Relator.Consistency Futuristic.Empathy.Restorative

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Creative Problem Solving

What do you think are the  critical factors in a successful team cps process?

Critical factors in a successful CPS process includes a clear problem to be solved, clear guide lines to stick to during the process, a facilitator who understands the problem and has the capabilities to lead a group and a resource base that can generate ideas. Group members must be able to throw out ideas freely, however they must also be able to associate the ideas being thrown out with the problem at hand.

In what ways did you help create success in your cps process? What might you do next that might be even more helpful?

  I can relate my ideas back to the issue at hand as I am good at clarifying the main issue. I am also able to throw out a lot of ideas under the ideation portion of the problem-solving process. To be even more helpful next time I plan to use a bit more right brain thinking in my idea generation and leave the left brain thinking until the time comes to converge my ideas.

 What is the one thing that you learned from the group Creative Problem Solving process and how might you use this in the future?

 I learned the difference between CPS and creativity and now have an appreciation for CPS in the corporate world. I have also come to realize that right brain thinking is apart of the problem-solving process and it is best to allow myself and others to throw out as many ideas as is possible before the convergence begins.

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IDEATION/BRAINSTORMING

1.        In what ways did you find the ideation/brainstorming effective for generating new, creative ideas? Why? In what ways might it have been more effective? (consider the four creative P’s) Product, People, Process, Press  

The idea generation process allowed me to think out of the box and not be limited by a purely logical way of thinking but remain focused all at the same time. The very first step of clearly defining the core issue allowed me a base to return to whenever I steered off course. Deferring judgement allowed me to come up with a greater range of ideas that related to the core issue. Also throwing in wild ideas and building on other ideas helped me to keep my creative juices flowing. The brainstorming/ ideation session took place in a class setting where there was a problem relayed to all students. This environment contributed to the productivity of the sessions.

 2.        In what ways did you participate in the ideation/brainstorming sessions? What did you learn about your own individual creativity by participating (reflect on your personal creative profile).  

 I was a scribe, a facilitator and later a contributor to idea generation during the brainstorming sessions.  During the process I was able to write all the ideas thrown out by my team members during the competition against other groups. During this time I was not able to throw out as many ideas of my own as I was focused on the task at hand. Being a scribe did allow me to take note of my reaction to other people’s ideas. At times I found myself trying to look up to see what was going on so that I could come up with my own ideas.

As a facilitator, I felt out of my element and I was not able to guide my team as they expected. I was not very creative at all and felt judged and pressured to produce topics that I could not think of in that moment. This experience reinforced my inclination of writing down my ideas and thoughts as opposed to speaking out loud.

3.        How might what you have learned help you to be more creative in the future?

In the future I will be careful not to judge other’s ideas whether internally, or through facial expressions and body language. I will also try to block out all perceived thoughts of judgement to focus my energy on being a better facilitator. The process overall has provided a framework to follow during problem solving sessions and this will help in future situations whether it is for personal issues or work related issues.  

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Mind/Idea Map

How do either of these tools help you to be more creative?

The very activity of making a mind map or an idea map elicits creative juices. It immediately generates ideas as to how the map will be drawn, the branches that extend from the map, the colours to be used, the shapes and pictures to be drawn. A whole world of possibility opens when using these tools

What are some situations that you might use these tools and what     would the benefit be to you? Situations     where the tool would be beneficial include idea generation to solve     problems on work projects, school projects, home decoration, party     planning and even every day to do lists.

Capture your responses to the experience of walking and seeing for     the first time on your blog.

I sat and watched the square one round about area by the mall for 15 minutes.

I have looked out at the round about and the cars going by many times. On some of these occasions I have given thanks that I was inside looking out on the hustle and bustle, on other occasions, I revelled in the energy that I got from watching the business. Really watching and taking the round about in this time around, I realized how interconnected it all was. The cars yielding to give right of way, which direction to go, who to go first, who to wait. I also observed how each part was delayed when the flow was interrupted and how the collision and calamity was always avoided because the other moving parts of this whole always adjusted to accommodate the part that did not follow the rules as it should.  Looking back – the round about may have looked simple, cars go around in a circle. But really taking it all in, it was like watching ants, and seeing how all the drivers in the round about worked together to keep the flow of traffic moving.

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Creative Blocks

1. What are your three creative blocks?

My three creative blocks are fear, self doubt and negative self- talk as well as no appetite for ambiguity. 2. In what ways did you determine that you could break through these blocks?

To break through fear, I have decided to write down all the positives as well as how I will grow as a person if I decide to pursue my creative inclination.

