What is influence and how do we get it?
How critical is it to leadership and why?
What are three concrete things you earn influence each day with your peers and teammates?
First of all, I don't think that there's a specific way that influence is "gained" or "earned" or anything of that sort. I think influence just happens--and it can be a positive or negative influence. I see plenty of people that influence me to be unlike them, and there are also plenty that I see and am influenced to do things similar to what they do.
Obviously, influence is very critical to leadership. Without it, you have no impact on others and therefore you are not leading anything. I don't think it's possible for someone to NEVER make an influence on another person, though. Each person influences another in some way. However, some think that they have a bigger influence than others. In "The Law of Leadership" there are 5 leadership myths: the management myth, the entrepreneur myth, the knowledge myth, the pioneer myth, and the position myth. Basically, these are about people who think they lead because they know certain things, hold a certain position, or had the initial idea for something. Many times these people can be leaders, but most of the time they are not.
Three concrete things I do to gain influence? Again, I don't think influence is gained, it just occurs. I guess three things I do are: working hard, not giving in to anything I don't want to do, and being independent. But I think there are more things I can do to influence people, like giving compliments, participating more in in-class discussions, and asking for some time off at work so I can have free time to hang out with my friends.
2.21.2010
Vision & Goals
1.) Share your life sentence and what your thoughts were for putting down what you did.
2.) Share the team vision/slogan/motto that you and your teammates came up with and the explanation behind it.
1.) When answering the questions Mr. Borgmann gave us in order to come up with a life sentence, I thought about what I want my overall legacy to be. I came to the conclusion after some thought that what I want to do most is set a good example by sticking to my morals. My life sentence is still a work in progress, but what I have is: "I want to stay true to myself and set a good example for others."
2.) Since I am not on a team or in a club this year, I wrote about school and what I hope for my classmates in our futures. I wrote: "My ideal unique image of my future and the futures of my classmates is that each of us finds success and happiness. I hope that every single person persues something that they are passionate about, and in return experiences a sense of reaching their full potential. Beyong high school sports, academics, and social groups, I hope that we all learn about ourselves and those around us, and at the ultimate last moments of life, I hope we all feel happy with all we have done." My "slogan" was: Persue your passions, gain happiness in return. ;)
2.) Share the team vision/slogan/motto that you and your teammates came up with and the explanation behind it.
1.) When answering the questions Mr. Borgmann gave us in order to come up with a life sentence, I thought about what I want my overall legacy to be. I came to the conclusion after some thought that what I want to do most is set a good example by sticking to my morals. My life sentence is still a work in progress, but what I have is: "I want to stay true to myself and set a good example for others."
2.) Since I am not on a team or in a club this year, I wrote about school and what I hope for my classmates in our futures. I wrote: "My ideal unique image of my future and the futures of my classmates is that each of us finds success and happiness. I hope that every single person persues something that they are passionate about, and in return experiences a sense of reaching their full potential. Beyong high school sports, academics, and social groups, I hope that we all learn about ourselves and those around us, and at the ultimate last moments of life, I hope we all feel happy with all we have done." My "slogan" was: Persue your passions, gain happiness in return. ;)
2.19.2010
Leadership
What is leadership? What is the difference between vocal and performance leadership? Which is your strength and why? Are leaders born or made? Why?
Leadership is a pretty ambiguous concept, so it's hard to define. But I think leadership can be good or bad. Consider Hitler. He led millions, convinced them that it was okay to kill people who were the least bit different. But then there are people like Martin Luther King, Jr. who led millions in the civil rights movement for a positive cause.
Vocal leadership means being able to influence people through your speech, which I don't think is always the best type of leadership. A lot of "leaders" talk a lot, but don't support their words with actions. However, I think performance leaders are the best kind of leaders--because they don't have to prove themselves through saying they stand for a certain thing. They just do it. It's two completely different things to say you stand for something and do actually do something to prove that.
"A leader has to earn that title. You aren't a leader just because you're the best player on the team, the smartest person in class, or the most popular. No one can give you that title either. You have to gain the respect of those around you by your actions." Michael Jordon, Chicago Bulls
I am most definitely not a vocal leader. I'm not saying I'm the best leader because I believe performance leaders to be the best and because I believe myself to be a performance leader. I lead best when I just do. A lot of times when I try to lead vocally it doesn't come out right and it is blatantly obvious that it is not what I do best because I am naturally very quiet. I do have my moments, though, that I can be vocal and can actually have some sort of influence on others. But that only happens when I'm completely comfortable around people that I trust.
