loop...what do they have to do with building a great company? Everything! Companies that use a Flywheel pattern, know that there is no one single action that is THE thing that made the company breakthrough. They know that it is all the actions (getting the right people on the right right bus, following your Hedgehog concept, maintaining a culture of discipline, etc.) that get their flywheel moving towards a breakthrough. The Doom Loop is just the opposite, one would not be concerned with the build up, or all of the beginning actions, and go straight to the breakthrough.

When I read this chapter, I think of all of the "overnight sensations" that are reported about, and wonder what was their path to get there? Are they pushing a Flywheel or on a Doom Loop? It is mentioned in the book that most good-to-great companies, are not interested in the dramatic, flashy events that demonstrate change, but it is something more organic that they seek. If change is going to happen and is needed, then it will happen naturally.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Seven: Technology Accelorators

Thinking of new technology, and its effect on organizations, you would think an organization would want to have the latest and greatest technology on hand, wouldn't you? According to Jim Collins and his research team, technology should be used as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it. What this basically means is, you can't make good use of technology until you know what you will be most useful to the organization. You won't know that until you can link those to your Hedgehog Concept (three circles).  Acting with strict discipline, one must avoid getting caught up in technology fads, and only focus on those that fit within their Hedgehog Concept. Then using those that fit, use those to accelerate your good-to-great momentum to the next level. 

I

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Six: A Culture of Discipline

From the book:
"The fact that something is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"is irrelevant, unless it fits within the three circles. A great company will have many one-in-a-lifetime opportunities"."

This sentence really stood out to me. I guess when one thinks of something as once-in-a-lifetime, you get the impression that you must act on it; that this will never happen again - you HAVE to do it. What I learned is quite the contrary, you don't have to do anything. What you should do is react with discipline and remember what it is that you are trying to accomplish, and then decide if this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity makes sense within your three circles.

The key word in the last paragraph is discipline. When they speak of discipline or a culture of discipline, they are speaking of strictly adhering to your Hedgehog Concept (three circles) and the willingness to ignore the opportunities that fall outside that concept. What does that mean for the leader and their staff? They must be disciplined within themselves first, and this concept goes back to having the right people, on the right bus, at the right time...With disciplined leaders and staff, one can trust that they will use disciplined thought to take disciplined action. When you don't have the right staff, you will often find bureaucratic cultures will develop to compensate for the lack of discipline.

My Butterfly Story - Draft

I imagine my life as a big, fat, ugly caterpillar; always dreaming of becoming a beautiful butterly, fluttering among the pretty, red roses. You know, the kind of caterpillar who no matter what you tell them, they are sure of their beautiful butterfly destiny. I know there is a transformation that has to happen before one can become a butterfly, and until now, I have yet to find my cocoon.

I have been known to bounce from one interest to another, trying to find my true passion. My problem is I am passionate about being creative, I love to create; but it is the inner butterfly in me that keeps me fluttering from thing to another. Being the creative person that I am, I find that being able to pursue my passion is what keeps me sane in this crazy world.

This is where College Unbound comes in. I have been given the opportunity, to sit down and really confront what I have been scared to realize; and that is, I have to find a way to bring my creativeness to my work. Why would I be scared of that? Because I wasn't sure if I could be creative in the work that I do. I can't say that I wanted to be a successful artist, but I knew that I wanted to be able to do it if I wanted to. Once I realized that, I was able to allow room for growth and self-discovery through College Unbound.

I started this program, still very much a big, fat, ugly caterpillar attempting this program for everyone else except for myself. I didn't realize visualize this opportunity as a way for me to really get to know Danielle; I just saw it as a means to an end. As I ventured through the unsureness of indivdualized learning, I could see myself slowly changing. Still very much a fat caterpillar, I knew that I had to push myself.

And I have been pushing myself since February of 2012, it was this time that I lost one of my biggest supporters, my mother, number one reason for applying to the program. Up until then, I was content with getting by, wanting to be better but not really feeling the inner butterfly in me bursting out of my chest. When my mother passed away, I could feel the wings flapping in my throat, telling me, "You have got to do better! Be better! Fly better!" Since then I have been on a mission to flap my wings with pride, I have College Unbound to thank for that. You see, I see College Unbound as my cocoon of growth and self-discovery, and no matter when I graduate I know that with all that I have learned, I will be able to emerge as the beautiful, butterfly that is flapping around in my body.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Five: The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles)

When I started reading this chapter, I went into it thinking that I already knew how it was going to play out. "A hedgehog is someone who comes through and barrels his way through life, no games, no tricks - they just get down and dirty", this is what I said as I read the title. I guess the concept is about getting down and dirty, but it is the "before" we get down and dirty part that struck me.

