Ethan's Page

I'm a film major, AEPi brother and I like good movies, good beer and my dog

[ethan-w11]

We've been doing a lot of work with public speaking and acting things out over the semester. Last week in class we got to act out good and bad confrontations. I really enjoy this part of our class because I find it fun and engaging. My friend is a theatre major and does activities like these a lot, but usually with a lot more improvisation. One of my favorite shows growing up was Whose Line Is It Anyways, which is one of the reasons I really enjoy presenting in class and just in general. If I can make people laugh and enjoy what I'm saying/doing while still getting my point across, I think the points I'm trying to make will be much more successful. People tend to check out if you dont keep them engaged. I think humor is one of the best weapons in a teacher/leaders artillery.

[ethan-w11]

REading Reflection

13 things you should do to live life without regrets. After reading this article I started to think about the way I have been living my life and which things I should try harder to do and think about. A lot of them don't apply to me like 'dont play the victim card' or 'stop the what if' but some of them are things I definitely do that I can recognize are negative traits. For example, I make excuses all the time and compare myself to others. The quote "You are only responsible for what you do in your life so that should be your sole concern. You are unique and you have your own path to walk on." really stuck with me, especially as an art major with not so average career goals. I need to spend more time trying to achieve my goals and believing in myself than backpedaling and worrying about other people.

[ethan-w11]

In class last week we got a lot of time to talk about the community service we did and plan for our presentation. My group did Recycle Rama and I learned a lot about recycling that I didnt know. For example, the things that you normally consider recyclable are those that fit into the single stream recycling group; paper, glass, cardboard, etc. However at events like Recycle Rama you can recycle things like batteries, styrofoam, batteries and a lot of appliances that can be reduced and reused. Getting information out about recycling and making our Earth more 'green' is only the first step. People not only need to know about what, how and where they can recycle certain items but need to be prompted to do so. We have a long way to go but hopefully green initiatives continue to gain exposure and support

[ethan-w11]

In class last week we talked a lot about race and sex. One of the more specific conversations was about the perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudice in respect to womens role and position in society. I heard about this 'Princeton Mom' story over the weekend and it caught my attention. In her book, which has gotten her a lot of media attention, she basically tells women that they should spend more focus and energy on finding a mate in college than on their work and studies. I think most people would agree that this is the wrong message to be sending not only to women, but everyone who uses it to reassure their dominant mindset. At one point she even makes the argument that men choose to marry women younger and less intelligent. More importantly, her whole thesis is based around the concept that you should be choosing a mate for financial stability rather than love. The whole thing seems offensive and destructive for both men and women.

[ethan-w11]

Be A Man

This week in class we're talking about privilege and masculinity. The article/video that I'm summarizing this week is from upworthy.com "The Mask You Live In". Basically it talks about how our culture has created a very destructive idea of masculinity that makes boys feel like they have to act a certain way, hide their emotions, their anger, depression and be a 'MAN'. It's this misrepresentation of what a MAN should be that makes boys feel insecure about who they are. They must prove their masculinity by metaphorically preparing their 'mask'. The problem is that a lot of them don't know how to take it off. Respect gets linked to violence and people get hurt. We need to educate each other and create a more supportive society that doesn't try to convince boys that they have to 'MAN UP'. 

[ethan-w11]

Class Reflection

I'm glad we got a chance to talk about rioting and our schools recent history with such events in class this week. Trying to understand why and how riots are started and ways to avoid or counteract them was very interesting. Breaking up into groups and coming up with a plan to change the appeal of riots at Michigan State really made me think about the actual vs. perceived benefits and problems. I especially had a fun time trying to reenact a riot (accidentally flipping that table a little harder then I meant too). But maybe that's the point. Things get out of hand because of excitement and hype and the group mentality that go hand in hand with rioting and celebrations. The  bottom line is, because things can escalate so quickly and the possibility of endangering the health and well being of those who get caught in the cross fire, the police and school have to make a point of having a no tolerance policy and really dictate the way students set their values and risks.

[ethan-w11]

Encourage The Heart

Leo's character in the Wolf of Wall Street is a great example of a leader who knows how to encourage the heart. For those of you not familiar with the story, his character Jordan Belfort comes from nothing and schemes his way into money by being a brilliant and corrupt stockbroker. He builds a team of ruthless day traders and the picture above is from a scene in which he gives them a very moving and inspiring speech. "Encouragement is positive information that tells people they are making progress, are on the right track, and are living up to the standards. It shows that you care and strengthens trust." (pg. 127) Jordan not only knew how to captivate an audience but how to stimulate and develop a positive trusting relationship with his employees, making him one of the most successful, albeit corrupt, leaders of all time.

[ethan-w11]

Reading Reflection

Learning to Delegate:

This chapter talks about the importance of delegating work as a leader to your followers. Often leaders don't share the responsibilities/work with their team and there are a number of reasons why. Leaders may not trust their followers, thinking they can't successfully handle the task at hand. They may also find it easier and quicker to just do it themselves. I think especially when you have something that needs to get done and you know how you want it done, it's hard to hand off the job to someone else who you might not think can complete it the way you see fit.

