My Leadership Portfolio - Essay Example

 Professional Portfolio Master of Organizational Leadership Table of Contents I. Introduction and Description of the Student and the Process Explanation of the Process……………………………………………………..4 Mission Statement………………………………………………………………4 Leadership Philosophy………………………………………………………….4 Vita………………………………………………………………………………6 II. Leadership Project…………………………………………………………….9 III. Leadership Course Objectives and Competencies Organizational Research Methods – ORGL 501……………………….......................12 Communication and Leadership - ORGL 504………………………………………...12 Organizational Theory - ORGL 505.......................…………………………………...12 Diversity and Leadership - ORGL 506…………………………….………………….13 Organizational Development - ORGL 516……………………………………………13 Leadership, Restorative Justice, & Forgiveness – ORGL 532………..........................14 Leadership & Team Building Intensive- ORGL 550A………………..………………14 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..15 IV. Evidence of Competencies and Knowledge Attained Organizational Research Methods - ORGL 501……………………………………....17 Communication and Leadership - ORGL 504………………………………………...17 Organizational Theory - ORGL 505.......................………………………………..…18 Diversity and Leadership - ORGL 506…………………………….………………..18 Organizational Development - ORGL 516………………………………………….19 Leadership, Restorative Justice, & Forgiveness – ORGL 532……….......................19 Leadership & Team Building Intensive- ORGL 550A………………..…………....20 Appendices A. Terms of Reference Draft……………………………………………………….25 B. Leadership Philosophy Paper…………………………………………………...44 C. Sales@Mars Brochure…………………………………………………………..51 D. Managing through the Involuntary Separation A Guide for Managers…………61 E. Leadership Examen Paper ……………………………………………………...81 F. Personal Credo and Values ………………………………………………….…87 I. Introduction and Description of the Student Explanation of the Process The primary goal of this portfolio is to identify and describe the subjects that I took during my degree, and to reflect on the new knowledge I have developed. I found that each subject both challenged and reinforced my previous beliefs, values and attitudes. The experience as a whole provided me with an opportunity to know myself better, and to have a greater appreciation for others with whom I share this world. The appendix of this document is comprised of curriculum artifacts to provide evidence of my personal and academic development. Each piece was chosen to reflect a step in my journey through my degree, and my commitment to continued professional development as a leader in my occupational and personal roles. Mission Statement To carry out my leadership role with integrity and honesty, showing dignity and respect for others as well as myself, and to consider all constituents involved in decision-making processes. Leader Philosophy Establish a personal leadership philosophy that motivates oneself to achieve one’s best when leading others. Develop a flexible leadership style that incorporates a range of leadership models that can be tailored to the situation at hand, and that complement and reinforce one’s leadership strengths. Effective leadership champions the five principles of: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to a clear set of values; transparency is an essential quality of an effective leader, and so one must be ready to logically justify the choices made and the actions taken. Promote one’s willingness to make a positive difference in the world. Envision the successes to be achieved, and keep this goal at the foremost of one’s consciousness, cultivating one’s inner voice to motivate and maintain one’s momentum towards the vision. Delegate effectively, by way of selecting and matching staff to the tasks that best suit their ability to achieve. Provide praise as a creative method to motivate the best performance from staff. Effectively and efficiently monitor the progress of implemented plans, in regards to adherence to objectives, evaluation of outcomes and the level of work satisfaction among staff. Support of equality and freedom and the development of social evolution, by way of encouraging staff to enjoy their work tasks, and in supporting their personal, emotional and relational development. Cultivate a reflective practice of one’s intellectual, emotional and behavioral decisions and actions, to learn from mistakes, to recognize vulnerabilities and to develop personal strengths. Vita T. Gerard LeBel 2006 107 Lambert Drive Home: 973-726-8538 Sparta, NJ 07871 Work: 908-850-7520 E-mail: timothy.lebel@effem.com Cellular: 973-534-7977 Voice Mail: 1-800-432-1093, Ext. 7520 Fax: 973-726-0630 Vice President of Sales Aggressive results-driven professional with a proven track record of successful sales, marketing, and management experience in all areas of sales, sales management, marketing, and territory and new business development. Ability to conceptualize new opportunities, embrace change, and proactively meet challenges in a competitive and changing marketplace. High energy, idea generator, and forward thinking focused team player who is able to work independently. Confident business solutions decision maker. Ability to handle multitude of challenges simultaneously. Key strengths include: Exceptional sales and management abilities, visions, and purpose; Complete understanding and ability to successfully interface within all Masterfoods USA business processes; Dynamic leadership, training, and motivational skills; Strong presentation, verbal and written communication skills; Excellent negotiation, conflict management, customer service, and retention abilities; Advanced organization and time management skills. Computer skills include Microsoft Word, Access, Excel, and PowerPoint; Customer Insights; and Customer Planner. Achievement Awards 2003 Inductee — Mars Incorporated Tie Club for long and distinguished service to Mars, Inc., personifying the Five Principles of Mars, and exemplifying the essence of good corporate and community citizenship 2002 Ten Percent Club Inductee for exceptional sales performance and customer engagement 2001 Make the Difference Award — Company Award Winner; nominated for Global Award Event 1999 Principles of Mars Award — Freedom Award — Kal Kan Foods 1997, 1998, and 1999 — PETsMART Award of Excellence — “Best Integrated Marketing Plan” 1992 and 1995 — Outstanding Sales Achievement Award — M&M/Mars 1994 — Commitment to Training & Development Award — M&M/Mars Career Highlights Masterfoods USA, A Mars, Incorporated Company (1990 to Present) (An international consumer product company specializing in snacks, pet food, and food.) Director of Sales Operations, Hackettstown, NJ (2003 to Present) Provides the strategic and operational leadership to the field sales organization, responsible for overall resource and budgetary management; to ensure profitable business growth via the achievement of specific gross sales volume, market share, brand, pack and profitability targets. Ensures the development of human resources to meet both the short term and the long term leadership needs of the company. Acts as the “Chief of Staff” to the Vice President of Sales to ensure achievement of all brand and marketing objectives. Increased sales 3% to $1,376,059 billion in 2003. Established an intergrated competency development plan for sales. Established Kepner Tregoe Critical Thinking & Decision Making Process as sales effectiveness standard. Leadership role in the organizational design and implementation of Mars’ Strategic Business Units. Senior National Account Manager, Phoenix, Arizona (1997 to 2002) Lead a multi-functional account team delivering profitable growth, consistent with short and mid-term company objectives; develop leverageable strategic relationships with senior executives; establish detailed performance objectives and skill training to enable sales associates to achieve success and personal growth; identify and analyze business trends utilizing syndicated data, account profitability, and category information; manage all customer account specific and company budgets within guidelines and requirements. Consistently in the Top 5 percent of company sales force. Staff and manage a team producing strong long-term associates for Mars; develop and execute sales plan; conduct and lead team meetings; create and coordinate execution of national and account specific programs; secure maximum product/size/distribution/authorization, securing pricing, display, planogram, and advertising objectives; develop command on latest innovations in category management; analyze accounts business in relation to market, category and Mars’ business developing strategic sales plans to achieve category and company growth objectives; identify and analyze business trends utilizing syndicated data, account profitability, and category information. Increased sales 19% to $95.2 million by managing a declining account with aggressive sales objectives. Leveraged strength of marketing plan and national support with PETsMART to obtain year-on-year share growth and strengthen relationship with senior management. Presented confectionary front-end program repeatedly to multiple executives resulting in a program that was rolled out nationally exceeding projections by 50% in 2002. Acted as mediator between three companies working on one project with one goal, creating a cohesive team, which ultimately delivered an 18% increase in veterinary sales in 2002. Key Account Manager, Dallas, Texas (1996 to 1997) Supervised a sales representative and sales analyst. Joined the Wal-Mart team, the largest global account. Increased bulk sales M&M’s® Plain and Peanut Chocolate candies to Sam’s Club by $12 million annually by implementing a bulk program utilizing a third party vendor. Built a successful sales presentation analyzing sales history by region and testing product sales regionally. Created pilot program and repeatedly presented to ice cream buyer at Sam’s Club resulting in 100% distribution. Working internally with franchise team, launched 6 club-specific packs meeting the needs of Sam’s Club customers. Coordinating with a third party co-packer, created a more extensive seasonal line, which became a core part of the club seasonal business representing over $10 million in profitable sales volume. Retail Sales Manager, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1995 to 1998) Managed 9 territory sales representatives and coordinated and acted as liaison with broker partners. Transitioned a team with low morale and struggling sales into a true team which met or exceeded all sales objectives. Mentored team to work as a cohesive and focused unit producing a record performance, finishing year 22% ahead of plan. Key Account Representative, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1993 to 1995) Managed Fleming Wholesalers and a large chain grocery account. Leveraged national sponsorships and programs into account specific programs maximizing national trade dollars and reducing impact of a funding reduction; executed the same number of single programs with less funding and grew overall single business by 8%. Implemented a telemarketing program to reach smaller customers serviced by Fleming but not covered by sales force during Fleming’s wholesaler consolidation. Prior to telemarketing program, initial financial impact was a $1.5 million reduction in sales; this program reduced merger impact by 35%. Sales Representative, New Haven, Connecticut (1990 to 1993) Managed candy distributors, vend/fund raising accounts, independent grocery chains, regional grocery chains, and wholesalers for a specific territory; met or exceeded yearly sales and financial objectives. Education Continuing Education Courses and Seminars: Numerous courses yearly including, but not limited to: Fundamentals of Broker Management, Pipeline Integration, Negotiate to Win, Supply Chain Optimization, Category Management/Efficient Assortment, High Performing Teams, Managing People at Mars, Effective Merchandising, Advanced Logistics, Adversity Quotient I and II, Strategic and Conceptual Selling, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Problem Solving & Decision Making. Bachelor of Science, Major: Marketing; Minor: Finance. Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire. II. Leadership Project My Leadership Project involved my active participation in the redesign of Demand Planning Processes for Masterfoods, USA with a Terms of Reference document (see Appendix A). Previous to 2005, the DPP was highly focused on the details of item level issues, had an inflexible supply chain, a reactive work environment, a lack of long-term planning and innovation, increasing non-quality costs, and developing a culture of poor service provision. It was determined that the bottoms-up approach to planning would be replaced by to-down brand target setting to achieve target growth outcomes. Also, it was identified that the supply chain must plan with more activities occurring further ahead to accommodate capacity constraints and to negate potential customers from changing their mind in the purchase of Masterfood products. Reorganization of the Sales and Operating Procedures during October 2004 to April 2005 introduced the role of the segment planning manager. The segment planning manager is responsible for the demand and operations planning of a set of brands, and is reported to by pure demand and operational planners. As such, the segment planning manager has the focused duty of initiating continuous improvement opportunities of the S&OP. Step 2 of the reorganization was to “Create Demand Plan” (CDP), which was initiated in July 2005 by the Snack S&OP redesign team, as well as contributions from the Apollo Supply Chain Systems Manager. The objectives of the CDP proposal were to: 1) Create a demand plan that is the single source of consistent information on current anticipated product demand & which feeds the supply plan; 2) Deriving through consensus a demand forecast based on objective, realistic, and visible assumptions which are available and open to challenge and then deriving a demand plan which reflects capacity or other constraint decisions; 3) The revision or demand plan allows the business the opportunity each period to understand the gaps (both positive and negative) to the financial operating plan or target for the Snack business; 4) Implement Manugistics as the underlying software for the forecasting process per the Apollo global template; and 5) Define or create the role for a sales planner to build more robust sales inputs as inputs to the “Create Demand Plan” process. The expected outcomes of the CDP were: All associates in the process will clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. A higher likelihood of delivering operating plans to meet all targets (growth, ROTA, earnings, and cash) will be achieved. A demand plan will be established within sales forecast accuracy targets. The SMT will have clear visibility and timeliness to operating plan volume gaps and will implement actions to address gaps successfully. Two predominant concerns have been noted for the CDP, and contingencies developed for them. Firstly, it was of concern how to balance brand level forecasting with account level selling and planning. The determined solution is that key accounts will require monitoring and will also be reconciled to the brands. Additionally, it would be necessary to accurately track sales actuals to account targets which match the year’s demand plan volume. Secondly, it was of concern that the Apollo demand implementation will be delayed. The solution decided upon was to continue with the process redesign work as outlined in the CDP proposal regardless that this would mean base statistical forecasting would not be realized, and constrain forecast accuracy improvements in some areas. When the Terms of Reference document for the CDP is finally agreed upon, a steering committee will be formed to oversee the key decisions and their implementation. At the end of March, 2006 the assumption templates of the CDP had been fully developed, and were used for the 2006 reshape that incorporated new activities and trade changes. The first Christmas 2006 checkpoint was in May, and the checkpoint process of the CDP was implemented. Furthermore, by the end of June the re-organization of sales will include the processes and roles developed to enhance the accuracy of account inputs, as well as that of reporting. To date, the Apollo demand systems and process implementation have proceeded simultaneously throughout 2006. My involvement in the development of the Terms of Reference document was a challenging and rewarding experience. I have come to appreciate the processes of planning and reporting, of setting goals, monitoring progress, and evaluating outcomes. The reshaping process, at first, appeared to be a monumental hurdle for myself and my team to tackle. However, looking over the draft document, and our success to date, I am proud that we took the project onboard, and have not been phased by the disappointments along the way, instead finding new ways to problem solve and to collaborate as a group. I look forward to the full implementation of the CDP, and to my continued contribution to the implementation of innovative and productive S & OP processes and working relationships both within, and external to, my organization. III. Course Competencies Organizational Research Methods – ORGL 501 1. The student will understand the scientific method of research and its application in organizational research, as well as be able to select viable and feasible research topics. 