A520.9.5.RB_HansardCarey

            Power is something that can be abused, taken away, and sometimes, lacking all together. However, when it is used correctly, it is influential and inspirational. Being powerful in the traditional sense is not necessarily important to me. I am not looking to be the president of any country or corporation. I would like to be powerful by becoming a leader in my own area, though. I think that what power means to someone depends on their personality type. I am more introverted than extroverted and becoming the most feared and powerful person in the organization is not a goal of mine. Using personal influence, for me, has more to do with forming relationships with my colleagues that mean something rather than forming a relationship that makes me the most important person in the department. Forming good relationships with others gives you a certain amount of power. When you are respected and understood by others, you have power over them. They will look to you for advice on issues that matter to them and trust the decisions you make.

            One of the ways that relationships are formed is by being likeable. I believe that I do embody the characteristics of likeable people referenced in the text. My goal is to treat people as I would want to be treated. Being loyal, available, and understanding is important to me. I seek out individuals who exhibit these characteristics, too. This type of relationship means that we are more likely to sacrifice for each other. For example, if we are arranging support for new EagleVision faculty on their first night and a teammate who is scheduled to work cannot for some reason, I am more likely to volunteer to take his session if I like him. Ideas are more likely to be accepted and considered when they are posed by likeable people.

            At this point in time, the position of “my supervisor” is vacant. I am currently reporting directly to the CTO of Embry-Riddle. However, I have a decent understanding of her goals and objectives for the department. She is someone who likes to stay on the cutting edge of technology for the university and looks for ways that we can consistently do that. She is one of the busiest people I know and yet she always seems to be well pulled together and organized. I believe that this can be attributed to surrounding herself with the right people. She has the ideas and knows how to delegate tasks to others while still staying on top of the issues. I believe that being confident and thinking out possible scenarios prior to presenting her with an idea influences her. She likes well thought out ideas and solutions to problems rather than seeking solutions form her repeatedly.

            I understand my weaknesses and strengths, as well. I know that I have to be a better time manager. I have many ideas but I have still not figured out how to organize my time so that I can put details with those ideas. I am easily distracted by things like email and phone calls because I feel like I have to be available. However, I also know that if I were to set aside certain times of the day for these tasks, my time would be better utilized.  

            When I am dealing with my boss, I take her management style into consideration. I try to be sure that I am as prepared as possible. I do not want to be unprofessional, so I am sure to have topics to discuss with her written down ahead of time. Understanding who are working with, adapting to their style, and being prepared and confident will help you influence anyone, not just the boss.

A520.7.3.RB_HansardCarey

A520.7.3.RB_HansardCarey

Having a mentor is very important for everyone from prospective managers to up and coming athletes. When I was preparing to teach, I was paired with a mentor who helped me prepare for things that formal schooling would never have helped me prepare for. Essentially, he acted as both a mentor and a coach. You can learn about how things should work, but they rarely happen according to the textbook. Mentors can also offer coaching, too, by providing advice on how to deal with organizational politics. For example, they can give you perspective on how to handle situations within the organization, and how to conduct yourself in meetings and other types of professional situations.  By observing mentors, you can also gain insight into what makes them effective as mentors or leaders. As a new teacher without a mentor, I would have literally been lost. He provided me with practical ideas that I could use in the classroom. He coached me through behavior management situations and how to deal with parents and administration that I otherwise would not have known how to deal with. He was able to help me recognize my weaknesses and give me suggestions for improvement. The mentoring suggestions he provided for me during my internship period helped me form a plan for when I had a class of my own.

In my current position, I have never really had a formal mentor. I feel that because of this, I was not able to get myself up to speed as soon as I could have been. The person that was supposed to have been my mentor was a teleworker. She was too busy to really be able to guide me, give me tips on how to improve, or even teach me how to use some of the software required to do my job. Because of this, I regretted leaving teaching and was actually considering leaving this job and going back to the public school system within weeks of starting. I felt like I was floundering around and did not know who to go to for help or guidance. Employees who feel this way cannot be productive. When they do not have a definitive sense of direction, they cannot effectively lead others either. For this reason, I feel that mentors are an important asset to any organization.

