The End

This weeks class was really fun, and we were able to look back and discuss the things that we have learned over the semester. It was good to hear everyones comments because it reminded me of things that I have forgotten about since we learned them. One of the things that I had not really thought about for a while was Tom Holmo's lesson on teamwork. The part that I liked best about that presentation was talking about shared goals. He taught the importance of having shared goals, a united vision on any team. For me, this is especially important in families. It was great to be reminded of that lesson.

I learned so much this semester, and i am so glad that I took this class. Thanks so much Tommy for making this class so enjoyable.

A much needed break :)

I am not gonna lie, I am stressed out of my mind. With finals coming up, papers due, my work schedule changing, and a voice performance in a few days, I am stretched pretty thin. I have been working so hard lately that I haven't really taken any time to relax and unwind. Needless to say, when this weeks assignment was announced, I was relieved. Today my aunt and uncle and their kids came down from Idaho for a visit. I hadn't seen them since November so I was pretty excited about it. I spent a large part of the day today at my families house just visiting and playing games with my cousins. It was so good to be able to take a break and spend some time with the people I love most in this world!

Shared Leadership In My Home

I come from a wonderful family of seven. I have one brother, three sisters, and two fabulous parents. My parents were a wonderful example of shared leadership. They never made a decision without discussing it first. They disciplined together, made rules together, planned family outings and meetings together, and supported everything each child did. I learned early in my childhood that if I wanted to ask for something important, I might as well not even try until dad got home from work. If I did, my mom would simply say, "I will have to talk to your dad about it" or "we need to ask your dad before we decide."
During my senior year in high school my parents called family counsel. At the counsel our parents informed us that they were considering moving to Utah. They told us that we would not leave until the end of the school year if we moved, but that we would leave during the summer. To be honest, I was heart broken. I had lived in Weiser Idaho my entire life and, even though I would head to college before the move, I wanted my home to still be in Idaho. My parents then informed us that they weren't going to make any decisions until each one of us prayed about the move and received an answer. One week later we met again and discussed what had happened during the week. Each of us were praying about the decision but there were still some mixed feelings about whether it was the right thing to do. We took another week to ponder and pray about the decision and by the next week we all felt like it was the right thing to do, despite how hard it would be to leave home. This was an amazing learning experience for me. Not just about praying and receiving answers, but about the importance of shared leadership in the home. My parents obviously made the final decision together, but allowing us to contribute made me feel important and cared for.

Values.com

On values.com I found a really great commercial about honesty. This video is of a championship high school basketball game. The score is close and there is only a few seconds left on the clock. A player on one team hits the ball out of bounds but the referee still calls it his team's ball. Instead of doing the easy thing and taking the ball so they could win the game, the boy who hit it out told the referee he had touched it.

Honesty is, in my opinion, one of the most important qualities that a leader can have. If the people that you are serving cannot trust you, then they won't want to follow your lead.

Ethical Dilemma

This week in class we discussed morals and ethics. We were asked to write about an ethical dilemma that we have faced. I have been thinking a lot about this for the past few days. Simply being a college student presents multiple ethical dilemmas. However, I think that the biggest dilemma that I face personally, is that of lying to protect the people that you love. To be completely honest, I am not one hundred percent sure what the right thing to do in this situation is. On one hand, I know that lying is wrong and that we are commanded to be honest in all of our dealings. At the same time though, sometimes I just can't bring myself to tell someone the truth if it is going to hurt them.

In high school I was on the track team. One of my best friends named Ana and I were the top two girls high jumpers on the team. We had so much fun together at all of the meets and the practices. One day at practice, Ana hurt her ankle. We had a meet in a couple of days and she really didn't want to miss it. The head track coach, who was also Ana's mom, knew that Ana had injured herself but she didn't know how bad it was. Coach O. asked me to please tell her if Ana complained about the pain during practice. I didn't know what to do. I knew that Ana's injury was far worse than what she showed because she told me how bad it hurt to jump. I also knew that if she kept jumping off of it, it would only get worse. At the same time, however, I knew that she really didn't want to miss the meet that week and, to be honest, I didn't want her to either because we really pushed each other. After practice that day Ana and I were in the training room and Coach O. asked me if Ana had complained about her ankle during practice. I ended up telling her that Ana had told me how bad the injury was, but it was really hard for me. I didn't want to make it so that Ana wouldn't be able to compete, but I knew that if she did compete, her ankle would just get worse. Ana didn't compete in that meet, but it was good that she didn't because she was able to heal in time for districts and state.

In this particular situation, telling the truth ended up being for the best. I know that sometimes though, being honest with someone may be hurtful to them.

Servant Leadership

Mosiah 2:12, 16, 17

12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;

16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

In this weeks lecture, the speaker's topic was servant leadership. He gave examples from history of good servant leaders and taught us how important it is to love and serve the people we work with, rather than leading from afar. This was one of my favorite lectures because I am able to apply it to my leadership role as a roommate and friend. We do not need to hold a high up leadership position to apply servant leadership, because we can simply serve all of the people around us.
I chose this scripture about servant leadership because, not only does it teach that when we are serving Gods children we are serving Him, but it also makes the point that as leaders we should never focus on getting gain for ourselves. This concept is easily said but not easily done. I am striving to be a good leader and example to those around me and I know that the most important thing that I can do is to put their needs and desires above my own, just as Christ did.

