Leadership Development: Work Hard, Play Hard.

The thing that I am loving most about my leadership development class is that it is helping me to change my mindset on really important things that I have been working on. For instance, this past week we have been talking about balancing our lives and managing ourselves in the time that we have. I am not naturally an organized person. I have forced myself to be organized in certain aspects of my life, but  organization and planning have never come easy to me. However, just in this past week I have started to change the way that I see time.

I am starting to like the phrase "WORK HARD, PLAY HARD" more and more everyday. Because college requires a lot more work than I am used to and also provides many more social opportunities, I have had to be more careful in the choices that I make and the things that I do all day. I realized that I should treat my schoolwork like a 8 to 5 job on weekdays since I am a full-time student. To do that, I also embraced the idea that my TA told us: we have 100% of time. I get to choose how much time I want to spend on each part of my life. Ideally, my breakdown would be sleep 30%, class 17%, homework 25%, friends/family 10%, scripture study 2%, eating 6%, and miscellaneous 10%. The things that I value most should essentially be what I spend the most time doing each day, and for me, those are my family, my testimony, education, friends, and church.

I really liked a quote that my TA shared that read, "Time=Life; therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life." It was interesting because I posted this quote on facebook and a kid that I went to high school with commented on it and said "enjoy your time and enjoy your life." I think that both of these statements have truth to them, but have different frames of reference. The idea of the first one is more about values and centering your life around the things that matter most to you. Obviously I agree that life should be enjoyed, but I think that there is a difference between having fun and becoming the person that you want to be. Personally, I waste a lot of time on social media or surfing the Internet, which are both enjoyable, but probably won't help me to become the person that I want to be. Also the time that I spend on those usually distract me from important things that I need to get done like homework, and ultimately stress me out. Instead if I prioritize and do my homework first (WORK HARD), then later I will enjoy my play time more (PLAY HARD).

My Blog Assignment:

1.) Tamara talked about how leading your life is like conducting an orchestra and producing a beautiful song. Are there any parts of your life that should play louder in the current song your are conducting? Are there any parts that you should remove from the orchestra to make your song more beautiful or perfect? 

Even though I want to say that I think that my life is pretty balanced, I have a lot of room to improve. I think that I should spend more time on my schoolwork. Right now I don't think that I am taking college very seriously even though I am a full-time student. I want to shift my focus to treating my classes and homework as my job and really working on studying more. I also want to create better habits of working out and studying my scriptures. To make my life more balanced and productive, I should probably eliminate some of my entertainment like social media and sometimes my social activities. I waste a lot of time on my phone and on my computer doing things that I don't really consider super productive like Facebook and Pinterest even though they are enjoyable. 

2.) There are many things that we need to accomplish in this life. Tamara talked about how the best way to enjoy life and still get everything done is through "peacefully hurrying". Why did she suggest we "peacefully hurry"? What are some actions that will help you to "peacefully hurry" in your life? 

We need to hurry to be productive throughout the day, but she emphasized the importance of not being stressed but being peaceful. When we are stressed, we are focusing on ourselves and what we need to get done; we often become unpleasant and forget to be wise. However, when we are peacefully going about our daily tasks, we can look outside of ourselves and help others. We will find that as we take a breath and enjoy our lives, then we will have much more satisfying days and interactions with people. I can "peacefully hurry" by taking the time to smile at people and make conversation with the people around me. With the girls on my floor, I can spend more time with them instead of hurrying to my room to get my To Do List done. I can also focus on getting my work done in the library, so when I get home I can focus on my relationships with my friends and the people around me. I also shouldn't complain about the business of life and the things that I need to get done.

3.) Time management can be difficult at times, especially during school. Make three goals about time management that you would like to apply to the rest of your semester. Make sure these time management goals reflect your values. How will you hold yourself accountable to these three goals?

I want to use the DO BE DA chart that Tamara showed us. I already made one and started to use it this past week, and it has really helped me to focus on being a good person and making each day mean something to me. I also want to get all my homework done in the library so when I am home I don't have to feel stressed or interrupted by people in my hall. Lastly, I want to wake up earlier and read my scriptures and plan for the day instead of feeling rushed every morning. I can hold myself accountable to these goals by putting them up in my room, so that my roommate and friends could see them if they looked and help me be accountable for them. I can also reward myself with ice cream or some other treat every week or couple of days that I successfully complete my goals.

Leadership- Vision

Today in my leadership class, we talked about having a vision. We talked about how your vision has to be HUGE.  For example, Disney wants "to make people happy" (think about all the people that go to Disneyland--that is a lot of people), Microsoft wants "a personal computer in every home running Microsoft Software"(that's a ton of computers), and Walmart wants to be the "worldwide leader in retail." Those are HUGE goals. They seem impossible, but that is what makes people try really hard to succeed.

