[austinwhitnell]

Leading Teams

In the past, I have had the opportunity with numerous intelligent individuals - which lead to a prosperous team environment. This specific project was executing a fundraiser for Sick Kids Hospital by interacting with students & faculty members within Sheridan building B. Our Professional Edge class was split into 10 different groups where we would receive donations from participants who engaged with our booth activities. Each member of our group shared the same determination to excel, & had common goal/vision on how we would present ourselves along with our content to our fellow students & faculty members. Each group member efficiently completed their work & was willing to take time out of their daily schedule(s) to meet up to discuss our findings & plan the fundraiser event. In order to function as a team, each member must be; a team player, willing to offer help to other members & be proficient. 

I am an individual who thrives within a group setting when everything all assigned tasks are organized. Throughout the semester I was able to contribute to the success of our team by practicing; effective communication, willingness to cooperate, timeliness, responsibility, commitment & conflict management. 

Looking back on this particular fundraiser, I would only change my involvement in attempting to engage our fellow student. I was extremely shy & was incapable of walking up to other students, explaining what our fundraiser was pertaining to. Being in Marketing, individuals must be capable of selling their ideas & capable of talking to their peers with ease. I unfortunately sat back & watched the participants willingly participate at our booth. My involvement pertaining to our event was minimal compared to my involvement in completing the written documents. Being 2 years older & more experienced, I feel that I would be much more comfortable within that setting than I was 2 years ago.  

If there were to be conflict among my team members, I would play the role of mediator. I strive to find common ground during conflict(s). Working through difficulties in group settings, allow for team-growth & may further enhance team chemistry. In order to thrive in a team based setting, it is important to set aside differences from one another in order to achieve the greater goal.

[austinwhitnell]

The Talking Stick

The Talking Stick was a tool invented by Aboriginal & Indigenous peoples in order to call for council. The stick was utilised by each member of council to present their input regarding the current point of discussion. The Talking Stick is given from person-to-person, granting them the ability to speak to all present members without interruption or interjections from his or her peers. The stick forbids all from talking but the bearer.

In my life, I have only been involved in one serious relationship - which had lasted nearly two years. I am forever grateful for the opportunity of learning more about myself, as well as learning how to communicate & listen to another human being on a more intimate level. Whether you are boyfriend & girlfriend or husband & wife, you will go through many hardships with your partner, which puts stress on your relationship. The ability to overcome these obstacles is key in maintaining a healthy relationship. Effective communication & listening skills are essential in maintaining prosperity.

In one specific instance, I can recall arguing with my past partner about something totally ridiculous. Due to it being a personal relationship, I will not disclose the topic of argument. However, most fights we had were pointless & did nothing but made someone look to be the worse person. I recall the two of us talking over each other, trying to get our points across to one another - this did not lead to solving the issue. Frustration filled the air & tears started to brew, it was only at that point where I realised that we needed to be willing to hear each others points without interrupting one another. I ended up allow my partner to speak first. As hard as it was to hold my tongue without feeling targeted for no reason, I swallowed my pride & tried my best to understand where her hurt & frustration was coming from. in the end, the concept of “The Talking Stick” without having a physical object to state the speaker, had helped our communication with one another.

Although the relationship ended up dissolving, I am grateful to have had shared a special bond with another human being. I am confident the skills I learned in my past relationship will help me in communicating not only with my future partner(s)(?), but will help me to communicate & listen more efficiently to my loved ones, friends & peers.

[austinwhitnell]

Followership

As an individual I have always considered myself more to be a follower rather than someone who is a leader. Both follower & leader are important roles within our society; without followers, there is no additional support for the leaders. I want to improve on all skill sets that a follow attains; critical thinking, capable self-management & the ability to be stimulating. I believe it is essential to improve on all skill sets in order to be a more effective thinker. Self-reflection is a key component to ensure one’s future success. It is important utilize your strengths in order to improve on your weaknesses. To be a great follower, an individual must negate their weaknesses, turn your weaknesses into your greatest strengths. 

[austinwhitnell]

Top 5 Leadership Qualities

As I completed the Clifton Strengths exercise “Strength Finder Test”, it proceeded to list the top 5 leadership qualities that I acquired.

1. Empathy: Being raised in a household by two very loving parents who practice this trait on a daily basis has inevitably been passed to myself. I excel in sensing emotion from those I am around, as well as the capability of placing myself within anthers shoes in any given instance. 

2. Realtor: Throughout my life, I have never had a plethora of friends. I have closely & carefully nit-picked my now current friends - who I believe to be loyal & generally good individuals. However, when working within a professional or school setting, (in my eyes) it is important to develop close relationships with your peers. I naturally develop close relationships with my peers because of the one-on-one time I spend with these individuals. This allows for myself & these  individuals to communicate more effectively towards each other & for the situation at hand. 

3. Harmony: I was raised within a very quiet & conscientious household. My parents had transferred their morals & values to myself as well as my siblings, developing us into empathetic & non-confrontational individuals on their journey to adulthood. Personally, whenever I am around others who are in conflict with each other, I am usually the one assigned the role of mediator. I generally dislike conflict & would much rather having a more productive conversation to improve on the set issues at hand. 

