A521.2.3.R.B_SiegmundWayne

The Danger of a Single Story

     Adichie speaks of stories in the sense of perceptions, views, and perspective. She uses numerous examples of one-sided views that lend themselves to a shortsightedness providing a limited understanding on something. Adichies' single story examples were situations where people had a single sided perception for a number of reasons based on experiences, or lack thereof. What she is trying to show, is everyone's blindness to all the other perceptions yet to be had. The danger she expresses in having only one story about something, or someone, is that it defines that something, or someone. The consequences of having only one story is that it robs us of our dignity (Adichie, 2009). And the more powerful, or credible the source, or sources sharing single stories, is what makes them even more true.

     Listening to Adichie (2009), makes me more aware of how storytelling can be shared. She is very effective in showing us our limited vision and awareness. Adichie captures the dangerous position we can all have when we choose to define someone, or something based on one perspective. She tells her story and shares the crux of it within the story she tells us. She does not explain the why as much as she allows you to see the naturally occurring issues that come about from having only a single story.

     A story with the intention to convey a message, lesson, a point, or to inspire, or become aware, ought to be well planned out. In consideration of how storytelling could be done, it is invaluable to know your audience, so as to be able to gain an idea of how your story will be received. Will your story's message be effectively conveyed? Is the story relative to your audience? Doe it apply? Is your story comprehendible? Adichie (2009) conveyed in simplistic terms, the value in knowing the dangers of having a single story. I find her approach in telling her story very powerful, clear, easy to understand and share.

    Adichie reinforces within me the power that leaders can have in their effect on individuals as well as cultures. Bard (2008) tells of the differences that exist and how they came to be between the Palestinians and the Israelis. If a scholar on the subject conveys one side of the story, the other side is automatically dismissed, left with a sort of half-truth. It is the leader's responsibility to ensure they do not fall into the traps of not only believing what they see and hear from a single source, but not to be a single source themselves. Telling stories with one side, limits the other side, and all the other stories from ever being heard. However, stories can damage as well as repair. Be mindful.


References:

Bard, M. G. (2008). On one foot. Retrieved from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/pub/oof2008.pdf.

Adichie, C. N. (2009). The danger of a single story. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en.  

     

A520.7.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

Self-Empowered

                Two years ago, I returned from a deployment that required me to have a set of skills that I had not been trained in. Thankfully, while deployed, my Intelligence Officer took me under his wing and took the time to provide a lot of on-the-job training. It took approximately two months to learn and apply what I needed to know to become proficient.

                Upon redeployment, it did not take me long to assess that the command did not have the resources to conduct the required training outside of the command. Understanding the 18 hour days, seven days a week for two months of a ‘fire-hose’ of information being taught to me was not the way to learn, I took it upon myself to try everything I can to make sure my fellow service members did not have to go through what I went through. I was highly motivated to create something that would be of value and enduring. You can say I felt empowered.

                After socializing the issue at hand with the command leadership, and confirming what I already knew, that an oversight in the training workup kept deployers from learning a required critical skill, that of sensitive intelligence reporting. Once I was provided the go-ahead, I reached out to the agency that owned the actual program. Shortly after, I created student accounts within a simulation program that mimicked the actual one. In this way, the students can write and submit reports as if they were doing it for real, and receive actual feedback from the command coordinator, me.

                In this sense, I felt empowered by circumstances that were out of my control, and otherwise would not have chosen in the first place. Yet, without the experience and gained requisite knowledge, I would not have felt so strongly against service members deploying unprepared as I was. I felt emotional, obligated, passionate, and empowered to create what was needed. Thankfully, I had the entire command support me in this endeavor, proving valuable by all those who attended these classes that I also decided to teach myself.

                To provide my employees the opportunity to become self-empowered, I would have them create a value-added project that would benefit the whole organization, once approval was given by the organizational leadership. Goldsmith (2010) feels that people need to empower themselves, that our role is to encourage and support the decision-making environment, and to give employees the tools and knowledge they need to make and act upon their own decisions. By doing this, we help our employees reach an empowered state.

