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A521.3.4.RB – Personal Reflection

            When I was only 5 years old, while leaving in New York, Queens, I used to belong to a broken home. My parents were always arguing and my mother used to be very physically aggressive with my father. In a matter of months, they were both divorced and my mother left to Bolivia with my sister to start a new life. I stayed with my father for the next six months to later reunite with my mother and move to South American, Bolivia. Unfortunately, there are no books with guidelines on how to be a parent, and parents really do the best they can or at least that is how I see it now. During the following years leaving with my mom were not easy, and in fact brought immense frustrations.

            I remember, I was probably around 7 years old and probably in my second year in elementary school. That year happened to be the one that would forever change my future. “The turning points in life are a fruitful source of stories. These are moments of disruption when some incident gives us a glimpse of the regions of deeper feeling” (Denning, 2011, p. 100). I remember having to do assignments or big important projects for school and not been able to have an adult by my side to guide me through my work. To make things worse, my younger sister had absent parents as well, and the only one she had was me. My dear mother had decided then, that been young again and clubbing all night was more important than us. Therefore, at an early age, I decided to take responsibility for my sister. I was just a child but back then, I thought I was a grown up and I thought I could be the replacement of my mother to my sister’s needs. And that is exactly how the next years of my life turned out to be. I was taking my sister to special events at her school, finding her customs for her recitals, or helping with her homework. All I wanted to do is see her succeed and not feel the emptiness I was feeling.

            In those years to come, looking back, I could easily pin point everything that went wrong. My father used to leave in a different state, so it was very hard to communicate or go to him whenever I needed someone. I grew up thinking very little of myself as my school performance demonstrated my low capacity to keep up with my grades. In the other hand, my sister loved going to school, had all her grades at one hundred percent, and my family was always telling me how lazy I was compared to my sister. Nevertheless, my childhood made me stronger and I always felt as I could handle anything in my own. It made me mature at an early age and made me realize what matter and right from wrong. By then, I was already the leader of my own short life and I knew exactly what I wanted.

            Years later, another situation happen that sharpened my life. We had already moved back to U.S. Florida and I was leaving with my father. In 2005-2006, I was a senior in High School and ready to graduate. I only had five more months until graduation but obviously, due to my previous experiences; I never did well in school.  And it was not until my counselor called me into her office, that my dreams came crashing. She advised me that due to my academic grades and challenges, I was running behind and that if I did not do something about it, I would have to repeat my senior year. Therefore, for the next five moths left of school, I had to be a junior again until I can prove I am ready. It was not until then that I started to ask myself, what do I want out of life? What I am going to do once I graduate? As imaginable, I started to ask myself a billion questions to come to the conclusion that I wanted to go to college and eventually get a professional degree. Those five months were very intense and I really worked hard to catch up with everything. In the end I graduated but the challenging part was not over and little did I know.

            June 2006, I went to Broward College, took my best friend with me and enrolled myself in school. My first two years were a nightmare, as I did not have any background on how to study properly and I had really bad habits. I started to fail some classes and some others I would barely pass. When graduation came alone, I was somehow proud of myself for finishing but my grade point average was very low and not enough to get me to the next level. And when I found myself limited in what schools would let me pursue my Bachelors, I realized the damage I had created and wish I could erase everything and start fresh. But of course, life must go on! Ever since then, I have work so hard into learning new way to study and to try to be the best at what I do. My life path has not been that easy but I managed to get the best out of it.

            Today, I am pursuing a Masters Degree of Science in Leadership and trying to apply to Medical School. I believe I am here because of my past and like it or not, my leadership orientation was tested early in my life. I cannot say, I am the best leader there is out there as I am sure there are very capable individuals. But I can say that I aim for perfection and motivating and helping others is my call or destine as others may call it. The impacts these stories have in myself are priceless. I am not a perfect human being but I never give up, and my little successes come from been stubborn and never giving up. Furthermore, these situations have affected me while in an organizational setting in the sense of always doing the right thing. By that I mean, leading others into following the rules, always playing as team players, and to enjoy what they do to reflect and transmit charisma. And the most important having autonomy and proactivity for themselves while working.

References

Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

           

            

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A521.2.3.RB – Danger of Stories

            Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a novel and storywriter inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners. Her TED video speech provides feedback on what the public, you, and me buy into when media is involved. In other words, the wrong true we accept when media channels the story. When people are told that something or someone is one thing, it is just a matter of how many times you listen to the same story, and you will start believing it. “What this demonstrates, I think, is how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of story, particularly as children” (Adichie, 2009). Stephen Denning provides the perfect quote example by Jonathan Swift, “It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of what he was never reason into” (2011, p. 59). Adichie challenges the audience into thinking outside the box, and going beyond what the unreasonable norm is in America.

