Effective Team Learning

This course has been very beneficial to me and my professional life will improve greatly as a result.  One of the most important take-aways for me is the art of active listening.  I constantly find myself listening and self-correcting during conversations when I wander off in my thoughts.  If I think of something during the conversation, I let it go - this is a hard thing for me to do - but I do it - it does not matter if I remember what it was or not.  What matters most is that I listen.

However, now I am more aware of leaders who don’t learn or want to learn thinking they have nothing else to learn. This is very distracting to me.  Knowing I cannot change people’s leadership styles, I will keep my interactions with them as objective as possible and not criticize their weaknesses.  There is only one person that comes to mind in this regard but I am working through it.

Through the many case studies we evaluated (Costa Concordia, Xerox, GE, LL Bean), I have also learned that learning together as a team, double-loop learning, probe and learn and after action reviews are critical components to exploring what could be better for the future and how to plan, adjust my sails during the process, implement to the best of my (and team’s) knowledge, assess and institute change whenever needed.

This was one of the best courses during this degree program.

ORID 3

How to build an organization’s capacity for learning, according to Garvin, can be accomplished through executives shifting their focus from content to process.  “Leaders and manager must:

1. Create opportunities for learning by designing settings and events that prompt the necessary activities
2. Cultivate the proper tone, fostering desirable norms, behaviors and rules of engagement
3. Lead the process of discussion, framing the debate, posing questions, listening attentively and providing feedback (Garvin pg. 190).”

When a manager offers opportunities for employees to learn, it not only opens up a plethora of knowledge for them but also allows them to grow in their roles at the organization.  And when they provide the time for the employees to do this outside their daily workload, all the better.

Interestingly, in this week’s chapter, I learned about the two orientations employees tend to display.  This knowledge has helped me to understand why my assistant and I sometimes disagree.

MY ASSISTANT:  “focuses primarily on performance to gain favorable evaluations from supervisors and perform well to peers (Garvin pg. 192).”  She does not like risk and avoids learning opportunities.

ME:  “focuses primarily on learning - to increase competence and skills and develop increased mastery. Over time gain confidence and competence and improved results (Garvin pg. 192).”  I work smart to perform better.

Problem?  My assistant and I have differences of opinions on how work should get done.  Some might think this is insubordination on her part but I look at it as learning opportunities for both of us.

O R I D

Objective Questions:

What is the problem?

My assistant is very opinionated and difficult to manage at times due to her preconceived perceptions of what a work environment should be.  She came from a union environment (9-5 do as I want as long as I get my job done attitude).  I mean no disrespect to unions here.

What behaviors do I observe?

My assistant pushes back when extra work is given to her or if she is asked to work (or expected) to work beyond 9-5.  This was clearly expressed in her interview and written on her job description.  Providing me oxygen in times of need is the one thing that we keep coming back to as an issue with her performance.

Reflective Questions:

How do I feel during these exchanges?

At first I feel shock that anyone would tell their boss “no.” Then I move to anger and then I listen.  I keep my feelings to myself for the most part.  She knows she is a darn good worker (she is) and pushes back because she does not want to feel she is being taken advantage of.  On the other hand, I feel she is taking advantage of me by not being willing to take on more responsibility and/or work extra hours (paid) when needed.  She eventually gives in but it is not without hard work on my part.

What is hardest?

The hardest part for me is getting her to learn more skills, getting her to be more intuitive, and backing me up when needed.  She is not used to being in a support position and wants to just do her job and go home.  I am determined to make this work and have her grow.

Interpretive Questions:

What have I learned about me in the process?

I am a softy, a pushover but also tough as nails when it comes to details and hard work because that is my work ethic.  I expect the same from those who work for me. However, I have also learned to listen and become a better listener.  Some of what my assistant says during our exchanges is valuable feedback to me as her supervisor.

What things have I done to extinguish undesirable behaviors?

Not enough but still working on this. I immediately speak with my assistant when issues arise so we can talk about them, allowing me to speak to speak my position on things and explain why the request is important.  

Decisional Questions:

What will I do the same in the future?  What will I do differently?

I will continue to have open and frank conversations with my asssitant and will continue to figure out better ways to manage the behaviors while getting my needs met.

What skills do I want to develop?

I am not sure what skills I need to develop but attending a leadership workshop where I can role play would be beneficial to me.

ORID 2

The probe-and-learn process, according to Garvin, “can be used to generate knowledge in a variety of settings.  It’s advantages should be obvious:  immediacy, relevance, and the involvement of users under real-world conditions (pg. 149).”  This process enables organizations the ability to properly plan experiments in an ambiguous environment.  In addition, “the approach to exploration has four critical elements:  a starting point, one or more feedback loops, a process for rapid redesign, and a stopping rule (Garvin pg. 147).”

O R I D

Objective Questions:

What happened?

I was blamed for something regarding commencement and it was never discussed.  It was assumed that I was totally at fault.  Others were equally responsible but I took the hit.  This is one problem with learning environments when you work with teams and not one single person oversees an operation.  When something goes wrong, someone takes a hit - not the group.

What do I remember most?

How I felt after being approached by my boss telling me I did something wrong but not spelling out exactly what I did and that the VP was very unhappy.

Reflective Questions:

What was surprising to me?

What was surprising to was that the VP did not come to me initially.  That I was given may more credit for the errors than were my actual fault and that my boss did not have an open and frank discussion with me; he just immediately walked over to my office and chewed me out after meeting with the VP.

How do I feel about it?

5 months later - I still feel very hurt.  I am a big girl, don’t get me wrong, but when my character is attacked, I take it personal.  I met with the VP shortly thereafter to try and mend fences, but she would not have it - she built a wall and it is still there to this day.  The fact that this behavior is allowed is astonishing to me.  I know she was extremely embarrassed and I take responsibility for my piece of this puzzle but there were so many more pieces that contributed to this that were not my fault.  This is the largest “take it on the chin” situation I have ever experienced.

Interpretive Questions:

What did I learn from the experience?

Unfortunately and fortunately, I learned to be more guarded, to slow down, to fulfill promises and to not take on so much extra responsibility.

What could I have done at beginning, middle, end?

The problem here is that everyone thinks they are in charge of their pieces of the puzzle but also everyone else’s.  Due to someone NOT being the lead and guiding everyone, processes were broken and cohesion was lacking.  Commencement was very disorganized and I was blamed for it.  I have a very small piece of this puzzle like line up and stage seating.  Everyone wants to be in charge and quite frankly, it is a circus act.

What does this mean for the future?

