Artis World

I am a man of faith, father of a marvelous 3 year boy, entrepreneur, music artist, audio engineer, technical/content writer, and a student of all things. www.justapuppet.com

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The Final Class Mastery Journal

What a journey in this degree program. My initial reason for beginning this degree program was to gain credentials in the industry I loved – music – as I gain career stability to fight for my son as a non-custodial parent. I am a self-taught professional in the music industry with some mentorship. Majority of my experience resulted in being assertive and doing the work. Attending the entertainment business masters program, I wanted to learn current methods, expand my learning, and connect with people. Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with health issues throughout the degree program and my graduation delayed.

My initial graduation was set for March 2018. It is now August. I’ve withdrawn from my final course, Final Project – Business Plan about 3 times. It has been challenging to make the right choice for my health versus my career because I just wanted to finish and start the next phase of my life. My health has been overwhelming so, I did what was best. And though my time had to be extended I am able to complete my degree now stronger.

Before starting my final project course, I was nervous because let’s face it, most stories you hear about business plans are scary. I doubted myself and skills. But after meeting my professor and being engaged in the work it really wasn’t that bad. The previous courses prepared me for the final project. Everything covered in the final project course was covered in all the other classes. I learned quickly it wasn’t much to be scared of.

What I enjoyed about the final project course is the detailed resources to further explain concepts from the financials to interviews to having the necessities for your business plan. My professor Bill Thompson was fun, relatable, and direct. His personality helped take the serious nature away from the course and gave a practical outlook that kept me focused.

Overall, this program wasn’t hard at all. Just doing the work and time management in everyday life was the challenge. I believe my active experience in the industry gave me a great foundation for the degree program, but the degree program kept me engaged, taught me so much, and excited me about being in the program.

What I gained from the final course is the know-how to write a business plan, dealing with investors, and really how to present myself well. My key takeaway from this course was understanding my financials. Coming into this course this was something I felt I needed help with especially, based on the last course. I later found out I knew exactly what I needed, and professor Thompson’s lectures and notes were helpful. The moments I wanted to freak out I couldn’t because there was so much support.

Now that the final project is completed what now? Well, unfortunately, I was recently laid off my current job as a web content editor. I knew I was going to transition from the IT world to the entertainment world but not this soon. As I look back, I see how Full Sail University has prepared me to handle this transition. I am confident in my skill and my experience. Attending Full Sail University was a great decision and now, I’m ready to use it to my advantage.

In the future months ahead, I have new performances, a possible internship, career opportunities, and happy to re-start my company, Artis Studios LLC, an artist development company. This one-year program has allowed me to view myself in a new light. I’m a resilient businessman in the making that loves helping people. And now with a master’s degree added to my credentials, I’m ready to develop the next generation of artists as I build a stable career in the entertainment business.

Thank you, Full Sail University.

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Business Plan Mastery Journal

The end is near. The light at the end of the tunnel. I am very close…we are very close to graduating. This month is the third attempt for me. Not due to misconduct or not waiting to participate but due to health. Each time my mindset about the class has changed. Here’s why.

The first time I was excited because it was one step closer to finish my degree. It appeared the class was a collective effort to engage each class prior to one course. I suspected it would be a little more fast-paced than previous courses. As I moved forward to the second week my health just wasn’t there. The second attempt I felt a little confident because I had a taste of what the class was about. The book really opened what I’ve learned all year. I feel the book, “The Success Business Plan” was more detailed but concise on the topics. In reading the book I felt comfortable reading the material.

Still, my health slowed me down and I had to make the call to step away. Now, the third time it has still been challenging but I’ve been able to put a good foot forward to do well. Knowing what the course was about helped but another part I didn’t think would be a challenge is research. I consider myself a research especially being an English major for undergrad. But the first few weeks I really had to get over the low energy to research. But it wasn’t just the research but using what I found and how it was valuable to my business.

This class really made me reconsider my business overall. I think each class through the course probably makes me think that but this one really made me think, “how am I going to make money?”,  or “how many people do I need on my staff?”. These are huge questions that I take seriously. And there were moments I thought, “I don’t think I want to do this business any longer.” It’s been very challenging to see success when you are assessing how you’ll make the money. It all comes down to the belief, research, and execution of the business. I just have to know I can do it.

