Strengths
Positivity:
Positivity is one of my strengths. I attempt to remain positive when I am confronted with a problem. When I am giving someone constructive criticism, I do my best to be encouraging. My generosity and lightheartedness make people like being around me. I take pride in my work and I enjoy celebrating my achievements. I give off an energy that is refreshing to many people. I do not let other people drag me down, because I won’t let them. Everyday I am just happy to be alive.
Woo:
Woo stands for winning others over. I enjoy meeting new people and getting them to like me. New people do not intimidate to me. I enjoy the challenge of making new friends and new relationships. When I meet someone new I like to learn about his or her life and find common interests. It is not hard for me to strike up a conversation. I enjoy building connections with others because you will never know whom you will run into.
Harmony:
I enjoy bringing harmony to others. I do not like conflict so I do my best to avoid it or resolve it. I attempt to find a common ground with people when they d not see eye to eye. I do not like confrontation and I would rather have a peaceful atmosphere. I would rather do something productive rather than wasting time out of my life to argue. Anger and hate are wastes of emotions. I choose to be happy. I recognize that everyone has a different opinion, but people should not push their opinion on others. I keep away from debates because I can put myself in other people’s shoes. People think differently for different reasons. I live life to the fullest and treat everyone with respect.
Futuristic:
The futuristic strength is one of my favorite strengths. I am always considering the future and wondering how one decision will affect me. I am fascinated by the future and it excites me. I like to visualize what the future can hold for me. I strive to make a bright future for myself. I work hard so because I want the American dream. I can be considered a dreamer because I daydream about what life will be in 10 years. I assist others to visualize their futures as well.
Activator:
As an activator I am enthusiastic for action. I realize that action is the only way that things will get done. Without action, you will get nowhere. Action is a process. Some may worry about the things that are unknown but this does not slow me down.
Type Focus
ENFJ: Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging.
As a ENFJs I am very creative and organized when I want to achieve something. I am sympathetic to other people and I am loyal to my friends. I can understand social cues. When someone is in need I like to jump in to action to help. I do my best to highlight people’s special talents. People enjoy following my lead because I am a fair leader and value other people’s opinions. I would be successful in a work setting that promoted my value for harmony and personal growth. I can be outgoing, organized, and I adapt easily. I work well when I get to achieve goals because I have a competitive nature.
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Retreat Reflection
What does ethical leadership mean to you? How has our discussion and our activities about ethics impacted your perspective on ethical leadership?
Ethical leadership is understanding your values and applying them to the world. In ethical leadership it is the leaders duty to lead by doing the right thing. Effective leaders are responsible for their followers to perform according to standards. Without a leader then the work environment would be unorganized and chaotic. The leader provides structure to others. From our activities I understood what it took to be an ethical leader. In one activity, we had to decide which famous leaders were good and which ones were bad. It is important to make ethical decisions because the leaders decisions impact others as well.
How prepared are you feeling as you begin to think about working on the Leadership Inventory?
The Leadership Inventory is going to test my writing ability. I am prepared for the inventory because I have been provided with multiple resources. These resources will guide me through outcomes, involving topics we have acquired in the classroom. I will help myself prepare for the inventory by keeping organized throughout the process. I have worked on the leadership inventory before so I know what I would like to do differently.
What lasting impression did our final group challenge have on you?
The final group challenge was a test of everyone’s ability to work as a team. We were required to build a structure as a team by using our vocals. One person was required to be blindfolded and they had to build the structure based on our instruction. This was a difficult task because we were only allowed to say three words each time. What I took away from this activity was to choose your words carefully. I also realized that it takes a team to accomplish a common goal.
Reflections on 4 major units
(SB/LP/CS, Education, Family, Inclusion)
- After each unit (see due dates on syllabus) please write a reflection including the following: your overall thoughts on the unit; thoughts on the guest speaker(s); what you learned, your favorite part(s) and anything you feel that could be improved; and lastly, how can you apply your Strengths and/or TypeFocus to your learning in the unit?