References:

Goldsmith, M. (2010, April 23). Managing people: Empowering your employees to empower themselves. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/04/empowering-your-employees-to-e.

A521.1.4.RB_SiegmundWayne

                                                           Your Favorite Storytelling Leader

    Throughout my college years, my varsity gymnastics coach, Abie Grossfeld, not only told stories, but did so with great accuracy and a knack for finding humor in them. It was the way he delivered the story with the punch line just hanging out there as he continued to ‘paint the picture’. Abie Grossfeld is a world renowned two-time Olympic gymnast and Olympic and NCAA gymnastics coach throughout his adult life. At the current age of 83, he can still tell the most accurate of stories, while letting the humor come through.
    One summer, while at gymnastics camp, I ran into Abie sitting down at a picnic table. I came over to him to say hello, and find out what he was up to. Abie, being the very approachable guy he is, welcomed me to sit down. After a few minutes of small talk, Abie did what he does best; he began telling me a story.  Abie started saying, back in the mid-seventies, just prior to the Munich Olympic Games, a fellow competitor from Penn State and colleague, Jim Culhane, was at his alma mater watching a competition. While hanging out enjoying the meet, he stated to some of his buddies he was with that someone back in 1974 had streaked the Academy Awards. Just then, one of his friends told him he should streak the finals competition there at the NCAA Division I Championships. After bids were rising up to near $400.00, Culhane decided to take the bet. At some point during a lull in finals, Culhane walked out onto the gymnastics tumbling floor naked. Approximately 7,000 fans were applauding. After being escorted out by security, Culhane returned later to make a final nude appearance, but this time did a full floor routine, and then ran out of the building.
    At this point I was laughing pretty hard, because at the time, I had just recently met Jim Culhane. He seemed like he could have been quite the wild guy, as he has a kind of hippy disposition. However, Abie continued to say, what nobody realized was the he was dating a girl that really liked him that he had met at his alma mater some weeks prior to the competition. It wasn’t until he met up with her a couple nights later to find out she was in the crowd. She started off by telling him that at first, when they met, she was not all that attracted to him, but after the NCAA Division I Championships Finals were over, she had definitely had made up her mind…and they have been married ever since.
    Abie concluded, explaining that the moral of the story was to be aware of your surroundings before you decided to make a unique and racy public appearance, you may (or may not) regret it for the rest of your life!
    I feel Abie’s message was loud and clear. While I think his story was multi-purposed, it still sent a message as a lesson to be learned. I cannot say that I was able to identify a vision within his story, but an overall concept was reinforced from previous stories that he had shared in the past; that being to be humble, and not a show off. I continue to keep this idea at the core of my being today, because of the stories he shared with me. Having known Abie for so long, I had become quite acquainted with Abie’s communications style. However, he does provide momentary pause, looking for a particular reaction from me showing that I am following him. Whenever I am told a story from anybody, I, empathetically, connect with the characters within the story playing it out as it is being told. I have always done this. I feel it gives me a great sense to feel, connect and understand the storyteller to my fullest.

References:
Marrion, J. (2011, August 20). Former hisd teacher Culhane inducted into usa gymnastics hall of fame.    Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/article/Former-HISD-teacher-Culhane-inducted-into-USA-9423926.php.

A520.6.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

Conflict Resolution

     Throughout my life, it has been a wonderful challenge to steer each and every conversation, discussion, lecture, argument, and atmosphere to a more desired condition. I realized I had the ability to influence these things, because I was so self-aware growing up. By the time I was in my early twenties, I was often looking to engage in controversial conversations with people I knew, and people I did not know, but were willing to have the discussion with me. I learned through these engagements that I was able to have an enjoyable conversation of discovery. I was discovering how people reacted to my thoughts by way of my words, body language, voice inflection, tone, behavior, pauses, gestures and my reactivity to what they were saying. I also found that what I was wearing, and the environment we were in, played a role in how the conversation would go. Knowing I had the power to influence a discussion, gave me confidence to work on mastering the tools that would help me steer those moments.