I will not work on commencement again nor work with this individual unless I absolutely have to; she feels the same way - it is quite obvious.  I have never had a working relationship like this in my entire professional career.  She is a bulldozer pushing people out of the way.

Decisional Questions:

What will I do differently next time?

I will try and remember to apply probe-and-learn processes to large scale experiments/projects that need to be carried out by:

1. Creating representative, inexpensive prototypes (plans and processes that are clearly organized and mapped out)
2. Collect feedback directly from the market (seek input from stakeholders)
3. Expect to revise repeatedly (once input is received, immediately put in place changes)
4. Employee a comprehensive measurement package (agree on objectives before implementation)
5. Know when to stop (establish guidelines in advance)

Personally, I will pay more attention to promises I make like promising to get the program to the VP in time to work on her script.  She was new last year and the prior VP kept everything a secret so we guessed at what should be done in certain circumstances.

What resources/support is needed to carry this out?

When I am put in charge of a project, I will not act like the captain of the Costa Concordia and work as a “one-in-charge” leader.  I will take lessons learned from the failures made by Costa Concordia and apply them in some way to how I conduct projects.

References

Garvin, D.A. (2000). Learning in Action: A Guide to Putting the Learning Organization to Work.  Boston: MA. Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 1, pg. 5.

Process to Overcome Barriers

Some barriers to learning that currently take place in parts of my institution include:

1. Managers may not be willing to provide learning opportunities in a learning environment in order to allow employees the opportunities to learn and innovate. 
2. Managers may just focus on getting the work done and not allow for exploration and experimentation. 
3. Employees may not be working in an environment that allows for great ideas to get to the top. 
4. Employees may not be working in a psychologically safe environment. 
5. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - laissez faire attitude of managers. 

This is not to say that the senior leaders of the College are all engaged in these barriers. But some are and this is not a reflection of the president's view of learning. He works very hard to provide a psychologically safe environment for all of the employees at the College. The challenge is getting everyone (management) on board. The president models an inclusive and innovative environment but some of his senior leaders struggle with this concept as they feel they need to keep their area secured by lines (silos).

Learning must occur at all levels for the learning environment to succeed. Our industry is constantly changing and we need to be able to reflect, review, renew and grow in order to remain competitive. In a learning environment, managers and leaders can work hand in hand to enable employees the opportunity to "expand their capacity," nurture their thinking, and learn together. This opens up doors for new ways to approach outdated processes and systems in a collaborative environment. 

Garvin's litmus test should be applied to most organizations in search of providing or creating a learning environment.  This process will help provide the answers to questions they may have but also introduces ways to implement them. Gathering intelligence, search, inquiry and observation are ways in which organizations can develop a shared vision. 

References

Garvin, D.A. (2000). Learning in Action: A Guide to Putting the Learning Organization to Work.  Boston: MA. Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 1, pg. 5.

Replicating a Result

After Action Reviews (AARs), I have learned, are extremely important exercises to carry out after an event, meeting or situation of significance takes place.  This review is an expanded “post-mortem” which I am accustomed to having after large scale events or meetings.  However, this course has taught me how to answer the following questions and I have included an AAR that I would like to emulate:

What did we set out to do?
The Molloy 2020 Listening Tour set out to define what the College wanted to focus on in order to become more known in the region.

What actually happened?
The Tour took approximately 500 volunteers and their opinions to heart in answering the following questions:

1. Who is Molloy College?
2. What do we want to keep?
3. What do we want to change?

Why did it happen?
Molloy College was in need of a new version of its strategic plan and needed to expand on the good things we were already doing.

What will we do next time?
The process went very smoothly but there are two things I would do differently next time:

1. Now that we have a fully functioning planning office, I would delegate this task to that office.  At the time of this tour, I was given the responsibility of managing the entire process.  I did not have sufficient resources to ensure communication occurred in a timely fashion and that everyone remained in the loop while managing the chairs of the 23 task forces who were in need of guidance at times.
2. I would put in place a follow up/imlementation plan as a proactive step vs. a reactive step we are taking now.

I welcome a similar challenge and will keep the lessons learned from this experience and AAR in my back pocket.  Perhaps I should apply it to the writing of the communications plan I am currently working on.

The Doom Loop

Teaching Smart People How to Learn is an article I will continue to read for years to come.  Within the article is a concept called the Doom Loop.  The Doom Loop is something I have experienced both personally and professionally.  I have been the doom and gloom person who no one wants to talk to and have learned ways to self-correct these bad habits.  I have also learned how to immediately pull out of conversations with someone who zooms into doom.

According to Argyris, "people who have rarely experienced failure end up not knowing how to deal with it effectively (Argyris pp. 104)."  When some people are faced with a sudden situation they need to address, they don't act the way they think they act.  Most people are unaware of their actions and behaviors exhibited and need to pay attention to ways in which they can self-govern themselves.  Positive energy feeds positive energy and drama feeds drama.

Some people are driven internally by unrealistic high ideals of performance and pressure to be the best and most efficient contributors to their organizations and do not look at failure as an option.  This has been an extremely difficult thing for me to manage throughout my career and personal life.

I was raised in a home where we were expected to be the best at everything we did and may have blamed things on others if they did not turn out right.  I cannot believe I am saying this out loud.  I learned a long time ago how bad that is for any kind of relationship, whether personal or professional.  I still see some of these behaviors in family members but I catch myself most of the time.  The times I don't are the times I really should, like in times of high pressure for an immediate answer or in an extreme crisis.  However, please know that I have been told that I am someone who handles stress and emergency situations well with a calm and decisive demeanor.  It's those rare times, when someone pushes my buttons that I am referring to.  It's those individuals who seek excitement and drama and immediate satisfaction and gratification that put me in an uncomfortable zone.  Rather than walking away to diffuse the situation, sometimes I feel I have to fix it and oftentimes apply too much pressure to myself to have the perfect answer.  I need to practice thinking on my feet in these urgent situations so I can think clearly about what is at stake.  Sometimes I feel threatened so I act accordingly but I need to learn how to diffuse the threat and calm the person down.  Sometimes, if I don't give them immediate action, they act even more dramatic, which heightens my stressors.  I have to learn to excuse myself in these situations.