Self doubt is the biggest block that inhibits my creativity. To overcome this block, I plan to use my close friends and family members as my support system to encourage me through my hesitant times.

Although I am not comfortable with ambiguity and it does block my creativity, I plan to remove this block by using logic. No one person or place holds all the answers, therefore I will embark on as many journeys and adventures as is possible to absorb all that I can. I will harness the things I learn from these adventures and channel them into my creative expressions.

3.  For your one block selected what did you actually do to bust the block? Were you successful? If so why?  If not, why not?

The largest block to my creativity is self-doubt. I planned to use my family members and close friends to help me through however this did not work as well as planned. In one situation, I needed to update my resume to apply for jobs as my program would soon end. I became discouraged while even thinking about applying and even taking the initial steps to write my skills down on paper. I relayed my reluctance to my friend who expressed that she saw me with a great job and bright future based on who I am and my capabilities. The kind words and encouragement from my friend did not provide me with the courage I thought I would get to complete my resume. Instead, it was guidance from a professional recruiter that pushed me to update my resume and believe in myself to apply for jobs.

4. How might you learn from this and use it to be more creative in your life?

From this situation, I figured out that I needed constructive criticism from an unbiased party to boost my confidence. Gaining useful information from qualified professionals provides me with the confidence needed to improve on my craft or task.

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My Creative Inclination

1.    What is your creative inclination? Why did you pick this?

 My creative inclination is writing. I write in my journal often and I enjoy reading the things I have written and books in general. Writing is almost a form of therapy for me. It allows me to express my every thought, hopes, dreams, and ailments. A book does not judge my thoughts or the words I put down. Writing is also a way for me to improvement myself. For example, if I write, next year I would like to take a trip or get a better job, when I look back at my journal I access my self to see if I did improve or if I am still in the same position. The most important thing about writing, is that it centers me. On a bad day, I am able to write down what it is that I am feeling, assess it, and figure out why it is I feel the way I feel and what I need do to move pass the moment.

2.    Using the creative definition and your creative process (jump or plan) do one new thing in your creative expression in your creative inclination.

3.    Describe what you did and what you learned.

The one new thing that I tried to do that is new to me, is to write a book about my life. I realized that writing a book and writing in a journal daily is two very different things. Writing a book has so many decisions. The title, the information, the order of that information, using real names versus fake names and lots more. At the end of this phase, I sent the material I wrote to a few friends who read it and provided some feedback. Over all I would much prefer to write in my journal and read it back myself than to share everything I’ve written with others because it makes me feel very vulnerable.

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You scream, I scream we all scream TEAM!

After working with my     team, what is one thing that I have learned about team development that I     will commit to using over the next three weeks of this Adventure Trail?

After working with my team, I have come to appreciate the different contributions that each member brings. Over the next three weeks I will try to initiate, plan and execute our report and presentation with the different skills and strengths of each member. Members who are great at typing out and organizing information will be encouraged to write and edit the report, members who excel at voicing their ideas instead of writing them down will be encouraged to speak aloud. Members with great presence who can engage and hold the attention of their audience will be encouraged to present.

Select     one person from your team to mutually share #3 with. Ask for and give     feedback on how each of you are making this real.

After discussing with my team member my goals to gaining confidence and feeling competent, we have worked out a few steps to achieve this goal. I will capitalize on my restorative strength to work through the case given to my team. I am better at writing down my thoughts than saying them aloud at times and so I will write down my contributions and any suggestions to organize and relate what I say out loud to the situation. My team member and I have noticed that I will start to explain a concept or suggest an idea then stop half way through or shy away from continuing, asking the team to jump in instead.  I will try to state what it is I should say without seeking approval and without doubting my thoughts. I will also try to get to know my team members better because as a relator I thrive more around people I am comfortable with.

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Adventure Trail #1

1.       What was the most important lesson that you learned generally about leadership from the first Leadership Trail and how might you use that in the future?

 The most important lesson learnt about leadership from the first leadership trail is that it takes commitment. To be a leader I have to be all in at all times in order to be successful. Coordinating meeting times with my group, attending the meetings, taking part, staying late, working at home all requires commitment that really shows in the results at the end of the day.

 2.       What was a key lesson that you might have learned about you personally as a leader? How might you use that to develop your leadership ability in the future?

I am good at supporting the main leader. I understand that it is difficult to coordinate many people to all work at the same place at the same time and also to have everyone be on the same page. In the future I may try to share the responsibility with the main leader to ensure that I am still contributing, I still have responsibilities however it does not fall on just one person to carry the team.

 3.       What do you think you need to do to really grow in both competence and confidence to achieve the level of personal and professional leadership that is important to you?

