Empowerment

To empower someone is to “give power to someone thus result in a greater sense of confidence/self esteem and ability to do a task.” What do you need to empower someone? I feel you need to understand that other person; you need to know what he/she likes to do and what they are interested in. Sure, you can get to know someone from looking at his/her resume but you cant get to know the strengths and weaknesses of this person without really getting to know them and becoming more than acquaintances.

There are six different words that really side with empowerment such as:
• Empowerment: to enable other (through clear instructions and trust)
• Motivation: An incentive or move to action
• Encouragement: To inspire with hope, confidence or courage
• Recognition: to acknowledge the contribution of another
• Praise: To recognize others and praise them for good work
• Appreciation: To thank others for their contribution
There are three dimensions of motivation: extrinsic rationale, relational rationale, and intrinsic rationale. These three ways are for someone to help motivate someone else.

When I think about empowerment and whom I would want to empower, I think about my little sister. I want to motivate her and give her whatever she needs to be successful in life and I want her to be able to get anything she wants if she puts her mind to it.

Another place I would want to empower somebody is at the camp I work at called The Painted Turtle. This is a camp for children with systemic diseases. Each week during the summer is a different disease week. I hope that when I am a counselor at this camp over the summer I motivate some of the campers to do what ever they put their minds to. No matter what disease they have, nothing can stop them from doing anything that a “normal” kid does.

Culture

What is culture? Culture is “the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.”

Each background, religion, race, or group has a different culture. My dad is from Romania and my mom is American. They have two completely different backgrounds. Each one has a different view on life and a different view on work ethics. My dad moved from Romania to America when he was nine, however, his parents still brought him up with the same Romanian values. When him and my mom got married, it was so different for him because he was taking on completely American lifestyle.

There are so many different cultures and each of those cultures has different morals. When I think about my background and religion, I realize that we have different traditions than many other religions as well. In the Jewish religion, we have a custom to have Shabbat every Friday. Shabbat is the day of rest. It lasts from Friday sun down until Saturday sun down. During this time there should be no work, electricity, carrying, or chores that should be done. Theses 24 hours are the hours of rest. During this time the reason one isn’t supposed to use any electricity and not supposed to do any work because G-d made the world in 7 days. The seventh day was the day to rest. The end of the week. It is the one-day where you are supposed to relax and enjoy time with your family.

For one of the high holidays my family and I always to California to spend it with some family friends. Our family friends are Persian. The Persian culture is very different too. When they tell us to come over for dinner at 5, what it really means is 7:30. Its not that it is bad, it’s just what they mean.

Some cultures it is impolite to come late, some cultures it is impolite to look straight in the eye, to eat before the elders, to finish your whole meal, and many many more. In each country, in every person’s home, in every different restaurant, there is something that someone has never seen before. Its not good just say forget about it, one must embrace it and learn someone else’s beliefs or cultures.

I love to travel. My family takes a backpacking trip every summer. We go to a different country each time. I love exploring different places and learning all about each individual countries cultures. I feel it can broaden your view and can teach you so many things that you wouldn’t learn just by sitting in your own home.

Groups

There are so many types of groups. There are groups in middle school, high school, college, and all throughout ones life. What does the word cohesive mean? Having a cohesive group is a very united set in stone group of people that can work together. For an example a sorority or a fraternity might be thought of as a very cohesive group. Each person in that fraternity or sorority has an individual attraction. “People in group are connected to each other.” They like to hang out and they have mutual things in common.
A community also has a cohesive group. Everyone in a community stands by each other. Almost like a family. A family is there for each other no matter what. If someone goes through a difficult time then another family member is there to pick him or her back up. A sports team needs teamwork. Cohesion is teamwork. The members of the team need to be committed to the group because if one person does something then the rest of the team does the same thing and goes through the exact same circumstances.
The next part of a group is collective efficacy. Collective efficacy is the amount of effectiveness the group can do as a whole. As a group, everyone goes through almost the same things. If one fails, the rest of the team fails. If one wins, the whole team wins. Everything is a whole.
Tuckman has a model of group development. Forming is the first group. Forming is a group that comes together and gets to know each other. Forming is known as the honeymoon stage. The second stage is storming. Storming is when the honeymoon stage comes to an end. Conflicts start to come up. Next is Norming. Norming is the part where the honeymoon stage is over and the conflicts start to cool down, this is when the group gets to know each other a little more. They start to learn how each other works. Performing is where a group goes beyond routine and actually gets into a rhythm and synergy with each other. The last part of Tuckman’s model of group development is adjourning. Adjourning is when a group comes to an end and lets go of the group structure and process in an effort to move on with his or her life.
There are many assets to a group. Some assets are: knowledge, skill, resource, and network. One needs a few of these in order to contribute to a group. In high school, my graduating class only had 14 students. However, there were only 14, each one of had different assets that we brought to becoming a great cohesive group that works well together and listens to each others thoughts.