This class will help me to continue to develop the skills I need to get rid of the doom loop.  It is already helping me help fellow co-workers who suffer from the doom loop much more than I do.  One such colleague has taken 3 weeks to write her own performance evaluation.  I plan on working on this with her when we meet to discuss her evaluation and goals for next year.  Learning on the job is more than I had ever imagined.  Learning through this class just makes it all the better.  I look forward to learning how to reason more effectively.  Feel free to look at this explanation of The Doom Loop

References

Argyris, Chris. Teaching Smart People How to Learn. Harvard Business Review, pp. 99-109.
The Doom Loop

ORID 1 Learning Organizations

My name is Diane Fornieri, I serve as Chief of Staff, Board Secretary and Chief Communications Officer at a college on Long Island.  I have worked here for 21 years and have enjoyed every learning moment.  Since I have a very demanding job and am currently pursuing my master's degree in Organizational Leadership, I purposely carve out as much time as possible to spend with my family, including my grandson.  I enjoy reading, learning, decorating, the beach, walking, biking, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.  I also enjoy people; I find them fascinating.

I have learned many things since beginning this program in organizational leadership.  The reason I applied to this program was not only to enhance my leadership skills but also to take what I have learned throughout my professional career and apply real-world experiences to my coursework.  To date I am very satisfied with the ability to apply both sides of my learning experiences toward my degree.

Since I work in an academic institution, I feel I have an advantage since we typically operate in a learning environment.  However, this does not mean that we do everything right.  We have much to learn and much to implement. As a result of a college-wide listening tour in 2014, I am currently undergoing a change in how we communicate at the college.  This is good news but I am consistently running into various setbacks.  We have to retrain everyone with the onus that everyone is on board to a new and improved form of communicating.  Since not everyone needed to implement this new way of communicating does not directly report to me, I am challenged with figuring out how to manage this.  I have met with dozens of people on campus - all of whom can be considered stakeholders and whom I would call "champions," we need to begin meeting to put the plan(s) in place that I am still drafting.  I need them to help me build upon the goals and objectives with strategies to make things happen.  I have a limited staff to help me do this and am I need of a senior director to execute the plan(s).  All in good time, some would say, but the time lost by researching and interviewing people, is not totally lost as transfer of information is taking place but is also making the implementation lag a bit.  We need this process to be reliable and I constantly find myself learning new and more things that can build upon what we have already started. At some point, however, I need to get these plans and strategies approved so we can begin our work.

Organizational effectiveness is at the core of this communication initiative and we must be "adaptive, problem-solving, organic structures (Garvin 2000)" in order to be flexible enough to move through the ever changing internal and external forces that come at us every day.  Our president is a master at being flexible.  I have seen him move from Plan A to Plan Z within a matter of weeks on some very key strategic initiatives for the college and his ability to change with the tide is one of the best learning opportunities I have been exposed to while working with him all of these years.  It has led to the financial health and the sense of pride in our community that has come to be known as the culture of the college.

Questions we asked ourselves when we considered innovation and change as evidenced by the previously mentioned college-wide listening tour are outlined, below.  This list includes objectives, reflections, interpretations, and decisions that took place during and after the process:

O R I D

Objective questions:

What do we want to accomplish in making the college the best it can be?  We gathered all of its employees to ask this question in addition to the reflective questions, below.  Through this listening tour process, we were able to define what we want to accomplish and outlined these objectives in our 2020 strategic plan.

Reflective questions:

What is it that works currently?
Again, through the listening tour process, we discovered many systems and processes that work and some that do not.  Examples of this include our transparency of thoughts and ideas and our learning culture.

What would you keep?  We will keep those things that work, i.e., our mission outlines clearly who we are as an institution.

What is it we need to change?  One thing we discovered through this process was our lack of consistent communication.  A communications plan was developed as a result of this.

Interpretive questions:

What did we learn from the listening tour process?  We learned many things from this process, including how important it is to be heard.  Many individuals to this day thank us for allowing them to be a part of the process of improving our wonderful college.

What do we want to consider implementing?  Throughout this process, many suggestions were made on processes that needed to be developed to ensure the smooth operations of our institution.  Since that time, many processes have been put in place, including the formation of a process improvement culture and department that researches and manages process improvements.

Decision questions:

How could we implement proposed changes?  This is the tricky part.  Implementation of these changes has been spotty and stretched out over time due to competing priorities and other factors.

When do we implement various phases of implementation plans created?  Timelines continue to be drawn with resources attached to them.  This is still a work in progress.  A strategic plan, I have learned is a living document that continues to evolve.  It is not a one and done type of document.  This is why, I believe, it is so hard to implement the objectives outlined in the plan.

Who implements the plans?  The people who implement the plans are the various stakeholder(s) who own the plans.  This may be a group at times.

This process has been an eye-opener to everyone at the college but consumed a great amount of time and manpower to manage.  However, it was money well spent.  Everyone on campus felt listened to and empowered to contribute their opinions on what they think we should change.  In addition, some employees are being invited to join in on the planning and implementation phases of this project, which is also a wonderful learning experience for me as a leader and everyone else involved.  Here is where we transfer knowledge to each other and work together as members of a very large college-wide team; not just experts within our own departments.

References
https://hbr.org/1993/07/building-a-learning-organization

Immediate Applications

I will continue to apply the following applications for the implementation of my current role as chief communications officer at Molloy College:

1. Project Planning, including the use of the communication, timeline and dashboard features of SmartSheet not only for my team but also the College
2. Social, digital and web application dashboards, KPIs and Balanced Scorecards
3. Update the Molloy College website
4. Define the new department of strategic communications by redefining employee roles to include titles such as Director of Imagery, Director of Storytelling and Social Media, etc.
5. Update the Molloy College Intranet inside.molloy.edu and focus on the delivery of Phase II of this project, which will include the Inside Molloy newsletter, which will be the story feed to the Intranet.
6. Develop plans for the following initiatives, which will include expected outcomes, communication strategies, processes, assessment measures/analytics, dashboards, resources, and implementation timelines.  All of these will be posted on the Molloy Intranet, which is a one-stop-shop for employees to access information, policies, news, etc.:

• Intranet inside.molloy.edu
• Newsletter Inside Molloy
• Internal Communications
• Website
• Digital and Social Media
• Department of Strategic Communications
• Email
• Employee Directory

Policies will be drafted for:

• Intranet
• Website
• Social Media
• Email
• Internal Communications

Processes will be drafted for:

• Policy approvals
• Media guide
• Style guide
• Editorial guide
• Content guidelines
• Branding guidelines
• Editorial timelines
• Requests for posting on social media, website, etc.

Implementation of New Initiative

When Molloy College embarked on creating a new Strategic Plan for the College, the president included me in the research, design, planning and implementation phases of this important initiative for the College.  He also included the Vice President for Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, who is responsible for the Strategic Planning process.

However, there was confusion between my role and that of the Vice President for Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness.  The president had failed to provide clarity to both of us on what our roles were during this process.  It was my sense at the time that the president wanted me to play a part in it because he wanted me to be his eyes and ears during the entire project.  It led, eventually, to my becoming the chief communications officer for the College, so I now understand what my role had been.