Conflict Resolution: The Peacemaking Pyramid

The theme this week in class was conflict resolution. We discussed a lot of things from learning to be a good listener to preventing debating and arguing. All of the topics we discussed are important, however, the part that had the biggest impact on me was called the Peacemaking Pyramid. The speaker showed us tow slides, one with a pyramid representing how we usually spend our time and the other displayed how we ultimately should spend our time. In the first pyramid, the top section is correcting. With listening, learning, and building relationships down towards the bottom. The Peacemaking pyramid displays the opposite. It suggests that we should spend the majority of our time building relationships and learning about the person we are dealing with and spend hardly any time on correction.

I think that this lesson is so important for every leader to learn. Many times when there is a problem in a company or group the leader focuses his or her time on fixing the problem (or the person creating the problem). This is not the way we need to approach problems. Instead, as leaders we can focus our time and energy on getting to know the person and learning about them. This way, we will not only be able to figure out why there is a problem and fix it, we will also be able to build stronger relationships with the people we are working with.  

Values.com

On values. com I watched a video entitled concert, which is sending the message of encouragement. It showed a young boy who wandered off at a piano recital and found the stage (and the piano). Just as the curtains open he starts playing twinkle twinkle little star. The man who was supposed to perform walks out on to the stage and, instead of getting angry with the boy, he starts playing along with him and encouraging the little boy to keep going. as a leader, encouraging the people you are working with is vital. If a leader just tells the people they are over to do something and then says nothing else about it, it might not get done. If a leader encourages them to do it and lets them know they are doing a good job, the followers will be more willing to do it. 

"Stand close together and lift where you stand."

This week we discussed Pres. Uchtdorf's talk in which he said, "Stand close together and lift where you stand." This is such a profound statement and it can be applied to so may areas in our lives. One way that I can institute this into my life is with my roommates. Four of my roommates and I are very outgoing and crazy. Our one other roommate, however, is more quiet and shy. She is very sweet and we all get along really well, but lately we have noticed that she doesn't do as many things with us as she used to. We all made a goal to include her more and try to make a special effort to reach out to her. This would not work if only one of us decided to do it. In order to really include her, everyone had to try and make it happen. We all need to "stand close together and lift where we stand." 

One other way that I can incorporate this into my  life, is with my family. I have four siblings, one brother and four sisters, and we are all best friends. We love each other so much and we love being together. Two years ago my oldest sister was married and is now living in Houston. My older brother is currently serving a mission in Chile. All of us miss them terribly, but my youngest sister Mali was really having a hard time for a while. Kimball and Mali have a really special relationship. He is eight years older than her and so she really looks up to him. They played games together all of the time and he was so good to her. When Kimball left, Mali really missed him and the things they did together. While we all knew that we couldn't stop her from missing him, we knew that we could make it better. Me and my sisters decided to make a special effort to reach out to Mali and make her feel included in the things that the "big kids" did. It has made such a difference. Everyone is doing their part, just as President Uchtdorf taught. We are all closer now because of it and I know that Mali is happier. 

D&C 88:124

An important part of balancing our lives is getting enough sleep. This scripture teaches us this principle. 

D&C 88:124- "...cease to ^dsleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be ^einvigorated.

If I get enough sleep at night, then I will have enough energy to get the things I need to done during the day. 

Olympics Extra Credit

This morning, I watched a little over an hour of the 2010 olympics online. I watched pairs figure skating. This applies to part of what we discussed in lab this week. We talked about how important it is to not take on everything by ourselves, but to trust others to help you. In couples skating, no matter how talented one person is, they cannot compete without their partner. In other words, if we are not able to put our trust in other people to help us achieve what we want to, we will not be able to succeed. We are not talented enough to do absolutely everything by ourselves. 

Mosiah 4:27

If I am diligent in studying for my Mass Communications test this week, then I will win the prize (a good grade). 

Service Challenge

This week for the service challenge, I decided to do a few things. The first was to try and make eye contact and smile at the people that I passed by on the way to my classes. As easy as this seems, it was actually quite a challenge for me. I really struggle with this kind of thing, meeting new people is one of my biggest fears. After a while, however, it became much easier. I love making people happy and this is a small way that I can do that. 

My second goal was to vocalize every compliment that I thought in my head. I often see someone and think something nice about them but I don't say it out loud. I really wanted to change that because I know that getting a nice compliment can make people so happy.

The last thing I did for this challenge, along with a few of my friends from the class, was hand out candy at the testing center. We stood at the bottom of the stairs where everyone comes when they are done with there tests and gave everyone who walked by a piece of candy. Some of the people we gave it to were so excited! It made me so happy to be making others happy. In fact, we decided to do it every Friday!

Myers Briggs

My results from the Myers Briggs test showed that I am a INFP. A few things that go with this kind of person is they are usually more quiet, not voicing their thoughts openly. They tend to make decisions based on feelings rather than facts. This type of person is also more spontaneous, not really planning future things. 

