Start Them Young

My last post is about children as leaders. I was empowered in sixth grade by Ms. Costello. She created a small club on Friday mornings before school would start and we would eat bagels and coffee and talk about our ideas for our future and what we would need to realize them. She would make us do one creative thing during the week to present to the club members. We would set goals for the week such as clean our room, not fight with a sibling, or do a chore to make five dollars. We would role play conflicts and act out how we "should" be communicating with each other. And most importantly she would share her own experiences with us and encourage us to do the same.

I look back at those times fondly and hope to use my masters degree to pursue a career in an organization that inspires children to do the same. I found this sweet image on a website about teaching leadership to students. 

I like the story it tells and the message it delivers. It is severely brief however it touches on a few of the topics we covered this semester: communication, physical fitness, creativity, values, etc. 

I do not have children but can reflect on the significance that early examples of good leadership had on me. There should be a movement toward incorporating leadership into curriculum's nation wide not just for small clubs on Friday mornings. 

Best regards and happy holidays.

Angie Marin 

PAF 9199: Michael Scott and The Office???

As I have mentioned before I am a huge fan of The Office on NBC. I think the show is great and although its seen its better days it still makes me laugh. I always imagined that it would be great to teach a course on The Office and management. Almost like a "what not to do" while exploring "what to do". NPR agrees.

Combining what I have learned through B&D and DD&A I can for the most part identify Michael Scott and his staff through various topics and frames. His longing for acceptance, the times he actually steps up and demands respect, and his efforts to break the monotony to name a few. He has an incredible lack of emotional intellgence and terrible communications skills. His high points and low points reflect staff performance and commitment to the job. Obviously, just a television show but wonderful satire on the workplace environment.

So I thought I would list a few episodes that I would use for my future lesson plan:

The Booze Cruise (Season 3): Michael Scott takes the cast on a cruise in the dead of winter. He uses the boats crew as an analogy of hierarchy and structure in the office. Michael has planned very little and has no respect from his team. How can we communicate the structure of an organization in a creative way?

Conflict Resolution (Season 2): Two employees have a dispute over a poster and Michael is eager to settle their differences. His options are win:win, win:lose, lose:lose, and win:win:win. Which one will work for us?

Health Care (Season 1): Michael needs to comply with budget cuts and must choose a new, more affordable, health care plan. He delegates the task to The Office saboteur and brownoser in hopes of not having to take responsibility for disappointing his staff. What should managers do when they have to make decisions that will disappoint the staff when they long to foster a human resources frame?

The Merger (Season 3): The Stamford branch has closed and has now merged with the Scranton branch. Michael looks forward to welcoming the new staff but fails to listen to concerns and properly assimilate the new staff. In the end, the both offices actually come together with a shared dislike for Michael. How do you address the fears and concerns of a new staff? How can you introduce your management style to those who have become accustomed to another's?

My list is exhaustive.

So, if you have not watched an episode of The Office or have found it to not be your cup of tea I would suggest giving it another shot now that you have completed this class.

Best,

Angie

Women and Transformational Leadership

In the past I would glance over articles about female managers but never gave it the attention it deserved until I took this class. Earlier this month I came across an article in Psychology Today about women who stretch their days to fit in being CEO's, mothers, and wives. The article focused on their road to success and the transformational leadership styles used to be at the top of their game. 

Transformational leaders manage laterally by disregarding the rules of hierarchy and providing a democratic environment tailored around open communication and sharing ideas. 

I began to wonder what it is attributed to. Could it be the way they were raised? Is it genetics, that women are more nurturing then men? Studies have shown that when analyzing nature over nurture one can get a better understanding of these differences. Women are child bearers and therefore genetically engineered to bear children, breast feed them, care for them, and nurture them. Men are hunters and gatherers and provide shelter and food for their families. It sounds barbaric I know but this is something I obsess over and have found countless resources on it. Fast forward thousands of years later in a time with equal opportunities and women with voices and the overall disdain for following "societal norms", we find ourselves wanting more yet with the same biological make up. This, to me, explains a lot of the transformational style leadership found in women. Biologically, we are designed to transform the child into a functional adult. 

I have had only one female manager and she was more of a dictator and all around evil human than a transformational leader. She was a tyrant, maniacal, and over bearing. She did not know anyone's name and could care less about getting to know her employees. Taking a step back now as an MPA student I remember the other VP's were all men. Perhaps she felt she needed to compete with them or that showing her more nurturing side would show her to be weak. I cannot say for sure but what I do know is that she no longer works at this organization and now teaches first grade in a public school in New Jersey. So who knows?