     In my working environment, the maturity level is such that anything other than avoidance can easily end up hurting your career. In this environment, it appears to be best not to engage where traditional stances are perceived to be more valuable than conflict resolution. That traditional stance is typically to argue until the other is proven wrong. Therefore, I prefer to use an example outside my organization. Rarely do I see a conflict ensue in Garrison.

     In the family dynamic, there are unlimited opportunities to engage in conflict resolution. Some time ago, in a conversation with my younger brother, Jeff, we discussed what we had decided when it came to raising our children with respect to religion. Were our children being raised the way our parents raised us, or were we venturing away to something different? When my brother asked if I was going to church with my family, I told him that as much as I would like to find a congregation that would suit our family's beliefs, we would simply teach them at home. At that moment, I had asked him if he and his family were going to church, and he had replied, no, but if he was able to find one near where they lived, they would. After he had told me that the religion would be that of which we were brought up on, he ask me what system of faith my family was following. I told him that is was Christian, much like what we grew up on, but quite a bit more spiritual. Jeff continued to ask specific questions about my family's faith. After answering each question, knowing him, I could tell he did not necessarily agree with where I was coming from, but he continued to nod, as if to say he understood, trying not to show an inner conflict.

     At this point, my brother, believing there's a wrong and a right system of believe, as I suppose many a people believe, I tried not to express a righteous behavior towards him. Instead, I chose to share with him a relative perspective on the matter. I explained that while we both grew up believing the same thing in Christianity, as he does now, I had simply discovered for myself another way to look at the same religion that my spouse happen to share. I continued to explain that what we believed was right for us, and what he and his family believed was right for them. In this moment, Jeff appeared a bit more relaxed, less concerned, less on guard, and more accepting. While the hidden conflict laid behind the conversational behavior, the change in perception allowed for an acceptance of the shift from inner conflict to a non-competitive disposition. 

     The great thing about that conversation was that it the format for all future conversations between us that involved a difference of opinion, or decision. We were both able to respect each others perspective without having to challenge each other over who was right, or who was wrong. Looking back, I would have approached the conversation differently by setting the stage first that our differences are character strengths, unique to ourselves. If us leaders can find a conflict resolution approach that spoke to numerous types of conflicts, would those who applied it the first time look to it again as a source to diffuse future potential conflicts?

A520.5.3.RB_SiegmundWayne

What Makes Us Feel Good About Work?

     I suppose there's an assumption somewhere in this question. I can be sure the only reason why we do anything is because at some level, and for some reason, we feel good about something at some point. However, it does not necessarily mean we feel good about the work we are doing. Case and point; if in order to earn enough money to pay my way through college, I would have to work at a job that perhaps was quite menial, uninspiring, and frankly, unmotivating, save the fact that it will pay for school.

     My motivations for my job have changed with the job over the passed 16 years. When starting out, I was motivated by a strong desire to challenge myself mentally and physically. That is to say, I wanted to know that I can get my body to do whatever my mind wanted it to do. During this period of my life, I would be training for the SEAL Teams. In the coming years, my motivations would change from the mental and physical challenges, to wanting to be accepted by my peers, desires for making rank, receipt of bonuses to pay off school loans, and the wanting to create a positive reputation that would precede me. However, these have been motivations behind the purpose of what I do.

     My true purpose behind anything I do, is to be the best I can be at it. There are so many things in life that needs to be accomplished on a day to day basis, and I work often diligently to master myself in all areas. At work, my purpose is to gain the experience and knowledge in an area I have chosen that reflects qualities that I possess and excel at naturally. While fulfilling this purpose, motivated by the promise of mastery, I search for a balance of accomplishment, humor, change in activity, and reflection on a daily basis.