4. Responsibility: The most basic form of responsibility is a task that an individual is accountable for. I am an honest & loyal person who seeks out the same traits from my peers. In my current Marketing program at Sheridan, there are many occasion where we will have term-long group projects that we must complete. I expect nothing but honest work (no plagiarism) & for the assignment(s) to be completed in a timely fashion. These two values heed the path for success & honesty between individuals. 

5. Restorative: I have developed the skills to be a semi-efficient critical-thinker. Developing the skills of a critical thinker may take a life-time to accomplish - not many are able to master this feat. Expanding one’s mind by challenging yourself is a great way to become more efficient at dealing with or solving problems. I have developed the Restorative trait by doing puzzles & playing brain games on a daily basis. It increases ones ability to focus as well as problem solve in a more immediate fashion.  

“Realtor” Quality in life usage:

As mentioned within my previous blog, I have been working at my current McDonald’s job for the past 5 years. I believe it is extremely important to build close relationships with those you work with, especially those who are within the same department as yourself. As I am privileged to be a team Leader, I oversee the entire stores operation on a daily basis (when I am working). It is important to have effective communication within a fast food restaurant as popular as McDonald's to ensure the store is operating up to company standards. The route I did this through was developing close relationships with my co-workers. 

I can proudly say that I have made many people whom I consider to be close friends that have previously & currently work with at McDonald's. This was achieved as easy as walking up to someone & saying hello - proceeding to ask questions about if they are currently in school etc. Breaking the ice or what I like to call “the outer shell of a person” is essential to develop any relationship. I enjoy getting to know new people. However, I do not like to notion of being forced into talking to other individuals, there is a difference. As long as I am acting on my own accord, I believe I am capable of developing a prosperous relationship with “said” individual. 

[austinwhitnell]

How I became a Leader

2014 was the year I graduated high school & applied for my first part-time job. Upon graduating I was meaning to attend College or University the following school year. Just as others, I was initially unsure about what I was interested in pursuing for my post-secondary education. The sheer though of setting up my future at the age of 18 seemed a little too rushes to me, I needed more time. Thus, I decided to take a year off school to work & decide what I wanted to pursue in life. Looking back on my decision, I was lying to myself - I wasn’t mature enough to enrol into post-secondary studies & take it seriously. Throughout the majority of high school, I did not try my hardest, school was boring to me & as a result I did not care about my grades. Although, there were a few classes that caught my attention; Business, World History & every teen boys favourite subject - Physical Education. Now 23 years old, I am capable of assessing my past immature mentality & wish I could have changed how I viewed school & appreciated it more when I was more naïve.

Fast forwarding to October 2014, I applied to McDonald's. Shortly after applying, I received info from the district manager “Billy” that I was hired as a member of the kitchen staff. When I was initially hired, I was an extremely shy, & timid person. I didn’t know how to interact with others as well as I do now. I am a completely different person now from only 5 years ago. Nonetheless, I was horrid for the first 3-6 months of my job at McDonald's. Many people believe McDonald's’ is an easy job – all I have to say to those people is “Id like to see you in the kitchen by yourself with 40 items pending on the screen, not knowing what to do”. However, I tried my best & SOMEHOW managed to pass my probation period. I honestly do not know how I was not fired for being terrible. Fast forward 2 years, I was promoted to Crew Trainer. When I initially became Crew Trainer, I felt a weight of responsible on my shoulders that I had never experienced before. The General Manager of 10 locations entrusted me with the task of teaching new hires how the entire store had operated – it was an honour but a daunting task nonetheless.

Present day, I still work at the same McDonald's location & acquired the title of Team Leader. Throughout the past 5 years, I have retained a plethora of information in how to operate a store. My title “Team Leader” should be capable of telling others that I am one of the individuals who must take charge during operation times. During my 5 years of work at McDonald's, I have seen dozens of employees, as well as managers come & go. I am one of the few individuals who have my amount of experience at that establishment. There have been instances where even the General Manager had come to me & asked me for help to repair malfunctioning equipment.

On a daily basis (whenever I work), I am put into a position where I need to be the one to organize kitchen staff & ensure them that there is no worry to panic over the high stress situation(s). What I do best is build personal relationships with my co-workers – this led into developing more effective personal communication skills. However, I believe after 5 years of McDonald's it is time to move on with my life. I plan to quit my current job & find a new job with a Marketing company in the near future, upon graduating from Sheridan.

 The 5 years spent at McDonald's with my given position has taught me that; I am capable of being a leader. I learned that I posses some skills leaders have but need to work on other persona attributes of my own, to ensure I am more effective within the workplace. I am still the same shy & timid person that I have been my entire life, but I have developed effective communication skills, the ability to build relationships with co-workers & developed efficient short-term decision-making skills. McDonald's has taught me more about myself in 5 years than the past 18 years of my life. It was a life changing experience that I will never take for granted.