            Her presentation delivered a huge message across the world and to whoever watches the video. Ms. Adichie’s background is that of a conventional middle-class West African family, who unlike a lot of us believe, had a normal life full of support and education. Her passion for reading and writing brought her to America where she faced numerous challenges in the hands of ignorance from others. While reflecting on her outrageous story, it is easy to think that some people may find themselves identify with the story, and therefore, loose tract of what the presenter is trying to say. But I think, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie assessed that probability and made unique attempt into keeping the spectators follow the story line with her by giving real, authentic information. At no time, was I lost while listening to her speech. Unlike Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning (2009) believe, I did not experienced any of the listening blocks: comparing, mind reading, rehearsing, filtering, judging, dreaming, identifying, advising, sparring, being right, derailing, or placating.

            The message perceived was down to the point. I was able to listen with awareness. McKay, Davis, and Fanning suggest that there are two sides to listening with awareness:

One is to compare what’s being said to your own knowledge of history, people, and the way things are. You do this without judgment, simply making note of how a communication fits with known facts. The second way you listen with awareness is to hear and observe congruence. Does the person’s tone of voice, emphasis, facial expression, and posture fit the content of his or her communication? (2009, p. 22).

            In addition, although she had an accent when she talked, her pronunciation and feel for the story made her understandable. She did lack hand gesture and maybe some visuals aids in the background, but her communications skills were impressive. She truly demonstrated who she was, where she came from, and what she wanted from her audience. The author D. Joel Whalen and Tina M. Ricca (2007) explain the importance of communicating the meaning of the message. And by saying “meaning,” they mean “what you meant: your ideas, your passion, the goodness of your heard, and the impact of what you say on your listeners” (p. 16). The entire presentation, she passionately introduced everyone to see what she sees and the way she has been treated. She was able to transmit how she felt through her talk.

            In conclusion, the message she intended to give was to understand that there is really no single story to anything. Unfortunately, we all fail to educate ourselves with better facts from better sources and believe anything we are told. We lack cultural education and must continue seek for it in order to succeed. In the last minutes of her speech, she suggested that, “ when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise” (Adichie, 2009). Her last phrase meant so much in so little, and she is right. “Remember, successful communication begins with your desire to deliver messages you’ve mastered and have a passion to deliver” (Whalen & Ricca, 2007, p. 19).  

References

Adichie, C. (2009). The danger of a single story. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages to communication skills book (3^rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Whalen, D. & Ricca, T. (2007). The professional communication toolkit. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.

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Describe a common story in your organization and discuss its implications on the organization. Does this story promote the goals and ideals of the organization? Does it help describe, "Who we are and what we stand for?" What is the story's impact on the culture of the organization?

A521.1.4.RB – Stories in your Organization

            I remember my first medical job on my first year in College as a medial receptionist. I had received the good news that Pediatric Associates, a medical facility with primary care physicians for kids, had hired me. At the time, I was only eighteen years old and had zero experience in the field. I had previously worked in sales and as a cashier, which gave me some advantage as far as customer service is. The next thing I know, I was on my way to training at their headquarters building. When I arrived, a couple of other hires were present waiting to see what the next step was. Subsequently, we were all directed to a large conference room with a TV surrounded by tables and chairs. From there on, my perspective on work changed drastically and forever.

            After all the greetings, the responsible trainer advised the entire group that we would be watching an inspiring video. We were advised that the company itself attempts to follow the same footsteps the video approaches. We were introduced to “Pike Place Fish Market,” a Seattle, Washington iconic seafood stall with entertainment. The video’s philosophy was about “engaging people and creating positive change in their workplace” (Yokoyama, 2015). The entire video demonstrated the choice we have when we work everyday and the choices we make. We all know fish market employees work hard; they work under tough conditions such as cold weather, they often have to be awake at early hours of the day, deal with smells, etc. Nevertheless, the Pike Place Fish Market wanted to impact not only their employees but also the world. They wanted to become famous to change how an organization can work in a healthy, happy, well-managed environment.