This question is tough. In my AP Psych class, we are always talking about the Nature vs. Nurture conflict. A "leader" can possess qualities like determined, responsible, reliable, competent, etc. It has actually been proven that genetics influence these types of things, which is why some people can play basketball and some can't; why some people are natural students and others are not; why some people can keep secrets and others cannot. At the same time, environment constantly affects us in more ways that we know. There was two twin brothers who were separated at birth and met up with each other when they were married with kids. They were so much alike it was crazy--they both had done similar things in life, had sons with the same name, and even their dogs were both named "Toy." These two guys could have been genetically separate, but two separate environments reacted differently with each so that the end result was almost the same..if that even makes any sense. If the two guys were exactly the same in every aspect of their genetics (besides their appearance) and grew up in two different environments, they both would have grown up to be completely different people. Sorry about writing a short novel with all this science, but I don't think it's possible to say that leaders are made my just genetics or just environment. Both influence each other and combine to make great leaders.
Leadership is a pretty ambiguous concept, so it's hard to define. But I think leadership can be good or bad. Consider Hitler. He led millions, convinced them that it was okay to kill people who were the least bit different. But then there are people like Martin Luther King, Jr. who led millions in the civil rights movement for a positive cause.
Vocal leadership means being able to influence people through your speech, which I don't think is always the best type of leadership. A lot of "leaders" talk a lot, but don't support their words with actions. However, I think performance leaders are the best kind of leaders--because they don't have to prove themselves through saying they stand for a certain thing. They just do it. It's two completely different things to say you stand for something and do actually do something to prove that.
"A leader has to earn that title. You aren't a leader just because you're the best player on the team, the smartest person in class, or the most popular. No one can give you that title either. You have to gain the respect of those around you by your actions." Michael Jordon, Chicago Bulls
I am most definitely not a vocal leader. I'm not saying I'm the best leader because I believe performance leaders to be the best and because I believe myself to be a performance leader. I lead best when I just do. A lot of times when I try to lead vocally it doesn't come out right and it is blatantly obvious that it is not what I do best because I am naturally very quiet. I do have my moments, though, that I can be vocal and can actually have some sort of influence on others. But that only happens when I'm completely comfortable around people that I trust.
This question is tough. In my AP Psych class, we are always talking about the Nature vs. Nurture conflict. A "leader" can possess qualities like determined, responsible, reliable, competent, etc. It has actually been proven that genetics influence these types of things, which is why some people can play basketball and some can't; why some people are natural students and others are not; why some people can keep secrets and others cannot. At the same time, environment constantly affects us in more ways that we know. There was two twin brothers who were separated at birth and met up with each other when they were married with kids. They were so much alike it was crazy--they both had done similar things in life, had sons with the same name, and even their dogs were both named "Toy." These two guys could have been genetically separate, but two separate environments reacted differently with each so that the end result was almost the same..if that even makes any sense. If the two guys were exactly the same in every aspect of their genetics (besides their appearance) and grew up in two different environments, they both would have grown up to be completely different people. Sorry about writing a short novel with all this science, but I don't think it's possible to say that leaders are made my just genetics or just environment. Both influence each other and combine to make great leaders.
2.18.2010
Trust & Honesty
Define
Trust: Being able to depend on another person, tell them your intermost thoughts withought judgement from the other end, and genuinely caring about the best interest of the other person.
Honesty: This can be exactly what you want to hear or not. It is usually for the best interest of the reciever.
What do trust and honesty have to do with each other? Do they go hand in hand?
Trust and honesty absolutely go hand in hand because the people who are most honest with me are the ones I trust most. People who lie and sugarcoat things to protect people's feelings cannot be trusted above someone who tells the honest truth or opinion (whether it is good or bad) purely because sacrificing someone's feelings by telling a lie does not help the person in the long run.
How do both relate to leadership and what are their importance to leadership?
Trust and honesty are essentials to good character. As J.R. Miller once said, "The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to to buried is the character of a man. This is true. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried." Basically, what people will remember most when a leader dies is their character--and trust and honesty are two of the most important characteristic traits.
Trust: Being able to depend on another person, tell them your intermost thoughts withought judgement from the other end, and genuinely caring about the best interest of the other person.
Honesty: This can be exactly what you want to hear or not. It is usually for the best interest of the reciever.
What do trust and honesty have to do with each other? Do they go hand in hand?
Trust and honesty absolutely go hand in hand because the people who are most honest with me are the ones I trust most. People who lie and sugarcoat things to protect people's feelings cannot be trusted above someone who tells the honest truth or opinion (whether it is good or bad) purely because sacrificing someone's feelings by telling a lie does not help the person in the long run.
How do both relate to leadership and what are their importance to leadership?
Trust and honesty are essentials to good character. As J.R. Miller once said, "The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to to buried is the character of a man. This is true. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried." Basically, what people will remember most when a leader dies is their character--and trust and honesty are two of the most important characteristic traits.