Corporate Name	Vision Statement
Amazon	Our vision is to be earth's most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
Avon Products	To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women - globally.
Coca-Cola	To achieve sustainable growth, we have established a vision with clear goals. Profit: Maximizing return to share owners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. People: Being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be. Portfolio: Bringing to the world a portfolio of beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people; desires and needs. Partners: Nurturing a winning network of partners and building mutual loyalty. Planet: Being a responsible global citizen that makes a difference.
Kraft Foods	Helping people around the world eat and live better.
Macy's	Our vision is to operate Macy's and Bloomingdale's as dynamic national brands while focusing on the customer offering in each store location.
Microsoft	A personal computer in every home running Microsoft software.
Toyota	To become the most successful and respected lift truck company in the U.S.
The Walt Disney Corporation	To make people happy.
Walmart	Worldwide leader in retail.

Then a couple of days ago, Brother Bond, a business management professor with tons of experience in brand management (super interesting job btw), talked to us about establishing goals. He has had a super successful career in business, but even after just hearing him talk for less than an hour, I could tell that he is a great person and leader too. He was super confident and interesting; he really got people. I want to be like that. Being a captivating teacher would be really helpful for so many things.
Anyways, for my class...
1.) Write down the vision you have for yourself as a leader. Then write down the goals that will help you achieve your vision. Your vision should only be a sentence or two, but should give a clear image of what type of leader you aspire to be someday. Your goals should be as detailed as they can be. They should stretch you, but also be attainable.
I have thought about my personal leadership vision, and this is what I came up with:
Ultimately, I want to be a good example and disciple of Jesus Christ. I want to be a leader that constantly looks for and brings out the best in people.
To do that: I can be complimentary always, make friends with everybody, live selflessly, and put needs of others before my own. I can smile at everybody, even if it is awkward sometimes. Learn the names of everybody that I serve (work, church calling, etc.). Be proactive about problem solving; and help people work through conflict. I can spend time with the people that I serve and develop meaningful relationships by developing talents/interests together. I can be happy for other people, for their successes and tender mercies. I also want to be someone who people think of as just generally kind and sweet; someone who doesn't gossip or complain; and someone that thinks the best about people.

2.) Brother Bond shared his experience about John Plaso. As Brother Bond explained, John helped all those around him achieve their goals. As a leader, how do you plan to help those around achieve their goals?
I have heard that "if you lead from the front, people tend to stop following you. If you lead from the back, people get tired of you pushing them, but if you lead from within, you will be a successful leader," or something to that extent. I think that really means that by helping people, instead of telling them what to do or micro-managing them, you are able to give them direction and support, but let them have some creative control to do it in their own way. I want to be that kind of leader that works with people to help them achieve their goals. I want to be able to give people constructive criticism in a helpful way, and help them to grow in whatever way I can; I feel like the only way to do that without being offensive, you have to have a good relationship with the person from being their friend. It is super important to take the time to get to know the people that you serve because that is the only way to find out what is important to them, what they are struggling with, and how to help them. So I guess what I am trying to say is that you need to be friends with the people that you are trying to help to achieve their goals if you plan to have any success.

3.) In your opinion, what value does defining vision and goals have? 
When I write down goals (especially SMART goals), I find myself more prone to actually do what I said I was going to do. Writing things down helps me to remember to do something, and also makes me accountable for it (especially when I hang it up somewhere in my house where others can see it- that helps me because then everyone knows what I am trying to do, which is good peer pressure to do it). Also when I was student body president, the ASB officers got together and made a mission statement for the class. We read it to the leadership class and explained what was important to us and what direction we wanted the class to go in. That mission statement kept us accountable for what we said that we were going to do. We looked back at it frequently to check to see if we were doing it all, and if we weren't, there was always room for adjustments. If we didn't have it written down, they we wouldn't be able to check our progress and change anything when needed. That applies to visions in general because reflection is a huge part of leadership to compare where you are headed to where you where you want to end up. I like the quote "Begin with the End in Mind" for that reason.

Divinely-Centered Leadership- 9/5/12

Today in my student leadership development class, Neal Cox, the Associate Dean of Student Life at BYU,  gave us a lecture on "Servant Leadership." He lives by the quote by Steven R. Covey, "You'll find that as you care less about what others think of you, you will care more about what others think of themselves and their worlds, including their relationship with you." 

