Blog # 9

I didn't really have many expectations coming into this course. It was just a filler class that I could use as a GPA booster. I have gotten much more out of this class than I ever anticipated. All the activities and personal experiences that the class shared have helped me explore my own values and leadership style.

The class hasn't taught me more about myself as a leader, as much as I have been forced to think about it and discuss my ideas. I thought that the StrengthsQuest inventory was very insightful. My results found that I was very action oriented and dependable. Looking back, I realized that my experiences reflected those results. However, I never would've thought through my experiences and how I can utilize my strengths in the future had I not taken this class.

Furthermore, this class was eye-opening for me. We all know that prejudices and privilege are an issue in our society. Unfortunately, we often are concerned with our own issues and do not realize how other's are impacted. The activity where we added and removed links to a chain to signify privileges and disadvantages really brought some perspective. Everyone had varying lengths of chains and it was surprising how short some people's chains ended up being. Our discussion following the activity really emphasized the need to consider things that other's may be dealing with outside of work, project groups, etc. I think an effective leader needs to have the patience and understanding to help teammates through issues that may be impacting their performance.

Overall, this class has been a wonderful learning experience. It's not often that I leave a class and feel like I have grown as a person. I hope that I will be able to continue to improve as a leader, as I apply lessons from this class to my future endeavors.

Blog #8

The first thing that came to mind when reading about Peck's theory was the development of any friendship. When I came to OSU I didn't know anyone, so I signed up to be an Ohio Welcome Leader (OWL). The group was definitely a psuedocommunity from the start. People were just getting to know one another and didn't want to say anything that could be off-putting. No one really knew much about anyone else in the group.

In a matter of hours, the group moved into the chaos phase. People found others who had similar interests or backgrounds and cliques quickly formed. As a whole group, we got through the chaos by organization. When move-in day came, we each did our respective jobs and completed the task. Within my friend group in OWL, we took the path of emptiness.

I no longer talk to most of the people from my OWL group because we never moved passed the chaos phase of development. The friends that I still talk to and I all come from different backgrounds and have very different interests, but realized that those differences challenge us to try new things. I have a true, authentic community with those friends because we voice our opinions and work through our conflicts. We're not afraid to express how we truly feel because we appreciate others challenging our ways of thinking.

Consensus played a huge role in the development or lack thereof in these communities. The overall community of my OWL group could not fully develop because some people held us back from consensus. As a whole, there was not an environment conducive for the expression of everyone's opinions. However, within the smaller community of my friends we were able to achieve consensus. This was achieved because of our mutual respect for one another's differences.

Blog #7

My biggest takeaway from this week's discussion was that we all have some form of privilege. It's not something we think about or even recognize on a regular basis, but it affects our everyday lives.

One of my target identities is being Asian. While I am only half Chinese, people sometimes see my Asian features and make judgments based on that. There are so many stereotypes associated with Asians that either set impossibly high standards or make you the butt of a joke. Some Asian jokes are in good fun, but far too often lines are crossed and derogatory statements are made based on my ethnicity. 

A non-target identity of mine is being a college student. Growing up, college was always an attainable goal. My mom always supported my academic career and told me that she would find a way to pay for any college I wanted to attend. Far too often, I take for granted the support I had in going to college and the education I am receiving at this university. Being a college student opens up so many doors for opportunities that others may never receive. 

While being a minority may come with it's struggles, it has also pushed me to work harder. The work ethic that I have developed based on those struggles helped me to become a college student. Both of these identities affect my daily life. Each day on campus I gain skills that I couldn't learn elsewhere and face adversity because of my appearance.

Blog #6

The Leadership Performance Inventory found my top styles to be Model the Way and Enable Others to Act, and my lowest to be Encourage the Heart. My results fell in line with my StrengthsQuest top 5, so I was not very surprised by them. My leadership philosophy emphasized being dependable and helping others identify and utilize their strengths. I think that Encouraging the Heart is my lowest strategy because I did the inventory from the mindset of completing group projects. In that context, we are each just trying to accomplish the task at hand to get a grade. To improve this style, I could thank group members when they step up and really contribute to the effort. Furthermore, when facing an especially difficult task I could make more of an effort to remind people why we are working on the project.

Blog #5

When we received this assignment, I thought about the times that I was on the receiving end of random acts of kindness. They have all left positive impressions on my day and put a smile on my face. However, when it came to deciding what my act of kindness would be I was at a loss. I realized that it really didn't matter what I did, as long as I was doing something for another.

A few of us decided to work together on the assignment. We went to parking meters on 12th Avenue and added change to each one. A lot of the meters were expired or only had a few minutes left. Adding time to the meters was a small act and did not have a large cost to us. The individuals may not have even noticed that we helped them. However, we might have saved someone the time, money and frustration of retrieving their car from a towing company.

While this act may not have been so random, it still left a lasting impression. It feels good to serve others and I want to make an effort to do so more often.

PC: Muyao

Blog #4 Moral Muteness

Far too often, I keep my thoughts to myself. Whether it be in a group setting or one-on-conversations, I refrain from making comments that might not be received well by the other party. I often struggle with moral muteness because I do not want to stir up trouble or be the odd person out. 

I serve as the Internal Vice Chair of the Politics, Society and Law Scholars. One of my tasks involves maintaining the attendance and determining if members have met the membership requirements to maintain scholars status. One of the members of the advisory board texted me saying that she would be missing a required meeting and wanted me to sign her in anyways. She explained that she had another meeting and was super busy. I struggled for a while about how to handle the situation. I wouldn't consider her a friend, but I still felt awkward saying no. She clearly was not acting according to any moral standards and was asking me to do the same. I simply chose not to respond and pretend like I never saw the message.

