A521.2.3.RB - Danger of Stories

In her TED presentation, “The Danger of the Single Story”, Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, presents a powerful speech on how society can be influenced by a single one sided story.  Ms. Adichie followed the first step in telling a successful springboard story by ensuring the story is one of truth; using her own life as the main protagonist.  She emphasizes the power that a single story can have and how society has manipulated this process to influence individual the thought process. 

 

She began her speech by identifying herself as a victim of misunderstandings because of single stories provided to her by her parents and others close to her as she grew up.  Chimamanda explains how preconceptions of adults like her parents, college roommates and friends and even professors had influenced her world view of society as a whole.  One powerful example she analyzes is the view of the American society on the country of Mexico and its poverty. Now looking back on my own upbringing and reflecting on her talk session, I can clearly see how a single story can influence how we define a selected group of people, how we stereotype a geographical location, how we dismiss a certain genre or style of music, or even a type of food.  To be fair, stereotypes exist and will always exist in some aspect of our lives, thus making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction when we are exposed to such thought process so early in our lives.  This is a perfect example of the power of the single story. 

I share in Chimamanda’s experience when it comes to the power of the single story.  Much of my adult life was spent in the military where stories have a very powerful place in society.  There is one story that seems to follow me everywhere I go.  Early in my military life, I lived in and traveled around Europe.  This exposed me to cultures too numerous to list.  However, I quickly realized that American culture had a different view of other cultures especially the Arab/Muslim culture.  Too often, I would hear high ranking officials speak in very negative ways of these cultures, especially when the conversation of the Koran was included.  My first bachelor’s degree was from a Baptist University (name withheld), where it was mandatory to study the bible so at that time it did have an influence on how I viewed certain aspects of religion.  However I quickly realized that some cultures had the same type of negative view of Christian religion and the Bible.  There was one defining point that is imbedded in my brain.  One of my professor stated, “If you are going to question a thought process (single story), learn the other persons viewpoint…read both the Koran and the Bible and then we can have a conversation on them.  Ignorance will get us nowhere.” It was then that I realized that I have the power to overcome the power of a single story when told by a single protagonist.  To this day, I have accepted a philosophy when teaching at any level.  I inform my student if you leave my class and say Mr. or Professor Washington says this or that is like this, then I have failed you.  My primary job as an educator is to teach students to think on their own; so that they do not become a victim of the single story. 

We often receive information about people, cultures, locations and even events and before you know it we are drawing conclusions based on what some else told us.  Based on Adichie’s story, maybe society should slow down and learn about such information.  At the same time, if we are not careful we will pass this same thought process on to our children.   From this TED session, I will draw the conclusion that Chimamanda is truly a skilled story teller, using humor and actual examples of her own experiences to deliver a powerful message. On the other hand, if I do not learn more about Ms. Chimamanda through my own research, I am being a hypocrite and again falling for the influence of the single story.  It is important to understand that behind a single story; facts are often manipulated or omitted, thus serving the single-mindedness of the individual telling the story.

A521.1.4.RB - Stories in Your Organization

In my currently assigned organization, the one story that keeps rearing its head is the one dealing with the federal government budget.  This is a story that has many faces and points of view. I have been an employee of the federal government for over 27 years in many capacities and the story changes from year to year.  The story always starts with a negative story line and depending on who is telling the story, it can be very descriptive.  Many time these stories describes how events will happen and what will happen if certain situations do not happen…and so on and so on.  However with all this negative rhetoric, so far the world has not ended, the US economy has not imploded and collapsed, people have not started jumping off cliffs yet and we are still the most influential country in the world as we know it.  Personally, I feel these repetitive stories cause undue stress while feeding on the fears of individuals (like the stories of old concerning plagues, werewolves, and vampires) and speaks volumes about "who we are and what we stand for as a people".  Do we intentionally manipulate stories to benefit our own personal agendas?  There is no doubt in my mind that the individuals telling the stories provide meaningful and dramatic details so that the audience will want to hear the story.  At the same time, the story tellers of this situation often spark imagination by inserting phrases such as “Just imagine…”  and “What if…”; adding just enough audience-engaging drama and revealing just enough personal past experiences to provide validity and strengthen the story’s believability.  I know from prior experience that this very circumstance has affected many peoples idea's about the United States government culture as a whole.  The thought of inefficiencies, selfishness, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, all paint a negative image of the government to the average citizen.  From personal perspectives, I have learned to try to avoid these stories because normally they focus on situations I cannot influence.  However, every now and then some radical individual tells the story and baits me in with their long term synopsis of the organization and what direction they may go in the future.  Although such stories may seem harmless, they have both a direct and indirect impact on organizations.  These stories are often bottled up as negative rumors that flow from agency to agency, from office to office, and even cubicle to cubicle. Good luck to anyone who tries to tame this grapevine of rumors.  With these stories, morale often takes a downward spiral, you can often see the stress such stories cause in the faces of some employees.  Although we know these stories are often over dramatic, when told with passion, we listen to them knowing that they will stress us out. With such stories being told, the culture of the organization has become one of distrust, uncertainty and disloyalty.  So to answer the question of whether these stories promote the goals and ideals of the organization, the answer is definitely no.  I don’t think such stories will ever go away; they will just be changed to fit the audience.  These types of stories were here before I arrived and will be there when I am long gone.    