The Hedgehog Concept is a clear, simple concept that flows from understanding where the following three questions overlap (or each one represents a circle and where the circles overlap)
1) What can you be the best in the world at? (and what you cannot be the best at)
2) What drives your economic engine?
3) What are you deeply passionate about? (you are not looking to cultivate passion, you want to discover what makes you passionate!)

When I reflect on this chapter, I think of chapter four, where they talk about confronting the brutal facts. In order for you understand what you are the best at and what you cannot be the best at, you have to be honest with yourself. Even if it is the core of your business, maybe that is not what you are the best at. Maybe that is not bringing in the most profit. This where you have find what you are best at, make sure that it is making you the most profit, and also keeping the genuine passion in play. Then this is where my "hedgehog concept"comes in...confront the brutal facts and get down and dirty in the work.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Four: Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)

This chapter really spoke to me because I could relate to it personally. Not only because I could relay the information in the chapter to my work life, but because it made sense! Creating a culture of truth, honesty and rigorousness can be difficult in the beginning but it is importatnt that if you believe in what you are doing, then never lose that faith that started you on that path.
Some of the key points that I look from this chapter were:
1) Leadership is about vision and creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts are confronted.
2) Lead with questions, not answers
3) Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion
4) Conduct autopsies, without blame

What I really loved about this chapter (and I guess about the book so far) is that their staff are an important part of the decision making process. It is understood that transforming a company from good to great will not be easy, but what can leadership and the staff learn form one another to grow as an organization and as people.

I have been able to take the information and what I have learned in this chapter and apply it to my own life...and while the brutal facts are unsettling, I know that what I am facing is the truth. It will be from this point, that I can try to make necessary changes.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Three: First Who...Then What

You will often hear the saying that people are your most important asset. Well according to Good to Great, "In a good to great transformation, people are not your most imporatnt asset. The right people are." I guess in our day to day lives, one wouldn't necessarily question that; however, when you think about it, it makes sense. Why waste valuable time training and fixing the work of an unfit employee, when you could just take care of the situation from the beginning?

This chapter was an eye opener for me. They talk about not being a "genius with a thousand helpers"; it's who you pay, not how you pay them; being rigorous, not ruthless;  and first who, great companies, and a great life. When I look back on the concepts, I think to myself these are very simple concepts. Why didn't I think of that? Why wouldn't I think that if you have the right people in line, doing the job because they want to do it, then it will get done? I believe because it goes back to being a Level 5 leader, and creating the rigorous culture that is mentioned in Chapter Three. Not so much about being cutthroat but about applying the same exact standards at all times, at all levels.

The main jist of all of this is be a leader who finds teamwork irreplaceable, don't worry about paying your staff a nice compensation package to keep them, worry about finding the right people for the job and paying them nicely to get them in the door, if you must make the hard decisions, make them right away and be consistent about your work, and once you have all of that in place, you won't need to worry about working a ton of hours because your company will be on the success track by having the right people, in the right seats on the right bus.

Mid Semester Exhibition Reflection

Below is my feedback using the mid semester exhibition feedback form:
Discuss my learning plan - 3
Describe my progress in the Big 10 Learning goals - 3
Share their framing questions - 4
Share what they have learned in realtion to their framing questions - 4
Share what they have learned about self - 3
Share a plan for moving forward - 4
Interact with auidence/ facilitate a conversation - 3
Use their slides as an effective visual aid - 4
Proofread/edit so that slides are error free - 4
Appear prepared - 4

My favorite part of this presentation were: getting to talk about my project, creating the Prezi presentation and getting feedback on some additional resources/ books

Something I am still wondering is: what ways can I take this project even deeper (using my Creativity WhackPack!)

I could have improved this presentation by: going more in depth about my learning and not so much focused on presenting the work and project.

So...what have I learned...
Based on my exhibition, learning plan and my readings
I know the work that I am doing but I need to be able to demonstrate how I am learning and growing.
I need to come to my exhibition ready to present, not just ready to show my work.
The project work that I am doing is great, but personally, I would like to find ways to infuse some of my natural creativity into it so I can further my desire to learn and excel.
I must make sure that I am regularly updating my blog with the work that I am doing...it doesn't look like am doing the work if I don't have it readily available.

Whole Foods: Employment Brand

I realized that before I could start thinking about what the website would look like, I would need to know what message had to be portrayed. When a current or prospective employee of the MET utilized this website, what did I want them to understand about the MET? What can they expect to learn about us? All of these questions lead me to an employment brand. I did some research on employment brand, and found the Wall Street article below especially helpful.  I looked up some of the great places to work  in the US, as a starting point. I found Whole Foods came across a few different lists, and was able to find this video on You Tube featuring Whole Foods Co-founder & CEO, John Mackey. In this video, he expresses what he believes makes Whole Foods a great place to work for...

