Tumbling/ Bowling

Last time we did tumbling and then went and did bowling. I really enjoyed the tumbling although I didn't think I would; to be honest I was kind of dreading it. But it turned out really fun and Brandon did a great job leading all of us single handedly! First we streached and warmed up by doing some round offs and such, and then we broke up into groups. First we did the spring board and then moved to the backwards roll/hand stand station and then the floor routine. I ended up representing my group for the floor routine which I didn't fully remember but it was good times. Brandon did a great job of coaching us while leading by example. After that we went to the bowling alley. I liked how we were trying to get the lowest score. Although I think I bowled my best game ever! Brittany did a good job explaining the rules to us and stuck around for any other qurstions we had which was helpful! I don't think any of the leaders in our class are 'marshmellow leaders' and all did a great job leading. I enjoyed the less ambiguous activities less than the more structured activities but the year as a whole was a good learning experiance. I learned that sometimes the more people you have tring to figure out a situation, the better; unless it gets to the point where diminishing productivity sets in. I also learned the different 'shades of blue' as far as managers vs leaders goes. Also, there are also different kinda of leaders like a formal leader and a servant leader. One has position power and another has personal power. Everyone in the class has personal power and only Patterson had position power because he's the teacher. But I was thinking that the leaders of each activity had a little bit of a formal role because they were the leader of the day.
Anyways, I never knew how to do a floor routine or score a bowling game until last time! Each person in the class came well prepared to lead and I look forward to the outdoor class in which we do more team work/ building!

TKD and Capture the Flag

Last time we played Capture the flag but not before warming up with a little TKD! I liked learning the punch and break a little sweat but the best part was being able to kick zach without getting in trouble. But as I was reading MT I compared the Guidlines for coaching to Pattersons TKD activity:

First, the coach is to prepare the players. Patterson did this by having up warm up and explaining what we were doing.

Second, create a positive atmosphere. Patterson built us up and encouraged us that we could do each move by explaining it and having us copy him.

Then he demonstrated the desired performance. It was actually pretty impressive how he could kick all the way above our heads! So, he showed us what to do so we could have a visual and could translate it over to our own abilities.

Next he had us the players, perforn the operation. This was the fun part. We got to use mat things to hit and kick and then we got in lines and kicked the bigger bags.

Then came the follow up, he walked around and gave us tips to correct anything we were doing wrong. He provided positive feedback so that we could 'perfect' our moves.

Next we played capture the flag. We started on the big field and then moved next to the pond. Zach and I guarded the flag and the others on the team sough after the other flag or played defense. We had to work as a team to capture their flag and protect ours as well. I think Brit and Brittany did a good job of explaining everything and splitting us up. I also liked the aspect of bringing us by the pond to change the physical dynamics of the terrain. We had to figure out where the flag was and collaborate to protect ours. Anyways, I had fun last time and am ready for the next activity...

Obstacle course

Last time we got together and designed a obstacle. Actually first we broke into two teams and did 3 little games to acquire points so that we could purchase different equipment/ components of our odstacle course. I liked how the leaders incorperated this into their activity to make it more diverse. We had to perform as individualy (to acquire points) and as a team (to make the course). Next we got together to put it together. Actually half of us did while a few did their own thing. In my opinion the groups were too big and was difficult to bring together. I even found myself doing this (social loafing) when the others were organizing everything. Although it worked out in the end, I didn't like the mal-communication. I don't think it's necesarily the leaders' faults, we all were just I don't know what the word is. But in the end it was fun to see everyone perform the obstacle course. We are a very creative class! Oh, and also I liked when the leaders picked a few people that couldn't talk for part of the activity because it added adversity and gave others a chance to come forward and lead.

Spring Break Meetings and Jonah!

Last time we conducted a mock meeting to plan out a story board to act out Jonah and the whale. We incorperated the steps listed in managing teams... And we Acted it out...To be continued

SoCCeR!!

