ualbertaleadership2017-blog

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TRUE. BLISS. I don't know if anyone else posted this and if they did I missed it, but this semester absolutely flew by and I couldn't have asked for it to be any better. Thank you to Lisa for facilitating this class throughout the term for us and showing us her remarkable, insightful personality. Thank you to each and everyone of my classmates (and best friends) for just being the best. You all deserve the world and I feel like I'm saying goodbye for 4 months and that makes me sad. If we can all fit into that tiny elevator and take such an incredible group photo, we can truly accomplish everything. Okay I'm done now, someone text me I just got home from work :))

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First off, just want to say WE’VE MADE THE 1 YEAR MARK! I can’t believe another semester has just come and gone and I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us! I love you guys.

Anyways, because I LOVE animals, this week’s post includes stories from all around the world of people (regular joes) stepping up to the plate and taking initiative to play a part in animal conservation and wildlife education. It’s so cool to see al these great things done by people who took it upon themselves to make this world a better place. Close to 50,000 people die in India every year due to snake bites, (according to the article), and one man decided to start an online snake database to educate people on ways to spot snakes, methods to deal with bites, and raise awareness of the rescue centers nearby. This is just one of the examples outlined in the article and the others are also great examples of people have done more than what has been asked of them to make this world a better place. I think a big part of being a leader is definitely being able to think outside the box. Constantly having the “other’s” needs in mind (whether it’s animals, your friends, or community members) and trying to think of creative and innovative ways to achieve your goals is just another way to be an everyday leader.

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WE MADE IT! Here we are at the end of the road of our first LC year together and I am very grateful for the year we have had. From networking to classroom discussions it has been my pleasure to spend every Thursday night with y'all. Each of us has grown from trying new things and learning from each other in all aspects of this program and I am looking forward to another year ahead. I can't wait to close out on the salsa dance floor with ya’ll!!!

xoxo 

#leaders4ever #1down1togo #weekidk #Renee #graded 

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With this being the last week of Tumblr posts. I thought I would showcase a leader we all know.... RACHEL! Rachel has taken on so many leadership roles this year and during her busy time with school involvement, involvement outside of school, her actually school work and family she still managed to find the time to volunteer for 5 Days For The Homeless. Almost every time I walked past the table Rachel was there volunteering her time. Rachel is a true inspiration to all and a very influential leader.

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A true leader. You know her as Jordan, but I know her as an environmental regulator. In line with my last two posts about protecting animals, Jordan entered the UAAC office today and was horrified to see we had plastic pop rings (aka "death traps") sitting on our fridge, completely intact.

"I hope you guys have been cutting these up!!!!!!!" She repeated over and over again, until everyone had heard her.

Then Jordan took the liberty of cutting up all of these rings, so that none of us would forget. While I always try to cut these up, I know that even the most environmentally-conscious people can forget to. It spoke a lot to me, and showed Jordan's selflessness in that she took time out of her day to do such a simple thing for the environment.

As this is the last post, I found it fitting to showcase just one of the great leaders in our class!

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Here’s an interesting and different take on leadership than the things we have discussed thus far. Although I find this perspective intriguing, I see some flaws in what the speaker is saying. They say that they are not a leader but I disagree. The speaker here states that they are a “kick-ass second in command”, which to me, translates that they are adaptable. To me, being a leader is knowing when to step down when the situation calls for it but still acting as a strong and valued member of the team. Realizing when your skill set may not be the best for a task instead of bulldozing your way though is leadership. 

Everyone says "you must be a leader"

From the time I was a small child, everyone- teachers, parents (not even necessarily my own), religious figures, scouts, sports, anything and everything in my life said “you have to be a leader”, “learn to lead”, “develop leadership qualities”.

However, much like the problem Loki and Thor ran into, I realized, that if everyone was a leader… who were they leading?

In the past couple of years, I have realized two things:

1) This mindset has led us to a dangerous place. Obviously, not everyone can lead a team, or a business, or anything really. Even if you specialize in something and become indispensably invaluable, you are still not guaranteed leadership. Nor are you necessarily suited for it. In order to fill this, people have done one of two things: a) given up any hope, accepted their participation awards, and resigned themselves to dead last. Or b) decided that they were going to create a leadership position at any cost. See the leaders of discourse movements or hopeless battles that lead nowhere- or worse, detract from actually vital issues. In telling our children that they must lead, we have eliminated the idea that followers and support are just as important to a group. You can’t lead well without help, and you can’t lead at all without people who will follow.