Best,

Angie Marin 

Awkward. Awkward.

Way at the beginning of the semester we discussed diversity in the workplace with the case study about the Muslim employee that was disrespected in the workplace. Our recommendations included sensitivity training, singling out individuals, and team training on tolerance. 

I really wanted to post this up at the time so forgive me for the lateness. Regardless, it is great satire on what NOT to do. Subjects relating to religion, politics, sexuality and nationality for the most part feel awkward and are in general taboo, especially at work. However, one shouldn't pretend that they don't exist rather management should encourage tolerance and acceptance in the workplace through the employee handbook and by example. Just don't do this:

Best, 

Angie Marin 

Hold Me Accountable Please.

In a November interview for The New York Times Corner Office, Geoff Vuleta C.E.O. of Fahrenheit 212 discussed goal setting. Fahrenheit 212 is a branding consulting firm and although our focus has mostly been for non-profit and public management I was interested in learning about his 100-Day To-Do List.

All employees of Fahrenheit 212 come together and come up with a list of all the things that need to get done in the next 100 days. The employees break off and come back individually to discuss their contribution to the fruition of that list in the next 100 days.

I found this to be pretty genius.

Many years ago I watched Forrest Gump with an uncle. The scene where Forrest decides to run across the country always stood out in my mind in particular because so many people started running with him and I didn’t understand why. My uncle told me that people need a leader. I think Vuleta, in this case, has nailed that and a strategy to boot.

Part of leading isn’t just barking out orders or staging your presence or even chumming it up with your staff. As nice as it is to have a caring boss I most appreciated those that gave me direction. Vuleta’s list not only provides direction but encompasses goals, values, accountability, and team work. Part of this list strategy is not only coming up with the list but coming back with your achievements and failures and publicly voicing them. Knowing that you have to tell you coworkers that you screwed up or have fallen behind tears down the wall and creates transparency because now on day 56 you can approach your team member and ask for help, you don’t have to worry about pride or autonomy because it isn’t encouraged or emphasized.

I don’t believe that a list alone will solve all issues and I am sure that one can bullshit their way out of not completing their list contributions but I am sure this is a great management tool to use as a new boss. A structure. An agenda.

Do you believe a list can work for your organization?

Best,

Angie Marin 

A Lesson in Time Management and Generosity

One last post? Try five. 

First, I would like to apologize to the class for not actively participating in the blog as I had initially intended. Upon hearing of a class blog, I was excited to take part in it and imagined several posts about The Office (my favorite TV show of all time). I soon found out this semester that I bit off more than I can chew with three classes and quickly fell behind. Professor Casey was generous enough for an extension and at this point any passing grade will do. 

While in this predicament I began to question where I went wrong and how I can improve my work ethic. A little emotional intelligence you might say. 

The most obvious was time management. I work a full time and part time job and was having difficulty getting it all together. However, in my three classes this semester I came across a couple of single moms, CEO's, principals and one coworker with two jobs AND major voluntary involvement in an organization. So I have no excuse. I needed to learn from this and sort it out. 

This post is not part of the assignment rather just a quick "heads-up" that there are five more to come. Perhaps, no one will even get a chance to read this. 

I am an avid visitor of Psychology Today  and came across a little information on time management and priorities. So for any of you in your first semester much like myself hoping to avoid making the same mistakes, I hope these help.

Happy Holidays.

Angie 

One last post?

I noticed that postings stopped the day the final papers were due!!  That's what I figured would happen.

Anyway, thanks again for a great semester and a FASCINATING and INFORMATIVE blog.  I got a lot out of it.

One last post from me, and one last pearl of wisdon:

“I’m a no-name person,” says Cass Wheeler, the retired chief executive of the American Heart Association who was appointed interim president of Feed the Children last week. “I was a no-name person at the Heart Association. It doesn’t take a name to run a charity. It takes a team and a plan and commitment to a mission.”

This quote is from an article on Wheeler taking over the scandal-ridden Feed the Children. See:
 Beleaguered Charity Giant Turns to a Veteran Leader to Restore Its Reputation
http://philanthropy.com/article/Scandal-Ridden-Charity-Seeks/125728/?sid=&utm_source=&utm_medium=en

Cheers

John