2.12.2010
Part 3 of Learning and Communication
Q: Hopefully this week you have paid attention to your focus while you communicate. Is your focus on you, the material, or the person you are speaking with? If it is not on the people what are some concrete things you can do or need to change to get better at this?
A: In the article we focused on this week, The Best Leaders are Listeners, the author said that listening is the best way we learn. A quote from this packet was from Larry King: "I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening." Unlike Mr. King, I am not very talkative, so I do not have to put a large amount of effort into listening because it's something I do by default. To be completely honest, I don't know any "concrete things" I can do to get better at listening because it comes naturally to me, but I guess if I had to choose anything I would say maintaining eye contact and asking more questions relevant to the subject will help me improve.
A: In the article we focused on this week, The Best Leaders are Listeners, the author said that listening is the best way we learn. A quote from this packet was from Larry King: "I remind myself every morning: nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening." Unlike Mr. King, I am not very talkative, so I do not have to put a large amount of effort into listening because it's something I do by default. To be completely honest, I don't know any "concrete things" I can do to get better at listening because it comes naturally to me, but I guess if I had to choose anything I would say maintaining eye contact and asking more questions relevant to the subject will help me improve.
2.11.2010
Inspiration & Motivation
Q: Can you inspire and motivate people? Do you express your vision in such a way that your people are able to understand, internalize, and implement it? When you talk to people one-on-one are you able to connect with them?
A: I'm not sure. I have my moments that I am super outgoing and am able to "inspire and motivate" people. But at the same time I can also be very internal and cut off from other people. Because of that, I feel like sometimes I might not connect with a lot of people, and therefore can't express my vision in a way that others can understand or really take to heart. In The Best Leaders are Listeners, the author refers to the Law of Connection, which claims that "leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand." I like this because I think it's completely true. But it worries me a little bit because since I'm not very vocal or outgoing 100% of the time, I wonder if I ever am able to touch someone's heart and then have the privledge of asking for their help further down the road. I have a handful of people that I really connect with and that we can share ideas openly. However, being as shy as I am, I need to make a concsious effort to be more outgoing and step out of my comfort zone in order to motivate and inspire people through the "Law of Connection."
A: I'm not sure. I have my moments that I am super outgoing and am able to "inspire and motivate" people. But at the same time I can also be very internal and cut off from other people. Because of that, I feel like sometimes I might not connect with a lot of people, and therefore can't express my vision in a way that others can understand or really take to heart. In The Best Leaders are Listeners, the author refers to the Law of Connection, which claims that "leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand." I like this because I think it's completely true. But it worries me a little bit because since I'm not very vocal or outgoing 100% of the time, I wonder if I ever am able to touch someone's heart and then have the privledge of asking for their help further down the road. I have a handful of people that I really connect with and that we can share ideas openly. However, being as shy as I am, I need to make a concsious effort to be more outgoing and step out of my comfort zone in order to motivate and inspire people through the "Law of Connection."
2.10.2010
Are you listening?
Today's topic: Are you a good listener? Why or why not? What types of things make you a good or bad listener? What types of concrete things can you do today to make you a better listener?
It's hard to say if I'm a "good" or "bad" listener. Things that make me a good listener are that I can retain a lot of information that I've heard and that I try to ask questions to clarify information so I can then better remember what I've heard. But on the other hand, in pressure situations I'm not a very good listener because I'm always worried about what I'm going to do, if I'm going to do it right, and what will be the outcome. I guess something I can do to improve my listening is to make a concscious effort in listening, rather than just hearing. What I mean by that is that listening means to take what you hear and apply it to your own life. For example, maybe if I heard a song--I can hear the lyrics and instrumentals, but if I really listen I can make sense of situations in my own life.
It's hard to say if I'm a "good" or "bad" listener. Things that make me a good listener are that I can retain a lot of information that I've heard and that I try to ask questions to clarify information so I can then better remember what I've heard. But on the other hand, in pressure situations I'm not a very good listener because I'm always worried about what I'm going to do, if I'm going to do it right, and what will be the outcome. I guess something I can do to improve my listening is to make a concscious effort in listening, rather than just hearing. What I mean by that is that listening means to take what you hear and apply it to your own life. For example, maybe if I heard a song--I can hear the lyrics and instrumentals, but if I really listen I can make sense of situations in my own life.
2.09.2010
Advanced Leadership blog extravaganza!!
Today we are beginning our blogs. Before this I had no idea what a blog was, but I'm kind of excited to start one. I guess we will be writing our thoughts on whatever it is we are learning about at the time. Today Mr. Borgmann was talking about "Transformative learning," also known as learning that happens almost unintentionally. I think this is the most important kind of learning, it's what gives us common sense and qualities like creativity, determination, etc.
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