Informally, I have made several of my teammates my mentors. They have a lot of knowledge about technology since most of them come from an IT background. Whenever there is a situation that involves a technological issue, I am sure to listen intently and watch what they do so that I can learn what to do for myself next time.

I think that no matter what field a person is in, a mentor will make that person better at his/her job. Any time you have guidance in your life, you have a higher likelihood of being successful.  It is like trying to go on a diet by yourself or going on a diet after joining Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. Those who have someone pushing them to lose weight or exercise will be able to achieve their goals faster and with more success than those who go it alone.

A520.6.5.RB_teamroles_HansardCarey

As a team member, I try to be adaptable to different scenarios and open to others’ opinions. I prefer to know my role on the team from the beginning. Each member of the team has expertise in an area and I feel like I have a lot to learn from those people. Although I may not be the team leader, I can still perform task-facilitating roles by being sure to keep my teammates informed about issues, asking for clarification of something if I am unclear, helping my teammates stay focused, and being aware of the team norms. By facilitating these tasks, I will do my part to ensure that the team meets the desired outcomes. I have already had the opportunity to take on this role within my team. Our former supervisor liked to talk about other subjects when we were meeting. I would listen for a short time, so as not to be rude, but then, I would refocus the team by reiterating one or all of the goals for the meeting and providing information or ideas about it. This would generally bring everyone back to the discussion at hand so that we were able to make a decision or work through an issue. That role on the team was made easier for me because the team was comprised of a small number of people that I work closely with on a daily basis. If someone on the team were not able to bring the meeting back to discussion of objectives, the meeting would obviously go on much longer than needed with very little being accomplished. Each team needs at least one person to keep everyone focused for the sake of productivity. Other tasks that team members can do to contribute to the efficiency of the team would be collecting and disseminating information about topics to the team. As I mentioned before, each member will be a subject matter expert on some aspect of the ultimate goals and will be able to share that expertise with the team. A team member can also be in charge of analyzing the pace and procedures used during the meeting to keep the team moving smoothly. I think that task-facilitating is something that I am good at because of my background in teaching. Students (in high school, anyway) like to get their teachers and fellow classmates off topic. It was my job to circulate and refocus my students. Many times, they were not focused because they were unclear about what they were supposed to do. By providing clarity to them, I was able to get them back on track.

Relationship-building is another area that I can work on within the team. One way to do this is to be sure to listen to others’ opinions and ideas. If I am constantly interrupting or talking about what I think, they might think of me as selfish and I will not build effective relationships with my colleagues. Being attentive to what others are saying makes them feel important to you and will, therefore, lead to a better relationship. This goes back to my previous comment about learning from others. Each person is a member of the team because he or she has a unique perspective to offer. Paying attention to what those are will allow me to understand different sides or solutions to an issue and I will be able to make a more educated decision and allows me to relate to that team member. Outside of the workplace, relationships can continue to be built. For example, having lunch as a team or getting together informally over the weekend allows team members to get to know each other on a personal level. This begins to establish trust and allows people to understand each other’s personalities and beliefs. In an effort to build strong relationships with teammates, it is also necessary to be supportive of the members of the team and keep the energy positive among the members. If negative or tense situations arise, someone on the team has to be able to calm the waters so that the team can move forward successfully. The fact is that if you do not trust and feel comfortable with those that you are working closely with, you will always be on edge and will not be as effective. Team members will be working as individuals rather than as a cohesive unit. Relationship-building, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of a successful team. This is a role that I relish. I am not generally what I would consider a social person, but I definitely like to know who I am working with. I like to suggest to my teammates that we have lunch together periodically so that we can talk outside of the work environment. When working in the professional atmosphere, I focus on what my teammates have to contribute and ask questions of them to clarify things for me. I try to maintain a positive attitude and think that, sometimes, that can be contagious for others on my team.