The strategic outline, including outcomes, goals, objectives, assessment measures, initiatives and priorities were eventually and organically communicated throughout the organization.  The communication strategy was not only top down but also collaborative across disciplines and job functions.  It is still a work in progress while several teams of people develop plans for the priority initiatives from the strategic plan.

As part of my new role which was created during this strategic planning process, I am now able to take one of the key initiatives, improve internal communications, to a level that meets the needs of the internal stakeholders, Molloy College's employees.  My team and I have created an Intranet for the College and are about to enter phase II.  The coursework provided during this time in my career has been very instrumental in my ability to effectively draft implementation and assessment plans to ensure we are following the goals and objectives of the internal communications plan.  The use of a project management tool, Smartsheet, sample and link below, will help me gauge appropriate delivery timelines and communications strategies.

https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/office-timeline-and-smartsheet-3-steps-quickly-create-your-visual-project-plan

Personal Performance Dashboard

Considering the many priorities I am currently managing, it is best to measure their progress and how it affects my personal goals.

I have chosen digital media marketing as my focus for this blog post and suggest using a social media performance dashboard such as, Klipfolio, as shown below, to help you measure the performance on all of your social and web-based platforms.  It is important to stay relevant and track your progress often so you can adjust your sails as needed.

https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples/marketing/social-media

Progress of a Personal and Professional Initiative

Almost one year to the day, I decided to go back to school and get my master's degree in organizational leadership.

The story goes like this:  Two years ago I was enrolled in an MBA (Marketing) program at Molloy College and completed three courses.  While I loved my professors and most especially free tuition, I realized that the MBA was not for me.  After much reflection and a decision that created a financial burden for my family, I decided to enroll in the MSOL program at Manhattan College.  Organizational Leadership is my strength and I hold a great interest in this topic. The only burden here is a financial one.  I absolutely enjoy this program and all I have learned.  I have applied many aspects of this program to my position as Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Board, and Chief Communications Officer.  I have also been able to apply real-life examples as content for some of my coursework.

I believe I have followed my dream by setting a goal to attain a higher degree and look forward to the completion of this program if I can continue to pay for it.

Manhattan College has outlined the differences between the two degrees.  Perhaps this analysis could help someone else who may be considering the same change in a course of study.  

Take a look:  MBA vs. MSOL

Critical Success Factors

Success to me is reaching my personal best in anything I do.  However, sometimes I take on too much, which greatly impacts my ability to deliver.  I am keenly aware of this weakness and do not view it as a negative but as something I can consciously correct.  In my defense, I have been taking on too much in order to prove myself at my job.  This has worked out to my benefit because I have received numerous promotions throughout the years.  I am hardest on myself and what I mean by deliver is a final product.  Now that I have reached what I consider the pinnacle of my career, I can now step back a bit and focus on exactly what priorities I need to pay attention to and how I am going to develop plans to execute these priorities.

To begin with, in my recent promotion as Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer at the College, I am in a better position to write these plans since I will no longer be the individual in charge of manning the "weeds."  I will now rely more heavily on my staff to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's."

I am excited to take on these new roles; both of these roles rely heavily on my project management skills; one relies heavily on my organizational skills while the other relies heavily on my visual and personal affinity to all things digital.

There is another factor, however, that I need to remember.  I am now more responsible for producing results on time and on budget so my ability to pay close attention to the priorities of both of these jobs is important and I cannot let myself be interrupted by "shiny" things that interest me.

Critical success factors that will need to be considered as I move forward include:

1. Delivering relevant content on the web, digital and social platforms
2. Delivering relevant information and policies to employees in a timely manner
3. Hiring or promoting the right individuals and empowering them to do their best
4. Continuing my efforts regarding process improvement and innovation

The Balanced Scorecard and Me

I have wondered for many years if I should open my own business.  The thought of it is daunting but as I move through this master's degree program, I learn more and more how important it is to have a plan before you embark on any business.

That said, I am going to identify below, what I feel the key factors would be if I were to open up my own consulting business.

The Balanced Scorecard will help me plan and proceed with my business in organizational consulting:

1. Knowledge, Education and Growth Perspective:  I will need to make sure I employ and retain talented and good people allowing for professional development and personal growth while on the job
2. Internal Business Process Perspective:  I will be committed to ensuring the internal processes are maintained, upgraded and/or updated as necessary as this will be the most critical piece of my business
3. Customer Perspective:   I will provide the best customer service ensuring customer satisfaction every step of the way
4. Financial Perspective:  I will hire the best CPA I know (and I know a few) to help me budget, stay on budget and invest in the future of the company.

I will keep my employees informed and will provide feedback as much as possible.  This will only help all of us to grow, which will be my personal commitment to my employees. I would be my own customer. That is how much I am committed to the success of this idea.

Personal Aspirations

If you asked me six months ago what my professional aspirations were, I would be writing a different story.  However, there have been many events that have taken place over the past six months that have begun to pave the way for a potential new direction in my life.  Before this blog post I never considered a strategy toward self-actualization and here I realize at this point in time how utterly important it will be for me to come up with specific strategies to help me chart the course for my future.  Please know that I have no regrets; I have had a very rewarding and wonderful career at Molloy College.  This does not mean I will be leaving my position.  I will be planning for my future while continuing to help the College grow.

Strategy.  What is a strategy and why do I need one now?

Strategy, according to BusinessDictionary.com "is a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem."

I was very involved in the strategic planning process at Molloy College and will apply most of what I learned from that process to my own strategic plan, which will follow a similar timeline (5-10 year plan).

Do I go out on my own and start my own business?

Do I go part-time and stay home with my family?

Do I continue with grad school so I can teach online part-time?

Where do I take my many years of experience with intuitiveness, strong people skills, public relations, marketing, digital and social media, strategic planning, etc.?

I cannot look at this as an end but a beginning...the dawn of a new day...

Actually, today's reality probably began long before now.  Signs have been presenting themselves to me but I thought they were just reminders to have me keep pushing myself forward to make my mark at the College, make more money, have a better job, and more responsibility.  What I don't need now is more responsibility. I will keep things simple, stay focused and take care of myself in the process.

One day at a time.

Strategy for me now is to lay it all out on the table through a SWOT analysis; evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  First, however, I need to define a marketplace for me to move into - a new industry?  I have long thought of becoming a writer of novels and books on leadership and process improvement.

Strengths:  people, intuitiveness, generosity, trust, friendly, digital, web, social media, reliable, dependable, organized, love of writing, process improvement, innovation, and energetic.