Lastly, I have to say my professor was great. The approach was different than previous classes because he wasn’t overly in your face but gave you the information and was accessible. And for me, he was supportive and really encouraging to help me any way he could for me to get through each week. I was very grateful for that.

Now in the final week – the end is near. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are very close to making it to the end.

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Jastin Artis | Home

Home of Hip-Hop Renaissance artist, Jastin Artis. Blend of hip-hop, gospel, alternative, and spoken-word. The bridge to where you want to be.

He is so special no matter what you are going through.

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Mastery Journal to Publish and Distribute 

My 17-year experience in music provides a huge advantage in every course in my master's program. But it's all about perspective. I have achieved plenty but I'm not a platinum-selling artist, yet. Not even a few thousand selling artist, yet. It's taken time to cultivate my brand of music and learn the business. And learning the business is something I want to continue to do. This is why I'm in school for Entertainment Business. I knew once the program reached the Publishing and Distribution course I would have a grasp of what it's about. The perspective is not to think I know it all because I don't. I think this mindset has kept me learning and loving this program; in addition, will carry me to a new place in business and my career to the next level.

Unfortunately, as I've mentioned in previous journals, my health has been very up and down over the last year. So, in true health fashion, my first week of this class after the holiday didn't start like I wanted. I knew coming into the class would be the start of the year and I was excited because graduation is literally two months away. But the challenging start didn't keep me happy. What did was the coursework. My professor's perspective just seems perfect for me. Her extensive amount of experience really intrigued me. Like most of my professors, I was impressed. However, you can't really gauge how your professor will engage you in the work or how they'll teach you the knowledge. I've loved every minute.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this class so much. The big part of this is because of the work we are doing with researching publishing companies and agents or doing a press kit. These are things I've done but it felt new to me. I felt I learned a few things to make my next pitch a best seller. I didn’t realize how adding a gig list, equipment list, or even past promotional material can enhance your press kit. Or I should have a distributor one-sheet. Although, I’ve actually pitched to a publisher a few times learning to write a query letter provides encouragement to do it again. Lastly, I learned more self-distributors or aggregators I may need in the near future to enhance my career. These types of feelings and education can't be projected beforehand. As a student, you hope for the best and do the work to see where it takes you. I see this taking me far.

There's a large number of resources in the book and outside resources to challenge me to be more innovative but current for this year's career move. Each year I've continued music as a business reaching a new goal and new challenges. I want to feel like it's my first time. This way I'm humble and appreciative.

This class allowed me to see the work I've put in over the years to reach this point but also illustrated how I can improve. That doesn't scare because of the professor I had and the knowledge she shared. I plan to use every resource shared in this class for new pitches and documentation to continue to stand out not only in my brand of music but I present myself.

Next goal, getting a publishing agent!

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Entertainment Law Mastery Journal

Advance Entertainment Law is the tenth class in my 12-class program. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to. The perception was the class was going to be hard. It was going to be plenty of law jargon and reading. I was an English undergrad so reading wasn't the problem; it's just law. The fear was I wouldn’t understand many terms used in law. Like Entertainment Business Finance I wanted to be positive but I was scared to dive in. This perception and fear were months before the class. A week or so prior to the class starting I took a deep breath and just tried to focus myself because I wanted to do more than just pass.

Many online students have the challenge of committing to school full time, working full time, family, romance, and likely being active in pursuing their career dreams. Unfortunately, I also dealt with health issues all year. The first day of class I informed my professor of my health issues. My professor was extremely supportive and informative in assisting me with any accommodations I may need throughout the class. I think this support really gave me courage and a different perception of how to approach the class.

As I engaged myself in the work, I feared the little I knew about entertainment law wasn't enough to fully engage and maybe to enjoy the class. I was wrong. I’ve been very active and assertive in my music career and business. I’ve researched much of what I’ve learned about entertainment law, however, the majority of what I’ve learned in the business is by doing. I’ve learned by watching and learning from those in the industry on every level. For example, reading about trademarks and copyrights weren’t new but it felt new because I had a different perspective. As the weeks progressed week to week I could see the research helped me to think and approach my business and music in a different light.

Each week I think I considered myself as a lawyer. I had the law mind. I became more mindful of protecting what I create. It’s not that I don’t or haven’t’ before but there’s a new urgency to protect my music and my business. It makes me go more in depth of what liabilities can occur in my business and how I will avoid them to the best of my ability. I’ve learned while researching cases there is always an angle of some type of infringement if you don’t’ protect what you create.

