Archive for month: October, 2014

Last weeks class started off with julian engaging us in a interesting activity which was a letter to our future self. I found it kinda odd at first because i have never really wrote anything down to myself but, i found that it was a reminder to myself of why i am here and what my goals are in order to succeed. After we did a activity in groups the activity of the no child left behind questions was for me a step back in time and a reminder of how this seemed to affect only minority groups.  Not only did i grow up with the child left behind act but i feel it stayed with me and till this day affects me on a daily basis. I hope this act soon is soon abolished or replaced with a more realistic goal that actually thinks about is children and how it will affect them for the rest of their lives not just a school year. Next  really enjoyed learning about supreme court cases that have changed African Americans life’s for better and sadly how even now they still fight for rights.

The readings for this week were very eye opening i personally had no idea that an estimated forty four percent  of African Americans are illiterate. Living in america in a society that tends to call itself perfect compared to others i never thought the united states would have so many people without the american opportunity that we all seek,  in my opinion it includes writing and reading. Going back to 1641 when the Virginia courts made the distinction between whites and blacks every time i think about this i feel anger because did people not realize African Americans were human too? i guess this just blows my mind how can their be such heartless individuals. I say heartless because as i read i also read about blacks being separated from their newborns so they wont form attachments with each other, something we see today done to animals.  I guess that is  what they were considered to these slave holders, nothing but profit similarly like the caves today in the milk industry. As i read a quote mentioned by martin Luther king really caught my eye “psychological freedom a firm sense of self esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery no lincolniam emaciation or johnsonian civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of freedom” besides being so inspiring i not only see why he was such a great leader bu,t he knew that in order to succeed and defeat racism they had to convince themselves first that it was possible and that all the suppression they faced should not affect the way they see themselves and  like the white men are worthy of being free.

In the first episode of “Survivor” there are two groups, to make it simple I am going to label the groups “group orange” and “group Yellow” as in the episode the group members for bother groups had these assigned colors. When both groups first arrived on the island the two groups were very different in the way the members adjusted to the new idea of living on an island. I am going to give a brief summary of how the two groups behaved and how the members behaved within the group and how it related to the assigned reading for Chapter 2 in the textbook.

Starting with group orange on day one the members were confused and unorganized. With having no group goals or personal goals assessed yet. A member of the group Rudy, who was a retired navy seal was very frustrated with the group and their organization of the supplies and how they were getting them to the island. He would yell at the members and talk down to them as they were less than him and being controlling as if he was the leader of the group. This to me showed a sign of Secondary Tension Stage already being reached within the group. This group also at the beginning had problems with arguing with one another. Everyone would talk at once, interrupting everyone who was trying to speak. Everyone was shouting their own opinions of group goals and personal goals that were all overlapping with one another and it was just a complete mess overall. The group overall was unprofessional, unorganized, and started off on the wrong track with member problems. There was one group member in particular that was a problem at the beginning of the episode and this member was Richard. He seemed to be a bit rude, disrespectful, argumentative, and not a team player. He separated himself from the remainder of the group and would stay along the tree line. He later on in the episode became more part of the group. This group I feel started off with Secondary Stage and ended the day on the same stage. I also feel like the member of the group Richard was prohibiting Destructive Nonconformity.

The second group being group Yellow began their adventure a little differently then the previous group. In this group they all got along instantly for the most part. They were able to interact with each other from the instance they reached the island. They were already sharing sharing their ideas and opinions among themselves of what should be the first course of action for the group and what goals should be set for the group. They all agreed that the first course of action was to find a source of water. Which they were able to find this source quickly due to them having a map that laid out the water source. Then later in the evening they had a camp fire where they all got together and shared personal stories about their lives and adventures. Where they all were able to laugh among everyone and have a good time. It seemed like from my personal point of view they were able to begin with the Norming Stage and end the day off with the Performing State. Their group started off and ended off in good places and will be able at this point to achieve a healthy group relationship.

This is how I feel the first episode related to the Assigned Reading for Chapter 2 and what the two groups showed signs of during the episode

In the previous class session we started class with an activity that would let us reflect on our short and long term goals. We don’t do this on a daily basis and that is why I learned that sometimes it is good to sit down and write your goals down. Like Julian stated, studies have shown that writing your goals down you are more likely to achieve them. I actually had a similar situation with that. I never write down on the things that I need to get done for the day, I usually just go along with whats on my head an plan according to those thoughts. However, I did something different. For once I wrote down the things I needed to get done for that specific day, and I felt a sense of accomplishment because as I was doing my things on my list I would cross them off my list. For some reason I felt good doing those things. That is why I truly believe that writing down the things or goals that you want to achieve you will get that same sense of accomplishment as  I did. I was also moved by some of the things that my group members shared. One that really caught my ear was one of my group members said he wanted to be in his children’s lives. That is something we don’t think as a goal, but this particular person made me reflect that we have to achieve the smallest details in our daily lives. Not just goals that will help you move forward in life, but goals that will help you live a happier life.

The one word that represents my thoughts for this weeks readings is Injustice. I think that the way the education system treats African-Americans puts them at a disadvantage  academically but also meets a burden on the lives they live outside of these institutions. Teachers don’t encourage for the personal growth and desire of african-american students to pursue higher education and better paying jobs because they simply stick to the stereotype that society puts on them. They are not productive members of society. Instead they dedicated their lives to criminal activity out in the streets. However, we have seen icons such as Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac whom lived on the streets and manage to get themselves up on their own and give another meaning to the stereotype of the black male. The only difference here is that they had “teachers” out in the streets that mentored them in a different way. Why not pick the african-american kid in a classroom and hear his thoughts? Why not tell them simple things such as “Good Job” “I am proud of you” believe it or not these words of encouragement can boost up a teenagers self-esteem really high. With a higher self-esteem one can reach about anything that they set their mind to. As Julius Lester states, “America talks peace while dropping bombs, speaks of self-determination for all people while moving to control the means of production, white power creates once basic condition under which who are powerless must live…… We’re paid enough to stay alive and work and make money for someone else. Thats life in America.”

As you reflect on what has been discussed in this chapter and your own leadership style, how would you describe your own style in relation to task and relationship orientations? What are your strengths and areas you can improve?

When deciding between task leadership and relationship leadership I don’t really consider myself to lean to heavily in either. That is because I seem to take only particular elements from both and mix them into my own personal style. When it comes to being task oriented, I certainly want to achieve and thus to meet that end I will initiate structure. Where I differ though is that the book seems to paint task oriented individuals with being obsessed almost with doing things. I on the other hand take no joy in “color coding my daily planner” or sticky-backing notes everywhere. As for the relationship oriented style I to take joy in connecting with others as long as they have a similar mindset to me. Particularly I seem to resonate with the label of consideration behavior. Mainly because I seek to build “camaraderie, respect, trust, and regard between leaders and followers”. Once again though the book goes overboard with how they depict relationship leaders as “relationship junkies.” I rarely bother with my cellphone to communicate with others; instead I prefer face to face interaction. I believe I can improve my production orientation, concern for production, and employee orientation.

Reflect on the article. What were the most interesting elements? Which did you did you agree with? Hope to learn more about?

What I found interesting was just how important the 30 listed behaviors became in virtual settings the face-to-face settings decreased. Also I agree entirely with the problems that virtual communication brings such as the lack of conventions for expressing mood and meaning. I hope to learn more about how to overcome these barriers so that I can be an effective leader in our evolving world that seems to bring with it more virtual settings and fewer face-to-face settings.