Weaknesses:  taking on too much at once, not delivering on time, burn out, and putting others before myself.

Opportunities:  Teaching online; writing novels - both of these things are within my control to begin.

Threats:  Finishing Grad School, getting an online teaching job; Competition in the publishing business.

It is my hope that my current employer will offer me the opportunity to teach online.  As far as writing books and novels, I need to just start writing.  I will follow these 10 steps:

10 Steps to Writing a Book

References

Business Dictionary

The Three Most Important Characteristics/Qualities of a Globally Minded and Culturally Competent Leader in the 21st Century

1. Charisma
2. Other-Centered Focus (includes Diversity of thought and Inclusion and Good Listening Skills)
3. Day 1 Forever Approach

It is difficult for me to choose three characteristics of a globally minded and culturally competent leader in the 21st Century.  However, once I combined a few into one skill it became apparent to me that there are many facets to each quality.

1. Charisma:  In order to be followed, one must lead.  Without likeability and the trust factor (charisma), leaders of today will not make it past many access points in the global world of today.  
2. Other-Centered Focus:  It's one thing to "Win Friends and Influence People" in our domestic economy but clearly another to do the same with cultures quite different than ours.  It is extremely important for today's leaders to become aware of the culture and backgrounds of each corporation's and country's people.  This will greatly impact on the success of any attempted outcome.
3. Day 1 Forever Approach:  Like Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com, Inc., if you put your customer's needs first, you will stay ahead of the curve, which is extremely important in today's e-commerce industries and digital world.  People are vying for the same consumers.  One must stay ahead of the curve, not simply stay in line with it, in order to survive.  Please click on the photo, below, to hear all about Day 1 Forever and the following link to see just how successful Jeff Bezos really is:  Jeff Bezos Day 1 Forever

As for me, I emerged as a leader at the young age of 12; captain of twirling team and drum majorette.  To that followed captain of Blue and Gold sports night in high school, ski club moderator, mother, grandmother, staff president, and now Chief of Staff.  There are a lot of successes in between but these are the most memorable and rewarding to date.

I have to say my best characteristic is my compassion coupled with my sincerity and honesty.  My least favorite characteristic is my sensitivity, which sometimes gets the best of me.  I have learned through the years to manage my reactions to things and not take them personally but every once in a while, when faced with adversity, I have to remind myself to walk away and not react, which is always the best approach.  I am honored and blessed to have learned many life lessons along the way but one thing I will never change is my willingness to help others - always.  I always strive to be a mentor and build people up rather than putting them down.

References

https://www.recode.net/2017/4/12/15274220/jeff-bezos-amazon-shareholders-letter-day-2-disagree-and-commit

Virtual Global Communications

Despite many cultural differences, global leaders must be able to communicate with employees, customers and the world through a new lens, social media.

Social media allows for creative ways to send messages out to the world; whether a tweet signifying a  success of a recent product launch or a Snapchat encouraging our youth to get involved at a college; social media is very effective in getting messages across.

In my own role as Chief Communications Officer, I am finding that if I refer to tweets or Instagram postings in a positive way, my staff feels motivated to do more.   Social media managers are very creative and take pride in their work.  Recognition of employee success and hard work is something that we Americans use to motivate our employees.  We have to be careful, however, as a global leader, Russian employees are expected to do a good job and do not expect nor receive recognition for it. That is their culture.

In addition to Twitter and Snapchat, YouTube is a great recruiting tool for potential students.  Take a look:

This is more impactful than an email sent directly to the student telling them how wonderful Molloy College is.  This video would motivate me to apply to Molloy College.

Body Language

What does body language say about you?  A lot!  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, body language is "the gestures, movements, and mannerisms by which a person or animal communicates with others.

I have two examples of body language that I would like to share:

1.  Recently, while in a search committee meeting that I was chairing for the hiring of a new position in my office, I sat across the table from the director of Human Resources.  While I pride myself in running efficient and all-inclusive meetings, the director of Human Resources spent the entire meeting looking at me with this look of disdain.  It was rude and interrupted my flow but I forged ahead and completed the tasks that were on the agenda.  However, she distracted me during the meeting and I have now learned that I will not sit across the table from her in meetings.

2.  A second example I would like to share is that I host team meetings every week with our digital communications team.  One of the individuals is from India and I try to appreciate his culture but his lack of appreciating our culture comes out sometimes.  When he speaks to make a point, he bombards the conversation for too long.  I try to gently open up opportunities for others to speak but he is a master of the "pause" and only takes a slight breath between sentences.  However, I have learned to find a way to open up the doors of conversation by timing his pauses since my body language is not read properly by him.  It is my intent through body language that I want him to slow down and listen to what others have to say.  This may be a skill that he needs to master.

Here are some articles on body language for you to read:

Body Language Mistakes

References:

Body Language Image

Body Language Definition

10 Commandments: Communicating with Persons with Disabilities

I have the pleasure of working in an academic environment that fully supports the interaction of communicating with  people with disabilities.  The groups of people range from being:

• my niece (cerebral palsy)
• elderly 
• physically challenged
• autistic 
• sight challenged

These individuals are either:

• students
• faculty
• fellow employees
• high school students from a local "Abilities" chapter who work in the mail room

By being exposed to these types of disabilities or challenges as I like to call them, I find I am fortunate in my experiences with everyone of them I come in contact with.  I appreciate the 10 commandments, some of which I had already known and others I will consider while communicating with others who have disabilities.  

The first of the 10 Commandments for Communicating with Persons with Disabilities are outlined in the following humorous video:

As outlined in Canas and Sondak (2013), the full list of commandments is as follows:

1. When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign-language interpreter who may be present. I will now practice this.
2. When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands.  People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting).  I currently practice this. 
3. When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you.  When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.  I will now practice this. 
4. If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted.  Then listen to or ask instructions.  I currently practice this. 
5. Treat adults as adults.  Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending that same familiarity to all others present. (Never patronize people who use a wheelchair by patting them on the head or shoulders.  I currently practice this. 
6. Leaning or hanging on a person's wheelchair is similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is generally considered annoying.  The chair is part of the personal body space of the person who uses this.  I don't always practice this but will try to remember to do this.
7. Listen attentively when you are talking with a person who has difficulty speaking.  Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for that person.  If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod, or a shake of the head.  Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so.  Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.  The response will clue you in and guide your understanding.  I don't always practice this but will try and remember to do this. 
8. When speaking with a person in a wheelchair or a person who uses crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to facilitate the conversation.  I currently practice this. 
9. To get the attention of a person who is hearing impaired, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand.  Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips.  Not all people with a hearing impairment can lip-read.  For those who do lip-read, be sensitive to their needs by placing yourself facing the light source and keeping such objects as hands, cigarettes, and food away from your mouth when speaking.  I will now practice this. 
10. Relax.  Don't be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions that seem to relate to the person's disability, such as "see you later" or "did you hear about this?" I will now practice this. 