One thing that became a constant is the value of a contract. In every case, what was written or not written played a big part of what went wrong or helped things go right. When I started creating my own contracts, I was perceived as being better than those I was doing business with. This was a shock at first but I later found pride in it. I later realized me taking that step in all that I do was real business. It set me apart from those amateurs and those who deemed themselves professional.

My goal as I rise to a new level in my career is to always be professional. I want people to see me as a professional. It’s been said I seem a lot further along than where I am because of how I handle myself. This has to do with the contracts, the type of questions I ask, and certain things I expect. Advance Business Law has given me a confidence I now realize I already had. After taking this course, I am now stronger.

I am mindful of what to consider when doing business. I have so many resources from this class to use in my business. I have a place to start when I don’t feel I know what form to use or what to consider when I create a new idea for the business. This class has created more value to my entrepreneurial mindset that will carry me to the next level and beyond. I feel I achieved plenty in this class because I learned the rules to protect my business.

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PAM Mastery Journal

The Product and Artist Management course was something I was looking forward to when I saw it in the program. This is for two reasons. Artist Management is something I’m highly involved in because I’m an artist, operating an artist development company, and I have a genuine love for artist management. Reason two; product management is something I want to indulge in more. I have a good knowledge of what Product Management is but nothing in depth. Thus, I knew this class would really intrigue my love for artist management and my hunger for learning more about Product Management. 

After the first week of class, we dove into Show Business. This was so exciting for me because we discussed leadership styles, leading career plans, and even researched managers to gain more knowledge about management. This first week intrigued me so much I asked my client I’ve been developing for about four years if she would allow me to manage her. It was just a question. More of a heat check kind of thing. She already has a manager who’s been managing her for just a few months. I was so confident I could take her manager’s job and do it better. I felt bad about this, however, I still felt super confident. Nonetheless, she said no mainly because she already had one. She later said that I would be a great manager.

Discussing these topics in the first week got me charged because I’ve invested 16 years in the music industry understanding how it works. This week confirmed that I was ready to really implement my hands-on experience and the education I’ve learned. Maybe I was a little too assertive but this class engaged me to really want to go after one-day managing artists.

On the other side, when discussing Product Management in the third week, I didn’t realize I knew so much. Shows like Shark Tank really help. The thing I love about education is you can learn in so many ways and on different platforms. I’ve been able to learn business by way of doing the work. However, gaining the knowledge by learning the terms, the structure, and disciplines give me an advantage. I learned about length, width, and even finding your audience which allowed me to consider my business in a new light, yet again.  For an assignment, we had to create products outside the services of our business. This really made me consider my business from a different angle. I understand you have to bring something new and different in order to stand out with your audience especially with music.

This type of consideration and depth is all I expected from taking this course. Of course, my professor has a lot to do with that as well. Her approach to detail and lecture videos are impressive because it provides more than just reading chapters and answering questions.

This class has exceeded my expectation and provided me with confidence to actually do the work. Humbly, I have a career in content writing. I’ve also been building a career in music with a unique sound and a poetic delivery. This week I decided to partner with one of the companies I researched for the class to build my brand as a musician. With the information and encouragement, we’ve received in this class, I know what to expect with a current industry standard. I don’t know it all and hope I never feel that way, however, being knowledgeable of the industry and then, working with those who are the experts is an electric feeling.

Moving forward, I plan to use the resources and assignments provided in this class to be a successful musician, entrepreneur, and writer. This class is really universal. There’s been so much hands-on engagement it’s hard not to use in my everyday life. This class was a huge benefit and resource for me.

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The Deal of a Negotiator

I am nine months into my program. I am looking forward to a few more classes I have brief experience in but want to learn what I’m missing. My Negotiation and Deal-Making class is one of those classes. I’ve been involved in the music industry for about 16 years. I’ve experienced a lot from being an artist, a writer, and just a fan of music. Negotiation isn’t new to me but I was excited to learn how I could be a better negotiator.

Prior to this course, I knew certain things like communication, researching, building relationships, and being decisive was keys working with people. Negotiation and making deals always seem to intrigue me, especially when it’s a win-win situation for both parties. I feel we hear more about the results of bad deals but rarely hear the process of good deals. I knew when taking this course, it would confirm some things I knew but it would teach me things I needed to know to make me a better person and negotiator.

