Organizational Reflection

I have never studied such kind of courses before. My bachelor degree was related more to Law. First what I thought was Organizational Behavior class was something beyond me. In my point of view course was too complicated for me: everything in specific terminology and hard to understand. But after some time I was getting used to everything and even it was very interesting to do all work in group and have discussions on different situations everyone can face in an everyday life. So I completely changed my perception of this course.

The most challenging area, is category nine. As you learned in a previous paragraph, there are a few extra pounds hanging around. I was also diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a few years ago. Through diet and exercise, a healthier lifestyle was achieved. As the numbers improved, I became less diligent. This directly reflects my mood and my relationships with others. I become irritated more easily and this can influence how I approach others. I have been working on these relationships. As a quiet individual, this can be challenging. Social interaction can be draining. I am striving to speak and smile when I encounter strangers in public places. As I great co-workers, I try to remember things in which they have interests thus allowing for more meaningful conversations.

“Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but happy are those who keep the law” (NRSV Holy Bible, Prov. 29.18). Although this archaic biblical excerpt was written millennia ago, it has not diminished in truth. Where vision is not cast by leaders, their followers are unable to efficiently and effectively achieve their goals. People have an intrinsic necessity for guidance and assurance in a plan; a need to follow an ideal, mission, or another person and to be lead. Expounding upon this claim, I previously asserted, “Whether this necessity manifests itself through direction, advice, organization, or the inculcation of passion, the success of an assembly of people hinges on the merit of a leader” (Rogers, 1). Taking this notion introspectively, how have and do I practice leadership? To promote an accurate conceptualization of my personal development as a leader, it is imperative that I describe factors that contributed to my leadership growth, primary leadership roles, and how to continue to ameliorate as a leader.

A powerful quote by Helen Keller states “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. In other works, harmonious teamwork can create multiple positive outcomes. For this assignment I was paired with three other girls and we were given two short readings to create questions to and then lead a class discussion with those questions. Working in a group gave me two very positive outcomes, which were being able to present and form better questions as well as helping me dive deeper into the readings.

I enjoyed all the topics discussed in Management 101 however, I learned and enjoyed the contrast of the X and Y managerial theories the most. These theories I believe are essential in building a strong and effective managerial foundation. I learned the different perspectives and benefits of each theory. I will enjoy taking on the personal challenge of merging the benefits of both theories such as rewarding good performances but also motivating employees to work on their own and empowering them to make independent decisions that they can be proud of.

The power trip of many leaders, both lead Pastors and board members have caused a great deal of harm to the body of Christ. Over the years when I have dealt with difficult people in ministry, those words I heard from my Pastor have played in my head like a recording in order to try and justify a certain action or decision on my part. I’ve learned through the years that pulling rank or imposing my will just because I have the title or position of Pastor only frustrates people more. Often leaders will say things in the heat of the moment and then regret what they have said. I constantly tell myself “think about what you’re about to say”. James says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” I am convinced that if as leaders we would respond in love and compassion we would resolve many of the issues we confront in leadership.

One day when I was a kid, my father, my mother and I went to an ice cream shop, but unfortunately, they were running out of Ice cream, they only had two remaining for the three of us, my father gave one to me and shares the other one with mom. This lesson teaches me how the leader sacrifices for the sake of the group benefits over his own interest, and how to come to the best decision that makes everyone happy. Successful leadership is one of the most significant parts of human behavior, and one of the most important aspects that is directly involved in the work that is responsible for directing the various tasks and resources. The first step in a leadership road is to feel the importance of the message that you wanted to deliver and to believe in your ability to lead in order to have a strong personality. In addition, you should have the passion to work as a leader and face the good/bad facts with courage and wisdom. Leadership is not just about achieving goals, but it's a method and opportunity to make a change and help to grow people's mentality by making them achieve goals creatively instead of turning into machines that are just functioning via commands -- Manager style. A leader’s mission is very critical and many aspects might contribute to the desired change. However, I believe that there are four principal attributes that play a very important role for a successful leader, which are: humanity, commitment, vision, and inspiration.

