Enabling Others to Act

In class we read some quotes from Benjamin Zander, author of The Art of Possibility. He says: “The conductor of an orchestra does not make a sound…his true power derives from his ability to make other people powerful.” (P.68-69). I interpertted this quote as it is okay for a leader to share his spotlight with other members of his group because the leader alone did not do all the work it takes teamwork to get a task accomplished. A leader who has great leaderhip skills knows how to distribute the jobs amongst the other team memebers. A couple of my freinds and I are part of the culture club at our school and we usually sell t-shirts for many of the events to raise for charity. Many people that are part of the culture club usually come up with many ideas and designs for how the t-shirt should look but what usually ends up happening is people get into small disputes about them and the leader usually turns all the ideas and designs down. When time comes to turn in the designs everyone is scrambling to come up with something. If everyone would agree and if the leader would help everyone come together and come to a consensus the t-shirt design could have been better and more people would buy it then we would raise more money for the charity.

Challenge the Process

In class we have been studying the third practice, which is Challenge the Process. I like this topic because it allows leaders to get better at what they are doing. In class we read a passage about the 1930's Salt March, where Gandhi led his people against an injustice that the British government imposed. We then discussed the important aspects of the passage and compared it to the challenge the process sheet and saw how the topics we pointed out related to the challenge the process key points. Later our classmates had us watch Patch Adams to go along with our lesson. Patch was not happy with the way things were going in the hospital and how they were almost treated as objects so he also wanted to change the environment in which the patients lived in similar to what Gandhi did. Patch Adams tried to relate to the patients on a personal level and created humor in their life which made them more lively on the other hand Gandhi tried to fight his battle using non-violence. They both were persistent in what they wanted to do even if it meant trouble, this is because they are determined leaders. After reading Caroline's blog of her personal experience I too faced the same situation. Her and I went to the same school for four years and I was in a class with all guys and me being the only girl worked the hardest because I was determined to mainstream again. I faced many hurdles, one time I tried going back to Good Shepherd in 7th grade the principal called my parents and told them I was not ready. Disappointed, I was determined to try harder so I could apply what I learned in Shelton and take it elsewhere so I too could be successful. Finally in eighth grade I was close to being a perfect student with good grades. I applied to many private schools in the Dallas area. When I visited Parish I knew It was not going to be easy but I was determined to try my hardest. Today, I am very happy, I set my goals high because when I get good grades; when I get good grades on a test it makes me feel accomplished and gives me a boost. Everyday, I challenge the process and try to aim higher. Now my aim is to get into a reputable university.

Leadership Spotlight

For the past two weeks we have been assigned a leadership spotlight project. We had to research many sources and discuss the emotional intelligence and talk about the Kouzes and Pozner's leadership traits. I did my project on Mahatma Gandhi.

The link to my research is: http://fahrin.glogster.com/-mahatma-gandhi/

Inspire a Shared Vision

I believe it is important for leaders to have a vision when they are leading. It is crucial for a leader to be forward thinking so they know what they are going to do ahead of time. They can do this by having others imaging this vision with them. Another important aspect is to believe in the vision. A leader has to believe in their vision to have others believe in it as well. An example is, the movie Remember the Titans Coach Boone's goal is to unite the team no matter what color or race they are. In addition, Coach Boone wants to send out a vibe that he is not partial to one group of people. He achieves this by treating everyone the same and when there is tension in the community the team comes together and at first they don't unite but eventually they end up uniting. The coach had a vision to bring the team together and when the team was training to coach told a story about Gettysburg. Commitment 2: says leaders use uplifting and inspiration language (stories, metaphors, quotations, slogans, word pictures) to create an image of what the ideal vision will look and feel like. By using the Gettysburg battle as an example, some players understood the message and made an initiative to unite the team. In any situation I am put in to lead I think I would do the same thing as Coach Boone the only thing I would change is I would not come out as hard but I would want to get to know my players and how they feel and use their strengths to help me move forward on my vision. I would definitely use stories and word pictures to get my peers to contribute to my vision and help me accomplish it.

Model the Way

1) What does the phrase "Model the Way" to me mean?

