Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Blog Four For Leadership Class - A Little More About What I Heard - Reprise

Clear Communication Can Take Initiative
        Get the point across once and you will get the average amount of people who respond after being told once;  get the point across multiple times and you will get the average amount of people responding to your message that multiple times will achieve.
        I can use this in my service - repeat the vision again, again, and again until the volunteers catch the vision.  We can hold orientation meetings and send out multiple emails to new recruits so that they will catch and keep our vision in there hearts.  When I write the vision I will make sure I incorporate involving the voice of the people.  I will address concerns I know my audience may have, and I will propose solutions to all their potential fears and misunderstandings.
        With regard to communication in general, I can ask questions in my emails to student volunteers that allow them to voice additional ideas and concerns that have developed as a result of past service in the Utah Healing Arts program.



Blog Three For Leadership Class - A Little More About What I Heard

     The vision mapping process includes having a dream and making a plan to live the 'impossible' dream. I have a dream for weight management in my personal life.  I have a dream that I can live a European lifestyle in an American society. Oh yes, I have a dream.  I have a dream that I can control my self-control and my portions; that I can make my own portions; yes, I have a dream.  I have a dream that a single male can provide for himself a diet of delicious fruits and vegetables in the absence of maternal instinct, metabolism and much time. O yes halelujah! I have a dream.
       I have set a goal to lose weight that was SMART.  I want to lose 5 pounds in 5 days and then live the word of wisdom to the letter. So, stage one is to measure my weight daily and adjust my diet and exercise accordingly.  I will post the result of that later.  I will create an additional plan for the word of wisdom portion, but it will not be too far from the word of wisdom found in Doctrine and Covenants section 89.  I will attempt to live stage two for 21 days and then evaluate.  The intent of the goal would be to create a new life style, healthier habits and better routines, all intended to derive more energy and vitality out of every moment I am awake.
      
ps I plan on using SMART goal setting for our service group as well. My personal life and personal experience with SMART goals will continually build my faith in goal setting.

Blog Two For Leadership Class - A Little About What I Heard

      Never before had I heard the final chapter of 'teach a man to fish,' which is to say I learned something new.  The saying goes...give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a life-time, or teach a man to teach a man to fish and feed a village.  I was previously applying the a fore mentioned wisdom and have continued to implement the process of true leadership, the creation of a system that carries the idea of one person into the future forever; leadership that is not based on self elevation, but world elevation; leadership that is a catalyst for continued innovation on a certain theme.
      Utah Healing Arts(UTA) is a group that organizes BYU students to perform their musical talents for local nursing homes, hospitals and half-way houses.  Last year UTA had three events per week at the same time every week.  The program directors would round up all volunteers necessary to fill the time slots for each event, or in other words they would find guitarists, pianists and vocalist to perform various songs to fill and hour block of time.
       Under the premise of teaching men to teach men to fish, I decided that any student could do what had been previously done with UTA; any student could coordinate with retirement homes and other students to make quality events.  So, I set out to create a new system in which my friends and I will teach other men the skills necessary to organize these events.  They in turn will go out and begin to recruit others to participate in service and ultimately become group leaders themselves.  When the system begins to function properly, it should in theory spread profusely.  I believe in reaching the limits of limitless.

ps - The inspiration for involving others into a basic framework of service allows for individual interpretation and creativity while still fulfilling the basic intent of providing an opportunity for BYU students to serve and develop a desire for life long service.

Blog One For Leadership Class - A Little About Me

       I enjoy a nice piece of freshly cooked food.  I find that hot food is a commodity at home or out on the town.  As far as food goes, I am a texture man.  Driven by the ideal to please myself and others, I have acquired the hobby of cooking my own foods.  My recent accomplishments are wild Alaskan salmon with asparagus and parslied potatoes, just a garlic onion 1/2 pound hamburgers, and various types of grilled chicken, my favorite of which is a garlic-ginger-salt-black-pepper rub.
       I enjoy a nice piece of heartful, soulful jazz.  Jazz without vocals can be as pleasing as jazz with a singer, but as a singer myself I am a bit biased to the songs with fantastic lyrics.  Love songs seem to be fun for everyone and in the tune of entertaining others -- I found myself with a few love songs under my belt.  My mother likes a good jazz song, so I sing for her.  I listened to classic rock and country while I worked for my dad and jazz in the spare time; it was a good raise because I also sang art songs and classical music for voice lessons.
          I currently take voice lessons and volunteer with a group that sings for the elderly.  I love service and the gospel.  I love ultimate Frisbee and other rigorous competitive sports.  I serve in the Elder's Quorum presidency in my current ward and look forward to applying what I learn in this course.

ps - I dance on occasion - currently taking 281 - Country Swing - its a favorite