A520.5.3.RB_HansardCarey

A520.5.3.RB

There are many different definitions of empowerment. The textbook defines empowerment as, “providing freedom for people to do successfully what they want to do, rather than getting them to do what you want them to do”.  (p. 443) The empowerment article also mentions that power is an important component of empowerment and that increasing employees’ power is increasing the probability that they will  “produce the results that they want for themselves”.  (p. 74) In this aspect, the text and the article have similar viewpoints.

Empowerment, explains the authors of the text, allow employees to feel both confident and competent. This allows for the organization the employee works for to be stronger and employees to be more flexible and autonomous. Empowering employees is a tricky process that requires several steps, according to the text, and not simply declaring one day that the employees are empowered. 9 steps are referenced in the text. They are: 1. Articulating a clear vision and goals. Employees need to understand exactly what they are responsible for accomplishing.  2.  Fostering personal mastery experiences. Employees need to feel like they can be successful at tasks within the organization. 3. Modeling. Managers should either exhibit a desired behavior for the employee or pair him/her with someone who does. 4. Providing Support. Managers must be sure to offer encouragement to employees both verbally and by doing things like recognizing them publicly for their accomplishments. 5. Emotional arousal.  Ease employees’ fears and replace negativity with positive feelings in the workplace. 6. Providing information. Being sure that the employee has information that is strategic within the organization helps him feel empowered. 7. Providing resources. Managers should be sure that the employee has the equipment necessary to achieve the desired goals. This includes everything from receiving the proper training to having basic supplies and technology. 8. Connecting to outcomes. Managers must make sure that employees see the process through from beginning to end. It is important they see the end result of their hard work. 9. Creating confidence. Employees should feel that the manger and the organization are trustworthy.

In the article “Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea”, Russ Forrester suggests that companies’ attempts to empower their employees fail for many reasons. These include many aspects. The first is moving too fast toward empowerment and leaving many employees unsure of how to handle their new power and managers unsure about what to do with newfound lack of power. Organizations also expect that the employee will be intrinsically motivated to do the job and do not take into account that people do things for different reasons. The next reason that attempts to empower employees fail  is if that they assume that everyone and every decision that has to be made is equal.  Some people do not want power within the organization and feel uncomfortable with it. In addition, organizations tend to embrace a piecemeal approach to empowerment and leave out many of the important factors necessary for success. Finally, accountability is not taken into consideration. Who is going to be responsible of something goes wrong?

The author has some of the same ideas on how to successfully empower employees as the textbook does.  Managers should recognize that some individuals are innately more powerful than others.  Like the text, Forrester suggests investing in training the employees and providing information about the organization that is not know by everyone. The article also suggests that the manager give the employee more control over the allocation of resources. Another commonality is pairing the employee with a successful mentor. The article goes one step further by also suggesting that relationships be built with the customers. It is also imperative that organizations recognize that employees are different and do not all want the same level of power within the organization.  Organizations should focus on a strategy that doesn’t take all of the control away from the manager. This involves providing the employee with what if scenarios, allowing power to trickle down over time, and delegating low-risk assignments to the employee first.

I think that the article was more interesting than the text because it pointed out many of the reasons that attempts to empower employees fail. It is important to understand why failure occurs so that a solution can be determined and an effective solution can be implemented. Both the text and the article share some of the same opinions about how to successfully empower employees within an organization.

A520.4.3.RB_Motivating_HansardCarey

According to Andy Mulholland, three factors that motivate us in the workplace are: interesting work, the ability to expand the employee’s skillset, and being recognized for what the employee contributes to the organization. Giving employees work that they find interesting will help reduce burnout. Employees who do the same thing day in and day out tend to fight off boredom and may not be as effective because their minds are prone to wandering. I know that if I am faced with challenging and thought provoking work, my mind is focused on working through the task and I am not as likely to think about doing something else.