Mission and Vision

A mission statement is a statement of purpose/ core values. Every company or organization has a mission statement. It is meant to explain its values of the company, how an organization will represent itself, and will assist in decision making of the organization.

All airlines, restaurants, stores, and companies have mission statements. Not only do organizations have mission statements but there are also personal mission statements. A personal Mission statement is “a statement of one’s timeless values.” For example, my personal mission statement would be “I hope to inspire and learn endlessly from all of my loved ones.”



In this video clip, Jerry McGuire is writing a mission statement about his business. I fell this clip really describes what a mission statement really is and how much work and effort it takes to create a great statement.

Having a vision can be very broad. Although having a vision can be broad a vision can always change into something better or worse it depends on which direction one goes. I feel that everyone has a vision. One could have a vision for his/her company, for his/her life, family, and community. No one knows exactly what is going to happen, it is all about the turn that one takes to make his/her life what they want.

I envision a world in which there is no danger in the streets, where everyone is happy to be where they are, where there is no struggle to survive, and where my friends and family are secure in the present and the future.

Toxic Leadership

When I think of toxic leadership, I think about the wicked witch in snow white. Although it sounds like a silly idea, it is true, it is toxic leadership. Toxic leadership is defined as doing something only for you. If a leader acts like he or she is doing something for you.... he or she probably isn't. There are two types of toxic leaders:
-Intentional toxic leaders: Deliberately inure others or enhance themselves at others’ expense
-Unintentional toxic leaders: Engage in careless and reckless actions, including incompetence, nonetheless causing negative effects

Looking back at high school and middle school I feel like I was tagged a long by a lot of toxic leaders. I am the type of person that will want to do anything for someone as long as it doesn’t physically hurt me. I want to please everyone even if it takes me out of my way. However, even though I will do anything for someone in need, sometimes I am chosen to do things by someone because they think and know I will do that particular task even if it is only helping them out. I will always think of someone else before myself and that’s the tricky part. Letting a toxic leader tag you a long can really hurt your self-esteem and can definitely change your opinion on people that are really trying to help you personally in your future.

My little sister is in seventh grade. She goes to a private school with around twenty-five students in her class. She has a very sweet and innocent personality to her. When she is told or asked to do something by her fellow classmates, it always reminds me of when I was younger. Her friends are very sweet however some of them are not so nice to everyone in the class. They are at an age where a person thinks about himself or herself, they want things for themselves and try to accomplish things to get more. It is normal to want things for you but at this age they are doing things against other people to get what they want. However, time and peoples personalities do not change.

Some of the characteristics of a toxic leader are; incompetence, malfunctioning, irresponsible, amoral, cowardice, arrogance, selfish values, and malicious. That is just some of the characteristics. There are many more.

When I think of toxic leadership, I think about all of the Disney princess movies. I think of all of the story backgrounds because in each story, there is a good person and a bad witch. The bad witch will always want the good little girl and something that she has. The witch always tries to lure the princess to trust her so that the princess will open up and tell the witch all of the secrets or values.

Followership

Followership

What is followership? According to Miriam-Webster dictionary followership is “the capacity or willingness to follow a leader.” In class we went over what people would do if they were put in a situation to either stand up and be a leader or just sit back in the stands and wait for something else to happen.

Over the summer, I work at a camp for kids with systemic diseases. Each week is a different disease and no matter what is wrong with the child, they know that when one is at this particular camp nothing else matters and it’s all about them. When I come to this camp it makes me think about how special each and every one of these kids are. I learn so much about each one in the whole summer that I am there. It makes me think about how unique each one of them is and how much every single one of them makes a difference and show their true leadership abilities. It must be so scary to come to a camp where everyone has the same disease as you, but it also must be so nice to know that there is followership there. You come and follow the people around you because you know that you will fit in.

I feel that in every situation there is going to be someone that follows the one in front of them. It’s almost like a domino effect. Once one stands up and shows they are a leader, one is going to follow, and then the next is going to follow the one in front. Followership is not necessarily a bad thing because you have to be a follower once in order to be a leader. However, even though being a follower isn’t a bad thing, I feel like it stops one from making the honest decisions that one would make in a dire situation that one should make in order to stay true to oneself.

