MSLD 521 Module 6- Sustained Change

On July 1988, an oil rig exploded off the coast of Scotland, which tragically killed over 160 workers. Andy Mochan, a survivor from the accident chose to jump fifteen stories into water to avoid the blaze, quoting “it was either jump of fry”. Daryl Conner uses Mochan’s quote as a metaphor to the burning platform: which he defines as the commitment to sustain a change (Conner, 2012). Rather than suffering and dealing with a change when it happens, Conner believes that ones can “pay less” by supporting the change (Galoppin, 2011). The whole concept of the burning platform help leaders understand the different outcomes between being reactive versus being proactive. According to Fisher, leaders should avoid being reactive since it increases stress, reduces effective decision-making, and can lead to a sense of powerlessness. Instead,  a good leader should stay proactive since it relieves stress, prepares and establishes better understanding, and promote control and direction of the change (Fisher, n.d.).

                While I never really thought of it before, I happen to consider the burning platform concept every day. As of today, I am only one year into the “working adult life”, and everything seems to be in order. I managed to land a full time job, move out of my parent’s household, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree. While I currently have everything I want, it is always important for me to avoid getting too comfortable, and be aware of the potential risks that may occur. Of all the things I’m going through at the moment, I am very cautious about my position as an academic adviser.

                Academics is one of few organizations that faces constant changes. We apply new technologies to improve our services, introduce and revise degree programs, and make changes to stand out from our competitors. Today, many universities including the one I work at is starting to focus more towards online courses. Students are finding online courses to be flexible and convenient than traditional classroom courses. Because of this, many physical campuses including mine are facing a deficit in both participation of in-seat courses and overall office visits.

                Although my university hasn’t announced any dramatic changes to resolve this issue, I think of “possible” changes the university might make. For instance, I often feel like the university might completely get rid of in-seat courses someday which can either lead to one of two possible changes. One possible change might be the university transforming all physical campuses into a service center where students can receive advisement and other needs. For this case, I overall believe that this won’t have too huge of an impact since we simply lose the task of setting up and hosting in-seat courses. However, since we don’t get that many office visits, the university might only need a campus director to run a campus: which could lead me to lose my job since I’m currently an assistant.

                If I were to lose my job due to having no need of an assistant campus director, the situation will be like the second possible change, where the university decides to close all physical campuses. Losing my job would be a serious issue since this will impact my goal of getting a master’s degree and living alone in general. Rather than taking action after the change happens, I am proactive and brainstorm a few ideas before the change. Saving income is one thing, however I also try to make and maintain connections with people from organizations close to my university. My campus for example consists of  many students from the Boeing Company. While establishing a relationship helps with advisement purposes, doing so might even help me land a job at their company. By landing a new job, this can save me from losing my current home, and I can continue to pursue a master’s degree.

References:

Conner, D. (2012). The Real Story of the Burning Platform. Retrieved from http://www.connerpartners.com/frameworks-and-processes/the-real-story-of-the-burning-platform

Fisher, C. (n.d.). Being Proactive Vs. Reactive. Retrieved from http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/being-proactive-vs-reactive-10356.html

Galoppin, L. (2011). The Giant Misunderstanding on Burning Platforms. Retrieved from http://www.reply-mc.com/2011/01/17/the-giant-misunderstanding-on-burning-platforms/

MSLD 521 Module 5- Core Workplace Values Assessment

As an academic adviser, student success is our priority. While my university face some competition with other aviation-focused schools, we mainly rely on genuinely ethical values. As Stephen Denning stated, people following this value focuses more on the people in the community rather than profit (Denning, 2011). As students complete their degree programs, they will be counting on me and many other university staff to help them. To do this, it is important to establish and maintain a strong relationship.

After completing Dr. Randall Hansen’s Workplace Values Assessment, it wasn’t surprising to notice how closely tied my values were to my job. Below are five important values I mostly rely on:

1. Integrity and truth.
2. Friendships and warm working relationships.
3.   Professional development and on-going learning and growth.
4. Having a positive impact on others and society.
5. Being recognized for quality of work in a visible/public way.