The second motivating factor Mulholland discussed was expanding an employee’s skillset. This includes sending the employee to conferences or training workshops so that he or she has the opportunity to learn about new technologies or techniques being utilized in the field.  Ongoing training, in my opinion, goes hand-in-hand with the previous idea that employees like to do interesting work. Attending conferences and trainings gives the employee a new perspective on an issue and can provide him or her with an opportunity to improve upon a process that is currently in place at the office. This can lead to more efficiency within the department or better use of technology and resources. When I was a high school teacher, I was only able to take advantage of a few training opportunities due to lack of funding within the district. However, I looked forward to those opportunities because I always came back to the classroom with a new idea. Utilizing new techniques with my students helped keep me energized and excited about teaching in the classroom. In my current position, there are more opportunities to travel and attend conferences. I have also learned a lot about technology from my colleagues, proving that you can teach an aging (not old!) dog new tricks. Learning about these emerging technologies keeps me excited about the possibilities for the university and its students and instructors. Embry-Riddle likes to remain on the cutting edge and they do that by expanding the skillsets of the employees that they have.

Finally, Mulholland asserts that recognizing employees’ contributions to the organization is an important part of the reason that people work hard. Everyone likes to feel valued. I think that is part of being human. Many times, intrinsic motivation is enough to go through the daily routine. However, when we receive extrinsic motivation, we feel valuable to the organization and it makes us feel as though our hard work is not going unnoticed. I feel as though this is an important part of my day, as well. I work hard to help the faculty members I train navigate the training process and I feel good when they email me or call me and tell me how excited they are that something I taught them worked well for them and that they are excited to use it.

In addition to the factors mentioned by Mulholland, there are other things that I feel motivate me in the workplace. For instance, working in a pleasant work environment goes a long way to making my day run smoothly and making me happy as an employee. My co-workers are all friendly and helpful which makes it easier to ask for help or work through issues with them. I enjoy coming to work with these people. If you work with people that are not happy or friendly, it reflects in your attitude, as well, and you cannot be as effective as you should be.

I also have to be honest; benefits play a role in my happiness here. The university offers its employees many benefits that were not offered in my previous position which includes scheduling several events throughout the year and encouraging employees to participate in them. For example, this Thursday they are offering a Health & Wellness Fair. They are offerings screenings for cholesterol and glucose, demos on using the workout equipment, a 5K, swimming even, volleyball, etc… They are also providing lunch to employees. This event takes place during the workday (from 11-2) and employees are encouraged to attend. Some of these events are not only for employees, but also for their families like Bring Your Child to Work day. Participating in these types of fun activities allow me to meet new people and get away from the desk for a couple of hours.  

Finally, having management that is open to suggestions and discussion about issues affecting the team is important to me. Working in an environment where it is “my way or the highway” doesn’t allow for much creativity and growth. Our CTO has great ideas and visions of where we should be going. She shares those with team members within the department and asks for opinions. Overall, this is a great department and organization to work for. 

A520.3.5.RB_HansardC

Supportive communication is a very important aspect of both personal and professional communication.  On a professional level, communication with colleagues should be handled so that both sides feel as though their feelings about an issue are validated and addressed appropriately. The guidelines in the textbook can be helpful in many ways. The bulk of the contact that I have with faculty members is via email. However, there are times when I speak to faculty members on the phone, as well. When instructors call me, they usually have a problem with the training materials and are looking to have the issue handled quickly and clearly.

The first step for me when fielding a call is to determine what type of counseling to give to instructors. I need to be able to describe or restate the issue so that they know I am listening and understand their needs. Focusing on the problem rather than what the person’s skills are is also important. For example, many of the issues that my colleague and I are confronted with are related to technology. Sometimes the problem is user error; however, focusing on that aspect of the issue doesn’t solve the problem and it can actually make it worse. Instead I have to explain how to resolve the problem clearly enough so that it doesn’t happen again. Along with being descriptive and problem-oriented, it is also necessary to validate the statements that the instructors are making. By the time they call one of us, they are usually frustrated and feeling anxiety over their decision to go through our training. Making sure that the other person feels respected and understood can go a long way to promoting successful two-way communication.

When providing solutions to problems that are presented to me, it is imperative that I am specific in my responses. I want to be sure that the faculty member has a clear solution to the problem at hand that will allow him or her to complete the process.  Detailing the exact steps that the faculty member can take in order to proceed is important to the success of our program and their certification. Included in providing clear resolutions is the importance of taking ownership of the materials and solutions that I provide. Instructors are busy people, like the rest of us, and want to be sure that they can trust the information that you are providing for them.