I really enjoyed his message on serving others because I did a lot of leadership in high school. I was class president for 3 years and student body president my senior year, and the stereotype at least at my school was that "leadership kids" were elitists and just did favors for their friends. When I was in charge of the class, I made a special effort to encourage the class to be more friendly, serve others more, and act with integrity. I knew that people watched us and noticed the little things, and those seemingly little things could easily turn people against the things that we were trying to promote. With that in mind, my leadership motto was: "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." When you show people that you love them through service then they are way more likely to respond to you.

Anyhow for my leadership class, I had to answer some questions so hear goes nothing...

1. I really liked how he talked about focusing on others instead of ourselves. A lot of the time I find myself getting really caught up in what I am doing and how I feel that I don't find the time to look outside myself and notice what other people are doing and/or feeling. Missing opportunities to talk to people or help them out in small ways got me thinking. At BYU Foundations of Leadership, I heard Neal Cox speak and I decided that I really needed to get to know people and really show them that I care. Sooo, since school started, I have been trying harder to look for people either on my floor or in my classes to talk to and try to befriend. Sometimes I have more success than others, but I have never regretted it since. However, all of the times that I pass up an opportunity, I regret it and wished that I had. It can be hard to put yourself out there especially if you are afraid of what people will think, but I like to think about how good it feels when others show interest in me and that helps me to motivate me.

2. Based on what Neal Cox taught, I would define servant leadership by first defining what I think it means to be a servant. I think that a servant is somebody who isn't really defined by their words as much as their actions. Servants work even in times when they are tired, stressed, hungry, pressured, etc.
They are humble and do not think much about themselves because they are constantly worrying about others and thinking of ways to help them. That focus when applied to leadership really narrows down my list of people that I would consider "servant leaders." The servant leaders that I know don't really talk about themselves as much as they do about others that they are concerned about. You can tell that they have really big hearts and really care about the people that they are trying to help. In light of the leadership aspect of servant leadership, I think that servant leaders inspire others to serve as well because they are super happy, confident people even if they have their fair share of challenges.

3. I have really looked up to my dad as a person who is a servant leader. I rarely hear him complain when I know that he is stressed from work and all of the others things that he has on his plate. As the head of our family, my dad works endlessly to provide for us, and also finds time to express his love. Every morning for as long as I can remember, my dad wakes up in the morning to make me breakfast and/or lunch (even when I had to leave the house every morning for seminary at 6:40 am). Then he goes running with our dog (that he cares for mostly since all of the kids who wanted her usually forget). Then after taking my little sister to school, he goes to work as a family physician. He takes care of people and their problems all day, then comes home to help around the house, make dinner, and hang out with the fam. If that wasn't enough, he also takes care of people in the ward or extended family members that always call him for medical advice and such. People love my dad as a doctor and a friend because he genuinely shows interest in people and constantly goes out of his way to help them. He is the best example to me of servant leadership because he has served me all of my life and has inspired me to do the same.

Pass It On. Pay It Forward.

Today I watched a movie trailer that hit me pretty hard. It is for a movie called "Bully."

I have strong feelings, like I assume most of you do, on bullying.

When I was growing up, my dad was in the army. We moved about every other year. New school, new house, and new people. I had to make new friends a lot, which wasn't too hard most of the time. However, when I moved in fourth grade, things got harder. I was really behind in the school subjects (which I had never been before) and I often felt like I was getting special attention from the teacher, which made me feel even more uncomfortable as 'the new kid'. One day in particular, I remember coming home crying after a girl made fun of me from being "a monterey-an" (her term not mine) and telling me that my haircut was "off-key." Neither of her comments made much sense to me, but still they were public and they hurt.

Though I cannot say that I have ever been bullied to the degree portrayed in the video, I sympathize for those that have. Everyone at times feels alone, and at times some of us have been persecuted for our differences, whether that be the way we look or what we believe/value. On occasion, I have felt pretty alone and hurt before because of something that someone said or did to me, but I cannot imagine feeling like that everyday. Especially to the point where a person could be afraid for their life to go to school (a place that we are forced to go to in the first place).

In high school leadership, my advisor often stressed how important it is to reach out to those who might be shy, lonely, or bullied. I also went to many leadership conferences where this was stressed and how important our influence can be in the lives of others. I know that seeing videos like this pulls on your heart strings, and I really hope that it encourages you to act on your feelings. You never know what one small act of kindness can do.

Looking back, it amazes me how much those seemingly small jabs can really break a kid's day. I can't even imagine how much more it would hurt to be bullied any worse than that, and for the parents of the kids, how painful it would be to let them go to school or try to help them through it. I really hope that this movie resonates with people, and that they make a conscious effort to end bullying whenever possible by educating kids, parents, and other adults; and spreading kindness throughout campuses nationwide.

Remember, "you just might start a chain reaction." -Rachel Scott