03/30 class

Yesterday's lecture was all about communication. It illustrated the importance of listening and being able to ask questions if a concept isn't fully understood. Professor Feinberg selected two students to describe a simple drawing that the rest of the class was to draw. The first person was only able to describe the drawing, while the second person was able to describe it as well as answer any questions that the class might have.

The first description was hard only because we couldn't ask questions. Whitney, however, is very well spoken and is also a very descriptive individual. I was one of the eleven students who drew the picture correctly. SIDE NOTE: My success could possibly be because I lived with Whitney in New York for an entire year, so I feel I know her very well. Let's just say we speak the same language....

Approximately 85% of the class drew the picture correctly when we were able to ask questions. I would say that nearly 10 questions were asked while he was giving the description of the drawing. The high percentage shows that importance of asking questions if something isn't completely clear.

This activity proves that not only is it important to listen intently; it's also necessary to ask questions to make certain you understand what is expected from you.

M

Pain Response

I was really inspired by the pain response extra credit Professor Feinberg emailed to us yesterday. Reading through each student's story of what causes them pain was very sad, yet touching at the same time. You don't realize that everyone is suffering through some type of pain each and every day. It really makes a person think twice about judging someone because you have no idea what that person is going through in life. My pain story is full of tragedy, but it seems minor compared to what others have battled through.

I believe the leadership lesson to be learned from this activity involves building relationships with your team members. By knowing them on a personal level, a leader is able to better understand why a person thinks or acts the way that they do. A person is able to become a better, more effective leader simply by learning their team's story. 

M

What CSR 309 has done for me.

I had an interesting thing happen to me yesterday that I must say made me relate back to one particular lecture is CSR 309.

 I got a call from Abercrombie’s recruiter yesterday. I had interviewed for their MIT program when they came to Purdue’s campus in January. Andy, the Chicago recruiter, called to offer me the MIT position. I was a little shocked to hear from her because she had told me they wouldn’t be extending offers until late April or May.  She said a few things on the phone that made me realize that I had successfully given Abercrombie a compelling reason to hire me. Andy said that I was the only person getting an offer this early. She said that the people who interviewed me said I was a person who couldn’t be let go. They think I’m an excellent candidate for the company, not just in short term, but for the long haul. She also said that Laura, the first interviewer, had so many great things to say about me. In fact, Laura had told her that she knew within the first 5 minutes of my interview that I would be getting an offer from their company.

 Andy explained that although there isn’t a specific opening for any Abercrombie location in the Chicago area, I had a job come June. Andy reassured me that when the time comes, there will 100% be an opening for me. She said, “If there isn’t, we will make one.” Wow…that made me feel wanted!

 I looked back on my recent blogs and came across one I had written about the importance of selling yourself in an interview.  I had stated, “You only have a limited amount of time to sell yourself, so what you have to say must be good and must me memorable.”

 What happened to me yesterday made it apparent that I had been successful in selling myself to this company. Unless you give the company a compelling reason to select you, they won’t. 

M

Expectations

Today's class discussion was about the importance of knowing one's expectations in order to be successful. It is necessary to fully understand what is expected from you from your leaders. Without knowing what is expected, there is a chance you can let your leaders down. On the other hand, as a leader, it is extremely important to give detailed instructions if you want something to be done correctly.

As this lecture progressed, one instance from my Escada internship stuck out in my mind. I was Escada's visual intern, and my supervisors expected a lot from me because they trusted me and believed in me. Escada's visual team is responsible for every single aspect of presentation, including the interior of the retail stores. We were in the process of remodeling a few of our boutiques while I was an intern. 

One day, my supervisor showed me a picture of a modern, faux leather chair and told me to, "find this chair." Before I continue, know one thing, I take things literally. I took his command as, "find this exact model." And so the search began...

I Googled every combination of the words--faux, leather, chair, beige, modern--to try to find this chair. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I was intimidated for sure. After what seemed like years of searching, I had to break the news to my supervisor that I failed in completing my given task. He was confused on why I couldn't find the chairs. He pulled up Google, picked the first website, and said, "this one will do." I was embarrassed. I soon realized that he meant find a chair SIMILAR to this one, not this exact chair. He laughed and apologized that I had been searching for the impossible. 

Lesson learned: Don't be afraid to ask questions. It's better to know what is expected of you, than to assume it. 

M

Finally a President!

We discussed visions and goals again at the beginning of class today. Professor Feinberg has stressed over and over again how important it is to establish a common vision within a group; however, it seemed as if no group actually new what vision they had set for themselves. A vision for any group is important because it is the basis for which all current and future goals are set. Without a vision, no one know exactly what it is they are working toward.

We finally got our president today! Professor Feinberg says that this is now the turning point of our leadership class. Now that we have one main leader underneath the CEO to represent the class, I feel as if class will be run completely differently.

Our president, Joe, seems to be a promising leader. He took CSR 309 last year and was a very successful leader and eventually vice president of the class. Professor Feinberg apparently believes in him enough to ask him to be the president of our class, so as a class we should believe in him too. 

Our president did a good job addressing the class. He is definitely a respectable leader. He explained how he was a marine for several years, and that is most definitely a respectable achievement. The three words he used to describe himself were: Appendable, Dependable, and Forward-Thinking. While listening to him speak in class, these qualities were starting to become apparent already.

M

Finger Trappers

We did a little leadership activity in 309 on Monday. Professor Feinberg passed out finger trappers to each student in the classroom. I remember playing with these things and getting frustrated with them when I was younger! The activity involved having a few people stand at the front of the classroom, all joined together with the finger trappers. The "leader" was given the instructions to walk to the back of the classroom, touch the door, and walk back to the front. Each member was to follow the leader. The group was successful with this task. Then, an entire side of the classroom hooked on to each other, Professor Feinberg included. They were told to do the same thing; however, Professor Feinberg refused to move--he was located in the middle of the line. Since he didn't more, the entire group of people were at a stand still. Even though some people were encouraging him to move, he stood still.

This activity was meant to illustrate how one person can actually effect an entire organization. It also showed that it's difficult to motivate individuals if they aren't willing to motivate themselves. If one person refuses to do his or her job, the rest of the organization can, and will be, let down. It is up to the leader to make sure that every person in the organization is doing their job. If some individuals are lacking, the leader needs to find some way to improve this setback.

M