Many parts of this test were very accurate. I do tend to hold my thoughts inside and I NEVER plan ahead for things. I also make a majority of my decisions based on feelings. I was actually really surprised at how accurate it was. 

From this test I learned that being the way I am is really okay. I always felt like it was wrong of me to always keep quiet in groups and not say what I am thinking, but now I realize that it is fine. There are a lot of people who are exactly the same way. 

At the end of the test there were career options that supposedly match my personality. The ones at the top of the list are all things that I have considered being and one of them is what I am majoring in now. I thought it was amazing how accurate the career choices for me were.

With my personality, I think that my main strength as a leader would be the ability to work closely with people on an personal basis. I am not confident in front of large groups but I love helping people one on one. 

Leadership Book

The book that I have chosen to read for this class is Stand a Little Taller by Gordon B. Hinckley.

Situational Leadership in the Movies-Extra Credit

Forever Strong

One movie that is a good example of situational leadership is Forever Strong. This movie is about a rugby team that invites a young man who is in juvenile detention to come play on their team hoping that being on the team will help him straighten out his life. The coach in this movie is able to adjust his leadership approach to fit each situation, which makes him a very effective leader. When the team is on the field in the middle of an intense practice or a big game, the coach is firm and tough. He tells the players what to do and if they don't do it they are punished. On the other hand, when any of the players is having a hard time or when the team is going through a something difficult, the coach is understanding and sympathetic. He listens to what they say and tries to give them advice. He is a great example of a person who utilizes situation leadership.

Situational Leadership

Truly great leaders understand that different situations call for different leadership techniques. There are four different approaches that can be used, all of which I can apply to the different situations I am faced with as a roommate.

Directing: Directing is one form of leadership that can be used when one's followers have little or no experience with the task at hand and need quite a bit of assistance. As a roommate, I don't feel like this would be an effective approach. Situational leadership is about adjusting your leadership approach to fit the different circumstances you are in. For my leadership position, however, there would rarely, if ever, be a situation that I would need to use this form of leadership.

Coaching: A leader can use this approach in a situation where their followers have some experience but still need quite a bit of help. For me, this approach could be applied when I am teaching my roommates a new skill. For instance, one of my roommates wants me to teach her how to play volleyball. She has watched volleyball games before so she has the general idea, but has never played before so I would need to teach her the basic skills.

Support: When a leader is working with a group of people who know what they are doing they simply need to support the followers in their efforts. The people may simply need support, which the leader should provide. As a roommate, this approach is very important. For instance, me and my roommates have recently started working out together. This was something that I purposed, so it is my job, no only to go each time, but to encourage my roommates to go as well.

Delegating: At some point, when the people a leader is working with really know their stuff, it is not necessary for them to direct or coach the people. The followers simply need the leader to give them a job and they will do it. In my leadership role as a roommate, this approach could be used in multiple situations. For example, each Sunday we cook dinner together. All of us know how to cook, so all that is needed is for someone to give out the jobs (who is making what) and everyone will follow. Nothing else is needed.

Values.Com

One video on values.com titled "Wet Cement" shows a little boy walking through wet cement towards an older man who is smoothing out the cement for a sidewalk. Instead of being angry with the boy for ruining the sidewalk, he calmly picks up the boy, places him on the grass, and begins smoothing it out again. This commercial is encouraging patience, which is a very important quality of a leader. Just as our Father in Heaven loves us even when we make mistakes, as a leader one must learn to love their people in spite of everything. 

My Example

My father is a great example of a leader to me. I asked him a few questions about being a leader, and received some really good insight on how I can become a leader. When I asked him what he thought the qualities of a good leader are he said things like trustworthy, willing to show by example, confident, etc. While all of these are very important, I thought the most interesting quality he talked about was the fact that leaders need to have high expectations for their followers. I had never thought much about that before, but I can see now how important that would be. If a leader does not expect much of his or her followers, then that is what they will receive, but if they set their sights high the people who follow them will be more motivated to achieve that goal. 

Queen Elizabeth 1

Many leaders throughout time have left their mark on our world. Each had their own strategies, motivations, and beliefs. We can learn from these past leaders how to lead in our own lives. 

Queen Elizabeth 1 was one of these great leaders. In my opinion, one of the things that made her a successful leader, was that she legitimately cared for her people. The Queen loved her subjects, and she put them before herself. I believe that this is a very important part of being a great leader. When we learn to truly love the people we are serving more than ourselves, that is when we become a true leader. That is when people will want to follow. 

My Role

I believe that my most important leadership role at this time, is simply a roommate. I can be a leader by example. 

Everyone A Leader

I am an eighteen year old girl. I do not have the desire to be the center of attention. I do not have the desire to voice my opinion to others. I am shy around people I don't know well. I hold no esteemed position in my school or my community. I am a leader. 

I have learned that being a leader isn't all about being on the student council or being president of a large corporation. No, there is much more to it. 

Be a guide, a friend, and example. Everyone can be a leader.