2. The student will be able to; source relevant peer-reviewed literature; identify gaps in current knowledge; and to logically describe the abstract, conceptual hypothesis as well as the operational hypothesis to test it. 3. The student will demonstrate their understanding of; data collection methods; construction of a research instrument; adequate sampling techniques; and of providing a detailed procedure that allows for future replication of their research. 4. The student will demonstrate their ability to design a reliable, valid and ethically sound research design proposal. 5. The student shall demonstrate their willingness to engage in the peer-review process by posting submissions, as well as discussing and evaluating classmate submissions, by way of an online forum. 6. The student shall demonstrate their ability to adhere to ASA or APA formatting standards. Communication and Leadership - ORGL 504 1. The student will be able to identify dominant issues in communication and leadership within an organizational context, as well as be able to discuss these issues with logical and justifiable arguments. 2. The student can demonstrate their ability to understand and to practically apply their knowledge of organizational communication theories and processes. 3. The student will have developed effective analytical skills, and the ability to make recommendations for communication and leadership issues across a variety of organizational contexts. 4. The student will have enhanced communication and leadership competencies within the organizational setting. 5. The student will demonstrate critical analysis of ethical issues involving organizational communication and leadership. Organizational Theory - ORGL 505 1. The student will have a comprehensive overview and history of the field of organizational theory, and so be able to understand the foundation of this discipline and its dominant contributors. 2. The student will have developed introductory skills of understanding an organization from a range of frames of reference and theoretical approaches. 3. The student will have developed a sound understanding of the structural, human resource, political, cultural and systems perspectives of interpreting and explaining an organization. 4. The student will have a demonstrated ability of reading and participating in discussions of organizational change. 5. The student will be able to challenge themselves to apply their knowledge in a practical manner to both case studies and actual organizational scenarios. Diversity and Leadership - ORGL 506 1. The student can effectively explain and analyze the influences of race and ethnicity on a person’s life, as well as being able to demonstrate their ability to take the perspective of another. 2. The student is able to identify, describe and evaluate a range of gender issues in regards to advancement within an organization. For example, the glass ceiling effect, pay differentials and homophobia. 3. The student can recognize, evaluate and articulate the influences of socio-economic status on a person’s life experiences and their identity development. 4. The student can competently describe respectful behaviors, provide empathetic explanations of another’s perspective, and effectively construct a plan to demonstrate their commitment to continue their personal development for respect of diversity issues. 5. The student can competently apply learnt knowledge in regards to race, class, gender, and respect to their personal servant leadership competencies. Organizational Development - ORGL 516 1. The student will demonstrate awareness of the nature, application and practice of the profession of Organizational Development. 2. The student will develop an understanding of how to undertake a systematic evaluation of the structure and systems of an organization, and to diagnose adequate interventions to support the successes of the organizations mission and goals. 3. The student will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the dominant organizational development methods and instruments to enhance individual, team, departmental and organizational effectiveness. For example, team building, large group event facilitation and intercultural competence education. 4. The student will have acquired a thorough understanding of predictable human dynamics and effective management decisions to coordinate the implementation of major disruptive change. Leadership, Restorative Justice, & Forgiveness – ORGL 532 1. The student will have an introductory understanding of what a servant-leadership perspective of restorative justice and forgiveness requires. 2. The student will be able to enter into, and deepen the discourse of what is life giving in the midst of human atrocities and profound human suffering. 3. The student will understand the nature of freedom and responsibility within the self, as well as the inherent calling that places on the individual within personal, social, and global systems. 4. The student will be able to draw on a holistic concept of personhood with regard to course content, especially, to demonstrate an advanced development of heart, mind, and spirit that is the core of servant-leadership, restorative justice, and forgiveness. Leadership & Team Building - ORGL 551 1. To increase knowledge, understanding, and skills related to leadership. 2. To increase knowledge and understanding of team development, and to become a more effective team member in working with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, philosophies, strengths, and limitations. 3. To improve skills related to effective problem solving and decision-making. 