Networking

The part of networking I have the most trouble with is my management of time. I plan to cut out unnecessary time wasters. Not all the time, because that'd be ridiculous, and I'd probably get exhausted, but overall, cutting back on time wasting activities should help me have more time. I will also utilize my planner more fully, and set times to do get certain things done.

From my lack of networking, I was not able to help my friend with finding a job for the summer. Now that I think about it though, I have a friend who lives close to her, so, I will suggest her to my friend.

To overcome my fears I will remember that not acting is worse than acting and not being perfect. It is important for people to know that they are cared about, and that others will take time out of their lives to make them feel loved. Remembering this will help me not be held back by my lack of courage.

Personal Code of Ethics

I will stand for...

Spirituality by keeping an eternal perspective. Through doing this I will remember to do what matters most and not participating in activities that do not matter.

I will respect others. People can make their own decisions, have feelings, and need respect. When others feel genuinely respected and revered, they seem to be more apt to do good because they expect it of themselves. I think that respecting others also helps me respect myself.

The betterment of society; I will contribute in as many ways as I can.

Choosing the right even when no one else will know but me (and the Lord). I will work with integrity.

I will not participate in amoral activities; morality is important to having a good lifestyle. Without morals, good society fails.

I will use my mind to create new things, ideas, and solutions. Innovation is important to solving problems and improving this world.

I will have strong family values, for the home is the place for children to learn the most important things.

Compassion, genuinely caring and loving for others.

Change Leadership

A new suggestion for change leadership I learned is captured in this quote from Niccolo Machiavelli, "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in it success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." It is frightening to take the initiative to make a change. A principle we learned that goes hand in hand with that is that it is essential to change, it is "constant, inevitable, [and that it] can insure the success or failure of any organization." (Brother Ward)

A suggestion from Brother Ward's lecture I want to focus my efforts most on is accountability. All too often I do not take into account how important it is to use my time wisely. I need to be "thriving, not just surviving," in this ever changing world. In my leadership role I will take advantage of the time I have to "thrive" in my role, and not just "survive."

My experience of public speaking taught me the importance of looking at people and keeping your audience interested. I hope to continually develop all of the skills I have learned in this class. Since I would get red in the face and stutter when in front of a group of people--even small groups--before this class, I would say I have a lot of perfecting to do. I plan to practice speeches every time I give them until when--or if--I ever become proficient at keeping straight what I need to say.

Conflict Resolution

Physiological responses I have when I know I am in a conflict include my heart rate increasing. Also, any train of thought I have is derailed. My mind completely blanks when I'm in a conflict.

When I'm in a conflict I usually just think: "What do I do!??!?" Typically I'll eventually come up with a way to fix things.

To help manage my thoughts and emotions in a productive way to manage/solve my conflict I can:

• Talk to others for advice and mediation
• Each time I come to a conflict, give praise before and after addressing my concern
• Always try to figure out why something is happening before attacking the what
• Come up with an answer to certain conflicts before hand (ex: honor code, decide before hand)
• Use logic to come up with good answers
•  Pray for guidance

Motivating Others

The leader that stood out most to me was Winston Churchill. He stood out to me because of his noble life. He lead his country with wisdom and charisma.

From researching Cleopatra, I learned that motivating others is easier when one speaks with those they lead. Cleopatra learned how to speak the Egyptian language to connect with her people and understand their culture better. She utilized this knowledge with her charismatic character.

A new element of motivating others I will apply to my leadership role is being more firm. Through being more firm, I will be able to ensure fairness to myself and others. I am typically a very easy going, nice person; but I need to be more sure to put my foot down when situations are wrong. Doing this will help the character development of myself and the ones I lead. Developing this ability will help me be a better leader.

Decision making

I learned the importance of having courage to make a decision. Even if one cannot understand all of the implications of their options, it is extremely important to have the courage to make a decision.

The biggest problem I have with making decisions is reviewing the consequences of my decisions. I will start

taking inventory of all that I have accomplished in one week every Saturday morning and write down what I could have done better in my journal. I will also write down what I have done right to see what I should keep doing.

I think the most important principle of decision making that I need to apply to my leadership role is that time and the ability to choose are the 2 precious gifts of this life. Internalizing this principle will help me emulate a good example to those I lead. I believe that leading through example is the best way to help my friend. With good examples to follow, it is much easier to be a great person.

Balance & Time Management

Above all else, I wish to have a strong family.  The time spent with them will be the highest priority in my life. I will dedicate all of my resources to creating and maintaining a strong family unit. Right now, I will develop characteristics, habits, qualities, skills, talents, etc. that will assist me in being the best family member imaginable.

Time management is a very important quality to have as a leader, because it is how a leader makes things happen. Without time management, a leader could not lead--everything they planned would fall apart because of poor managing. A leader needs to understand the time schedule at hand and make their goals fit to it.

I plan to better manage my time with my friend by being more productive with my time with her. Even though getting two things done at the same time would be nice, just making sure that the time spent with her is quality time would make the time infinitely better. I will also make sure good things happen.