It’s always amazing when you teach yourself about a topic then, learn from an expert. You realize you were right on track with doing things the right way. I learned this early in this class with topics such as bargaining positions, standards, and having a backup plan. I try to take each experience as a step in learning, whether in or out of my industry. And like most entrepreneurs shows like "Shark Tank" help plenty in negotiating and deal-making.

Along with my professor’s guidance and real approach to negotiating and deal-making, I was able to gauge where I was. Some chapters stood out to me in Horton’s “The Leader’s Guide to Negotiation” such as "Preparing Yourself", "Rapport," and "Credibility". These chapters made me understand I learned plenty on my own by watching others and then, doing the work. The "Preparing Yourself" chapter made me realize I was right on task. Horton discusses the judgment audit with being “brutally and painfully honest” (2016, chapter 6). Horton lists a few things like checking your figures, ask what could be wrong, ask the opinions of others, and account other perspective’s (2016, chapter 6). These are many of things I had become accustomed to doing when negotiating in business. Reading these topics in this context made me feel proud, yet, humbled to learn more.

In chapter eight and nine, "Rapport" and "Credibility," I didn’t realize these two topics were in my business etiquette. However, the eye-opener came in chapter 10 Rapport vs Credibility, when Horton shares, “successful negotiators do both” (2016, chapter 10). I think I was under the impression it was one or the other. The book was easy to read with analogies but direct lines like this, really inspired me to keep reading to see what else I was missing or add to my game theory.

The Entertainment Business program was created to make students apply what they learn in class in the real world. I got the chance to do that right in the middle of taking this course. I’m grateful for the small knowledge and habits I had prior to this course, but while taking the course I was approached for a record deal. This class allowed me to use the resources to figure out my approach and find my communication style. After learning my communication style, Inspirer; I gauged what the owner of the record company’s communication style was; Thinker. This will help me negotiate a better deal that will be balanced. Nothing is final but taking this class encouraged me to make a deal I can be proud of.

I plan to continue my love for negotiating and deal-making by learning about big and small deals; not so much on the results but the process. The process of music is what I love most about creating music and it’s the same about business deals. I hope to define my style in negotiating so, I’m confident and hone my power when negotiating. This course will increase my chances of making more industry relationships to ultimately, make great deals for years to come.

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Digital Marketing Mastery Journal

Over the last eight or nine years, I have fallen in love with digital media and marketing. As a writer, I have a love for language. Most people thought teaching was going to be my pursuit but writing language has always been my pursuit. Digital marketing has allured me because it not only is about language but it’s about branding; they both go hand in hand. Over the years, I’ve taught myself how to be effective in digital marketing. I’ve gotten books, watched videos on YouTube, and just watched brands develop their brand through digital marketing. It’s gotten so bad I remember watching brands hesitant about using social media; now, it’s necessary. Moreover, I’m the guy that reads any language in a brand marketing campaign and materials and will see errors.

Even with a great deal of knowledge and activity in digital marketing I don’t feel I know everything. I want to always consider myself as a student so, if I stop learning then I feel I’ve gotten too proud. Thus, my expectation from my Digital Marketing class is to evolve in the current state of digital marketing. I’m enthused to learn from someone who has done the work and lived the dream of digital marketing. One of the great beauties of being in the master’s program for any class but especially a class you enjoy is you learn while doing the work. There are plenty tools to discover and use. I have all the support to be successful during my class and after my graduation.

Whenever a professor requires us to watch a Lynda.com E-Learning course I’m too excited because not only is it knowledge but it’s a certification! I watched Facebook Marketing: Advertising. I’ve used this advertising a few times for myself as a music artist. It was very interesting to really dig deeper and have a better understanding of how things are setup. The set up seems to be different from the last time I did a campaign.

I have three key takeaways from this course. Learning Facebook advertisement has three levels: campaigns, ad sets, and ads. Gaining knowledge of how to use each level will help my business. Another takeaway is learning the additional advertising options in page likes, boost page posts, and managing existing ads and campaigns. These are options I see often but never use, mostly because I wasn’t sure of their importance and how effective they could be. I learned you can use these options along with running your campaign or ad. The final takeaway, is all the data you learn with the reports and metrics is more detailed than I realized, especially since the last time I did a campaign. It encourages me now to review all of my campaigns and see what I can take away to be more effective with new campaigns.

