On Tuesday in class, we taught everyone how to use twitter. Teaching everyone to use twitter was quite easy. Our group had watched two videos on YouTube for how to set up twitter. We each created one and customized it and all added each other. Our goal was to get as many followers as we could before we presented.
It was difficult at first to communicate within our group. We had started an email thread brainstorming different ideas. After many ideas were thrown to the table, our leader stepped up and picked a certain topic so we could get to work. We all decided that twitter would be fun and got right to making it. When we finally met together, our leader broke our project up into different topics based on the knowledge we had acquired from the videos. I think we presented very well.
This task required everyone to be active. Everyone was required to know how to use the product and it helped us drastically with our communication skills. In order for us to succeed we had to constantly communicate with one another via email and motivate ourselves to complete the task.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
My day as a leader- Today you have a problem
On April 14th, my day as a leader was solving a problem. I was given the title of manager of a small paper airplane construction business and told to describe my culture and explain my plan for employee development. My company, known as We fly high 4 you, was bidding for a major contract with the USAF. My employers consisted of two new employees starting today, one from MIT and the other a chemical engineer from a local college. I also had a veteran (2 years) employee with high competence, but little commitment and a somewhat new (6 months) employee with high commitment, but little competence.
Our product was paper airplanes meant for all ages. Our paper airplane would be the best product because they would be made with sturdier paper that would make it unbreakable as it flew. We would also design our planes with cartoons and let them be available in different colors and designs. Our airplanes can be used as greeting cards also, containing messages to send to loved one or friends. Each month a different staff member will be in charge of creating that months paperplane design. These designs would be our main display for an entire month, with the selected employer in charge. This way I can let my employers know that I trust them, and everyone will become more competent at their job.
As seeing that we would want to be the most successful company, we had to come up with a plan to spilt up the employers and amount of work. Our veteran was in charge of production. Our veteran was the only one who knew how to make our products, however she had little commitment. I as the manger thought the best solution for her would be to show support. This employer had high competence and with a little motivation and support we were sure we could get her really committed. I as the manager also made her shift leader. Giving the veteran a leadership role to me was letting her know that we want her around and maybe with a little more responsibility and encouragement she would want to stick around also. The veteran worked with both new employers but mainly just oversaw production. I think this was the best option for the veteran because the veteran just needed the extra support. Some people are completely capable of being great employers however, without the needed support they will not succeed.
The somewhat new employee was our "go to guy." This employer was very dedicated to the company. He knew what had to be done and would always complete the task. However, he lacked leadership skills. It seemed as though he needed some type of direction. I believed that he could create all our products quickly and put the required effort into each and every one. With constant practice, this can bring his competence skills up, bettering our company all together. To ensure everything will be running smoothly, I will hold weekly meetings updating my staff how we are doing as a whole and individually.
The leadership challenge was tough at first. I wasn't sure how to gather up my teammates. I needed to figure out who exactly I was dealing with at first. Once I got to know my employers I automatically came up with ideas to help each employer. I delegated jobs and positions and completed the task at hand.s
Our product was paper airplanes meant for all ages. Our paper airplane would be the best product because they would be made with sturdier paper that would make it unbreakable as it flew. We would also design our planes with cartoons and let them be available in different colors and designs. Our airplanes can be used as greeting cards also, containing messages to send to loved one or friends. Each month a different staff member will be in charge of creating that months paperplane design. These designs would be our main display for an entire month, with the selected employer in charge. This way I can let my employers know that I trust them, and everyone will become more competent at their job.
As seeing that we would want to be the most successful company, we had to come up with a plan to spilt up the employers and amount of work. Our veteran was in charge of production. Our veteran was the only one who knew how to make our products, however she had little commitment. I as the manger thought the best solution for her would be to show support. This employer had high competence and with a little motivation and support we were sure we could get her really committed. I as the manager also made her shift leader. Giving the veteran a leadership role to me was letting her know that we want her around and maybe with a little more responsibility and encouragement she would want to stick around also. The veteran worked with both new employers but mainly just oversaw production. I think this was the best option for the veteran because the veteran just needed the extra support. Some people are completely capable of being great employers however, without the needed support they will not succeed.
The somewhat new employee was our "go to guy." This employer was very dedicated to the company. He knew what had to be done and would always complete the task. However, he lacked leadership skills. It seemed as though he needed some type of direction. I believed that he could create all our products quickly and put the required effort into each and every one. With constant practice, this can bring his competence skills up, bettering our company all together. To ensure everything will be running smoothly, I will hold weekly meetings updating my staff how we are doing as a whole and individually.
The leadership challenge was tough at first. I wasn't sure how to gather up my teammates. I needed to figure out who exactly I was dealing with at first. Once I got to know my employers I automatically came up with ideas to help each employer. I delegated jobs and positions and completed the task at hand.s
Thursday, April 14, 2011
My Day as leader
My day as a leader involved me taking initiative to get better ideas for my group project. A leader was designated from each group and was told to stay at the board and get ideas from different groups on how we can better our projects. I knew that since there would be many people giving me ideas, that I had to develop some sort of strategy and be completely open-minded to everyone's ideas without changing my group goals. I listened to what the group members had to say then picked which ideas would be more beneficial in the end. It was tough when I had to come in contact with larger groups because it was difficult to keep everyone on task and have them not have side conversations. However, larger groups were able to come up with more ideas. The smaller groups of one or two individuals was a lot easier to maintain however there was only so much information that they could come up with. I think this really challenged me considering I am a quiet person. It made me step up more so that I could complete the task at hand.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Active Listening
Today I went out to lunch with an old friend that I hadn't seen in a very long time. She has been going through some rough times recently and she really needed a friend she could trust to vent to. When we went out to lunch I could feel that she had a lot of tension and really just needed to let everything out. As she started to open up and let everything out I thought back to our active listening lesson and I thought that this would be a great time to put this to practice. And it really did work. She said she felt really relieved that I was actually listening and I understood everything she was saying. Even though it felt awkward at first to be repeating what she was saying, to her it helped to know that I was truly engaged in her conversation and it made her feel comfortable to open up even more.
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