References

Canas, K. and Sondak, H. (2013).  Opportunities and challenges of workplace diversity:  Theory, cases and exercises, (3rd edition), pp. 292-293.

What Diversity Means to Me

The Concept of Diversity for me is to respect each other's differences but also to embrace our commonalities.  I believe I am more similar to others in some respects and different in other respects.  For example, I love hip hop but that is not a genre that I was familiar with as a child nor was it a part of my culture.

Race, gender, age and nationality are the most common dimensions of diversity that are pretty obvious to most of us.  However, the hidden diversities of each of us need to be drawn out at times so we can learn more about those we come in contact with.  All of these dimensions are important to me because I am a curious person who loves to learn about others, their backgrounds and what makes them shine.  As a team leader, I always ask the group to identify ourselves but also find a way to bring out the special strengths of each individual; those things that are not inherently obvious.  

We had our company BBQ yesterday, and we not only celebrated our diversity by gathering as one unit, we also embraced each other's differences by our interactions.  We played a trivia game with 300 people; all of whom participated as separate tables who acted as teams.  These teams were formed by those who were familiar with each other, whether by department or common interests but the friendships formed among the teams and the entire group are memories to be shared forever.  We also watched several talented acts perform to our delight, and we celebrated our diversity in that light as well.  I am very fortunate to work in an environment that supports inclusion of our diverse ages, races, thoughts, etc.

Here are a couple of clips from the "WINNING" performance at yesterday's "Back to the 80's" BBQ:

Yes, we have performances every year.  This year we had 3 wonderful and highly competitive performances.  We had to vote twice to get the winner!

My Cultural Identity

• My Cultural Identity

I define my culture as common but unique.  I grew up in a strict Irish Catholic family, wearing thrift shop clothes and uniforms until I graduated from high school.  My parents pushed me to be independent but controlled everything, from who my friends were to where I was allowed to go to College; I was only able to go to a community college, not Vermont, where my heart was.  I wanted to ski and become a teacher.  My parents did not support skiing as a career, I understand that.  However, being a teacher was not something I was able to articulate when I was young.  I was very quiet and unsure of myself.  My parents did not know I wanted to be a teacher.  I ended up in secretarial school after I dropped out of college, which is something I had to do because my sister did it.  I needed to get a job - not a career.  My brothers were encouraged and allowed to go to college.  My dad wanted to pay for their college educations and me and my sister's weddings.  That's just the way it was; my parents did not know any better.  This is what they knew and what they wanted to provide for us.In support of my parents, however, they did what was best for me and my siblings and worked very hard to provide for us.  I will be eternally grateful for all of their hard work and dedication to our family.  My parents taught me that family is important and that our Irish family heritage is forever.  I have made several trips to Ireland and absolutely adore the Irish people.  The Irish people are warm, welcoming and hard workers.  Irish music and dance are at the heart of our culture.   

Growing up in this environment did allow me to become very fond of my Irish roots, however, we were constantly exposed to our Irish heritage, traditions, culture (Irish music and dance), stories - oh the Irish are great storytellers.  This upbringing did not, however, allow me to fully discover myself until I began working in an academic institution 21 years ago.  I always LOVED school.  It is ironic that I have been blessed to work in higher education. Through this journey, my identity has been transformed into something I am very proud of.  I have had the opportunities to become well-versed and indoctrinated into many cultures of the world.  However, I am still unsure of myself when I speak.

At work, I hold a very important position so I am serious but sometimes funny.  I have learned and am still learning how to articulate what I want to say.  This has been a struggle for me my whole life.  While I am smart, I have trouble saying what I mean and getting my point across.  People at work might think I am a pushover, since I speak only when I am certain and sometimes speak when I should not just to include myself in a conversation.  People identify me as a hard worker and someone who can get the job done and done well.  I do need to slow down somehow so I can plan more, which is critical in my new role as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Digital and Internal Communications.

When I am with friends, I am casual and fun, but because I work so much, I have little to contribute with friends who don't work or have much more money than me.  This is very common.  However, my friends are Jewish, Catholic, Irish, Italian, gay, black, etc.  We do embrace each other's differences.

Celebrating cultural diversity at work should be considered a cautious exercise.  Cultural diversity should be embraced and be a part of a formal diversity training program.  I think you can joke around with friends who are culturally diverse but at work, that would not be acceptable.  We must be sensitive to others' cultures and acceptable norms.

Global Diversity Experiences

I have been very fortunate to work in an academic institution where the chances of working with people from diverse cultural, religious and global backgrounds are possible.  However, Diversity in this day and age is more than the color of our skin, our heritage, our customs, and our religious beliefs.  Diversity now encompasses gender, thought, age, etc.  And because we live in the United States, our individualistic way of doing business could be seen as quite confusing for those who work with us from different countries, religions and cultures.

I have a gentleman who is from India who works for me and is trying his best to assimilate to the western way of doing business.  I have been lucky enough to have been trained in diversity training and exposed to different schools of thought prior to this individual working for me.  I have learned to accept, listen and then react when people speak with me from disparate cultures and ages.  We truly live in a diverse world and being open to everyone's thoughts is becoming more the norm in our individualistic style.  While we all (Americans) strive to be our best selves, we are also learning how to be our best groups, i.e., like the Japanese.  Well, at least I am.  Perhaps I am lucky enough to have learned and lived the Japanese culture, which has truly enabled me to marry my western culture with the ancient culture of the Japanese. I treat everything I do with "thought" before I make a decision.

If there is one thing I know about the Japanese, they want to be the best at everything they do.  Anything another culture can do, the Japanese can do better.  Why? Because they insist on being perfect.  The way in which the Japanese present their business cards is strictly enforced and highly encouraged from visitors.

Japanese Business Etiquette

"In Japan, the ability to perfectly imitate - and even improve upon - the cocktails, cuisine and couture of foreign cultures isn't limited to American products; there are spectacular French chefs and masterful Neapolitan pizzailoi who are actually Japanese.  There's something about he perspective of the Japanese that allows them to hone in on the essential elements of foreign cultures and then perfectly recreate them at home.  What we see in Japan, in a wide range of pursuits, is a focus on mastery."