The first two values were heavily inspired by personal experiences. When I was working on my bachelor’s degree, I studied at the same university I currently work at. Although many of the staff and faculty were helpful, there were cases where I came across those that “rushed” through their advisement. I found these people to be a little disrespectful and dishonest: which eventually lead me to speak to another adviser.

Now that I’m an adviser, I am able to see and think from the staff and student perspectives. Many of my students find my advisement helpful because I often connect my personal experiences to their advisement. According to Zak, storytelling establishes an empathetic environment. By being empathetic, we’re relating with one another: which establishes and strengthen relationships (Zak, 2014). One example is when I make class recommendations for students. Rather than choosing random classes off the list, I implement my personal experiences when possible. The whole point of storytelling is to ensure that students don’t make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past. By doing so, students can see that I’m providing honest information and that I truly care about them: which often time leads them to respond in the same manner.

Although sharing personal experiences may be helpful, it is important to keep in mind that this won’t always be the case. According to Allison, a leader should always think proactively since change is constant (2014). Because of this, my third important value is to constantly seek opportunities to expand and improve my current knowledge. According to Nosich, a leader’s effectiveness depends on the amount of information they have (2012). To improve the effectiveness of my advisement, I am currently taking graduate courses. Although doing so Is not required in my position, I can gain further knowledge as a staff and student. By doing so, this will improve the quality of my advisement, which will leave a more positive impact for both the students and fellow staff.

References:

Allison, A. (2014). Why Leaders Should Never Get Comfortable. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/austin-allison/planning-for-inevitable-change.html

Noisch, G. D. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. Boston: Peason Education.

Zak, P. (2014). Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/10/why-your-brain-loves-good-storytelling

MSLD 521 Module 4- Listening

Tom Peters’ briefly talked about the importance of listening by providing an example of the healthcare industry. He states that strategic strength comes from strategic listening rather than a strategic plan (Peters, 2009). As leaders, it is critical to listen to your followers since each person’s beliefs and thoughts are considered as valuable information: which is necessary for effective decision making (Nosich, 2012). While cutting conversations short may save some time, many people find it rude: causing leaders to not only obtain less information, but struggle maintaining a positive relationship.

 When I was working on my bachelor’s degree, I had an unusual question pop up, and my academic adviser referred me to speak to a professor at the math department. After exchanging introductions with the professor, I started to have difficulties understanding her. The professor had a very thick accent and spoke rather swiftly. As someone with a hearing disability, it was important to inform her before she got too far in the conversation. When attempting to do so, she kept cutting me off and continue where she left off. After a few more attempts, she finally yelled at me telling me to let her finish. Just before I could finish my sentence, she again cut me off and asked me to leave because of my "disruptive behavior".

 At the end of the conversation, I felt mistreated and believed that reporting the incident was reasonable. After going back and forth with the school for a week, I finally received an email from the same professor. Because of the way she yelled during the last visit, I felt pretty hesitant to see her. Upon arrival, we exchanged greetings and she immediately apologized and admitted that she assumed that I wanted to ask questions during the middle of her conversation. In the end, I accepted her apology, and she was able to help me out.

 There were a few things that can be drawn out and tied to Tom Peters’ explanation on the importance of listening. The first was that miscommunication (or lack of information) occurred because of the lack of listening. According to Blundell, some reasons why people talk over each other is because it’s a narcissistic or a battle for power (Blundell, 2015). Although I don’t have the full understanding of the professor’s thinking, I believe that she might have cut me off because of her position at the university. As a professor, they have a lot of knowledge on the academics than the student. Because of this, she showed “who’s boss”, but at the same time might have assumed that my statements were least important and can wait.

 While cutting people off causes miscommunication, it also causes emotional issues to occur. I was upset about being cut off in general, however it was her tone and facial expression that really put an effect. Each time I attempted to stop the professor, she was progressively raising her voice and her facial expressions began to change. Clearly seeing this, I also began to respond the same way (McDonald and Messinger, n.d.). As leaders, despite facing a difficult situation, it is important to always stay positive since this will help people regain confidence, and become more motivated: which eventually results in more efficient functions (Somogyi, 2013).

