Week6 Chapter7 Conflict

Strategy7 Master conflict-deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggle.

                                                                             

In Wednesday’s class, our group talked about what attitude/reaction we have toward conflict in a group. Many of group member includes myself said that we tend to use conflict negative group way in thinking and attitude. Personally, I tend to being afraid of facing conflict which might affect personal relationship with others. However, one of group members, Maya shared good experience of facing conflict in club activity. She said she uses positive group way of dealing conflict with others, and trys to conduct great outcomes out of conflict. As well as Shackleton’s chapter of conflict, her story made me realize how great outcomes conflict can provide us.

         

We all have a time with negative feelings in lives, so it is impossible to eliminate negative feelings out of our lives. However, what is important is that “…hurt feelings needed immediate attention to prevent anger or settlement from building” (108) Shackleton said. As a great leader, Shackleton was careful to see crew’s attitude and psychological condition for their sake as well as whole tam’s. There are several reasons why negative feelings need to be dealt with directly and small scale situation. I was impressed to find out one of the reasons is that “…conflict not expressed means that problems are not being confronted”.(104) It shows that avoiding conflicts might leads failure of realizing issues among topic we are facing. It was also interesting to see Moose metaphor in the chapter. I don’t have any experience usoing such a characteristic way to solve/apply taboo topic. Although, using visible metaphor can be effective to create open environment  and common sense/understanding, so that people may start to feel comfortable talking about it.　I wonder if there is any Japanese leader/organization using visible vivid metaphor to create an environment which encourages people to face conflict and to make most of it from conflict.

Week6 Chapter6 Core Team values

Strategy6 Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.

The both stories that Shackleton gave his breakfast biscuit to crew, Frank Wild in very first page of the chapter and a number of crews shared hot milk with Greenstreet who accidently dropped his precious drink. I can clearly see Shackleton’s great ability to unify the team by showing generosity and sympathy, and this influenced strongly throughout crewmembers. It was really interesting to see Scott’s leadership skills as almost an opposite to Shackleton’s skills. I think Scott’s behavior build strong authority as a leader to create a hierarchy which made an environment of command rather than intercommunication.(His behavior seems alike to a use of dictatorship…) Despite his exhibition is considered as heroic story, it is obvious that Scott’s leadership skills resulted more frequent anger, resentment, and depression among crews as author said. It is essential to keep authority in some ways as a good leader, but it is also important to create sense of team unity regardless of status/position. Shackleton’s egalitarian can be seen throughout exhibition such as distributing resources (food, sleeping material), and giving a basic sense of respect for others regardless of social roles. Despite Shckleton’s succeed for keeping his authority while maintaining sense of equality was essential for great leader, keeping a balance of these two ability is one of the hardest thing to do in being a leader, My mother told me that when she acts as a group leader in her work place, she always finds it hard to keep authority and sense of equality in good balance for the group. Some people start taking advantage of it if she shows “too much” equality regardless of positions by devoting herself in working as much as others. In other hands, some people start feeling uncomfortable raising their voices if she shows too much authority/hierarchy among group. I think it is cornerstone for leader to evaluate the balance to achieve as a well mobilized team.

Week5 Chapter5 The Team Message

Srategy5
Reinforce the team message constantly “we are one-we live or die together”

I think that Japanese compulsory education well regards an importance of teamwork. Therefore, we mostly have commonsense that “…the challenges faced by most organization can only be overcome through unified effort”.(p70) This is probably because Japanese society puts importance of cooperating with others when people get together ir get in a group to work. However, I learned from the readings that teamwork can easily fail if people cannot share same goal/message constantly. The example of a failure of Everest climbing team showed an importance to share value emotionally and physically. A lack of shared identity, resulted disconnection and isolation among people as climber said “We were a team in  name only…” (p72)

I personally experienced a successful achievement that containing shared identity. I joined freshman summer program to study at SOAS in summer holidays. That year was the first time for ICU to send a group of students to participate SOAS summer program. Therefore, we had a task to complete program successfully as well as to develop our interests. At first, we did not know each other much, and there were 10 students which is fewer than other groups participating summer program. Because it was first time, there were some struggles over our stay in London. However, our leader did great job to make sure we shared common value of an importance to complete program successfully throughout the program by emphasizing strong message. We also bought same jerseys as a shared identity to reinforce our teamwork. So making sure to share goal and value are crucial for Shackleton and his people to complete journey as the situation was between live and death.

It was also interesting for me to find out that it is important to include members by sharing information and discussing problems. This will make people to feel they are heard and counted as a team. However, it is essential for leader to show his/her role as a leader and to make important decision by himself at the end. Shackleton’s great strategy of unifying team members can be applied in our daily lives as an example of company in the chapter showed. Sharing information and having discussion will maintain people’s morale and improve motivation.

Week5 Analyzing characters(Leadership in Roman Hero?)

As we use Leading at the Edge to discover great leadership skills of Shackleton, I think that we can learn leadership skills by reading books and analyzing a characters in the story. (Ken talked about this in Friday’s class! What makes Leading at the Edge special is that of great story behind as well as his personal leadership skills.) I found it is really interesting to analyze any characters that show example of great or failure leadership skill through a story.

Today, I am introducing you famous classical novel called The Aeneid by Virgil(Vergilius Maro).
The Aeneid is one of the most famed classical novels in the world. It is also read as a book of introduction for classical studies. In addition, this book was stated as a “Bible” for nobles in old days. The summary is an adventure of investigating a city in Italy by the Trojan hero “Aeneas”. However, the focus of this book is more concerned with Aeneas’s life and him facing many incidents, rather than finding a city. His adventure includes a piety, love relationship, a battle, and destined duty.

