A640.9.2.RB- Final Project Reflection "Arts and Bees"

If I am being transparent, and I usually am, choosing my final elective was considerably difficult. I wanted to take a MSLD titled course versus another College of Business course because I like the design and the focus of the content. I was drawn to the fact that there would also be a mixture of writing styles in the assignments. A major deterrent was doing the Service Learning Project. Even as someone who loves academics and learning it was sort of a hard sell to think that I would have almost as many assignments as I would in a core course (which there are ten out of twelve core courses for this program) and do volunteer hours on top of that.

The lazy person inside me that juggles a full-time job and full-time school clinched up like someone would when jumping into a pool filled with ice water. I simply had an aversion to this idea, yet I kept circling it as an option much like vultures do. Granted it was also a hard-sell for some of my school mates, too. I almost had my school bestie ready to take it with me but at the last minute she jumped ship. Ultimately I decided that I really should stop being a weenie and woman up.

I have to say that I am incredibly glad that I did. Being the strategy girl that I am I decided that if I am doing this I have to hit the ground running. As soon as the class started and I read the service project requirements and then I got busy and found that place I wanted to volunteer and a contact. Living in an arts community and feeling like a living representation of the arts I decided that was what I was drawn to and what I should be spending my time and service on. Out of the many options I landed on Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, a non-profit organization.

I have said it many times but I still cannot believe that I had never been there and did not know basically anything about it. My community is not that big! So when I pulled up the sandy driveway I was not sure what I would be walking into or what to expect. My breath was taken away.  Every detail made it a truly elegant place, one worth of being a work of art itself. I got really excited to look around and start learning about who they are and what they do.

I kept a keen eye on every person trying to soak in aspects for my project. Learning leadership and theory from a book and writing about it while drawing from memory of personal experiences is one thing, but observing it in real life is another. After ten other classes it was not usually difficult to do the former. I felt like a leadership detective on a case. When I am at work I am immersed in the environment and being part of it and feel the effects of management decisions and the culture helps one understand the things that are present and a felt sense of what is missing. It is much harder to go to an unfamiliar place with new people and try to feel out what their organizational atmosphere is like, especially during an event. That in itself was worth its weight in gold.

If you want to be a true master of something you need to do and experience everything you can. The growing and learning never stops and this service project added to my expertise. It also felt like a debutant ball of sorts, too. I was revealing myself to my community in a leadership learning capacity and it was my coming out. It is like playing dress up and trying everything on for size as I "test drove" my soon to be new degree. But I want it to be more than a vanity prop because I want to do things, lots of things. I want to make a difference.

I cannot say enough good (and true) things about the ACA. It is a first-class organization. Even doing the research about the origins gave me a pool of information deeper than I could have dreamed of and the hours I spent volunteering gave me a direction in which to start. 

And once more I must say how absolutely bananas I am about the bee apiary that is on the property! About ten years ago I read “The Secret Life of Bees” and I gained and awareness and understanding of bees. As those years passed my intrigue and respect have grown. Maybe it is because human survival is closely tied to the ecosystem and bees are a huge part of that. Maybe it is because I romanticize all things bee. It was just one more thing that captured my heart and my respect for the ACA.

When I finished high school dance, cheerleading, gymnastics, and all the other art related activities were kind of over. Some are able to extend that into college and even less transfer that into their adult lives. When I moved to Mississippi for college I lost all of my connection to those worlds and I never reestablished them in my new environment. That is something that makes me feel loss. Once I came back home in my adult years I have danced in community theater productions and even was asked to choreograph a musical (which is like the hugest honor to me).

I still feel rusty though when it comes to that part of me. Seeing the ACA it makes me feel hope that I could have these things again throughout my lifetime. I dreamed of being a dance or gymnastics coach when I was in middle school. Now I dream of writing a novel or eight. I keep notes, scribbles, ideas so that once I am ready I have a place to start. It feels like there is a fire that has been rekindled and I am incredibly joyful for it.

Usually things are what we make of them. I could have complained my way through this project and took it at face value. I could have even chosen differently. I feel like with taking this class I answered a door of opportunity and fate did the rest. These good things found me again. Something in leadership that is easy for people to overlook are our own personal passions and finding sources of inspiration. When that well is dry it impacts what we do and our relationships with others, as well as the world around us.

With the culmination of all of this insight and knowledge I head into my final course in January. I feel full from this specific experience and have a happy heart thanks to the arts and bees.

In dedication: A very special thank you to the Atlantic Center for the Arts. 