Reflection Blog Post

I am happy to say that working with the teams I was assigned during this course have been filled with learning experiences.

The Conflict Style team matched me with an individual who shared my conflict style and we breezed through our survival exercise by listening, accommodating and collaborating.



The Final Group project team was a bit more challenging.  One of our team members went into the hospital and was quite sick but somehow managed to pre-load our presentation to start us off before he got sick.  I then came into the picture and chose the leadership challenge and attempted to communicate with the third teammate.  He was quite aloof but at the 11th hour, literally, he pulled through. However it took a lot of prodding and coaching on my part to make it happen.  I sent him many files to do research on the topic and he was unable to comprehend or report on the theme again, until the 11th hour but by then it was too little, too late. He most certainly "avoided" the project.

Playing in the leadership role throughout the course had become a priority. I am happy to step up to be a leader but also happy to take a back seat and let someone else lead.  During this last group exercise I needed to take the leadership role because the project would not have been completed had I not stepped up to the plate.

One thing I have learned about group projects is that some things do not change; there is usually a natural leader and usually individuals who take a lesser role for whatever reason.  Another area of knowledge that I have acquired during group project exercises as a result of this course is to listen, learn and coach the other individuals rather than complain about their lack of input.  I have gained a more positive tone in my approach as a result.

Groups vs. Teams

According to bizjournals.com, a "group is a collection of individuals who coordinate their individual efforts."  Take for example a bus tour.  Individuals choose to take bus tours in many countries to help them get around for personal pleasure.  Teamtechnology.com takes it one step further and describes a group as "a social community consisting of two or more people who have something in common."  I prefer this second definition as it is more clear.

A team, on the other hand, is a group of people who share a common team purpose and goals and are committed to the goals and each other and are dependent on each other for the success of the outcome (Biz/TeamTech).

I am reminded of a time I worked with a team using the Tuckman's Model of Group Development. The title of this model is actually what took place at the beginning of the team formation.  We took a group of individuals with varied expertise and assembled a team in order to create an Intranet for the College.  If we were individuals who were just talking about our common reasons for wanting an Intranet, we would have stayed as a group.  However, once we entered into conversations about what we can do to create an Intranet, we were able to use each other's expertise to help create it.  While reviewing the Tuckman Model of Group Development, I can honestly state that we did go through each of these stages before we were able to complete and assess our work as a team.  The most uncomfortable stage for me was par of the storming stage when some people in the room, including me, were vying for position.  I have since learned how to better manage my insecurities in a group of individuals who vie for position rather than joining in as that most definitely backfired.  I notice this more with women than men and is something I am going to do some research on in a future paper.

At the Forming Stage, we acquainted all of the individuals with each other through awareness and inclusion.  I stated the reason why this group was formed and the goal of the team moving forward.  At the Storming Stage, we began to communicate, holding onto our unique talents and preconceived notions through inner-conflict and vying for position.  Once people felt heard and their opinions validated through structure and cooperation (Norming Stage), I was able to move into the Performing Stage so we could get to our work at hand through cohesion and group identity and drive it to completion with success.  Here, we were able to take the individual talents of each individual and use it for the purpose set aside for this team.  The final stage, Adjourning, is critical to all teams after they complete a project. Important aspects of this stage include transitions that may need to take place and recognition of team member contributions.  We are still at the Performing Stage but will remember to adjourn in a timely manner.

References

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2013/06/the-difference-between-a-group-and-a.html

http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/team/dynamics/vs-group-dynamics/

https://www.slideshare.net/perspectum/5-stages-of-group-development-norms-tuckman-16474067

Conflict Style - TKI Quadrant

According to Thomas and Killman, there are Five Conflict Management Styles; competing, avoiding, compromising, collaborating and accommodating.  Take a look at this PowerPoint I created to explain the Five Conflict Management Styles.

As you can see by the table, below, each style has an assertiveness and a cooperativeness level associated with it.  Each of them, as you can see in the Five Conflict Styles Power Point, are useful at times but not at other times.

Click here for link to TKI site

We were asked to take a self-assessment test to determine our preferred conflict management style. You, too, can take an assessment through the TKI website.

The results can be quite startling.  My score is as follows:

1. Avoiding was the highest with 11 points, which is the most commonly used conflict style
2. Compromising came in second with 10 points
3. Third was a tie with collaborating and accommodating 
4. Fourth and final was competing, which is the least preferred style

Managing conflict is not one of my strengths.  As the second oldest in a family of four, it has been very difficult to compete with my big sister.  She is the exact opposite of me.  She takes more of an authoritative approach to her relationships and conflicts where I tend to avoid conflict; I think due to the lack skills for the right approach.  This scenario supports my highest conflict style score on the conflict management assessment, which was avoidance but only by one point.  My next level style was compromise, which is not a positive approach either, as nobody wins from this middle-ground approach.

I am not sure if there is a way to be more flexible in my approach to avoiding conflict.  I think I need to be more rigid so problems get addressed and resolved.  Take for example a recent exchange regarding a family heirloom I requested from my siblings.  There was only one heirloom I cared about.  I was told by one sibling, yes, you can have it.  My sister avoided my request until I asked her again and rather than be direct that she wanted it, she said we need to have a family discussion about all of the family heirlooms and that she would relinquish something she asked me for that I said yes about.  My opinion here is that she was avoiding the conflict but being authoritative as well.  It implied that she now wanted the heirloom I wanted and was willing to give up the something of less value to her.  When I respond to requests of this nature, I first think about how important it is to me versus how important it may be to the other individual.  I reneged on my request and have regretted it ever since.  I do not see how I could have changed this outcome.  Perhaps I could have waited a bit longer to give her a chance to think about it.  However, history reminds me that she wins at all costs.

This conflict style reminds me of a communication style I need to address as well:  I do not do well in one on one or small group settings in getting my point across. I need to learn how to be more persuasive and clear with my intentions.  I look forward to seeing how I can continue to grow in these areas of need.  Interestingly, my least favorite preference is "competition." Many would argue that of me because I do push hard but I do not like to create hostile environments.

On the bright side, if you look at all of my conflict management style scores, on average, I tend to be accommodating and collaborative.  This is true on an on-going basis, especially at work in large teams I lead or areas within my control. In addition, my scores were so close that you could assume that I am flexible with my conflict style.  It really depends on the situation as to how I would manage it.