Yesterday Jarred and I coached soccer! I thought it was really fun and I thought it went really well. It seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves and hopefully they learned a little something about soccer. We tried to be a bit more organized and similar to football. We started with some drills to get everybody warmed up. Then we broke off into groups to develop specific skills. Next, we broke off into small sided games and then transitioned to a larger scale game. Generally there was a high follower readiness and high motivation to play. I was impressed with most everyone’s attitude and willingness to try and play. I wish we could have gotten our eval's but its all good.Anyways, as for the readings, chapter 14 described the cons of the marshmallow manager and how to act otherwise. I especially liked what the book talked about as far as boundaries and how sometimes as a leader we must move these forward so that the group will move even farther than ever expected. The next couple of chapters talked about the five stages of SDWT which are investigation, preparation, implementation, transition, and maturation. These chapters reminded me of Fish Tales (the book we read in foundations of leadership last sem) In implementing the new Fish vision the leaders had to first investigate the theory and understand it before introducing it to their workplace. Then they had to prepare so that it would be a successful transition and at least an organized one. The next stage is implementation to which they introduce it to the company and help change existing roles or behaviors. Next is the transition stage like in the fish market the workers made it come together and be a success in their business. The final stage is maturation. The example that comes to mind here is the AT&T Company. They completely changed the work environment to a more enjoyable place, and even though they achieved their vision they continued to improve and create new ideas so that they wouldn't become stagnant; so that the Fish spirit would not die. Regarding the MYB articles I found myself reminiscing to the foundations class days yet again. I would like to have or attain some of the qualities listed in the "Leadership remains a key skill to develop" article. One who loves knowledge, averse to corruption and ambition, and seeks truth, justice, courage, and temperance. (According to Plato's definition of characteristics of a good leader. As far as the second reading is concerned I felt like each of our activities (each of the leaders) were high on task and people aka high on both consideration and initiating structure. Also our class participation as a whole demonstrates our high follower readiness and maturity. The third article about talked about power. I believe that everyone in our class has personal power and we all respect each other while performing the tasks as hand. Position power is only granted to Dr Patterson at this time although I see him excelling on personal power rather then position. Etzioni describes that a good leader is high on both and that this power is given by the followers in the sense that the leaders have to use different methods of compliance to have them do what they ask. The next article was all about how in one culture a form of leadership may be appropriate while in another it may be viewed an unacceptable or flat out wrong. As a woman I would have a hard time not disagreeing with those whom I'm forbidden to. I think we are extremely privileged individually in the US but at the same time I wish all women had the option of expressing their opinions. Anyways I'll get off my soap box and continue onto the final article. "All men die, few truly live." This is the first thing I think of when someone says Braveheart. I really appreciated this article and think it is very valid for today and our society. A leader should be for the people, self sacrificing, visionary, and inspirational. We have these in our culture and they're called citizen leaders. They are usually the ones who work the hardest with the least amount of praise. Honestly I think we need more of these people in the world. The first example that popped into my head was in football the position of center. This isn't the glory position by all means and really don't receive much praise at all. But they have a very important job on the field and that is to start the offense and to block for the quarterback. It's a dirty job that requires a lot of effort with little praise but someone's gotta do it! :)

Kickball4SquareVisionMusicVideoDay

The first thing we did last time was get into groups and brainstorm mission statements for different aspects of HSU. My particular group thought of one for the alumni. We used the 6 C's in chapter 5 of our Managing Teams book. We decided to send out smaller, more frequent news letters with opportunity for involvement listed in them. We also thought it'd be beneficial to have alumni speak in chapel and also get involved in NSO to help new students "learn the ropes." We thought it was important to emphasize the fact that the alumni have the opportunity to create a legacy for themselves. So our statement was "Hsu would like to invite the alumni to contribute not only financially, but also with their time in building relationships with current students, in order to leave a legacy and to further the kingdom of Jesus Christ."