I’m eager to use what I’ve learned in the Lynda course. I believe having the understanding of what advertisement level to use, knowing the details of using Facebook advertisement, and checking all the detail reports to my advantage can increase my likes on my pages and bring more awareness of my unique music and brand. I’m really excited that I have this access to be more effective in my digital marketing.

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FINANCE: Mastery Journal

Prior to taking the Finance course, I was nervous. Not so much because I don’t like numbers but because I don’t like numbers. Make sense!? I’ve never been afraid of numbers and I’ve always been okay in math, but when you hear the word finance there’s this stigma of, “this is going to be a challenge” or “Lord, help me!! This is going to be hard!”.  I’m sure most of my fellow students might have had this same hesitation but was up for the challenge. In so many ways, I thought the class was going to be about massive counting, using formulas, and all the boring stuff math is about. Not so much. In his first video, my professor explained this stigma has always hovered over this class but it wasn’t as bad as you thought it might be. And I have to say, four weeks later he held up his word – it definitely was not.

           I’m not sure if I had specific objectives about this course coming in. It was more of a feeling like, “I just want to pass this class.” But with a very confident feeling of no fear of what I’m going to learn and how this course may change my mindset about finance. My main objective was also to enjoy hearing the word finance. I wanted to feel like I conquered the stigma of the word and the anxiety that money seems to bring people and especially black people. Personally, I feel as a black man in my culture and even specifically how I grew up, money was talked about but not finance. And to give some credit, finance has a rather large scope so, very little was expressed to me about finance. It was more about money: make money, try to save money, and spend money wisely. Of course, there is still a bit of challenge in finance because finance is what everything is based on but I have to say, the negative aura surrounding this word for me has decreased significantly.

           Much of what I learned in this course is how to find the company’s financial details to really make a positive or negative assessment about the company. Prior to this course I learned about investments and the many ways to do that, thus, I wasn’t clueless in some respects. I had a very general understanding of statements and reports. This course was really laid out well to be active in finding out financial statements and annual reports, and time value of money. There were a lot of terms covered in this course that seem very intimidating because I want to remember it all. I know that isn’t ideal. Lastly, another key piece in learning finance is reaching another level of being detailed. This really pertains to starting your own business reviewing the time and money of your business. A business is one thing, no matter how small or large, you can’t just through together. Everything down to how many packages of paper clips you need for your business has to be accounted for and those are details that are easily overlooked. Though I had some challenges in my homework assignments my attention to detail had to be adjusted.

           I believe this course, like most of the Entertainment Business Program, can be used both in my personal life and professional work life. How could it not? Money is what operates the world and finance is what gives it structure. I understand what was covered in this course is really the core of business. You want to document everything, understand your time and value of money, invest in yourself, and learn how to make positive and effective decisions with your money are just a few of things that can be used at home and at work to have a successful business and successful personal finances.

           No matter the outcome of this course for me this course allowed me to see more of what makes business. I no longer will have a negative fear of the word, finance, because of this course. And that is priceless.

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Journey to Brand  My Story

At the beginning of this class I knew I had some foundation in storytelling and branding. The credentials for this is because I studied English with a focus in writing and I’ve been actively operating my business and active in the music industry as an artist. Knowing these facts doesn’t make me feel I know everything or there’s nothing to learn. Honestly, that’s why I’m in school because I don’t know it all no matter what I studied or have been active doing. Always ready to learn. I’m glad for my prior education and the hands-on experiences I’ve been able to achieve up until this point; but, education is never enough. Therefore, just in week one and until know, my whole world of storytelling and branding has advanced. I’ll review the beginning and now the end.

In week, one was slightly simple; create a website using my favorite platform, Wix. In the past, I learned HTML but it was too much. I used other drag and drop websites like Yahoo Builder, then, I came across Wix when it first came out. I liked it but went away from it. Now, for the last two years or so, I’m back with Wix. But this assignment challenged me to be more precise and brand myself; away from Jastin Artis, the artist or business of Artis Studios LLC. This kind of through me but in a positive way because I was already in the mindset to do so. I’ve been in the process to brand myself as a professional writer outside of entertainment. And doing this week one assignment really open my eyes on what to think of and how I want to present myself differently from my present website as an artist and business owner. Additionally, all the materials in this course helped gain a current understanding of how brand is perceived now. It was the article by Tom Peters that really got me motived about this whole challenge of business and becoming a true brand. He said, “everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark” (Peters, 1997, i.9). These words may seem small and nothing too profound about them but those words helped me progress and take in my story and brand in another way. It helped see there are some things I’ve done well but with more knowledge I can do GREATER. Peters centered his article around topics like “the real power of you,” and “what’s the pitch for you” which changed my perception of myself.