            Suddenly, Pediatric Associates demonstrated and promoted their goals and ideals as an organization just as Pike Place Fish Market did. John Yokoyama, the owner and founder of the fish market, wanted to be world famous, and what did he mean by that?  He meant “really being present with people and relating to them as human beings” (Yokoyama, 2015). The fish market corporation described who they were and where they stood by choosing to be different and providing outstanding service to people. Similarly, Pediatric Associates stimulated the idea of being different to our patients by having excellent customer service, by adding after hours care service at the same charge as an office visit, by opening on weekends, by playing as a team and not as an organization, by truly caring for our patients and their needs, by been flexible with employees, and by providing incentives to pursue our maximum capacity, to be “World Famous.”

            What is the story's impact on the culture of the organization? The story’s impact on the culture of the organization was tremendous and higher than they could even imagine. Not only did the company assured an incredible work environment for their employees, but also they changed the mindset of a lot of individuals. I took their knowledge, goals, and vision from there on to my succeeding jobs. Today, I carry high standards when it comes to dealing with people, especially while working. I believe this story made me realize the lack of customer service most organizations have. And my frustrations towards leaders’ ineffective skills to change bad habits, made me pursue a graduate program in leadership. My individual pursue constantly relies on trying to change the usual organizational standards and creating a stronger vision in organizations. I want to be “world famous!”

References

Yokoyama, J. (2015). How to become world famous - Pike Place Fish Market. Retrieved from https://www.pikeplacefish.com/about/world-famous/

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A520.1.6.RB – Self-Awareness

Emotional intelligence: I consider this core aspect one of the most important ones to have. Evaluating where I began with this program and where I am at right now, I believe my emotional intelligence has increased a significantly. With time, I have learned the importance of my support towards others feelings. In addition, when I have learned that by recognizing other’s emotion’s I learn about my own emotions and how to control them.

Attitudes towards change:  This is a major issue I have always fought against of. Although I found much improvement, as I got older, I find the MSLD program has provided me with additional tools to find positive aspects about change. The more I learn, the more I am able to understand why change is such an important course of life in a professional or personal matter. The sooner you accept change, the sooner you get to enjoy the positive outcomes of change.

Cognitive style: Since I started the MSLD program, I never heard of the cognitive style before. Today, I have a better understanding and I make use of my critical thinking in every possible way. I comprehend that decisions should always be based on critical thinking in order to make the correct choice. Cognitive style not only leads you to the correct choices, but it also helps individuals to be better leaders.

Values: Ever since I can remember, I was brought up with values and ethics. Therefore, I believe my values were already high before I started the program. Needless to say, I have learned that values should always be applicable to your professional environment and a lot of people are always appreciative about it. Therefore, although my values have not change, I can say I have a better foundation of what values mean to me.

Core Self-Evaluation: Whetten and Cameron (2011, p. 62) referred to core self-evaluation as personality measure with “the Big Five” dimensions—neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness.” Therefore, understand my personality has always been important but it has also been difficult to find a way to do it. Therefore, the MSLD program has tremendously helped me find way to study my dimensions and understand who I am. While understanding the core self-evaluation, I have leaned that I am not as introverted as I thought, I am very conscious about what I do, and for the most part, I am open to new ideas.

References

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

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A520.9.5.RB - Power

•    Are you comfortable developing sources of personal influence to gain power?

In order to make use of personal influence to gain power, we first must understand what power means. Whetten and Cameron (2011) define power as the “potential to influence behavior” (p. 286). In other words, power could essentially be a means to influence others but it could also be a negative way to attract others. For the most part, I believe I am comfortable developing sources of personal influence to gain power, when the gained power positively affects the organization. In order to feel comfortable, I must first feel a sense of achieving common goals for everyone and not myself only. Moreover, ethics and morals always guide my decisions and they both help me influence others. Power has no value if my personal influence is negative. 

•    Do you embody the characteristics of likeable people depicted in Table 5.4 (p. 290)?

If there is a phrase that defines me, it definitely is leading by example. For the most part, I treat others and do things for others, as I would like to be treated. The characteristics of likeable people depicted in Table 5.4 (p. 290), mentioned engaging in social exchanges necessary to sustain a relationship and also, endure some sacrifices if the relationship should demand them. Although, I find myself not been the most outgoing person, generally I try to embody that characteristic because I know that is what my responsibility is in order to make it work. And that is where sacrifice takes place; by doing things you are not always confortable with.