Next we played 4 square and kickball. The explanation of the games was pretty confusing but since I had played before it wasn't a big deal. We played as individuals initially and then with partners. I thought with a partner it was more fun, but individually I performed better. Next we played kickball. It was a little crowded in the gym but other than that (and not having real bases) it was fun. Until was partnered up... Then it became more difficult! Don't get me wrong it was fun just more challenging to run, while holding hands, while dodging other people.

Next we got into different groups and had to come up with a music video to "kung foo fighting." This was pretty fun because it's such a silly song. The form, storm, norm and perform stages were pretty clear in our group. We first got together all excited about our different ideas (Form), but after a little while we were all having ideas but no way to learn them or put the moves to the song (Storm). But then we came together and figured out more and more what we would do for our final project (Norm). I felt like we stayed in this stage the longest and then at the end we put everything together and most of us understood our different parts (Perform). At one point we did start clowning around and had to regroup but other than that I think we worked together well.

Frisbee Golf

Last time we played Frisbee golf. It was very difficult because of the wind. I'm not really good with a Frisbee either which was obvious from the very first hole! It was pretty difficult but with a good attitude we managed. The first reading in MYB talked about different shades of blue. The distinction between a leader and a manager seems subtle but in actuality is a clear one. In application to our last activity, the leaders not only explained the game but actually walked us out there to our first hole and answered any of our unanswered questions. In my opinion that's a good manager and a good leader (in my eyes as a follower that day).

The second article, mastering the game of management talked about the best ways to become good leaders. We learn from our past experiences yes, but we can grow and learn more through others who have mastered different skills. This is where our Leadership program as a whole comes into play. We are learning by reading about other people's leadership styles and what Patterson is teaching us. More particularly our each team’s class the leaders of the activity have the opportunity to build on past experiences and decide what was effective and what didn't work so well. Also it helps when the leaders of the activity have experience or know a lot about what they're teaching us to do. The exception of course is when we're assigned an ambiguous task in order for us to work together and learn another aspect about individuals and our roles in certain group settings.

The type of power the last group leaders had in my opinion was Referent and Legitimate. We all have respect for each other so that in turn it will be granted to us when were leading our activities but also when it is our turn to present, we have that positional power; "These are the leaders appointed for this class time".

Also, in our leadership class so far I haven’t seen anyone who was a pusher, using threats and coercion to get us to do what they want. It's good to have my eyes open to that though, because out of a class room setting, needing a group of people to do something is going to be a little different especially if they don't really know you and vice versa. It seems obvious that a leader should influence, not push people to do thing but it's an important point. It is more efficient and beneficial to the leader and followers if you are an "influencer" rather than a pusher most definitely. I have seem both in my life as far a bossy people making you do what you don't want and I have seen influencers that are our in the front lines whom people want to follow.

From chapter 8 in LSDWT I learned that I want to become a leader not only on the outside but through my thoughts and values as well. Actions are important but on the flip side of that same coin, so are my invisible elements such as values, vision, assumptions, and paradigms etc. This will in turn influence my actions, behavior, style, writing, and language which will in turn influence my thoughts etc.

Chapter 9 builds in this in the Theories or X and Y ways of thinking. I believe that I currently have a combination of X and Y ways of thinking which are positive yet can hinder empowering others especially when is comes time for Jarred and my activity. I would like to further evaluate these beliefs and question within myself whether their right or wrong. This feels like a weakness in me and it's really uncomfortable but it's good to be honest and evaluate myself to even start to bring about any form of change.

The example of the shepherd verses the sheep herder made me realize that I feel far away from the shepherd and closer to the sheep herder. Sometimes I will get so far in the mind set that something needs to get done that I'll become the sheep herder when it shouldn't be the case. Especially in developing SDWT's this will not work. I look forward to reading on and learning more about developing within my self to become a shepherd who can clear the way rather than a sheep herder who will be bossy just to get things done.