References:

Blundell, A. (2015). 7 reasons people talk over the top of others [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1PQRZojlXQ

McDonald, N., & Messinger, D., (n.d.), The Development of Empathy: How, When, and Why. Retrieved from http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/dmessinger/c_c/rsrcs/rdgs/emot/McDonald-Messinger_Empathy%20Development.pdf

Nosich, G.D. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. Boston: Pearson Education.

Peters, T. (2009). Tom Peter’s Leadership Thoughts: Listening [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwB7NAvKPeo

Somogyi, R., Buchko, A., & Buchko, K. (2013). Managing with empathy: Can you feel what I feel? Journal of Organizational Psychology. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1470425153/fulltextPDF/CE275E3C16174E05PQ/1?accountid=27203

MSLD 521 Module 3- Credibility

Joel Whalen has identified three pillars of credibility: expertise, trustworthiness, and goodwill. Expertise is the form of credibility where people rely on one’s title, education or other professionals’ esteem. Trustworthiness is simply the confidence level between people, whereas goodwill focuses on the overall relationship (Whalen, 2007). As an academic adviser, maintaining a strong relationship with students is critical since they will be relying on my help to successfully graduate. While I hardly come across professional issues, one challenge I struggle with is to be seen as a trustworthy adviser.

Though it’s hard to determine, I believe one reason why I struggle on gaining trust is because of the lack of experience with my current position. I was hired as an adviser only last year and because of this, a few students enrolled before my arrival refer straight to my boss. Though the situation appears more relevant towards the expertise pillar, I believe trustworthiness is the primary issue. According to Whalen, it takes time to build up trust (Whalen, 2007). A year may seem enough time to gain some trust, however the challenge at my workplace is that most students rarely contact us. My university primarily offers online courses, and many students rely on them to balance work schedules, as well as having the opportunity to get a degree without constant travelling.

While work experience at my university might be one thing, perhaps the biggest struggle that applies to anyone is my age. I am 24, graduated last year with my first bachelor’s degree, and is new to the working world. Though it is uncommon for students to judge me, I’ve been told by my boss several times where students admitted that they trusted a “grown man” than “some kid”.  Whether the person is a current, new, or a potential student, the pattern is usually the same. First, I usually receive an email or phone call requesting an office visit. When the student arrives, they either ask if I was the same person who they initially spoke to, or they will ask or go straight to the director’s office (without saying anything). When my boss wasn’t in the office, in rare cases, they simply say “oh” and leave the office.

                While working for a year and being young are two different issues, I believe the solution to both are overall the same: and that is to simply engage in more conversations. The root problem to both situations are that people are judging based on “the cover”. The situation is similar to Chimamanda Adichie’s TED talk The Danger of a Single Story. According to Adichie, a single story or stereotype might be true, but are inaccurate information (Adichie, 2009). For my situation, I am sometimes seen as untrustworthy because I’m young and just got hired. The judgments are true, but not entirely. To overcome the issue, I often talk about my past and current experience as a student.

                According to Joshua Gowin, personal experiences and storytelling allows the audience to make a connection to their thoughts and emotions (Gowin, 2011). For my case, sharing my experiences is efficient because going to school is a common interest. While true experiences are credible, implementing emotions through body language and tone can make a conversation more efficient since emotions allows ones to respond the same way (McDonald & Messinger, n.d.). To supplement my storytelling and overall knowledge for advisement, I am also currently working on my master’s degree: which follows into the expertise pillar of credibility. Whenever I come across a student who talks about a master’s degree, I worry that I lack experience. To avoid this, I am continuing and learning more as I complete my degree.

References:

Adichie, C. (2009). The danger of a single story [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

Gowin, J. (2011). Why Sharing Stories Brings People Together. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you-illuminated/201106/why-sharing-stories-brings-people-together

McDonald, N., & Messinger, D., (n.d.), The Development of Empathy: How, When, and Why. Retrieved from http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/dmessinger/c_c/rsrcs/rdgs/emot/McDonald-Messinger_Empathy%20Development.pdf

Whalen, J. (2007). The Professional Communications Toolkit (1st ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.