2) I am not a leader. Let me clarify: I can lead; (and I do think that that should be something that we are taught- the ‘how’ of leading) but I wouldn’t be ideal. I’m not comfortable having other people’s lives in my hands. Even for something as simple as determining whose schedules I do and do not work around for the sake of the group. But you know what I am? A kick ass second-in-command. I will gladly enforce a good rule, and I can research and advise someone else on any decision they’ll make, if I need. I can and will play the bad cop and the good cop and the mother or father if asked, and I can execute orders with creativity and efficiency. And I am okay with that.

It’s okay to play a supporting character. Leaders don’t get far without someone to help nitpick their plans, or even just someone to keep them on the straight-and-narrow (or crooked-and-wide, if that’s what you want). It’s okay if you aren’t a leader.

Yes, it’s important that you know how, because honestly, there will come a point in most people’s lives where they will need to lead, even if it’s just leading a discussion.

I’m not saying don’t live up to your potential. Please do! If someone tells you that you would be a great leader- take their words under advisement! Fulfill that potential and push yourself to try. Strive to be the best you that you are capable of being.

But if you aren’t a leader in everything you do? You’re not a failure. You are you. Be a kick-ass support, or a moral cheerleader, or even just the home for someone to come back to. You are still vital and valued. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

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This was the last thing I read before this post. It was intriguing as I am the kind of person who loves walking up escalators. An interesting look at cognitive behavior and ways to communicate to get people  to take the best course of action. Increasingly governments are starting to increase ‘nudge’ activities and get folks to do what is in their best interest. A lot more could be said about this but I encourage you to read more about nudge units across the globe.

TLDR: It will be better for everyone if we all stood instead of walked on escalators, but human beings don’t always do the most logical thing.

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As many of us are starting summer jobs next month, that raises the question of how we can continue to be a leader even when we don’t rank very high in the hierarchy of the company.  

Some of the “10 Ways” mentioned in this article may seem obvious, but several stood out to me: 

1. Network

I find that sometimes there is a tendency to view jobs as simply a way to make money.  By learning about and investing in relationships with co-workers, you’ll get more out of the job instead of simply the monetary value.  

2. Get to Know Your Boss and Get a Mentor

By seeing how leaders in your workplace act, it is a learning experience to either mirror those actions or see how those qualities result in ineffective leadership.  This is very similar to networking in that you are getting to know the people you are working with.  

3. Do Your Job

This one may seem very obvious, but in any situation, you can lead by example.  ACTUALLY doing your job is a small way to lead in the workplace.  Doing your job and grumbling the entire time is just as much of a hindrance to your reputation as not doing your job at all.  

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Hello everyone, I wanted to this last post to be something a little different than usual. This post still pertains to leadership and communication as it is unquestionably essential for leaders to recognize and appreciate those around them, but I think this goes for us as people more than anything.

Again, just like my last post, I mentioned how this is a busy time for people, but I suppose it always is for a group like this one, isn’t it? All the more reason that we might get bogged down sometimes with how much is on our plates, and I know how much pressure lots of us put on ourselves to “achieve” and be our “best”. What I really appreciated about this video is that it is a chance for us to depart from “us” and visit what it means to be grateful for others. We all have people who have helped shape who we are, whether that be marketing masters, accounting aces, management maestros, or operations aficionados. Of course our majors don’t define us, but I went on a little bit of an alliteration spree that simply had to continue.

More than that, we all have people in our lives who have enabled us to push through some of our most daunting obstacles. If you watch the video, or choose to reflect on who those people are in your lives, you might start to realize those people don’t hear how much they mean to you as often as they should. 

Maybe that’s not the case for all of us, but I thought this was a great opportunity for me to share a reminder about showing gratitude to those who have shaped you, rebuilt you, and strengthened you to be all of the wonderful people I see each and every Thursday. If not for you then for me, tell them how grateful I am to be able to learn from you and laugh with you each week.