In the following weeks, it’s been a struggle personally, as I dealt with health issues. And let’s be honest, online education is no joke!! Just when you have a plan for the week it changes and then it’s mid-week and you haven’t done anything you planned on Sunday or Monday. Even with the challenges I found myself constantly thinking about branding and storytelling in an elevated way. Additionally, in comparison to my competitors and other artists. I’ve even talked with some of my current and recent clients with Artis Studios LLC and those I’ve built relationships with as an artist. It’s been amazing to see the foundation I’ve built people look at me as a brand. They know my values, services, and what to expect out of me even in a time where I’m re-inventing myself and desperately trying to revitalize my business.  

Now, coming into this final week; more challenges. The week definitely hasn’t gone as planned, yet again, I find myself in this constant headspace of how do I change my brand. I start to see a new logo for Artis Studios and Jastin Artis. Then the crazy part happened. Late last week, I started to have a feud with myself about how I was presenting too many brands all in one place. This hurt because I can see the vision but due to a low budget and very little help I tried to make one platform work for more than one brand. I’m not sure how I became effective in this or if I really did, but now I must make the separation. We did plenty of research and have a brilliant amount of resources in this class. At times, it seems so like so much but it’s appreciative because it’s allowed me to really see my vision in a more precise way. In Evans and Hooserar’s material, they define a brand as, “a set of distinguishing characteristics that differentiates a company, product or service from another company, product or service” (2017, p. 1). Again, the simplicity of what I must do comes fluently in much of the material covered. Now, I am energized to take on my brand that I have established over the years to now make it more of what it should be and can be by making it simple.

I know this marks the last day in this course, however, I can’t lie, I’m sad this is all we get. I expect to refer back to many of the resources as often as I can to help guide me to build on a great foundation I’ve created on my own. Now that I’ve separated the brands I’ve created in business, a professional writer, and artist I can see why I’ve been restricted in some ways because likely, many people got confused. A major part of me starting my company to develop artists is for me, as an artist, to be the leading artist from the company. The same development I curate for others is the same I’ve done for myself. So, they go hand in hand but they are still separate. However, it’s still a challenge but I see where I can make both entities and Jastin, the professional writer, a brand where everyone knows the story.

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PMT JOURNEY

The last 28 days have been super challenging. My emotions about myself have roller coaster all over the place; mostly in a positive light. There have been a few spaces of darkness but I bravely gotten through them. Project and team management compasses many things to stay the course of success. I chose to do my project for this class on my next album, The Separation 1 and 2, a double album that shares my direct emotion, pain, love and love loss in the trials of a separation to divorce. This is something many of us go through but I want to really explore this in music because no man has taken the risk as of yet. At least like this. I thought this would be fairly easy considering this is my 9th album I’ve created from start to finish, however, I’ve never done it like this.

Verzuh explains, “project management is a discipline—a set of methods, theories, and techniques that have evolved to manage the complexities of work that is unique and temporary. Even as the discipline continues to evolve, it can claim a proven track record.” Frist, I didn’t realize I have acquired this discipline by researching and watching others. If you asked me before taking this class if I considered myself a Project Manager, I would definitely say no. But as this class concludes, I have to quickly change my answer; and I do so, proudly. The methods and techniques in trying to complete a successful music project has induced me to gather more tools to have a more successful project. I won’t discard my foundation learned on my own but I am happy to use more tools for better success.

Now, the 28 days have not been easy. Some weeks dealing with personal illness and family issues that knocked the wind out of me, even when I thought I was standing firm; alarmed me at times to think I could not finish this project. Additionally, there was a nice pressure point in thinking that I can overcome the trials in each week because I now know how to correctly start, work, and finish a project the way the professionals do. So, in an odd way, learning this discipline of project management gave me inspiration to want to do it again and again with my new tools.