leadership video

I found that our last activity related better to the Mind Your Business readings than the Managing Teams book. Our leaders last time were higher on task and lower on people (but not so much that it was a negative thing). They gave us very specific directions, yet the activity was broad enough so that we could each contribute our own creative ideas. In addition our class has high follower maturity and so that also contributes to the success of each activity. Also, in regard to history repeating itself, I think that each set of leaders are building on the positives and negatives of the previous activity leaders to improve their own style. I also believe that here at Hardin-Simmons and especially in the leadership program, we are very people centered, like starbucks. Thirdly, since our activity involved all of us to contribute instead of just the two leaders telling us what to do; we came up with a more creative outcome than we could have with just a few people brainstorming. This is an example of how the groups outperform the individuals.
Anyways, I thought that how the leaders presented the activity was very good and well planned out I just wished we could have seen the finished product. Technical difficulties are understandable though and I guess it'll be on facebook soon. The only time the activity seemed disorganized was when the directors went into the hall and the rest of us were supposed to come up with ideas. This was confusing and seemed like a waste of time for the rest of us but was necessary for the directors to get organized and plan the theme and storyline of our video. As far as our small group, I think we stayed on task and worked together in brainstorming and putting our section of the video together. We each took a role or two as far as editing, filming, and acting. And even though we weren't completely knowledgeable or experienced in one of the areas we discussed (music) we played it off like we did know what we were talking about and it turned out well. :) I look forward to seeing the finished product and I look forward to our next activity!

Ultimate Frisbeeeee

Last class we played ultimate frisbee. I've never really played this before but I thought it was fun. We started by warming up and throwing the frisbee. Then we did some sprints are were ready to go! The leaders just explained the rules and basically just let us play.
It was kind of hard to relate the aritcle about the Milgram experiments to Ultimate frisbee except when we suggested that the teams should be made more even by splitting up the guys. This really was the only time we questioned the authority. The Milgram studies were very eye opening and pretty disturbing. It's refreshing to reinforce the fact that we are human beings and don't necesarrily have to do things we don't agree with (and reap the consequences). Anyways, the next article about the Pike Place Fish Market was very applicable! The leaders for this activity promoted respect, concern and compassion for others. It's always a fun environment with the goal of working together to accomplish our goals.
In our LSDWT book we read about transitioning from supervisor to team leader. I think the leaders did a good job today being leaders and coaches rather than controlling. The reason why managers have a hard time with this transition becasue some see their 'status' dropping or that they'll be managed instead. Also the leaders of the frisbee activity empowered us to take the lead while still coaching us the whole time.

StOmP!

The last activity we did was a rendition of stomp. The instructions weren't very specific but we were told that we could use our hands, mouths, and feet to create a rhythm of some sort. Honestly I felt very uncomfortable with this activity because I'm more used to activities with a specific set of rules, not something that's abstract like this activity. Although I play piano and guitar (which has the sheet music and notes as governing rules) I still didn't feel comfortable incorporating beats with rhythms in the group. I mostly sat back and did what I was told because I felt kind of confused about the whole activity. I wanted the activity leaders to be more specific and tell us more of what we should do but I guess it was a good example of how managers in business should lead the self- directed work teams. Give them instruction and let them alone to enhance creativity and individuality. Anyways, in the end my group's performance turned out much better than I thought it was going to be. We didn't really concentrate on the choreography so much until the end, but that gave us more time to make the beat sound good. I was pretty worried about how it was going to turn out in front of the class but in the end it worked out flawlessly. This is a good example of social facilitation. We all pretty much had each of our roles figured out and knowing the crowds expectations, we performed much better than we did by ourselves.
Although the end product turned out ok, I felt like we didn't come together very well in creating the 'stomp'. It was more like everyone had a bunch of different ideas and spoke louder than the next person to get it across. The main thing that stood out to me was the fact that we all want to be good leaders and lead each other. This causes conflict, I think because we don't want to be lead, but we want to lead. No one in our class really wants to be a follower (Duh b/c it's a leadership program) but I think this caused conflict in our last activity where as it could have run much smoother. I just think that we all are so eager to lead that even though any of these activities might not be our expertise, we're trying to step up anyways. This is good and bad. We all want to develop our leadership skills but are so concerned with this that in the future we might not recognize when to take a step back.
Coming back to lessons from the Managing teams book, our purpose was to create a beat using only our hands, mouths, and feet. Our place was in Marston gym. Our power was given to us by the leaders of the activities pretty much leaving the whole process up to us. Our plan was also left up to the individual teams to decide. Finally the people were numbered off into groups and therefore were random.
Even though this wasn't the smoothest project, we made it through the frustrations and performed well.