A640.8.2.RB- Women in Leadership

There is a story I like to tell people because not only do I find it humorous but because I feel like it explains a lot about me quickly. I met my other half in Mississippi, a place that sometimes is like stepping back in time. Gender roles are still traditional as they might have been decades ago and the vast majority follow closely to the same path as their peers with little deviation. It is important to go to a good school, find a husband with a good job so that you can have a nice home and a nice family. Your family goes to church together and you are supposed to live happily ever after. The better you marry makes the difference in whether you need to work. However, some women choose to and that is okay. I have no qualm with this, though I feel like I am looking from the outside in and am just passing through.

One of my favorite places is the Agriculture museum because there is a cute little “old town” set up that you can walk through and even go to the old fashion store and get throwback candies and sodas. There is a garden, a gas station, the doctor, the general store, the school house, the church, and maybe a couple other buildings. The first time we went I was wide eyed and excited, it is the kind of place my imagination runs wild. I turned to Trey and asked, “What kind of job would I have chosen?” I threw out a couple things before settling on fire watch look out that would spend hours in the fire tower making sure things are safe. Trey looked at me sweetly with no malice and explained, “You would not be allowed to have a job. You would be burned at the stake if there still was one.” He countered with, “Or at least you would have started the women’s revolution, either way.”

I stopped abruptly on the gravel road, paused, looked around and then smiled. Yeah, that would be me for sure! Wait, why couldn’t I have a job? I forget what it was like for the women who came before me. But that is me, ready to mess things up by challenging the status quo. I was raised in Florida and feel like in general I was removed from a lot of these traditional ideals. Maybe it was part of the environment or maybe it was to great credit of my parents. I never felt like I was limited to what I could do in life. When I went to college in Mississippi only then did my eyes open to the fact that the world is still not entirely fair or equal all the time for everyone. This makes my twitchy justice side rage.

I came across a TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook that was recorded in 2010. The discussion was centered on why we have too few women leaders? I was nervous about listening to it because I wondered if I would agree or not. Some of it I can relate one million percent with and other areas I am not sure resonate with me personally because of my choices in life. For example, I do not have an interest in marriage (but I might one day for legal purposes should I feel inclined) and my poor man-boyfriend of ten and a half years gets called names like partner, friend, boyfriend, manfriend, or cohabituer (I made that up, it’s French). I am also not going to have children. People tell me all the time I am going to change or I am going to regret it and feel sorry when I don’t. It is funny how people can make these assumptions about me when they cannot just jump inside and see that I have never walked a traditional path and that is cool with me. I am not doing it to be trendy or rebellious. I say it because I know who I am.

Because of this I probably will never have to decide between family or career. But it makes me upset that in society we are made to feel we have to choose. When I am asked either/or questions I always ask- why not both? So let me ask this… why can we not have both? I get it. There are not enough hours in the day. I see this for a colleague who recently became a mommy. 

As Sandberg (2010) suggests, women start leaning back and leave the table before they actual leave the table. My friend and I chat about it sometimes and that is not her intention and I think she is just going to have to find her sea legs while balancing the new roles. I have another colleague that I am tremendous friends with who has three children.  She explained to me that she has decided to focus on herself again which means working out, spending time with friends, and pursuing her Master’s degree- but people in her life make her feel selfish for these choices. “Stereotypes are not necessarily used intentionally to harm others. However, stereotypes can lead to discrimination in the selection and promotion of women to leadership positions, and therefore, can be very harmful” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 414).

So I have to ask generally, as a cynical person toward having that type of family- why are so many people telling me this is what I need to do, especially knowing my ambitions, if they are going to turn around and fault me for trying to have it all and judge my parenting? Do people even realize this is what is happening? Please do not shackle me with what I “ought” to be doing. The peanut gallery's comments are not needed and I am not listening.

And just like we are back at square one I am ready to fight these notions for my friends and for all the people out there that feel like they have to choose or that they have to sit back. I am not comfortable with these implications we impose on certain facets of life. Research shows females respond in two ways to these stereotypes either by conforming or countering it. “Women who are confident are more likely to engage in stereotype resistance, and those who are less confident are more likely to assimilate to the stereotype” (Rowe & Guerrero, 2013, p. 414). It is soon to be 2016- why are we doing this to ourselves and others?  

One of my very favorite stories from Sandberg’s talk is the difference between her friend, herself, and her brother. They each take a class and put in varying levels of effort. Her friend puts in the absolute most, she puts in a lot, and the brother skirts by with a little help from each of them. After the test both women feel like they could have done a little more. The brother thinks he got the best grade in the class. Even boiling the story down from its original context that sounds absurd. “The problem with these stories is that they show what the data shows: women systematically underestimate their own abilities” (Sandberg, 2010, n.p.).