Although the main character is Aeneas who seeks to find new city as his prior duty, a portrait of Aeneas as a leader is rather disreputable at first. For example, Aeneas experienced a lot of incidents over his journey, and these incidents made Aeneas neglect pursuing his duty, and he easily failed to keep the duty in first priority to him. This earlier portrait of Aeneas as a failed leader in terms of achieving goal reminded me of how difficult to ultimate any mission as a respectful leader. I think that there is Virgil’s point of view of idealism and anxiety conception which is dignified and sacred way to rule the world, and obey the destiny. I believe that Virgil brought this new doctrine society of excellence by personification of Aeneas who is representative of the hero for the Roman people as he followed his duty to find Rome after all once he determined to complete the duty.

 A relationship between Aeneas and Dido must be the lucid part of the description of Virgil’s political opinions. Starting with a brief explanation of Dido, Dido is a queen of Callthage which is the city that Aeneas floated after the lost of Trojan war when he ran away from his city, Troy. Aeneas and Dido fall in love immediately, but this was a trick by the goddess Juno and Venus. They made him fall in love with Dido to make him stay at Carlthage and not to do his duty of finding the city. I see a portrait of great leader as Dido is authoritative, wise, generous, determined leader. Furthermore, she was a much respected queen as she ruled Carlthage fairly and justly. I think that Virgil expressed Dido as a great model of a good leader who has strong identity to unify her people. Virgil put Dido as an image of Diana who has not only good looks, but also had strength and independence for several times in the book. Also Virgil embodied a model of leadership by showing Dido’s qualities of a leader that Aeneas respects and hopes to employ when he founds Rome. However, when the story progress to the part of Aeneas’s leaving of Carlthage, her personality was completely changed from the start. Because Juno and Venus manipulate Dido and Aeneas, Dido became infatuated with Aeneas. Dido became threatening and insane so that she was despairing and begging not to leave. I can see that there is a possibility of causing this consequence because of her attitude as she had to reap as she was sown. Dido started neglecting her duties like the building projects that were underway in Carthage and the city's defence was not maintained. I believe that Virgil warns that love out of control can cause disorder, both physically and emotionally by saying, "What good are shrines and vows to maddened lovers? / The inward fire eats the soft marrow away, / And the internal wound bleeds on in silence." Virgil again shows a picture of failed leader as Dido could not separate leadership work and personal emotion.

I think analyzing your favorite book’s characters is one of interesting ways to see leadership skills. It might not directly indicate particular strategy like Shackleton, but personally it is fun to analyze.
Do you have any favorite books that contain characteters with leadership skills?

Chapter3 and 4: Optimism and reality/ Stamina (Week4 catch up)

Strategy3
Instill optimism and self-confidence but stay grounded in reality

This chapter helped me to decide my research writing topic. I think many people aware an importance of positive thinking and being optimistic as chapter said “But if there is one quality…it is the ability to remain optimistic…”(40). However, I found it is hard for some people (including myself) and for some situations for constantly being positive. The good news is that positive thinking can be cultivated by practice like “self-talk”. We should put more attention to what we say to ourselves and send positive message to ourselves. An important message is that even if we do not have positive thinking in nature, we can try and cultivate positive thinking. (“learned optimism”)

Personally, I am not good at being optimistic toward things I do, but recognizing a connection between physical act and psychological condition which I talk in Chapter4, is huge step for me to understand truly an importance of positive thinking.

 

Strategy4
Take care of yourself. Maintain your stamina and let go of your guilt

I totally agree with Shackleton for an importance of maintaining stamina, because I personally believe that “taking care of myself” is really an essential thing in life. As a leader, “…you are the foundation of your expedition…” (57), so you have to take care of others with self-sacrifices, but it is also important to take care of yourself because“…your team will take their cues from your behavior.”(57).

I have been unwell for a year after finishing my first freshman semester and wonderful summer holidays in September 2012. At that time, I could not see my capacity for controlling busy life, and could not maintain stamina. Furthermore, I found it is hardest thing on earth to let go of guilt with my failures and mistakes. Because I started feeling quite depressed with myself and everything I did, my body started working inactively. After couple of months of depression, I finally realized my body condition effect my mind, and other way around too. With good medication and seeing doctor, I learned an importance of knowing my own capacity (physical and psychological limits), maintaining stamina by being physically active, and accepting myself even when I made mistakes and failures. It sounds easy to achieve these things, but it is difficult to actually recognizing an importance, that they are substantial things in daily life. I consider it is rare for every great leader to have perfect health and boundless energy, so I assume they make sure to maintain their stamina and guilt for both themselves and people around them. As good example by Shackleton, he made sure to keep clues stamina physically and psychologically with a great balance of cheering up(food), as well as to control emotional conditions by dealing with guilt.

Without being well myself physically and psychologically, I cannot achieve anything.

 

 

Week4 Pleasure and Gratification/Sympathy and Empathy

In the class on Wednesday, we talked about difference between empathy and sympathy, and pleasure and gratification. Although I never think of difference, Sayaka’s post (thanks to Sayakka!) clarified the difference of empathy and sympathy.

I found nice diagram for the difference of two from same page as Sayaka’s video on web.

Also, Ken introduced difference between pleasure and gratification in our lives. It was interesting and somewhat fortunate for me to hear other people’s gratification in their life, My 3 gratifications were: reading good books, playing the musical instruments, and walking in the park. I was impressed to hear other’s opinions, especially when one of my group members said her gratification is studying because it makes/indicate clear goal of life. I tend to pursue instant pleasure such as laughter and delight especially when a life gets busy, but I strongly believe we cannot achieve our goal in life without gratification!

So, what is your gratification and why?