References

https://books.google.com/books/about/Applying_Communication_Theory_for_Profes.html?id=qLxzcFIgykIC&source=kp_cover&hl=en

MIT:  Conflict Management - Conflict Styles

TKI Self Assessment Instrument

NBI Profile - Influencer

Enthusiasm, action and collaboration are key strengths of an influencer.  I am considered an influencer.  These attributes engage people to want to get involved and be a part of any type of new or innovative change in an organization.  Influencers would make great mentors for millennials, who seek acceptance, supportive leadership and an inclusive environment.  This approach "leverages every individual's passion, commitment and innovation and elevates employee engagement, empowerment and authenticity," says Lydia Dishman.  According to Raj Tylsiani, "a culture where diverse thinking flourishes can also mitigate the use of 'groupthink.'"

The NBI exercise has confirmed for me many attributes I was already aware of; some being more in the forefront than others.  Sometimes I do find myself working against my preferences because I need to pay attention to those things that hold me back from being a successful leader.  For example, my enthusiastic approach to every project can be off-putting to others and since I have recently learned that I could be perceived as reckless, I will definitely slow down and try to take a more systematic approach to projects I work on.

However, at other times, I am working within my preference as a team leader and collaborator.  I am skilled at getting groups together and brainstorming.  This has enhanced my popularity as I am a change-agent and value innovative thinking and ideas. I am also goal-oriented, which appeals to those who may think differently than me.  Those individuals are very important to the success of my teams as they help drive me to completion of a project.

According to Einstein's way of thinking, as outlined in Iain McGilchrist's video, The Divided Brain, we are spending more time honoring the rational mind as a faithful servant rather than embracing our intuitive mind and allowing for more dialog to take place resulting in the attainment of more knowledge.  After watching this video, I have now expanded my understanding of right and left brain activity and the importance of the need for both hemispheres of the brain to work in conjunction with each other.  This allows for the closed system of self-serving perfection and manipulation (virtual) from the left side of the brain to be influenced by the important use of relational (real) wisdom from the right brain.

"Getting a better understanding of yourself is the first step to becoming more effective when working with others," states DISC on their website. It is especially helpful when communicating with other individuals. This has helped me further understand my view of others and their view of me, including my expectations and the ability to self-correct in response to cues picked up from other people's body language.  I am an enthusiastic and welcoming person, who sometimes only sees my side of things.  By becoming more attentive and a better listener, I have created an environment where I have gained trust from my colleagues.  This is helping me to become more authentic, which is very important to me.  I can be perceived as too self-assured and outspoken so I need to be careful in this area so people don't take my opinions as personal attacks.  Through this process, I have learned to give people time to speak and show them that I care about what they have to say.

Two ways in which I can increase my performance effectiveness as a leader would be to:

1. Respond quickly with a direct approach when a problem occurs so it does not become a bigger problem

2. Slow down so people have a chance to process what is taking place; allow time for silence so people can put their thoughts together

These are two tactics that I will use to enhance my leadership capacity as I continue to grow as a leader. The learning needs to continue and has been noticed by my staff.  One individual, who has worked with me for seven years, has recently commented on my growth as a leader.  She shared with me the aspects of my growth and how proud she is to be a part of this growth.  This is a gift from my colleague that helps me appreciate where I have come from and the positive effects of the hard work I have been putting into my growth as a leader.

References 

     Dishman, Lydia.  Millennials Have a Definition of Diversity and Inclusion (May 2015). Fast Company

     Tylsiani, Raj.  Understanding the Business Benefits of Cognitive Diversity (June 2013). HR Magazine

McGilchrist, Ian.  The Divided Brain (video).

Http://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview
.

Storytelling

According to Raj Tulsiani in Understanding the Business Benefits of Cognitive Diversity, "a culture where diverse thinking flourishes can [also] mitigate the risk of groupthink...the tendency of people of similar cultural backgrounds and characteristics to conform with accepted norms and patterns of behavior, rather than challenging the status quo..." can lead to innovation.  He also believes that diversity of thought can fuel the power of collective difference.

What does this mean?  In the world of today, it is so important to seek a broad knowledge of understanding by inquiry and really listening to others' points of view.  People come from different cultural backgrounds and diversity of thought and in order to gain respect and a deeper understanding of the world, it is imperative that we listen and learn about how others are approaching the same world we share.  Diversity of thought should be embraced, appreciated and incorporated into everyone's daily lives.  This would allow for a more empathetic society.  We have differing opinions but what we do with those makes all the difference.  I am lucky enough to work in an environment where I am able to not only think this way but witness others thinking this way.

I grew up in a strict Irish Catholic home and went to Catholic schools my entire life.  As a matter of fact, I am currently enrolled in a Catholic college.  Collectively, I can attribute 33 of my 58 years on this earth as being enrolled in Catholic educational institutions.  I say this because while one could say I am a product of "groupthink," I will tell you I used to feel that way.  I followed the path of least resistance most of my childhood until I reached high school, where I started to challenge the status quo.  However, during my challenges to the expected norms, I was able to continue to follow my faith and apply the many characteristics of my upbringing to every relationship I made and continue to make to this day.  While most of these years were spent with the influence of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville, they have taught me to listen, learn and ask the right questions on my path of self-discovery.  This clearly supports the thoughts of Marilee Adams in Lines of Inquiry, "we get the greatest mileage by asking the right questions...The learning questions will lead to discovery,intimacy and understanding."

http://maggiepatterson.com/storytelling-for-business/

Storytelling for Business: Why Stories Sell

Jo Tyler says, "If you don't have a story to tell, switch from storytelling to story listening and to slow down so you can really listen."  If I have learned anything from this week's coursework, it is to listen with intent.  This helped me through the coaching exercises as well.  While I like to consider myself a mentor, I will became a better mentor this week.  The 3-minute listening exercise was the most valuable.  I always had a fear of forgetting what people told me if I didn't write it down or ask questions during the conversation.  What the 3 minutes of listening did for me was give me breathing room and gained trust from the person who was telling me their story.  I also learned to focus my own story on sticking to the topic and having a purpose to my story.  This made my stories more interesting and easy to follow for my listeners.  I also felt "heard" when I was not interrupted during that 3-minute timespan.

All of these past and current experiences have led me to where I am today.  I am grateful for the storytelling opportunities with my classmates and the insight into other people's lives.

One final thought:  Below is a visual outlining the important aspects of listening, using your "whole" body. If we listen with all of our senses and have positive body language, the person we are communicating with will feel a sense of trust.

References

Adams, Marile. (December 2004). Lines of Inquiry. Navigations: Life Balance. Pp. 76 - 78.

Tulsiani, Raj. Understanding the Business Benefits of Cognitive Diversity (June 2013). HR Magazine


Tyler, Jo, Ed.D.: Beauty and Danger: When Leaders Should Not Tell Stories (Video 15:29)