Finally, I think that all of the steps mentioned above are part of supportive listening. Although I am not looking these instructors in the eye, I need to be sure that, in addition to providing assistance to them, I listen to them attentively and supportively. I do my best to make the faculty members I work with happy…and that makes me happy, too.

As I mentioned previously, I have a colleague that I work with who has the same responsibilities that I do. We use supportive communication with each other, too. We talk through issues that faculty present to us to evaluate if there is anything we can do to improve. We help each other, listen to each other, and counsel each other so that, as a team, we can be successful.

A520.3.1.RB_HansardCarey

A520.3.1.RB_Decisionmaking_HansardCarey

                The first word that comes to mind when I consider my decision-making style is informed. I like to be sure that I have as much information as possible about an issue before making a decision about it. If I do not have all of the facts about a situation, I cannot make a reliable and solid decision about it. I ask other people who have something to do with that topic and, if necessary, I also do my own research online.

Once I have an idea in my head about how an issue should be handled, I can then move on to the considerations of the team. Most decisions affect people other than me and their needs and opinions should be taken into consideration. Therefore, I feel as though collaboration is also a factor in my decision-making style. Having other people’s points of view considered is important to making the right decision for the team. I realize that the team cannot be consulted every time I have to make a decision. However, I know that, in the past, when decisions have been made that affect me and I have not been consulted, I have not been happy. For example, I was a public school teacher for 18 years. I firmly believe that the people in government making decisions about public schools have not been in the classroom in years if ever and therefore, have no idea what is going on or what will be effective. It was recently decided in our district that students who did not pass their initial assessments would be given unlimited attempts to retake those assessments until they received a passing grade. Now, as a parent or student, this may seem like fabulous news; but as the teacher, this concept is ridiculous. This is not the way the “real” world works. For the teacher, it was a lot of extra work because we were tasked with making sure that the students had done their original assignments and we also had to provide additional help and remedial assignments for the students prior to assessing again. When you have 160 students on your roster, even 10% of them is a lot to keep up with. The students began to take advantage of it, too, and it was not effectively helping those who it was designed to help…those who truly struggle and do not always “get it” the first time. To my knowledge, teachers were not involved in this decision and the overwhelming majority of the teachers I spoke with about it did not like it. I feel more appreciated when my opinion is taken into consideration and therefore, that is how I will deal with others.

I would also consider my style to be intuitive. When I am faced with an issue, I tend to have an initial thought or instinct about what to do. Although that doesn’t mean that decisions are made solely based on my gut feeling, my instincts definitely play a role. Sometimes I have found that my initial reaction is not always the right or best one, though. For this reason, being informed and collaborating with the team become very important parts of the decision-making process.

There are times when I exhibit other styles, as well. For instance, there are times when I have to make decisions involving my children. These types of decisions are very emotional for me and I tend to let those emotions overtake any other “style” I might normally incorporate.My husband usually steps in with a more level-headed approach to help me make those decisions.

The opposite styles to those that I have an affinity for would be misinformed, logical, individual, and rational. I see advantages to using all of these styles. Being logical and rational when making decisions are both solid approaches that allow leaders to step back and look at the issue with a clear head. Decisions can be made carefully, thoughtfully, and without emotional considerations. Making an individual decision can also be practical in certain instances. Even in the work environment we have to make decisions that either do not affect anyone else or only remotely affect them. In instances like that, I do not see anything wrong with making the decision alone. In fact, making the decision without others’ input may actually make the process easier and less convoluted. Finally, I even see making misinformed decisions to be valuable in certain instances. For example, having an outsider’s opinion about an issue can be valuable. Sometimes having too much information about or being too close to an issue can affect how you see it. An outsider will come in with fresh eyes and be able to give a point of view that others would not see. This person will not be tainted by all of the information that an insider would have and therefore, is able to make a better or more logical decision.