However, it is really important to delegate work and enable others to act. First of all, no leader should do all the work by themselves. If you try to accomplish too much alone you will eventually fail. Secondly, by delegating work you give others the opportunity to step up to the plate and become leaders themselves. Third, and most important in my opinion, by delegating work you allow new perspectives and visions to be brought to the table. Sometimes as a leader you get your blinders on and can only see things one way. By letting others get involved and bring their ideas you create an environment that fosters growth.

1. Trust others to step up to the plate

2. Be open to new ideas and perspectives

3. Support their efforts and build their confidence

4. Respect their attempts at leading the group

[ethan-w11]

Scavenger Hunt:

Last week in class we talked about Challenging the Process. At the time, I didn't really think I challenged anything enough. I'm used to going with the flow and just working with what I have. But this weekend, for another group project I started to notice myself using the Challenge the Process method to fix problems and lead my group to make better decisions. We were filming a couple of scenes for this project and things were taking way longer than they should have. A lot of people were standing around doing nothing while a few struggled to get the shot that we needed. I suggested that we split up and send the people who weren't doing anything to set up our next location and start trying to get other shots. Later, when one of our actors needed a ride home to Detroit and no one was going to be able to take her I posted on my fraternity facebook page and found someone to give her a ride home. It's easy to agree with other people and just watch things happen but being able to step outside of the box and look for alternative solutions takes forward thinking and good leadership.

[ethan-w11]

In class Wednesday, my group evaluated Adidas's values. I thought it was interesting to pay attention to how a company brands itself, something I guess I don't think about enough, and more importantly how it follows through with those values to actually have an effect on the world. 

[ethan-w11]

SMART Goals

#1

S-Try to motivate myself more and be more proactive about doing my work.

M-Every day I will try to remind myself to be more self-motivated conscience. I will do all my reading and work expected of me to model appropriate motivation in classes and at work. I will try to get feedback weekly to check my progress. 

A-It is achievable because I know I can do the work. I just have to recognize when I'm procrastinating and be able to call myself on it. Asking for feedback and help will make it easier for me to take it seriously.

R-It is relevant to my life because it is very important for my future career in order to be successful

T-I will work on this from February to May since that is when I graduate and will need to be much more self motivated.

#2

S-Try to find a job that will help me progress towards my career goals as well as allow me to support myself.

M-It is measurable because I will need to be offered a job, one in which I am willing to accept and live off of. I will spend one day a week researching and applying to jobs as well as practice interviewing skills once I get closer to graduating. 

A-This goal is achievable because I have a lot of internship and work experience to land a job if I put my mind to it. I have the skills and confidence to get the job I want.

R-It is relevant to my life because as a graduating senior, one of the only things on my mind every day is getting a job and being able to afford my own place.

T-The goal will be start from today until the end of the summer.

[ethan-w11]

When talking about Model the Way, the most important part to take from it is that to be a good leader you should lead by example. I have had trouble with this in the past and know I need to work on it. You can't expect people to want to do the work for you when your not willing to do it yourself. Showing someone that you respect the values and tasks you expect them to abide by not only clarifies what you expect from them but it makes them respect you and what you're trying to accomplish. There's nothing worse than a leader who asks for more from his subordinates than from him or herself.

[ethan-w11]

In class this past week, my group was assigned to question 2 of the Reading Reflection, Leadership Myths. I found it really interesting to think about all the myths and stereotypes that we as individuals and as a whole are familiar with. A lot of them stress the idea that you have to be powerful or demanding and lend themselves to a certain type of leadership. Not to say that there aren't leaders that fit into these myths, but the point is that there are many forms and styles of leadership and it really just depends on what kind of person you are. This is why I think it's important that we do some self-reflecting on our own leadership skills and traits. 

[bannonky-deactivated20140513]

In class we got in groups and discussed SMART goals for a couple of characters that were made up. I think this was a very helpful exercise because it helped us go through the process of making smart goals. This will make the process easier to create SMART goals for myself, not only for this class but other aspects as well. I can use this system to help me meet my goals of becoming a more inspiring leader, by coming up with a system that will allow me to see how I can work with others. The same goes for encouraging the heart. I thought I was already good at encouraging but I will have to have to make some goals and see if the test was accurate about me or if I am correct about myself. The point is SMART goals are not just something that I will use for this class I can use it after my class and incorporate it into my career. I believe the hardest part would be to make it time bound because here it is easy because we have certain things that have to be completed at certain times for the class, but applying it in real life will be a little more difficult. 

[ethan-w11]

I like your point about the SMART goals and using them in your future. Applying it to real life problems, I think it could be very useful

[ethan-w11]

Going Forward

After taking the LPI test, it came to my attention that although I exceed in encouraging and enabling others I fall short in the category of "Modeling the Way". This is not a surprise to me. Although I have a lot of leadership qualities, I tend to be unmotivated often and lack drive or focus. 

Once I took the color code test and was labeled a yellow, I think my issue with setting a good example started to make more sense. I am motivated by fun and excitement. Although I can be really sociable and creative, I seek instant gratification. I guess when it comes down to it, I give up on projects and people when I don't see immediate results. I love my thrill seeking personality but I do think I need to work on being more responsible and consistent. 

The picture is kind of irrelevant but it's one of my favorite places in the world. @RedRocks 

[theagonyofdefeat]

[nfloffseason]

Everything’s NOT coming up Milhouse.

[ethan-w11]

This is how I feel about my 'Model the Way' ratings

[ethan-w11]

"Yeah you can tell everybody" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ttsx5squWg