A520.9.5.RB – Power

Are you comfortable developing sources of personal influence to gain power? I think I am very comfortable with developing sources of personal influence to gain power. I feel that as long as your actions benefit the organization, the use of power can be a good thing.  The part of personal power I use the most is expertise.  I am always trying to upgrade my experience level; using sources of personal power to be seen as an expert at my job, thus influencing my sources of influence. This is one of the reasons I have been taking educational class for 15 years, which takes extra time and effort in learning.  The more knowledge I possess about the aspect of my duties, the more I can influence my peers to making good decisions.  As an expert you gain a positive reputation.  I truly believe that your reputation is vital when you are considered as a field expert by subordinates, peers and organizational leaders.   

 

Do you embody the characteristics of likeable people depicted in Table 5.4 (p. 290)? The answer to this question is no.  I do not feel that I embody the characteristics depicted on Table 5.4 (p. 290).  The most important thing to me is a professional relationship, not how much someone likes you.  I am not big on social exchanges that do not relate to the task at hand.  I normally do not go out of my way to have conversations with individuals, unless it is job related. One factor that has influenced my actions is a large part of my career was spent as a supervisor. As a rule, I tend to associate with my work colleagues within the workplace (work related), and I choose not to have relationships with my colleagues outside of work. One for the flaws I have when I do have social exchanges with peers is the fact that I find myself gravitating to those with similar interests and backgrounds.  I have to be careful here as to not single individuals out. 

 

Are you able to use influence both up and down your organization considering the information in Table 5.5 (p. 293)? To be a great leader / teacher, you must also be a great follower / student.  Serving both roles helps to appreciate what the other has to endure on a daily basis.  Due to this experience of being in both roles, I feel confident that I am able to use my influence both up and down my organization. 

A520.7.3.RB - Importance of Having a Coach and Mentor

Write a blog entry on the significance, importance, and/or impact of having a coach and/or a mentor to help you in your professional journey.

I have experienced both mentoring and coaching from both side of the coin.  Both terms are often misunderstood; however when used correctly they can serve as important factors in the employee development.  I think the impact of having a coach and/or a mentor can be beneficial to help you in your professional journey.  However I also think if it is not managed correctly it can have a negative effect on your career.  I cannot recall a time in my professional career where I have not been exposed to some type of coaching or mentoring process.  We often take our parents for granted when it comes to these roles, so I will not discuss that aspect.  From my school days I can remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Hodges always giving me advice on how to be a respectable young man…we stayed in contact until she passed.  That was a mentorship that put me on the right path of life; someone beside my parents who advised me. As far as sport in high school, the coaching process was short lived.  While you played for the school, the coaches had a vested interest in you performance.  It was said that they had an interest in the person, but as soon as you senior season ended you were told to enroll in another class and that relationship ended as soon as it began.  The one time in my life where I can say both coaching and mentoring had a long term effect was my career in the Air Force. 

From the first day I showed up at my first duty station, I was being coached and mentored to some degree.  Someone more senior to you was assigned to assist you in transitioning into a new way of life and an individual, normally your supervisor, was giving you performance expectations.  Mentoring as a whole, not coaching has had the biggest impact on my professional career which is grounded in my military career. I had goal of one day achieving a Bachelor’s degree, but not a graduate degree.  Because of great mentors, I am now working on my third Master’s degree.  Their continuing investment in me personally has assisted me in achieving goals a much larger scale than I imagined.  This has opened numerous doors for professional advancement.  I believe in the phrase pay it forward.  Because of the great mentors I have experienced I have tried to provide the same dedication and commitment to young professional I seen potential in. 

A520.6.5.RB: Team Roles

Consider how you generally relate as a team-member.

Understanding your role as a team member is something very individuals attempt to understand.  Most people to include myself want the role of leadership when it comes to team dynamics.  I often have to self-reflect on my role when it comes to how I relate to peers.  I have learned that even at a more mature stage in my life, I must work to improve my relationship building skills as part of my daily routines at my current workplace.  I often here that team player should create positive energy by being optimistic and complimentary to team members.  Encouragements is important, however I must be honest with myself because I struggle here.  I do not like to encourage peers who do not put forth an honest work effort. 