Even though I joke that I am ready to lead a revolution I find myself falling back into this sometimes. When I think about what is next after my Master’s I wonder if I am suffering from imposter syndrome. Am I actually good at anything at all or have I fooled people? Then I feel small and think maybe I should just do the same things I have always done and fear doing something new. I sort of cannot even picture what is next for myself if I am being entirely honest. The next logical step is maybe I should find a position where I formally lead people. But then I wonder if I would be any good at it and worry if I will fail. I also wonder if anyone would even listen to me? Sandberg (2010) continues her story:

A study in the last two years of people entering the workforce out of college showed that 57 percent of boys entering, or men, I guess, are negotiating their first salary, and only seven percent of women. And most importantly, men attribute their success to themselves, and women attribute it to other external factors. If you ask men why they did a good job, they'll say, "I'm awesome. Obviously. Why are you even asking?" If you ask women why they did a good job, what they'll say is someone helped them, they got lucky, they worked really hard. Why does this matter? Boy, it matters a lot. Because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table, and no one gets the promotion if they don't think they deserve their success, or they don't even understand their own success. (n.p.)

Change often starts with one person at a time. Then they go on to tell other people what they overcame and maybe inspire others to try the same, even coaching them along the way. Heck, even if a group of people did it together- there is room for lots of people in my opinion, this could create momentum. Someone needs to get the ball rolling and in fact there are people out there right now trying to make a difference. I do not see Taylor Swift sitting in a corner and apologizing for herself. So when doubt, a poisonous emotion, creeps in I am going to remember Sandberg’s brother and say: “I am awesome. Obviously.”

Bottom line: it is time to stop putting Baby in the corner and finally watch her put herself in the corner office.  

References:

Rowe, W. G. & Guerrero L. (2013). Cases in Leadership. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, Inc.

Sandberg, S. (2010, December). Why we have too few women leaders. Retrieved December 13, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders

A640.7.3.RB- How to Answer Case Study Questions

I remember when I decide to start graduate work because I asked around what my chosen program would entail. The answer I heard the most is everything is great except case studies are awful. Just the name of them sounds unappealing… case studies. Everyone said do not leave the case studies classes until the end or you will be burned out and not want to put in the work that you absolutely have to put in so I put that in the 1990’s rolodex in my mind.

When I realized how many forms of case studies filled the classes I felt heartburn instantaneously. Before ever doing a case study I decided I couldn’t do it if it was that bad. One of the most important lessons anyone will ever have in life is not to believe everything you hear. I am not everyone else and they are not me.

I am not even sure how I learned to do case studies or how I decided my approach. Two classes had a required format that looked for the macro and micro problems, causes, systems affected, alternatives, and recommendations. This was my first experience and my favorite. As it turns out I loved all the case studies in those classes. They were challenging but it was a pleasure to pick apart a story and ask questions as I glued it all back together in my response.

Other formats utilize questions in a directed manner that guide the learning and tailor it toward the various leadership theories. Some case studies use shorter concise scenarios. Others were quite extensive. One that stands out discussed a founder of Dickinson College that felt like it went back to the beginning of time but really just with roots based in England and the colonization of Pennsylvania and then moved through history to almost present day. Needless to say beware if you play me in iPad Jeopardy because I am armed with factoids.

I suppose my strategy for conquering them was to read them and hope for the best. I was not sure what to expect so I figured that was the way to get started. Admittedly between critical thinking training and being a Paralegal Studies major in my undergrad it was not as intimidating as it was made to sound.

Flash forward to today when I was browsing the internet for how to cook brie cheese and I landed on an ehow article. Anyone wondering how to do something and googled it has probably happened upon one of these articles. It did not tell me whether or not using a baking stone would char my cheese and burn down my house but at least I know the basics for having melty goodness that I can make at home. It just so happens you really can find anything on ehow including how to answer case study questions. Who would have thought? Not me.

The first paragraph caught my attention because the best I could articulate what a case study was is to say that I was going to “read a little story and answer it” so it has already one upped me. I can whip up an excellent analysis just do not ask me to explain it. The easier something is the harder I like to make it.

The two best points from my perspective were to 1.) Figure out what the question is asking you to solve and 2.) Imagine the problem and try to solve it (King, n.d.). While that sounds overly simplified the article points out that you should use what you already know to create the answer and not to gloss over the details such as the arrangement of the words and included facts or figures. Something that is not included is to beware of red herrings. Sometimes there is something you want to fixate upon that is just in there to throw you off the trail.

Another point I would like to mention is that for visual learners create a story in your mind as if you are watching a movie and try to picture what you are reading. The more in depth you can imagine it the better you will be able to manipulate the problem within the context of the story. Without fail when I read anything this is what I am doing. It does not work for everyone but finding your own strength and making it work for you is a great way to conquer cases or mostly anything else. You do not have to do it the same way as everyone else you just have to be able to do it the best that you can.

Reference:

King, J. (n.d.). How to Answer Case Study Questions. Retrieved December 6, 2015, from http://www.ehow.com/how_8342765_answer-case-study-questions.html