Ever since I was two years old, I have been dancing. When one is in a dance class, at the end of the year you have a performance in front of all your friends and family. In order to be in this group dance, you need to know how to follow because each person is put in a row, and you are to follow the one in front of you. Not only do you have to follow the person in front of you, you need to learn how to pick up fast and learn the routine.

All of this consists of following and is describing followership. Followership is “the capacity or willingness to follow a leader.” Everyone goes through followership throughout his or her life. It is a process to become a follower and then eventually a leader.

Process Theory

Knowing, being, and doing. What does that make you think of? To me, it makes me think of someone going through life experiencing it to its fullest. Someone that takes every opportunity they can to go through and experience everything they can to become the person they are truly supposed to be.

According to the relational leadership model knowing is having knowledge and understanding of the principle. I feel that everyone can have knowledge about something. Everyone is great in at least one thing. When I think about knowledgeable people, the first person that comes to mind is my dad. If I have question about life, school, homework, or education, my dad is the person I go to. My dad is the most inspiring and intellectual person I know. He is the one I go to whenever I have questions about homework or the world. He never seems to fail as an educator in my life. My dad has taught me from right and wrong and has also guided me to make the decisions that have altered my life.

Being is having attitudes and beliefs related to the principle. If there is anyone who I would consider being, it would be the president of the United States, President Obama. I feel that President Obama has so many qualities that would make him being. He has different opinions and altered decisions about his commitments to the United States and the people that he has inspired everyday. President Barack Obama has given a face of change and hope. He has given people of the United States confidence that everything will turn out the right way and that we will change together.

Doing is described as acting in accordance with the principle. When one grows up and goes through preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school, there are rules and regulations that one must follow. Each grade level there are different procedures that one must follow. For example, during kindergarten you have to follow the leader. There is a rule and by doing, one is obeying the law. Each state and country has different rules and the people that live in these areas are the ones that have to do act in accordance with these principles.

Knowing: having knowledge and understanding of the principle. Being: having attitudes and beliefs related to the principle. Doing: acting in accordance with the principle. These words that are in the relational leadership model, all outline and leadership model and all shape a human beings mindset in order to be an organized and well thought out role model.

Great Man Theory and Trait Theory

Leaders are born. Everyday, many new leaders are brought into this world by different families, cultures or backgrounds. Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a highly religious family, Rosa Parks lived in a segregated community, and George Washington had a highly decorated military background. However, the great man theory is not based off of what you did to become a leader it is if you were born into a family of royalty or wealth.

Traditional Great Man theory suggests that leaders are preserved through their offspring. Powerful men are to marry the daughters of other powerful men because women were not traditionally leaders. This concept is based off of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Traditionally powerful men were born into the right families, white, wealthy, educated, and privileged. By marrying the right women, these families thought that they were creating future leaders. Their sons were expected to be models of their fathers during this time. This theory expanded over time, it was too narrow as society changed. It slowly changed into a new phase called Modern Great Man Theory.

Great leaders become heroic. They were known to stand up for what they believed in. Their family backgrounds no longer mattered as much as their actions. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was noted specifically for his actions of April 28^th, 1967 when he gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. Nobody cared who his father was or who he had married, but people did care about his words, which inspired unity. Martin Luther King Jr., is an example of modern great man theory because of his influence on America. People today pick up aspects of his leadership and use it in a new theory known as trait theory.

Trait Theory focuses on the leader and not the followers or situations. The difference between this theory and the modern form of Great Man Theory is that leaders are formed primarily around their physical makeup, such as height or strength. Though their parents matter from a hereditary point of view, they do not play a key part in the leader’s assumption as leader. Current President Barack Obama, for example, has a Kenyan father. Though he gets his height and darkened skin from this man, the father does not play any real role in how people perceive of President Obama’s leadership. President Obama is the first black president of the United States and that is how future generations will remember him.

No matter what kind of theory a leader subscribes to, they all overlap in terms of being strong and heroic. In America, leaders are admired most when they stand up for their principles in a cause. What other factors might have influenced that leader’s ascent to power (family connection, social recognition, or appealing features) do not matter as much as what that leader does with his position. Whenever the nation is thrust into a period of national mourning (most recently being the Tucson shootings) President Obama has always stepped up to offer words of comfort and strength through his position, and that is what I admire most about him as a leader.

History of Leadership

Leadership roles have changed greatly over the years. They begin as
men born into the right kind of families to anyone willing to learn
the rules of leadership. From 1776 on, leadership roles have been
given a place in history and have come to shape history itself.
Without leaders, the world would not have the same societal
organization it has today. Leaders have transitioned into different
phases over time, and these phases have contributed society’s beliefs
and moral code. Leadership began with the blue bloods, and we see a
form of that leadership in today’s world with constitutional monarchy.