4. To improve communication skills. Bibliography Organizational Research Methods – ORGL 501 Hoyle, Rick H., Monica J. Harris, & Charles M Judd. 2002. Research Methods in Social Relations, Seventh Edition. Wadsworth. Communication and Leadership - ORGL 504 Books: Conrad, Charles and Marshall Scott Poole. Strategic Organizational Communication. New York: Harcourt College Publishers. *There will be additional readings distributed in class, placed as PDF files in the Course Documents section of BlackBoard . Videos: Module One: Silkwood Module Two: The Firm Module Three: Gung-Ho Module Four: Disclosure or Norma Rae Organizational Theory - ORGL 505 Bolman, L. & Deal, T. (2003). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership. (3rd edition) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Helgesen, S. (1995). The web of inclusion: A new architecture for building great organizations. New York: Currency/Doubleday. Pfeffer, J. (1992). Managing with power: Politics and influence in organizations. Boston, Ma.: Harvard Business School Press.  Thomas, K. W. (2000). Intrinsic motivation: Building energy and commitment. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. *Selected readings included with syllabus Diversity and Leadership - ORGL 506 Books: Daniel Tatum, Beverly (2002). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race. 5th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: Basic Books Padavic, Irene & Reskin, Barbara (2003). Women & Men at Work, 2nd ed. Sociology for a New Century. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hooks, Bell (2000) Where We Stand: Class Matters. New York: Routledge Sennett, Richard (2003). Respect in a World of Inequality. New York: W.W. Norton Films: “Maid in Manhattan” “A Lesson Before Dying” (HBO Home Video) Organizational Development - ORGL 516 French, W. L. & Bell, C. H. (1998) Organization Development: Behavior Science Interventions for Organization Improvement, 6th ed. New York: Prentice Hall Pick and read at least one an additional OD-related book in a particular area of interest to you. Leadership, Restorative Justice, & Forgiveness – ORGL 532 Books: Reflections on Leadership, Larry Spears No Future Without Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu The Sunflower, Simon Weisenthal Night, Elie Wiesel Man’s Ultimate Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl My Father’s House, Sylvia Fraser Fools Crow, James Welch My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr., Corretta Scott King Films for the course: “The Count of Monte Cristo” (the recent one, with Jim Caviesel) “Anne Frank, The Whole Story” (the recent one, with Ben Kingsley) “Monsoon Wedding” “Smoke Signals” Leadership & Team Building Intensive- ORGL 550A None. Students are requested to bring a journal or notebook and pen for note taking. Handouts will be provided for some of the assignments. IV. Learning & Application Organizational Research Methods – ORGL 501 This class sparked my interest in being more curious about the world that I live in, and the people who share this world with me. It was empowering to realize that I had the ability to construct an instrument that could measure the beliefs, attitudes, values and performances of others. Furthermore, that using a research design suited to my research topic could yield a wealth of raw data from which I could learn about the structure and processes of the organization I work within. Also, that I could use this data to make tentative predications about how people would perform in certain situations; effectively evaluate training programs or work culture campaigns; or to determine future research needs within the organization. I realized the great benefit I have in being able to read the research of others, to assess their sampling and other methodology practices, and to determine for myself if they have used a sound research design that supports their conclusions. I feel that this subject in particular has contributed significantly to my development as a leader as it provides me with skills such as paying attention to details, justifying my choices, planning, and providing a logical argument to justify my conclusions which must also be evidence-based. As such, this subject will aid me to meet my goals as detailed in my Leadership Philosophy (see Appendix B), and to consolidate and present the information of my Sales@Mars brochure (see Appendix C). Communication and Leadership - ORGL 504 I have never taken the time to consider the importance of communication processes before this course. My skills were lacking! Developing an awareness of communication strategies such as active listening, persuasion, motivation, and the use of silence have extended my interpersonal repertoire significantly. Importantly, the awareness of the value of networking has brought home to me the web of community that I am a part of within my organization, wider society and as a global citizen. It is obvious to me that an effective and efficient leader is one who is able to tailor their communication style to the person who they are interacting with, and with the goal which they wish to achieve. From my personal experience, communication breakdown is so often the cause underlying time and resource waste. Being able to incorporate new technologies and theoretical models of communication to facilitate an organizational culture whose core value is effective communication is an aim of mine. It is evident to me from my ethnographic assignment that a large proportion of problem-solving encompasses communication processes. As such, it is essential that the organizational leader conduct a communication audit, and to be aware of the opportunities and frustrations that 21st century communication methods entail. This subject also contributed to the development of my Managing through the Involuntary Separation A Guide for Managers, which requires empathy and sensitivity on behalf of the manager (see Appendix D). Organizational Theory - ORGL 505 To be able to draw on a theory to guide my leadership or communication style was indeed empowering and an enriching experience. It is important in terms of time and material resources not to ‘reinvent the wheel,’ and this is the way I felt in learning about the theoretical foundations of organizational theory. This subject greatly assisted me to organize and categorize the interplay of concepts that make up leadership. The range of theories available reinforced for me the flexibility available when approaching an organizational issue, and the multi-dimensional aspects of any organizational context. Especially, the Blackboard forums fostered my reflective, assessment and constructive criticism skills. At first I was doubtful of the value of critiquing the work of others as I felt that I had to ‘know it all’ in order to provide an opinion. However, it was enlightening and enriching to discover that I did have something to contribute along the way of my learning journey, and that one does not need to be an ‘expert’ in order to contribute. Diversity and Leadership - ORGL 506 This subject was an eye-opening in that I have never thought about reflecting on my ethnicity or my experiences as a 39 year old, heterosexual, white, North American male. To realize that for many people their day-to-day experiences are determined by others by virtue of their social class, gender or ethnicity did cultivate my empathy, and my awareness of the world being a much bigger place than what I have always considered it to be. Furthermore, I have never taken the time to consider the definitions of ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’, and at this point in time have determined that there is only one ‘race’ of humans, although we incorporate many ethnicities. It was also enlightening to learn that the differences between me and a female colleague are not as large as the differences between me and another male. That is amazing, and so confrontational. As is reflecting upon my personal discriminations and prejudices of others, as I had always considered myself to be an upholder of freedom and equality, but realize now that the jokes I make at the water fountain, the language that I use, and the media that I endorse, can maintain the status quo of injustices for others. Organizational Development - ORGL 516 This subject made clear to me the importance of an organizations culture, and how it is determined by the models provided by leaders within the organization. Additionally, the wealth of perspectives available to the organizational leader to identify and challenge the structures, culture, and human resource dynamics within an organization was considerably helpful in gaining a comprehensive picture of the organization I am working within. It is essential that the organizational leader be able to diagnose an intervention that best suits the issues or dilemmas that face the organization. This subject contributed immensely to my argument in my Leadership Examen Paper (see Appendix E). As well, being able to identify the different elements that comprise an organization significantly contributes to a leader’s ability to include all constituents during the problem-solving process, and to understand how a range of methods and instruments can effectively contribute to individual, team and organizational productivity. Leadership, Restorative Justice, & Forgiveness – ORGL 532 I must admit that at the beginning of this course I was skeptical of the ‘floaty’ nature of it in regards to its emphasis on ‘heart’ and ‘spirit’. However, I gained so much insight into myself, and the ability and potential of others who have actually experienced oppression. This is a topic I have not given much thought to in the past due to my not being exposed to extreme distress or oppression. The subject also challenged my views on ethics across a variety of organizational scenarios, as well as to the important place ethics has in the repertoire of the leader or any organizational process. Previously, I had considered ethics a dry topic for discussion, and was confident in my ability to discern just and unjust behavior, now I am not so sure, and applaud the use of ethical codes of conduct to assist decision making processes especially in times of a dilemma. I also become more aware of the importance of social power within a capitalist system, and the ways in which it can so easily be abused. I was also motivated to further my personal character to persevere no matter the oppressive and seemingly unchanging circumstances of oppression I may one day be working within. Leadership & Team Building Intensive- ORGL 550A I found this subject challenging as I have always prided myself on being able to achieve my goals on my own. I am a person who finds it difficult to work within a team, as I often feel that I am shouldering those who are less committed to the aims than me. However, I found instead that this subject cultivated my patience with others, and fostered my ability to practice my leadership skills to achieve team goals. This subject greatly contributed to the development of my Personal Credo and Values as a leader (see Appendix F). I also appreciated the team effectiveness in providing the spring board to ‘think outside the box’ as others brought up suggestions that I would never have considered, and vice versa. Furthermore, the readings made it clear to me the necessity for teamwork within the organization in order to problem solve, and to effectively encourage a productive, harmonious and satisfying work environment for all employees, and as a consequence the consumers as well. Especially I found the hiking excursion an excellent activity to practice my team interaction skills, and to truly appreciate the value of a team-orientated organizational culture. Read More