Whole Food Employment Philosophy

Wall Street Journal - Employer Brand article

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Two: Level 5 Leadership

When  you think of a successful company, what assumptions do you make about their leader? Would you say that their leaders are likely to be extroverted? Listened to what needed to be done and trusted that it would work out?Ambitious and Humble? According to the research performed by Jim Collins and his team, every good to great company had a Level 5 leader during the years of important transition. 

A Level 5 leader has a mix of personal humility and professional will. They are motivated by great results, and will do whatever it takes to make the company great; regardless of how big or hard the decision will be. What most of the "celebrity leaders" of the world lack is humility and the ability to accept responsibility when things go wrong. They are often so consumed with their own personal status as the company's leader, they are not able focus on the long-term goals and results of the company; which, is why many companies with a celebrity leader tend to fall apart once that leader is gone. A Level 5 Leader is able to transform a company and make sure that the choices and staff in place will carry this success even when they are no longer working for that company.

So can anyone be a Level 5 leader? I think anyone can evolve into a Level 5 Leader, you just have to know what to look for and be dedicated to the success of the company, not themselves.

Big 10: CREATIVITY

Blue Monday by Annie Lee

Who isn't blue on Monday morning?? I love the play on words and how the colors tie into the title!

Creative Whack Pack
I think what I love about the work that I do with College Unbound, makes me bored at the same time because it was lacking the element of creativity to it. I thought the Creative Whack Pack was a great way to help me start thinking of ways to insert some creativity into my project.

The Explorer: I plan to think of ways to use random ideas to stimulate some new ideas for my project - if I think of the word broom, I think of people being swept up under a rug, becoming more transparent, cleaning up employee relations issues, giving the MET a clean sweep on the Employee Relations front. Creating a positive employment brand!

The Artist: I want to find ways to change the name of my project and reverse my viewpoint. I think the Human Resources name may ensue some negative thoughts so I want to find some other ways to spin the name to encourage a more positive reception. If I am able to reverse my viewpoint and look at it from both the leaders of the MET and employees point of views, I think I can find ways to get that positive reception.

The Judge: Trying to focus on where the focus should be is really tough. By really sitting and answering/evaluating that question, I am not sure if I am focusing on the right aspect of human resources at the MET...

The Warrior: I always feel like can do better so I am never satisfied. I always question myself, but I am not sure if that is because I know that there will be opposition or because I feel the work can be better.

Four C-Model of Creativity

I found the Four C-Model of Creativity to be pretty self explanatory. I was able to understand and apply the model to myself and see where I fall in different aspects of my life; and what transition places I am at as well. I never really looked at being creative in stages, I always just figured that if you are creative you are - and that's it. What I also learned and was able to apply to myself was the concept of using extrinsic rewards to cultivate one's creative interest. I was able to take my more recent interest of cake decorating, and saw that when I started to sell custom cakes and cupcakes, I lost the interest. I no longer felt the fire in my belly to do it, I actually started to resent them. So while, I knew how I felt, I didn't realize that it wasn't just me that felt that way. It could happen to anyone.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter One: Good is the Enemy of Great

Upon recommendation from my Academic Liasion, I decided to go ahead and read the book, Good to Great by Jim Collins. I figured it couldn't hurt to read the book, even though initially I was thinking I wasn't really in the place to make a change at the MET; but then I remembered a lesson that I learned last year in College Unbound. Anyone can make a change, be a leader - it is not just the person at the top of the hierarcy. So with that, I began to read and become engaged in my "Little Red Book", as it has become affectionately known.

So what makes a company good? Great? So-so? How do those companies differ from one another? In what ways are they the same? How do you even begin determining those factors? In this book, they used a systematic approach, of compiling data, and comparing and contrasting that data, looking for patterns and relationships throughout all of it. Some of the surprising information that I found was the "First Who...Then What" concept. With this concept, the research showed that contrary to the expected, good-great leaders  got the right people in line, wrong people out of line and the right people in the right spots. Then they would figure out what the vision was. I would have expected that a good-to-great leader would have came in with a vision and then picked the people that they would need to fulfill that vision.

The first chapter was very informative of the research process behind the book. It was interesting but I look forward to getting more in depth in the coming chapters.

Connections....Part Two

"Being connected" or having connections start with you and the self image that you present to others; and then it continues on to what you do with that self image. It is not just about you show others but what are you doing. No one gets far with just a handshake, you have to put some work behind it...
Connections are not just about what someone can do for you; but what you can do for them and preferrably in the reverse order. Being able to connect with someone is not just about your own selfish needs but what can that person gain from you. I don't think I ever really looked at it that way...to me "being connected" was more so about who you know and what they can do for you; which will never lead to true success because no one likes to be used.