Do you actively engage your team to accomplish its mission?

When it comes to my role as a task-facilitator or team leader, there are several improvement steps I must take to actively engage my team to accomplish its mission.  I must work hard to increase the level of trust with my team members; I must make sure my communication is clear, positive and consistent, when is come to being a positive contributor to achieving team goals.  I realize this is an area I need to work hard at but the first step to improvement starts with understanding where you stand as a member to your team.

Do you work to improve the team cohesion and collaboration?

The answer here would be yes.  Even though I am not the best person when it comes to relationship building, I have a deep desire for the team improve team cohesion and collaboration on a professional basis.  The key word here is on a professional basis not a personal basis.  I see the world as it is not my job or goal to see that everyone is happy when it come work. I deeply believe that a team needs s collaboration and cohesion to be effective.

A520.5.3.RB - Forrestor's Empowerment

I would agree with many recognized leaders that state that many professionals use the term “empowerment” without comprehending the true meaning of the term.  I have seen and experienced numerous variations of empowerment usage and my definition would be a combination of all of them.  The idea of empowerment is based on the theory of giving employees, control of resources and authority to make decisions that benefit the organization.

The article, “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea”, provides examples of organizations that focus on the fallacy that “one size fits all” or what I describe as “one bandage can cover all wounds” process of empowerment.  However data showed that the bottom line is the process was not successful.  The article provides an overview of nine principles of developing empowerment in employees. Those 9 principles are as follows: Articulating a Clear Vision, Fostering Personal Mastery Experiences, Modeling, Providing Support, Emotional Arousal, Providing Information, Providing Resources, Connect to Outcomes and Creating Confidence.  Also discussed were attributes of empowerment, which are, Self-efficacy, Self-determination, Personal consequence Meaning and Trust.

Author Russ Forrester, also discussed the process of the social learning theory of motivation which encourages organizations to consider power sharing by senior leadership.  However, the process has to show a tangible benefit.  Without a doubt it must be understood that delegation is key to empowerment. 

No matter how you look at delegation, it is not as simple as it would seem.  When management delegates certain duties and tasks, management retains overall accountability and the majority of responsibilities to ensure tasks are completed correctly.  On the flip side of the coin, empowerment can be a process where employees can gain trust from superiors through their actions.  The article summarizes empowerment with the fact that, as one size does NOT fit all!  Leaders and managers must use the historical lessons to learn how to properly apply delegation!

 

 

A520.4.3.RB

In the video, “The Three Things We Work For (Money Isn’t One of Them)”, Andy Mulholland explains his theory on why people are motivated beyond money.

 

·         The first motivational factor I want to discuss is, “I want interesting work".  Andy gave a very good example of how he was offered opportunities that enhanced his emotional ties to the organization.  His story hit home with me on how we have to look at personal growth challenges over money alone.  I can personally testify to this being true. Personally, I have received many great job offers, but they never really met the needs of me or my family.  While pursuing my second graduate degree, I did a research paper on the importance of job satisfaction.  The findings supported the fact that money actually did not rate in the top 5 motivational factors supporting job satisfaction.

 ·         The second motivational factor is having the ability to expand my job skills.  Having the opportunity to learn on the job is a powerful motivator.  As the saying goes, “knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have, you valuable you are to your organization.” Expanding your skills strengthens your versatility when faced with challenging tasks.  I do not think I know anyone who wants to do the same task every day for the next 20 years.  In order for an organization to build upon an employee’s skill set, both the organization and the individual must determine the skills the individual needs and then provided a way to not only train them, but an provide opportunity to expand on that growth. 

 

·         The third motivator in the video was the desire to be recognized. According to the words of Mr. Mulholland, "value me for what I can do, and how I can work.”  Overpaying someone to make them stay, won't work in the long run!”  Sometimes a simple thank you or hand shake goes along way when it comes to motivation.  You know what they say; motivated employees are more productive employees!

Additionally, 3 motivators that have a major impact on me are as follows:

Immediate Feedback…Tell me when I am doing wrong so I can improve.  I feel it is an essential part of learning and it can improve overall performance.

A flexible work schedule…personal time off and the ability to modify my schedule have more value to me than money.  This motivator is a win-win for me and my family.

 

Last, but not least, is what many of us will not admit to being a motivational factor; money.  To have the ability to purchase goods and services for yourself and your family is a motivator in itself.  People often say I love my job and I don’t do it for the money.  Well I tell them, “If that’s the case, go to work for free”.