The most important insight i learned from Professor Broadnax's lecture is that no one is perfect and mistakes are not wasted time. President Lincoln seems perfect and I always assumed that great leaders like him were always successful and confident in their abilities. It was interesting to learn that he had depression and sucidal thoughts in his youth due to his lack of confidence. However, Lincoln overcame is depression and became one of our countries greatest presidents. Another important value that he possesed was his ability to recognize his deficits and surround himself with people who could compensate for those deficits. He understood it wasn't all about him; building a successful team was more important. Dr. Broadnax also talked about mistakes and how they can teach a person good lessons. I've always heard this saying and understood how you can learn from failures, but i've still always considered failures time wasted. After hearing Professor Broadnax and thinking more deeply about it, I now understand how just because the desired results aren't achieved, something was still learned. The example about a medical researcher who spend his entire life searching for a cure and never found one helped me understand this point. Although he didn't find the cure, his research will likely help the next generation of scientists find the cure.
Questions
1) What is a motivationg force in your life?
A fear of failure is motivating me to succeed. I want to be able to look back of my life and be proud and content with what I have accomplished. I want to have been able to make a positive mark on the world. I want to complete a challange that makes me feel accomplished due to the obsticles I had to overcome to succeed. I am worried that one day I will have regrets about what I could have done and failed to do. I used to be motivated by money and power, but I now realize that I will not be contempt with only making my life great. Money doesn't mean much if you don't do anything meaningful.
2) What do you want to get done?
I don't know what I want to get done yet, but I hope that in my future I will realize what it is. It will be something that makes a positive change and will help others. I want my life to have meaning beyond just enjoying that things I do. I know I have the capability to complete something meaningful and I don't want to waste my talent.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Paul Calistro lecture
Paul is the executive director of the West End Neighborhood House. The West End Neighborhood House is one of the 1.5 million non-profits in the United States. Hospitals and Universities are the largest nonprofits in the country. Non-profits serve the gap between the public and private services. Paul works 60-80 hours to week, but loves his job due to its flexibility. The West End Neighborhood House has served the Irish, Italian, African American, and Latino communities. The nonprofit has 60 employees, 250 volunteers, and has produced over 500 houses in the last 10 years. They provide services for foster children, food closets, financial counseling, and tutoring. The goal of the organization is to solve problems in the community.
Paul had a problem with payday lenders due to their exorbitant, 350%-1600% interest rates. He contacted Wilmington Trust to see if they were willing to lend $250- $500 for 15%. They denied this request because it woudn't produce profit. In response, Paul created a pool of money, banks make the loan and the nonprofit determines who gets the loans and guarantees them. The banks were convinced by Paul's intelligent plan, confidence, and past success. He understood that banks need to meet federal CRA requirement and used this program to allow banks to do so. The program also gives poor people financial counceling and help with their credit score. This program has been successful and five states have followed suit. He was innovative to solve a problem he saw in the community and now families have access to affordable loans. He thought outside the box to formulate a solution that neither the government nor the private sector couldn't solve.
Foster children had nowhere to go once they turned 19. They didn't have a family, income, or driver's license. The nonprofit took an entrepreneurship approach to solve this problem. Paul got the housing from a hospital with excess housing, used CRA money to hire young people to do the work, and used CRA money to hire young people to do the work, and used federal money to fix up the housing. Paul matches up volunteer organizations to help on the project and affect social change. Paul's most important leadership characteristics are creativity and innovation. He uses nonconventional techniques to solve problems. Paul delegates responsibilities and treats each department head with "CEO-like" powers and freedom. He allows volunteers to help in a way that interests them such as coaching a hockey team or teaching kids how to fly model airplanes. The organization is run like a business with dedicated employees who understand how big of a change that they can make. To be successful you need to establish relationships and have successful outcomes.
Paul had a problem with payday lenders due to their exorbitant, 350%-1600% interest rates. He contacted Wilmington Trust to see if they were willing to lend $250- $500 for 15%. They denied this request because it woudn't produce profit. In response, Paul created a pool of money, banks make the loan and the nonprofit determines who gets the loans and guarantees them. The banks were convinced by Paul's intelligent plan, confidence, and past success. He understood that banks need to meet federal CRA requirement and used this program to allow banks to do so. The program also gives poor people financial counceling and help with their credit score. This program has been successful and five states have followed suit. He was innovative to solve a problem he saw in the community and now families have access to affordable loans. He thought outside the box to formulate a solution that neither the government nor the private sector couldn't solve.