In class we discussed what Modeling the Way meant:

Commitment 1: Find you your voice by clarifying you personal values and affirming shared values in your group or organization.
-Leaders know the values, standards, and ethics that drive them
-Leaders communicate these values with passion and in their own words.
-Leaders are willing to stand up for these beliefs
-Leaders build consensus around a common cause and a common sense set of principles in order to get a group to advance together
-Leaders engage other in establishing these shared values through discussion, listening, and building consensus

Commitment 2: Set the example by aligning your actions with shared values
-Leaders set the example
-Leaders recognize what they do speaks more loudly than what they say.-Leaders arrive early, stay late, and show they care by being there; they are the first to do something that everyone should value.
-Leaders seek feedback to assess how they are doing
-Leaders teach others to model the values by confronting actions contrary to the values, positively reinforcing behavior worthing of repeating, and telling stories to highlight important values.

After we discussed these traits, a group from our class presented the movie Pay it Forward. We watched selected scenes from the movie that demonstrated these traits. After compiling my thoughts and thinking about what Modeling the Way means to me I share a similar thought on it as it did in the Movie Pay it Forward. I thin of this term as someone who exemplifies a good action and influences another individual to do the same or something similar to some other person. I thought about an instance when I Modeled a Way for someone. About a month ago it was a cold night and my sister and I were getting gas on our way home from dinner. At the gas station we saw a lady or young teenager abandoned with a new born child. My sister and I felt bad for her but we continued doing our own thing and drove off. When we got to the intersection I told my sister I wish i could do something for her its so cold and that baby must be starving. My sister in excitement said "lets go back and buy her hot chocolate" so i turned around and went back. I asked that lady if she wanted us to buy her some food and hot chocolate to keep warm as well as some milk for the baby. She was thrilled and came inside with us and we bought her a few beverages and food items for the night. That night I felt proud of myself because I not only modeled the way for my 13 year old sister but I also modeled the way for the woman who can later help someone else who is in the same situation she is in. The practice that most strikes me is setting the example by aligning my actions with shared values because I believe my actions mean more than my words. It is hard for me to express my values in words but easier for me to do them by my actions. My story is an example of what I believe.

As a leader I can see myself applying these practices when I am given a project or when I am told to do something that allows me to lead. I also can apply these practices in my everyday life. When I am told to lead in a group it is essential for me to listen to my peers, set an example for them through the values I believe in, and showing my enthusiasm and commitment to them. In my everyday life I can use those same practices to influence my little sister and the help her understand how important it is to model the way for other people so she can help in the act of bettering people to do good and rightful things.

Personal Creeto

In class we had an assignment to create a Personal Creto so we can better understand our goals and commitments to become a better leader. Writing or making a list of your goals can help you abide by them everyday in your life. I think this exercise makes me reflect on my goals and values everyday.


Personal Creto

1. I believe in goals.
o I will have to make sacrifices along the way
o I will work hard at any task
o I will do everything I can to make the goals happen

2. Faith.
o Faith in myself
o Faith in God
o Faith in others

3. Honesty is a paramount.
o Tell the truth
o Tell the whole truth

Daniel Goleman Reflection

“No creature can fly with just one wing. Gifted leadership occurs where heart and head – feeling and thought – meet. These are the two wings that allow a leader to soar.” -Daniel Goleman

I agree with this quote because exceptional leadership can only work out if you have a combination of the head and the heart. Sometimes one person may have both qualities in them or if one person has the head and the other has the heart. Like Bea Salazar and Dianna. When one uses their head I interpret that as having the ability to communicate and set a vision for their goal they want to achieve. When one uses their heart I interpret that as having humility, have the ability to inspire and be motivated. Having the heart also allows one to communicate better and this equals to having relationships with others. People should realize their strengths and weaknesses and see whether if they have more of the heart or the head, or if they have both. Once they know that they have two wings to soar from which makes them brilliant leaders. Bea Salazar and Diana Franzetti have a great combination because Bea had the motivation and inspiration to help the children, which all started of with her humility to the little boy who wanted food. Dianna manages all of the business for Bea's kids because Bea is not able to keep up with it and she feels like Dianna is more capable of fulfilling that task better than her. This combination is what allows Bea's Kids to be a successful program for kids.