SB/LP/CS
In this unit we discussed what it was like to own a small business. We went over a few issues that a small business owner, local politician, and local community service organizations. We learned many leadership theories in this section too. There are many laws that needs to be abided by, there is ethical issues, and more. We had a few guest speakers visit us in class during this unit. Kevin Robinson came in to talk to us about Impact action sports. He also discussed what he does to better himself and the community. Sulina Moharty from teach for America and Melissa Impett from Nutrition Dynamix spoke to us as well about owning a small business. I was able to utilize my activator, and futuristic skills during this section. I was an activator when I was eager to start my small business project. My ability to visualize the future came in handy when I decided to take notes on the guest speakers just in case I needed them for the future. Learning more about community service organizations could strengthen this unit.
Education
In the education unit we discussed several laws that were passed. One activity that we as a team was match laws t the date they were active. I utilized my activator skills in this activity because I jumped right into research. This was a fun activity that allowed us to research and implement action. We were assigned a presentation during this unit. I chose to argue the pros of technology in the classroom. We were asked to discuss several points such as the history, funding, philosophy, leaders involved, legal issues, future of topic and more. My futuristic strength was targeted during the future of topic section. I believe that technology is going to keep advancing in the classrooms. Bruce Hamilton, the Director of the URI Memorial Union spoke to our class about his duties. The Vice President of Student Affairs, Tom Dougan spoke to us as well.
Family
In the family unit we were given a few case studies that pertained to family issues. In one of our case studies a couple named Sam and Jai, have the choice to make some major life decisions involving their family. The couple had an autistic three year-old son together named Cyrus. They also each have a child of their own from previous marriages. Jai’s and Sam both have issues with their exes. Jai was offered a promotion that involved completing a 3-month training program in Baltimore, MD. This meant that he had to agree to an international deployment for 6 months within the next 2-3 years. Sam did not want to be a stay at home mom and wanted to go back to school. We had to apply several theories, laws, issues and more to this case study. Melissa Camba, Rachel Legend, and Dan Graney spoke to us about their personal family issues in this unit. I am an ENFJ for my type focus so I am a feeler. I was empathetic for their hardships and families struggle. I enjoyed this unit. I think I would have enjoyed this section more if we had more hands on activities.
Inclusion
This section included more case studies. The case study we were given was about Piggly Wiggly. Piggly Wiggly is a 75- year-old grocery store that has changed from being a small all-white town into a large, diverse suburb. Piggly Wiggly had race issues that the new owner wanted to diminish. The owner Tom made it known that only people of color will be hired until half of the staff are minorities. The staff members had an issue with bringing in minorities into the workplace. We applied laws, issues, theories, and other facts into this study. We learned about affirmative action and equal opportunity during this unit. We were also asked to prepare a skit about a specific law. I was assigned the Equal Pay Act. I used my activation skills and positivity during this activity. Aprylle Wallace from HR Metalor Technologies spoke with us in this section of the class. She seemed like a good leader because of how she spoke and presented herself. One thing that I would change about this unit is the laws. It would have been useful to have a laws resource tab on Sakai.
Final Reflection
Write a statement that describes your experiences in HDF 290 this past semester.
I have achieved personal growth and theoretical knowledge through HDF 290.
Consider the 14 different leadership theories you learned in this course. Is there one that stands out to you as one you currently apply, or that will influence your future practice of leadership (cite your source)?
There are multiple leadership theories that I will incorporate in my future endeavors. One theory that I will continue to apply to my life is Servant Leadership. Robert K. Greenleaf developed the theory in 1970. Servant Leadership is the theory where the leader serves others before they serve themselves. I practice this theory when I am working because it is my job to cater to other people’s desires. A servant leader differs from someone who is a leader first because they want to acquire materials first. The ten characteristics of Servant Leadership are Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the growth of people, and Building community.
The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, Inc. (2008). Greenleaf center for servant leadership. Retrieved from http://www.greenleaf.org/
As a result of doing the Leadership Inventory, what did you learn about yourself / how have you grown?
I have grown immensely through creating the Leadership Inventory. The Leadership Inventory is a list of how leaders apply their classes to life experiences. Developing the outcomes was a long and tedious process. I have done outcomes in the past so I knew what to expect when filling them out. My writing skills have advanced since the last time I worked on outcomes. Piecing together the inventory also allowed me to reflect on my accomplishments.