Obviously, I engaged in moral muteness. I could have easily explained that signing her in would violate the trust that our program coordinator and the other members put in me. It would be disrespectful to the other members who were putting in the effort to maintain their scholars standing. Furthermore, it is unethical to lie for one's self gain. I took the easy way out by pretending I didn't see the message. I was afraid that it would be awkward the next time I saw her if I said no or brought up how unethically she was behaving. I believe in integrity and honesty, and should have been more true to those values. While I didn't explicitly lie and sign her in, I also did not act fully on those values. I should be outright in maintaining integrity and speaking up when something is unethical. In the future, I want to express my belief in those values when someone asks me to abandon them.

Blog #3

Coming from a diverse background, I pride myself on being open-minded and accepting of all types of people. I have also taken multiple psychology classes that touched on prejudices and the implementation of the IAT. When I was taking the quizzes, I was aware of how the test was analyzing my answers. I think this prior knowledge may have impacted my results to a certain extent because I know how I want to perceive myself and be perceived by others. 

I started with the quiz on religion because I thought this was the most neutral theme for myself. I am not a very religious person, so I did not think that I would have many implicit associations when it came to others' personal beliefs. For the most part, my view were fairly neutral without any of the religions being extremely positive or negative. Judaism was separated from the others a bit as being a bit more negative. I honestly do not know many specific details about each religion, so I do not think I have a negative implicit association with Judaism. It is a bit embarrassing but I was not sure which terms were associated with the opposing religions and that resulted in some incorrect answers in some instances. 

Next, I took the sexuality quiz. I support individuals' choice to be with whomever they please and hoped that it would be reflected in my results. My answers resulted in a strong automatic preference for straight people compared to gay people. I received this result because I responded faster when straight people and good words were classified with the same key. I think the results have some merit in that, while I respect everyone's right to live life how they please some aspects of homosexuality make me feel uncomfortable in certain situations. 

Finally, I completed the weight quiz. Similarly to the other themes, I thought that I was very accepting of other people. While some body types are a result of predispositions and genetics, and others may be due to lifestyle choices I don't think that people should be judged based on their weight. My result was a slight automatic preference for thin people compared to fat people. I received my results because I responded slightly faster when thin people and good words were paired together. I don't think that I necessarily attribute better qualities to thin people, but somehow it may be easier to within the realm of the quizzes. I think there a lot of negative stigmas in our society surrounding fat people and that may influence how readily I can attribute bad words to them.

I think that this exercise is important in demonstrating that while you may not hold prejudices, it is possible to make implicit associations unknowingly. No one is perfect, but it is important to be aware of how those associations may affect how you treat others and the decisions you make. 

Blog Post #2

The Disney movie, Mulan, is a great example of the relational leadership model. At the start of the scene, the men and Mulan are unorganized, unskilled, and unsuccessful in completing the challenges. Shang is determined to whip them into shape and increases his involvement in their training. The lyrics to the song are harsh in depicting how ill-equipped they are for the challenges that await them, however it is a part of his process. Shang needs the men to work harder than they ever have before and starts by breaking down their inflated egos. The training is rigorous and requires them to practice over and over.

Shang singles Mulan out and chastises her more than any of the other troops. While brutal at times, Shang is actually empowering Mulan to become a leader in her own right. She needed the extra push from Shang, so that she could rise to the occasion. The lyrics of the song also have an empowering message about what is is "to be a man". They will have "the force of a great typhoon" and "the strength of a raging fire" if they follow Shang's orders and keep pushing on.

Two thirds of the way into the video, there is a shift in the group dynamic. Mulan has risen to the occasion and overcome some of her own challenges. By climbing to the top of the pole and retrieving the arrow, she becomes a leader within the group. She was originally an outcast in the group, but she is now included and revered by her peers. The team is now united under Shang with Mulan as a leader amongst them. They are working as a cohesive unit and completing the challenges with ease. The troops are finally united in the cause to defeat the Huns.

Shang had to refocus and reshape the troops into men capable of taking down the Huns. His process consisted of rigorous training and beratement, which may not seem effective in theory. However, the underlying process was empowering his troops to be the best they could be. His tactics were ethical because he treated each of the men fairly and held them to the same standards. While Shang was not intentionally inclusive, the team developed a culture of inclusiveness in the face of Shang's challenges.

Introduction

Hey everyone, I'm Taylor! I'm a second year finance major from Tampa, Florida. I chose to leave the Sunshine State because I was really excited about the opportunities that Fisher had to offer. Ohio State has become my home away from home through my involvements with different organizations on campus, including the Student-Alumni Council and Delta Zeta. Back home I have a 12 year old brother and my mom, who's my best friend. I really enjoy meeting new people and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.


As for my most influential leadership experience, my involvement with the Student-Alumni Council has definitely shaped me. The Student-Alumni Council (SAC) is an organization the connects students past, present and future. We put on numerous programs throughout the year to help students connect with one another, as well as this amazing university. This year I have served as the program coordinator for Dinner for 12 Buckeyes. This event is held four times a year at the Longaberger Alumni house. We bring together 6 alumni and 6 students within a respective field to share a meal and discuss their experiences. I really value personal development and I think that networking is an invaluable skill. Often times it is difficult to establish a professional network, but Dinner for 12 Buckeyes allows students the opportunity to work on those skills. While there are many logistics that go behind the planning of this event, I truly enjoy creating an opportunity for students to take the next step in their professional career. At these dinners students may meet future mentors, colleagues, or employers; and I get to be a part of that. As for my personal development, this leadership experience has helped my organization and communication skills. I get to work with event planners and alumni society representatives to coordinate these dinners. In order for the event to be successful, I have to maintain a clear timeline and effectively communicate with others. Overall, serving as a program coordinator has been a rewarding experience.