Football

First of all I think that Zach, Seth and David did a fantastic job of organizing, encouraging and teaching us how to play football. Even though I've been around football all my life I've never really understood all the aspects or much less played it.
So the first thing we did was split up into three groups to learn different techniques and skills we required to play the game. I was in Seth's group first where we learned how to throw and catch.
Next, we rotated to the next leader (group which was David) who taught us the to combine running and catching the football at a short distance. His activity also got me pretty warmed up! Thirdly, we rotated to Zach's group where again we learned different routes on a larger; more game-like scale. We also had two people run at the same time and Zach threw to one of us, making the activity very game-like.
This was a great idea to split up into three groups because it kept the activity organized and it's a great example of avoiding 'diminishing marginal productivity,' in which case there weren't too many of us in a group to be distracted by, and each of us got more time and individual attention to attune our newly taught skills.
The next thing we did was paly 7 on 7 where it was more game-like. This activity was a little rocky because it was a little slower but I'm glad we did it because it helped me understand better how we the skills we just learned were going to be incorperated in the comming scrimage.
Lastly we broke off into teams and actually scrimage. Each of the leaders helped his team pick plays and were very encouraging but when it came down to it, they let the teams decide for themselves what play they would do. They portrated excellently what we learned in the first chapters of "Leading Self Directed Work Teams" by empowering the group to accomplish their goals but not dictating or controlling them.
Another concept I noticed was social facilitation. I noticed that the people who knew football like the back of their hand performed much better in front of others as opposed to people who weren't as comfortable with the game.
Another concept that played a role was how being less efficient brought about more productivity. It was the perfect atmosphere to where we weren't being worked and worked to the point where we wouldn't perform. I think we did each activity in a good amount of time and the leaders provided the encouragement and instilled confidence in each of us that made us want to perform better.
All in all the guys did a great job and I look forward to the next activity today!

Leadership in teams/Alien video

After taking the Chapter 27 Leadership Litmus test I was a bit concerned. I scored a 79 which indicated major change required. At first I was anxious, thinking to myself, 'well that's just great according to this stupid book it'll take a lot of change to make me a good leader.' But then I thought to myself 'you know that's not so bad.' After my initial reaction I stepped back and realized that it's a good thing to need to change. It's a positive thing to develop, learn and improve myself, otherwise why would I be in this minor? And besides, when I stop and think about it, is it ever a good thing to feel like you're perfect and don't need or have any room for improvement? I think not. I look forward to learning new things about leadership and experiencing some change. I went on to the second test in Chapter 28, and found that I only marked the number 3 twice but otherwise selected numbers 4 and 5 for all the other questions. At the end of the sample I found that the most effective team leader tended to respond as a 4 or 5 to most of the questions. Some tension was relieved yet I found that I started critiquing myself and I anticipate discovering more insight into my own personality as well as others' in the class.
Secondly, I learned a lot about teamwork when making the alien video. First of all I thought it was hilarious, some of the ideas we came up with. Everyone had very good ideas of different things that should be added to the video and each person brought a different aspect to the team. Some of us shot the video, while others were in the video. We all came up with creative ideas and had different computer skills, and equipment to provide. We all were pretty diligent about time management and met the deadline just in time. We had one slight problem when Katrina's keys got locked in her apartment, but we didn't panic, we just came up with ways to adjust. Luckily, shortly after the episode a maintenance man walked buy and came to the rescue.
Overall the first day was fun and a success. I look forward for what's next!