Hello to everyone! My name, as many of you already know, is Jordan. I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm a Phase III student, and am a part of the Service theme. However, I think all themes are important. I'm studying Special Education, and I aspire to work with children with autism.
I follow a people first disability. Meaning, I will refer to someone as so-and-so with autism. I feel a disability should not define a person. A person is so much more than their disability. This is also a good way to accept people.
I like to hike. I'm not very good, and I've only just picked it up again, but it is exhilarating when I summit the mountain. I like to sign. I like learning new languages in general. I have taught myself how to say hello in several languages. I've been taking Spanish since I was three, and ever since my sophomore year, I have been self-teaching and practicing. I've also taken Portuguese, Italian, and American Sign Language.
I really enjoy music. I will listen to just about any genre of music. I'm really open to listening to any type of music....except for rap...I'm not the biggest fan of rap.
I really enjoy reading. I am currently reading Dracula. I am really enjoying it and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet.
That's about it for me, I'm really looking forward to this semester and being a TA for this class! :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Definitions of Leadership
There are many things I think of when I think of leadership. There are many people I think of when I think of different leaders. I have noticed that leadership has definitely changed since I was born. I want to start out by personally defining what I think leadership is. Leadership for me is the ability to be in charge of a group, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the group, and knowing when one needs to follow. The definitions of leadership, as given through the ages has changed. It is a very fluid definition, building upon old ideas, and molding and changing to create the definition of leadership today. Leadership, as defined today, is extremely different from 80 years ago.
Leadership, in the early 20s, was defined as the ability to induce obedience. As odd it may seem, I think about the era in which this was written. We had just come out of a World War, and it spawned several movements, including the women's suffrage movement.
As the years went on, the definition of leadership changed again. It has been defined as the ability to persuade people (changed from men, as I am trying to be more inclusive to all genders), it is the activities that are pulled together to move in one direction....etc...
Today, leadership, as defined by Martin Chemers, a Social Psychologist, is a "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task" (http://www.leadership-expert.co.uk/define-leadership/). Social influences play a big role on everyone in society. By having support, we are able to accomplish so many different things. Having an effective leader is crucial to leadership. We have different expectations for leaders, but an effective leader can gather everyone together, and they are able to create and move in a positive direction.
I recall the previous semester, when I was a team leader. I was in charge of, at one time, thirteen Phase I students, slowly, as the semester progressed, some switched teams, some left for personal reasons, and others thrived in our little "community" if you will. By the middle of the semester, my team was down to nine people. I was in charge of leading nine people. My first and most recurring thought, how can I be an effective leader? Initially, I was afraid that my team wouldn't get anything out of the weekly meetings. I was also afraid that they wouldn't show any interest in the meetings. After our first official meeting, I was wrong. I had several people who were extremely enthusiastic about Blue Chip and getting started with the team as a whole. As a leader, my biggest concern was relating to the people on my team. We had a lot of engineers, but I soon realized that although everyone had different majors, and came from different walks of life, we were still able to come together for a common goal, creating better leaders for the present and for the future.
Leadership, in the early 20s, was defined as the ability to induce obedience. As odd it may seem, I think about the era in which this was written. We had just come out of a World War, and it spawned several movements, including the women's suffrage movement.
As the years went on, the definition of leadership changed again. It has been defined as the ability to persuade people (changed from men, as I am trying to be more inclusive to all genders), it is the activities that are pulled together to move in one direction....etc...
Today, leadership, as defined by Martin Chemers, a Social Psychologist, is a "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task" (http://www.leadership-expert.co.uk/define-leadership/). Social influences play a big role on everyone in society. By having support, we are able to accomplish so many different things. Having an effective leader is crucial to leadership. We have different expectations for leaders, but an effective leader can gather everyone together, and they are able to create and move in a positive direction.
I recall the previous semester, when I was a team leader. I was in charge of, at one time, thirteen Phase I students, slowly, as the semester progressed, some switched teams, some left for personal reasons, and others thrived in our little "community" if you will. By the middle of the semester, my team was down to nine people. I was in charge of leading nine people. My first and most recurring thought, how can I be an effective leader? Initially, I was afraid that my team wouldn't get anything out of the weekly meetings. I was also afraid that they wouldn't show any interest in the meetings. After our first official meeting, I was wrong. I had several people who were extremely enthusiastic about Blue Chip and getting started with the team as a whole. As a leader, my biggest concern was relating to the people on my team. We had a lot of engineers, but I soon realized that although everyone had different majors, and came from different walks of life, we were still able to come together for a common goal, creating better leaders for the present and for the future.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)