Connections...Part One

Part One
Although I wouldn't consider myself a great networker, I know how important connections are in one's life. But was I surprised at how bad I did on The Little Black Book of Connections quiz? No...not really. I was surprised that I was in the lowest group but I wasn't surprised that I was on the low end. I don't think it makes me a bad person but there have been times where I could have used a helpful connection and didn't have one; and it made things harder for me. So knowing all of that you would think I would make a conscious effort to make a change...can't say that I really have.

All of my life, I have been on the more reserved side. Reaching out to people due to fear of rejection or not being confident in what I needed/asked/ wanted would always stop me from making those all too important connections. I hope to change that about myself and know that the only way to do it is to "do it!"; sitting around acknowledge the problem is going to get it solved. Do I agree with the assessment - yes...do I like what I have to change - not so much ;)

Part Two
I have always looked at myself as a fairly well educated individual. I know that I can expand my horizons if I put my mind to it, but I usually just keep on with the regular run of life. So being asked what three books am I going to read, was a great start to expanding on what and who I know. The three books that I plan to read are:
Book 1:Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins
Book 2: Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman
Book 3: Not sure yet???

The three people that I plan to meet...this one I am not sure about. I don't know who I'd like to meet...

Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment

Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment

            If I had to guess my personality type, I would say Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging – ISFJ. I am known as reserved girl, with a laid back approach to life – if we have a plan great, if not, then that’s fine too, we’ll work it out. I think it is better to be honest without being hurtful, instead of being bluntly honest with little concern for one’s feelings. I like to make decisions but if I can make decisions and try to tie in how that decision will affect someone, I would prefer to do it that way. I don’t like conflict but I do understand that it happens, and is a part of life. So was I surprised by the results of my personality assessment, a little but the results were pretty much right on.

            I was presented with the personality type of ESFJ – Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging.  I definitely would not consider myself an extrovert. I have never been known as an extrovert, but in reading more about what an extrovert is, I realized that I am actually an extrovert! Once I realized that an extrovert is not necessarily about one being an outgoing person, I was better able to understand how they came up with my personality type. I enjoy being around people, I love to entertain and plan/throw events, being around those that I care about makes me happy and it is at those times that I feel the most complete.

            The assessment also said that my most natural leadership style is Participative Leadership. A Participative Leader is one who gets the job done through team work and collective involvement in the task. I wasn’t so sure at first about this, but when I sat back and thought about it, I realized that is also true. I did realize that my career choice of Human Resources is a good fit for me based on my personality type.

           

This I Believe

This I Believe…Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope

            There is something to be said for Disney movies. At least that is the way my siblings and I were raised. Whenever a new Disney movie would come out on VHS, my mom would buy it and we would have family movie nights. We would eat pizza and popcorn, all of us sprawled out on the floor watching the Disney magic on our floor model TV. This quality time proved to be a saving grace to us, it kept us out of trouble and grounded in family tradition. As years went on and I reached teenage years, I found that we had gotten away from the Disney movie nights. The nights of magic, love, songs and sparkle had been replaced with nights out with friends and working at the supermarket. I missed those movie nights, those nights made me feel safe, secure and loved. So, I decided to go out and buy my favorite Disney “The Little Mermaid”; hoping to resurrect some of the childhood innocence. What one movie about a mermaid who was so desperately in love with a human taught me as a child, was now changing my outlook on life for Although I had seen this movie many times as a child, watching it now as a young adult was like seeing a totally different movie.

            After watching it several times in just one day, I started buying more of my favorite Disney classics, like Bambi, the Aristocats, Beauty & the Beast, and Pochantas; and was amazed at how differently I viewed these movies now. I saw the strength of a dream, the determination of love, the beauty of a laugh, the persistence of hope. I saw the way that I wanted to live my life every day. I saw what I wanted to be able to pass onto my future children, just as my mother had passed it down to me. I am sure my friends thought I was crazy but I didn’t care. I was determined to reach my dreams, to love hard, to continue to laugh and to push forward with hope until I couldn’t push anymore. You see in each movie, you see death, life, love, pain, hurt, anger – and throughout it all 4 words always stuck out to me – Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope.

            Now flash forward to present day, I am that same little girl who feel in love with Disney magic; except now, I have two little girls of my own that I get to share my Disney movies with. I think being a mom and watching my Disney movies is even different now than watching it when I was a teenager. Now, I am living my dream of being a mom, loving my girls more than any other thing in this world, laughing to the point of major pains in my cheeks, and hoping that I never disappoint my little ladies or my mother. I am sure to some it is crazy to think that an adult would write about Disney movies as a This I Believe essay, but it is more than Disney movies…it is about those four words – Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope. It is in those four words that I believe.