A leader does simply command and call to action, finds solutions to problems through engaging in conversation and listening more. Leadership has been one of the most common character traits instilled in myself since high school, considering my high school’s philosophy is to prepare leaders through academic excellence, character, and extra-curricular. Transitioning into college I have been taught just how important learning how to lead is. I have been taught a leader on campus will be more successful in school, have greater networking opportunities, and will more likely find successful career opportunities. One of the key characteristics to becoming a good leader is being able to listen. According to the Huffington Post blog, “a person learns about 85% of what they know through listening” (Jose Costa). Therefore, by attempting to listen more and give greater attention to the conversation I ultimately was able to learn more directly about myself.

Over the course of the semester, I have had the chance to study more in depth all the traits and skills that make up an exceptional leader. During this time, I have participated in several activities that have allowed me to become more self-aware with some of my own leadership abilities and these activities have given me a chance to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses as a leader, in my everyday life. With this new understanding I have about my own skill sets, I can look for ways to improve upon my strengths and develop my weaknesses to further my capabilities to effectively lead. I aspire to one day hold a position with legitimate authority and aspire to learn to become a trusted, authentic leader in my future workplace.

The important lessons learnt in this course along with all activities in the group and review the course materials such as Organizational management and leadership by Dr. A. Satterlee, and, Resilient leadership by Dees, made it possible for each of us in group 1 to learn the need of being open-minded, being effective with considering the biblical guidance to be a true leader and this is not only for new life style as Executive leader’s student but also this change will help in the future career. The fact that group dynamic is the phenomenon that shapes the entire work is a new discovery.

My views on managing public and private organizations haven’t changed significantly over the progress of this course. The course readings and assignments solidified my understanding of core management concepts learned in previous courses. DuBrin (2012) covered some of the human resource concepts such as managing ineffective performers, developing job descriptions, job design, and teams more deeply than in other classes. Management and leadership are essential roles to both public and private organizations that influence the direction and success of the organization. Regardless of the level of manager, the critical functions focus on, “…planning, organizing and staffing, leading and controlling” (DuBrin, 2012, p. 2).

This report contains the information collected from a client meeting. This meeting consisted of myself as a social worker employed by SANITI at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) and four year 2 social work students. These students express concerns around the cost of their Noho Marae trip. They stated that half the students in their class were apprehensive that the costs were doubling.

On the morning of November 2, 2017, I woke up upset and feeling unmotivated—this tends to happen from time-to-time. In fact, I have a habit of second-guessing every step that I take, as well as tend to underestimate myself, especially my ability to succeed academically and professionally. As I walked out of my room and into the bathroom, I found myself being speechless; however, my state-of-mind began to change the moment I started getting dressed to head to New York City, the “world arena, to attend a DPI and NGO youth lead briefing—“An In-Depth Look at How You Can Affect Change Through Policy and Action.” As I got dressed, I told myself the following: “Kevin, you are succeeding and you will continue to succeed and make a difference in society.” I fully realized this the moment my colleagues and I began making our way to the “world arena.” My colleague, Kristina Tawadros and I currently have a pivotal leadership role in Felician’s United Nations Fellowship Program. For the past two weeks, Kristina and I have been leading our class to the United Nations, and it has been an amazing and life-changing experience for me. When I think of leadership, I think of taking the importance of taking initiative and sharing of one’s passion for the work that he or she does. In fact, Robin Sharma, a Canadian writer, lawyer, and leadership speaker once said, “Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results,

Throughout the semester, I’ve acquired many important ideas and information in my organizational behavior class that will benefit me not only as individual but as a professional. Currently I am a server at a local restaurant, but after my studies here at Cal State Bakersfield I hope to pursue my business career in the field of human resources. Working with individuals is what I see myself doing for the rest of my life, which is why I feel like I’ve benefited tremendously from this course. Throughout these chapters, I’ve not only been able to apply them in the work place, but learn and acknowledge that most of these concepts will encourage me to be an effective individual within an organization.

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, believed that “human being is a social and political creature, and the one who can live far away from human societies is either a beast or a god.” Plato, another philosopher from ancient Greece also claimed that “the creation of the society is a natural construction. People by nature create societies, and they only achieve its completion inside them.” However, philosopher Kant insists that “human being is a lonely animal that avoids the mob.” Again, De La Croix, the French artist, believes that “people are social human beings who hate their peers.”