     All my life, I have never truly understood why I would want to pursue anything for the sheer reason of just doing it without the strife of excelling to be the best you can be at it. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to coach, mentor, advise and teach the young, peers, and the old. One of my greatest motivators I have come to know is that of inspiring others. Zenger & Folkman (2013) claim the ability to inspire creates the highest level of employee engagement and commitment.  As an experienced elite gymnast, I have had  the pleasure of motivating up and coming promising gymnasts, bodybuilders as a certified personal trainer, and US Navy SEAL candidates as a current Team member. In this, I see those who look up to me for guidance, answers, and decisions based on my credibility from my experiences, as being inspired to motivate themselves to do something more challenging; something they could acknowledge as a great challenge that could be overcome by themselves. In doing so, I can continue to empower them, and support their motivations.

References:

Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2013, June 20). Leadership: What inspiring leaders do. Retrieved from      https://hbr.org/2013/06/what-inspiring-leaders-do

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Supportive Communication

     First, I would like to acknowledge the email letter from the CEO was direct, clear, and definite. The letter expressed the CEO's perception of the issue, disappointment in the current management, and expectations. There are a number of ways to communicate these depending on the leadership style, however, the question I would raise is if this approach was effective across the '400 managers' domain. 

     Managers who truly care about their job, will see this letter as an opportunity to challenge themselves to create a better working environment for all employees and managers alike, all the while satisfying, if not exceeding, the boss' expectations. As one of the 400 managers, I would immediately call for a 'meeting of the minds' with all management peers in order to agree on the perceived problem set, and create a list, or outline of the steps and considerations to be taken for application over the next 30 days in the work place. During this process, the eight attributes of Supportive Communication (Whetton & Cameron, 2016) would be utilized. The next day, all employees would receive a detailed email letter honestly and diplomatically stating the concerns, their effects, the new expectations, and final objectives. This email would be followed up with an 'All Hands', face-to-face meeting with their respective department managers to personally deliver the message during a two-way discussion forum.

     The discussion forum would be critical, as it will be up to the individual managers to ensure the proper message is effectively reaching all the employees in such a way their response is aligned with the CEO's objectives, all the while allowing the employees to be part of the process. For the next 30 days, the eight attributes would be used over the next four weeks covering down on the changes to come, following an email recapping the previous week's discussion.

     Week one: managers would humbly share their concerns, and state the problem clearly and honestly, using facial gestures and body language to match the tone of voice and its fluctuations; this should covey a clear and firm, yet caring and hopeful disposition. We want to motivate and inspire, not emotionally beat down our employees. In conclusion, provide a way-ahead that all can understand and accept. These solutions need to be fair, with changes not too overwhelming. Discussions around the concept of arriving at work no later than 0800 would be had with an open mind to new ideas and reasons for them.

     Week two: discussions revolving around the problems that surround leaving work before 5pm are had. This discussion will allow for idea sharing and corroboration. Exploring ideas that would promulgate a greater drive, or motivation to want to accomplish more, requiring more time at the office. However, a clear understanding of what daily and weekly tasks that need to be completed may allow for early dismissal if met. 

     Week three: week one and week two are recapped and restating the outcome of each meeting while opening discussions on what the employees think how management can assist in the changes to come. Reflecting on the ideas of the employees, management should provide a clear perspective from management point of view allowing employees to also see how management looks at things. Management also seriously considers suggestions by the employees, offering cause and effect scenarios for employees to hear. This allows the employees to perceive their ideas in a new light. Providing specific examples instead of general ones allows for a real world example to be envisioned.

     Week four: management goes over weeks one through three, covering all the positive aspects to the discussions and conclusions. This week is very important as it ties in all the discussion points from all four weeks resulting in meeting, if not exceeding, the CEO's expectations. This week, management will provide the employees an opportunity to share what positive changes have they made for themselves and the company. Management will exercise Supportive listening in order to provide reflective responses to the employees. In turn, management will take ownership of the issues in the way things were getting/not getting done, showing the employees that humility and honesty are traits that need transparency if there is going to be a productive discussion in making change (Whetton & Cameron, 2016).

References:

Whetten, D.A. & Cameron, K.S. (2016). Developing management skills. Pearson Education, Inc.,              9th Edition.