 To achieve the level of competence and confidence I want I believe that I must practice taking the lead more often on projects instead of being comfortable supporting the main leader. I must seek a deeper understanding of requirements and situations and work to provide the quality solutions that the situation demands.

 4.       What did you learn about leadership communication and the ability to effectively communicate and present your ideas/vision/ plan from your and the other teams presentations on Leadership Trail #1?

I have learnt that communication and cohesiveness takes time in a group. Patience and open mindedness is very important to weather the storming stage. It is important to listen to everyone’s voice and respect their opinion and experiences. Communication is important not only when members are sharing their ideas for case solutions, but also when members are setting expectations for the group itself.

5.       Being curious and being able to ask relevant, open ended questions is a key leadership skill.  How might you prepare yourself for the interview with your second leader to ask key open ended questions?  Write what that (those) questions might be here, in advance of the interview.

To prepare myself for the interview with the second leader I will ensure that the leader is given the opportunity to voice what he/she feels is taking place and to relay all parties involved.I will ask the leader such questions as what has prevented you from handling this situation.What qualities do you think you possess that make you a good leader? What are your expectations for your team? What is your vision and strategy for your team?

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Team work makes the dream work

What have I learned     from the meeting we held with the adventure leader who visited our class     this week?

I have learnt that reading a case can only provide a partial view of a situation. Meeting with the leader enabled me to gain a different perspective and to obtain additional information that just reading from the case could not. I have also learnt that asking questions is not enough to gain all the required information. Letting the leader speak on the situation uninterrupted also helps to gather information.

2.       What is one thing that I learned about leadership this week and how might I use this as part of my personal leadership development?

I have learnt that anything that happens with people affects the organization and anything that happens with the organization affects people.  I also learnt that a good leader does not just react to situations to make them better, a good leader is proactive to ensure that all operations with the team runs smoothly.

3.       After working with my team, what are three things that I have learned about becoming a high performing team?  

After working with my team I have learnt that high performing teams must get pass the storming stage in order to reach a common goal. High performing teams keep the end goal in mind, they have a clear vision and strategy to achieve their goal. High performing teams also know how to communicate.

The next time I am in     a team what are the top three things that I would bring to the team to     help make it a high performing team?

Clear expectations and standards are important to establish a high performing team. My aspirations for my next team is to ensure each member knows what is expected of them in terms of work load and work quality. The next time I am in a team I will try to establish an effective communication process so that each member is able to contribute equally and so that discussions can be more effective in relation to team goals.  Focus is another element that I would hope to bring to my team to ensure the team is not side tracked and all efforts are dedicated to achieving the common goal.

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Problem Solving Template

1.       What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using a template to work through an operational or leadership issue?

The advantages of using a template to work through an operational or leadership issue include narrowing down the expansive world of possible problems and possible solutions. This incites more focus and allows users to discover the problem and come up with solutions faster than if there was no template. A template also provides a structure therefore all solutions always relate to the core problems.

The disadvantage of using a template is that it limits the range of solutions and possible problems to assign to an organization or leadership issue. The problem may not fall under the headings that the template suggests.

2.       When you applied the template on the cases what did you find challenging and what did you find beneficial?

The template allowed me to go about the task in an order that made sense. It started with identifying key facts about the organization and the leadership situation. From the facts identified it allowed me to think about the goal to achieve, the ideas to achieve the goal and if the ideas were effective.The challenging aspects I found were associated with the differentiation between leadership issues and operational issues and the 2 often went hand in hand in the cases worked on. From the list provided there were several headings that could be used to solve the problems therefore it was difficult at times to zero in on 1 definite answer. 

3.       It is critical for leaders to be able to lead teams in clarifying core issues and identifying innovative ideas to resolve issues.  In what ways do you think this template accomplishes this?

The template structure accomplishes this task as it forces users to identify the issues and choose a path to solve the issues.

4.       When you review the 14 Leadership topics outlined in the Problem Solving Template, which is the one that you think is a critical leadership requirement? Why?

A critical leadership requirement from the list provided is vision and strategy. As stated in the blog from week 4, a vision and strategy gives a leader and the leader’s followers purpose. Purpose motivates every one who has it to work hard. Vision unifies people to work together and so with a plan and a goal a leader is able to unify people to influence change in order to reach the common goal.

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Vision & Strategy in Leadership

The leadership Area I am naturally drawn to is Vision and Strategy. I am naturally drawn to this leadership idea because it gives purpose to leadership. What is a leader if they have no dream or goal and no plan to accomplish this goal?  Vision and Strategy not only gives my own life direction, but it also unifies others who are a part of my journey, whether at work or in my personal life. I am able to be a more effective leader in this area by using my futuristic strength to create a dream. All actions in the present will be directly linked to achieve the dream set in the future.