Great Man Theory is known as a very narrow form of leadership.
Leaders are born in the “right” families, sent to the “right” schools,
and brought up with the “right” values to later assume a leadership
role within that society. Prince Rainier, the deceased king of Monaco,
assumed the role of king by birthright. However, his position is an
abnormality in leadership as by the time of his rule, Trait Theory was
in effect.

1907 is the year Trait Theory gained popularity and made it possible
for more people to become leaders. It didn’t rely on bloodline, but
genetics. The requirements for leadership became simply whether one
had the right visible traits, such as height, weight, strength, and
health. The general population desired those who were tall, big,
strong and healthy. These figures of leadership were so chosen for
their ability to keep everyone else protected as a form of security.
In the 1950s, leadership was redefined to include those who could lead
through model.

Behavioral Theory is known for either positive or negative
leadership. There are many example of both. Gandhi, an Indian rights
leader, taught the principle of civil disobedience by telling his
people to resist the evils done to them, but not to fight back. As a
result, the world realized the wrongs being done to the Indian people
and gave rights back to India and her people. Martin Luther King
Junior, another important leader of our time, actually borrowed
Gandhi’s model of civil disobedience and taught it to his followers.
These leaders learned how to lead and in turn taught their lessons to
others hoping to make a difference and achieved human rights as a
result.

However around the same time that Behavioral Theory flourished,
another form of leadership was floating around: Situational Theory.
This theory asserts that rather then learning through model, that
situation itself is more important to the function of maintaining
leadership. When one is put in a set of circumstances (out of their
control) with a group of other people, someone needs to step up and
lead everyone. The person who does so, is in fact proving this theory.
Today, leadership revolves around the concept of Process Theory.
Process Theory is, for example, what we are doing right now in my Blue
Chip program. We are learning the basics for becoming a leader through
a classroom setting.

The Definition of Leadership

Being a leader doesn't necessarily mean to be the most skilled or the smartest. It is a word reserved for those who guide both themselves and others. Situations come up where individual accomplishments can’t always be done, because the target goal is one that is bigger than a single person. In such a case, a leader is not just a helping hand, but also a hand that keeps chaos from occurring.

While having long and short term plans are important, humility is the best quality in a leader. A leader must recognize when he or she is wrong instead of keeping their pride. Those with their pride sometimes don't want to admit when they are wrong, so they just stick to what they've been doing and allow a bad situation to grow worse. This unhumble trait must not be permitted in any leader. Instead, a leader must be a person continuously growing and learning from their experiences with others.

Leaders should act as a mediator between their people and the obstacle(s) that must be stopped. They are ordinary people that others find inspiration within. As a result of being role models, they do their best to mentor others and share their personal wisdom. With their guidance, others are taught how to achieve individual goals, as well as being leaders of their own.

Attitude is everything in leadership. Sore losers and quitters are not ideal leaders. The leaders that history remembers are those who took their losses without giving up or throwing a tantrum. Having the right attitude is extremely important because it sets an example for those who look up to the leader. Positive attitudes are vital to any cause, as they contribute to optimism and give others hope for a better future and a path to follow.

Throughout history there have been many different types of leaders: the good, the bad, the sweet, and sometimes the downright evil. There are many who have led wicked causes, but also those who have led righteously. Both kinds of leaders have the power to change the world and the individual’s viewpoint.

Martin Luther King was an inspiration the day that he announced his dream for the world. His speech is the best-known speech in American history and many who heard him speak can recount exactly where they were when he said the words that gave a generation hope. His words resound today and continue to impact even my generation. His eloquence and his dedication to the cause of equal rights set the wheels in motion for racial equality.

Drugs are a growing problem in today’s society. A woman who founded my high school is also responsible for several drug clinics in Las Vegas. Sometimes a few of the teenagers affected by drugs would visit the school and share their stories. They all led difficult lives and are taking charge of their lives today by showing impressible high school teenagers that drugs ruin lives. I was so impressed by these leaders in making that I took initiative to start a community service project for the drug clinic. In order to make the drug clinic a warm place for addicts on the way to recovery, I had my graduating class come together to create inspiration for these future leaders. I set up for our whole class to paint words of hope on canvases to hang in the drug clinic. It not only helped the clinic become more beautiful but the contribution gave my class a small voice to these kids who might come in someday and teach other students about saying no to drugs.