I know this is long but I guess who is surprised, really. We’ll have time in class for this I know, but I still want to say thank you to all of you for making up what were easily my favourite classes this year =)

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For those of you that know me, know I love fried chicken. Needless to say, this video (and really all other videos up on this YouTube channel, ‘Startup Stories’) was a very pleasant find for me. I thought I’d share it because personally, watching success stories that are founded in hard work such as Colonel Sander’s story (or perhaps more commonly known, JK Rowling’s story) is a source of motivation for me! When I’m becoming unproductive during the day, videos like these usually work to lift up my spirits again before I regain my will to work. I know that that’s not the case for everyone as I’ve talked to some friends who think videos like this are too optimistic and tell the anomaly-success-story rather than the norm, which is true, but they still work for me ahah. What’s something you do to pump yourself up when your motivation is dwindling? I’d honestly love to hear about what works for others in our class especially with finals season creeping up. if you happen to read this, do bring along your suggestions to class for next Thursday!

As always, it has been a lovely semester with you, LC. I wish you all the best with finals and with any remaining deadlines - I already can’t wait to see where our adventures take us this Fall ❤

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I know that each of you are memorable and caught both my attention and the selection committee for LC. This video cause my eye as being relevant particularly in business and during this time. Right now we are going through job hunts and applying for summer jobs, all of these things that get us to put ourselves out there. In this video the speaker touches on 11 things to do in order to be memorable to the person you are interacting with! Now I know each of you has your own unique characteristic that makes you stand out, so take this as a reminder to be you! Be curious, make jokes, ask questions and build relationships with the people you encounter along the way in anything you try out!

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A couple weeks ago I saw the movie preview for “The Zookeepers Wife” I was very interested in it as the movie is about World War II which I find a very intriguing topic . It is about a wife and her husband who own a zoo during the second world war and use their zoo to hide, protect and house many jewish families and individuals. Once I discovered this movie was first a book I immediately ran out to buy it as I insist on reading books prior to watching the movie and this was a movie I wanted to see. I was very intrigued by the courage and leadership of this young couple who put themselves in danger in order to protect many others. 

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WOAH INCOMING: an intersection of the arts and leadership? Color me intrigued. See that pun ?? I'll show myself out. 

As someone who has been in many productions I found this article quite interesting. It discusses topics we have exhausted, such as emotional intelligence, but also dives into things as much as possible improvisation can be used as a tool to handle embarrassment and failure with grace. The world of business is so unpredictable so it is imperative for leaders to be adaptable. As the article states, "controlling the unpredictable creates opportunities for leaders to be creative in their leadership skills and show their team grace when dealing with unwanted or unexpected situations." 

Moral of the story: lets take an improv class <3 

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I found this hilarious but interesting. Leadership is not just earned by degrees or certificates (LOL) but through experiences. Have an open mind and explore. You can be a leader in any field when you are first a good follower.

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This was neat. One of my friends tagged her sister on Twitter so that was how I came across it. I love the first point being related to gaining real-life experience while attaining your degree as I do strongly believe in the importance of being well rounded. Maybe not 4 jobs, but you know what I mean :)

Many of these things we have ALL been through - I know how stressful it is losing a paper at 4am the night it was due, or how much fun I had going out and maintaining friendships the night before an exam. I also found the last point resonated well with me too, as we have so much more to look forward to after the UofA, and god damn am I excited to see where life takes us all!

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As some of you may know, I am a huge animal lover, and definitely have a soft spot when it comes to these creatures. Regarding the worlds largest land animal, there has been lots of very sad news in recent years: the 1982 population of 1.2 million African elephants has now dwindled to between 400,000 and 500,000, and 20,000 African elephants continue to be killed for their tusks annually.

At these rates, the poaching of African elephants cannot continue. It is because of this that the news that came this morning was so amazing! China - the worlds largest ivory market - has agreed to close 67 of their ivory carving and retail shops, which amounts to approximately one third of the total.

This is an amazing step that the Chinese government is taking in the war on poaching, and proves how vital China is in decisions like this. While many people look at leadership as leading other people, we must remember that decisions like these are ones that shape the world. I hope that many other Asian countries continue to follow in the Chinese's footsteps, as they pledge to end all domestic ivory sales by the end of the year.

Leading the environment is just as important as leading businesses and governments! The fact that the Chinese government is using its power in order to work towards this cause with many environmental and conservation organizations shows the ability that arises when different fields work together.

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Ok team, I don't ever post this early, so you know I'm pumped about this video. Casey Niestat has been someone I have looked up to for years, he is a filmmaker who works out of New York and works primarily on YouTube, and is a brand ambassador. So how does this relate to the class, well this class is all about communication, and Casey is a proclaimed story teller and he frequently talks about how YouTube is being used by many people as a device to communicate their story. Check the video out, another inspirational video by him. #jonp #graded #domore