I have a general understanding of all 14 leadership areas, however authentic leadership is interesting in its description because anyone can be an authentic leader. Authentic leadership to me, can refer to someone who is putting their all into achieving as a leader. They genuinely care about their role and the guidance they provide to others. Authentic leadership is described in the class slides as being aware of self and develop self and lead as you are. This is saying that authentic leadership is capitalizing on your strengths and using them to unite people to influence change and reach a common goal. This means any one in any role can be an authentic leader. It is what makes a great mobster, president,terrorist, priest. People who know how to gain followers and influence them to do their will.  

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There is an I in team.

My best team experience was when I worked at my second gymnastics facility.

Our work environment was structured and each person on the coaching staff was responsible for the success of the day’s events as there was a schedule that each person had to follow.

Each member was required to show up before the start of classes to set up circuits after which the entire coaching staff would lead warm up. Each team member was accountable in some way for their performance. We supported each by offering assistance in areas of weakness and commended each other in areas of strength.

  I was able to use my futuristic strength to help coaches in training to visualize their coaching goals and grow beyond their expectations. This contributed to the success of the organization over all, as well trained, highly motivated new coaches meant continuous enrolment of new clients and efficient effective team members for the existing coaching staff.

  Looking back I would have accepted higher leadership roles in order to further my leadership development. I was reluctant to take on other roles outside of coaching at the gym as I did not believe in my abilities. I would change this and use my restorative strength to solve issues that arise and seek help from managers and my peers when unsure of the next step. Leaders are not always born, they are often times made.

  My approach to handling conflict in a team environment is to allow parties to voice their grievances and find a logical solution based on the purpose of the team. I am able to use my strength of judging to bring definition to the group and my futuristic strength to decipher if the solution the team comes up with, will benefit our larger purpose down the road. This approach helps the team to be unified as they are working towards achieving a common goal. Personally this strategy enables me to accomplish my goals at any cost.

  If I could do one thing differently when working with future teams, I would strive to build more of a rapport with my team members. As a relator I tend to stick to the people I already know instead of opening up and forming new bonds.

In the past I have been in conflict with team members because I was not drawn to their personalities. I remained closed off to those members and they did not hold me in high regard for this reason. Each person on a team comes from a different walk of life and I will utilize my strengths of empathy and consistency to put myself in their shoes and treat each person with the same level of respect whether I agree with their life choices and no matter their personality.

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Personal Strength Assessment

The insight that resonated the most with me from my personal assessments is my personality type of introversion and how it goes hand in hand with my high value for honesty.  As stated in my leadership class, an introvert gains energy by focusing on personal thoughts and feelings. It has taken me some time to accept and be comfortable with who I am and how I interact with others. I now realize that I can use my value of honesty to build trust with others and inspire them to grow past their highest imaginable true self.

In the next week I will be engaged in various group activities where I will strive to speak honestly in order to showcase my strengths and rely on my group for support for my weaknesses. My actions as an honest leader will in turn inspire them to complete their tasks using their strengths and also identify where support is needed so that we may surpass all expectations and provide unfathomable results.

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LIT -Leader In Training

I was a gymnastics coach for 6 years - I started out as a volunteer at age 17 and had never done gymnastics a day in my life. At the end of my volunteer term, I was offered a job by the gym manager. She knew that I did not have all the technical knowledge but my raw talent to captivate and lead shone through. At first I was afraid to lead a class on my own, doubtful of my technical skills, shy when it came on to speaking up in front of more senior coaches and parents or leading activities in a large group. In short I was not confident in my own abilities.

My experience as a leader in this situation taught me that being competent was not the most important thing. It taught me tolerance, to work as part of a team, to work on my own, to be  accountable for others and for my own actions. Being a leader in this situation also taught me that there are many different ways to lead. A great leader knows who they are leading therefore inspires and encourages accordingly in order to achieve a shared goal.

My leadership strengths as I currently know them include being fair or consistent as the strengths finder 2.0 stated. In a conflict situation between friends or co workers, I am able to see both sides and play the devil's advocate. This way each party is able to see where the other is coming from and meet in the middle to come to an agreement. Another strength that ties into this example is being empathetic. I am able to feel and understand as each party would therefore I am able to be fair/ consistent with both.  

Leadership strengths and characteristics I would like to develop are restorative and futuristic. Problem solving is critical and important in every aspect  of my life to reach my goals, whether they be career, physical, financial or any other goals.I aspire to inspire first by tackling my own problems and being my own life leader then leading others by my example, if I can do it, you can too.