•    Are you able to use influence both up and down your organization considering the information in Table 5.5 (p. 293)

After reviewing table 5.5 from Whetten and Cameron (2011, p.291), I believe that I can influence others both up and down the organization. While working for a medical facility, I have the opportunity to mix my influence between co-workers and managers. Daily, I make sure I understand my boss whenever she feels the need to correct others or me. I try to put myself in her shoes, and I understand it is her duty to do so, and therefore, I do not take it personal or get offended. Moreover, maintaining a relationship with everyone implies accepting others’ perspectives and not attacking them when I do not agree with them. At the end of the end of the day, what matters is to find a middle ground where everyone can express his or her needs and styles. As far as assessing myself by knowing my strengths and weaknesses, I believe this will always be an ongoing learning process. I want to believe I know my flaws but I known there is always room for improvement.

References

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

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A520.7.3.RB – Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor

            To be successful in your career, the need for mentor and/or coach is imperative. In my professional journey I have suffer the absence of good coaches or mentors in many occasions. While trying to accomplish a Masters degree in leadership to then continue my education as a doctor, I find that any mentor and coach will have a huge impact in my life. Today, working as a medical assistant for a podiatry facility, I find myself surrounded by good mentors. To begging with, the doctor I work for is not always an easy person to connect or talk to but he is always trying to help me understand why something works the way it works. One time, he spontaneously asked if I knew what an x-ray was? My answer was a book definition but he really wanted me to know the back scene of an x-ray. From that moment, I founded very fascinating to know that I have a mentor who care for my knowledge.

            Moreover, as I progressively learn, my manager also plays a big role when it comes to coaching. I have never met someone who cares so much for her team as she really is a team player. Every day she brings her best self to the office and is always asking if me or my coworkers if we are in need of anything. She takes the time to explain how to do a procedure or a task and would never get upset if you have further questions. She truly is an inspirational role model and leaders to others and myself and demonstrates her capacity through her patience and coaching. People in general do not realize the significant impact they have on others if they know how to be leaders. The reason I mentioned the importance of having a good mentor and coach is because they transmit confidence and it makes you feel invincible.

            Up to a couple of months ago, I doubted whether law was truly the path I wanted to take once I finished my master’s degree. I guess we all have a purpose in this world and the doctor I work for found me and asked me to work for him. When I started as a medical assistant, I was not sure what to expect but with time, I found my true calling. I now know, I want to go to Medical School and be a doctor. There is a reason why we call it a professional journey; you never know where it will take you. Needless to say, I am thankful for the good mentors and coaches I found along the way who helped me defined my future. I am lucky to have them and lucky to understand their significance, importance and impact in my life. “Mentoring is about developing people, with the objective of helping them achieve their full potential. Mentoring gives outstanding opportunity for mentors to facilitate a protégé’s growth by sharing what they have learned through years of practice” (Ilesanmi, 2011, pp. 169-170).

References

Ilesanmi, O. O. (2011). Workplace Mentoring: Learning and developmental approaches. A key issue in human resource management. Chapter 14. Retrieved from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-16423860-dt-content-rid-42013603_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/MSLD_Courses/MSLD_520/pdf/Ilesanmi.pdf

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A520.6.5.RB – Team Roles

Both, task-facilitators and relationship-builders are team performance enhancers. Task-facilitating roles are those that “help the team accomplish its out-comes or objectives” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 513). On the other hand, relationship-building roles are those that “emphasize the interpersonal aspects of them” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 514). Nevertheless, in most cases leaders are not always capable of making use of both at the same time, leaving always one behind. 

•    Consider how you generally relate as a team-member.

   As a team-member, I generally relate more to the task-facilitator role. In many occasions, I found myself with unclear direction as to where to go with an assigned task. Therefore, I find it very important to help others transition from not knowing to understanding their objective. Demonstrating patience and care for your team as they reach out for help provides them trust in their organization. And most importantly, it shows integrity and in return performance is higher. Nonetheless, a relationship-building role is always in the back on my mind.

•    Do you actively engage your team to accomplish its mission?

I absolutely actively try to engage my team to make sure they accomplish its mission. Maintaining an open communication with your team is what makes a team, work. In addition, providing positive feedback along the way increases the team’s self-steam. Every time a team member accomplishes a milestone, I make sure they are verbally rewarded. It is important to demonstrated appreciation for your employees’ hard work, they feel more valued and invest more time on the well being of the organization.

•    Do you work to improve the team cohesion and collaboration?

Improving the team cohesion and collaboration is my number one priority when participating in a team setting. Nevertheless, it is always a challenge to bring everyone to one same standard and have team members collaborate at the same level as everyone else. While attempting to form a more coherent environment with the team, focusing on one goal at the time seems to help get through each objective. Additionally, I make sure that for the most part; we (the team) all learn to work together without thinking who is better than the other. Diversity always brings the best results and listening to new ideas can make a team a success.

References

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.