 Even as I reflect about the team aspect of doing a project I learned more about who I am, the way I am, and why. Learning my DISC and MBTI really engaged me on another level about myself and how I interact with people. It was a new way to see me as others do. Partially, it was painful because I don’t want people to think I am competing against them or think my dominance is intimidating. By learning these personality traits, I can really adjust myself with facts rather than predictions.

As Zaval and Wagner share the detailed lining of a standard as “internal indicators monitor performance against long-term strategies” (Zaval, L. and Wagner, 2011). I will now move forward with an increased standard for the long haul at a high level in my currently and future projects because I am better equipped and can see myself differently. Thank you to my professor and classmates for this 28-day journey.

Reference:

Verzuh, E. (2016). The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.

Zaval, L. and Wagner, T. (2011). Project manager Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to PMP. Sybex.

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Leadership Mastery Journal Post

“All my life I had to fight!” This unforgettable quote from the book and movie, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker is why I can identify with being a leader in the context of John Maxwell’s book, “Developing the Leadership Within You” rather than Robert Greene’s book, “The 48 Laws of Power.” In the first week getting the description of the two books I instantly knew where my leadership identity resonated with more.

Not until a few years ago, I never considered myself a leader. As the opening line of my post suggests I’ve had to overcome many obstacles from handling intellectual comparisons to my twin, to massive health issues, and believing in myself that music was more than just a hoppy when no one supported me.  I can remember being in groups in school and the teacher always wanted to appoint a leader in the group. I always shied away from it but in most cases my classmates would vote me the leader. Now after reading Maxwell’s book, I know now it must deal with things like my attitude, my people skills, and problem solving prowess.

I feel my people skills I can take for granted. I’ve always had a love for people and had the ability to put them first. I have a great quality of truly putting myself someone else’s shoes to understand their perspective. I always take the advantage to build up people and not take their “ego food” (Maxwell, 1993, p. 136). Though I’ve never obtained a professional manager or supervisor role, my personal brand has always been encouraging and supporting those around me; even those I don’t consider close. This results in my attitude. According to Maxwell, “great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere which enables the right responses from others” (Maxwell, 1993, p. 98). I’ve learned I can make people comfortable. That’s the atmosphere I try to create and seems natural to who I am. I’d like to think this must do with my positive attitude, even in a crisis to problem solve. My calm and poise nature allows me to navigate the problem-solving process to have change in those I work with (Maxwell, 1993, p. 84). In addition, I am the person people come to for their own problems. At times, I ponder, “why me,” but then, I understand some of what I bring to help their situation.

As a young business owner and complete music artist is where I’ve used much of my leadership skills and over the years I’ve embraced that more. Furthermore, Maxwell’s book has me able to identify with myself, so much, I have no choice but to accept I am a leader. Maxwell’s book makes me feel a certain success because I can see myself in the past differently but I have vision of what I want to become. I hope to continue to learn more of my leadership within.

I would like to evolve more with the Pareto Principle as I see its useful purpose. I like the detailed and priority aspect of this to do list. As I move forward in my career, I can visualize myself using this week in and week out. Additionally, I would like to share it with my fellow entrepreneurs and friends for their own personal and professional lives.

In conclusion, I didn’t think I would embrace being a leader. It seemed easier to be a follower. However, in the group settings when no one wants to step in I found myself stepping up and trusting my instinct. At this point in my career, I want to gain more knowledge to learn more of my style and how I can prove change in others. I believe my greatest strength is recognizing I am a leader and my greatest weakness is learning the ingredients to become a great leader. Both, Maxwell and Greene, will give me insight to what makes a leader but it will be Maxwell who helps me identify myself as a significant leader.

References:

Maxwell, John C. (1993). “Developing the Leader Within You”. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

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Like most, I’ve been through a lot. More and more I learn especially now with social media; everyone is watching you. So, if you’re watching all I want to do is inspire. As they say, what you go through is to help someone else. And that’s all I want to do. 

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Now in month two of my Masters program taking the Executive Leadership course I understand more and more of my own influence and those on me. It really is more humbling than I thought. 

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I don’t know why this stuck out for me; I guess I’m the wise man. Never needed a crowd to be me or feel successful. 

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I think people take this for granted - to inspire others. This is key to being a leader!

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12 Course Timeline:

11. Business Plan Development

12. Final Project: Business Plan