Foster children had nowhere to go once they turned 19. They didn't have a family, income, or driver's license. The nonprofit took an entrepreneurship approach to solve this problem. Paul got the housing from a hospital with excess housing, used CRA money to hire young people to do the work, and used CRA money to hire young people to do the work, and used federal money to fix up the housing. Paul matches up volunteer organizations to help on the project and affect social change. Paul's most important leadership characteristics are creativity and innovation. He uses nonconventional techniques to solve problems. Paul delegates responsibilities and treats each department head with "CEO-like" powers and freedom. He allows volunteers to help in a way that interests them such as coaching a hockey team or teaching kids how to fly model airplanes. The organization is run like a business with dedicated employees who understand how big of a change that they can make. To be successful you need to establish relationships and have successful outcomes.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Leadership Challenge 3
To make someones day, my group went to pathmark and carried a women's groceries out to her car and pack it up. She was with three young children and had 3 full shopping carts so she was the perfect person to help. It would have been difficult for her to transport all of her groceries while paying attention to her 3 children. She was grateful for our help. My group was very efficient in brainstorming and creating our goal. Fritz, our leader, had the idea of going to the grocery store and he also planned the time and arranged for transportation. Jason brought his camera so we could prove the challenge. The communication between group members was very clear and efficient.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Pike fish market
It was interesting to see how much of an impact the positive attitudes of the employees rubed off on the customers. The best way for an organization to make their customers happy is to ensure that their employees are happy. Especially in a market like fish, little distinguishes one markets fish from another. Pike fish market is able to seperate themselves from other fish stands by offering a great experience. They are more in the industry of customer service rather then selling fish. People from all over the world go to this market because it is so unique and creative. The leaders in this company understand the importance of creativity and interpersonal skills. If using a styles approach, they would definitely be high on the relationships spectrum. The video also showed how one person can make a difference without acquireing any new skills. One of the employees decided to have a more positive attitude at work and that immediatly improved his day and his customer's experience.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Leadership Challange 2
1. The assigned leader was Sam Wilkes
2. Patty Webster took the role of leader in the group due to her knowledge of line dancing. It seemed as though expert power allowed her to assume the leadership role.
3. Everyone in the group worked together and influenced the group in their own way. We each chipped ideas in through email and the end result was a success.
4. Patty had the most techinical skills since she had some experience with line dancing. Since we were all able to learn the dance, we developed the technical skills necessary to do the dance.
5. Jason and Sam were the main people with human skills as they coordinated what we were doing and did organization.
6. She was more concerned with the task
7. Determination and hardwork were the most important strengths. The determination to find a good dance and coordinate it with the rest of the group were imperative to completing the task.
8. I learned that leadership is less about the traits that a person posesses and more about who decides to take inititive and work hard to lead. Anyone who works hard can develop good ideas and encourage people to work together. It is important that a leader is respected, and i respect people who work hard to organize tasks and encourage people to input their ideas. This activity also presented different types of power. The assigned leader had Legitimate power, but the people in each group who knew the most about a subject or had the connection to the expert had expert power.
2. Patty Webster took the role of leader in the group due to her knowledge of line dancing. It seemed as though expert power allowed her to assume the leadership role.
3. Everyone in the group worked together and influenced the group in their own way. We each chipped ideas in through email and the end result was a success.
4. Patty had the most techinical skills since she had some experience with line dancing. Since we were all able to learn the dance, we developed the technical skills necessary to do the dance.
5. Jason and Sam were the main people with human skills as they coordinated what we were doing and did organization.
6. She was more concerned with the task
7. Determination and hardwork were the most important strengths. The determination to find a good dance and coordinate it with the rest of the group were imperative to completing the task.
8. I learned that leadership is less about the traits that a person posesses and more about who decides to take inititive and work hard to lead. Anyone who works hard can develop good ideas and encourage people to work together. It is important that a leader is respected, and i respect people who work hard to organize tasks and encourage people to input their ideas. This activity also presented different types of power. The assigned leader had Legitimate power, but the people in each group who knew the most about a subject or had the connection to the expert had expert power.
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