One important aspect to conflict resolution in my opinion is choosing not to take offense. I read the talk called "And Nothing Shall Offend Them" by Elder David A. Bednar where he addresses the fact that taking offense is a choice that one makes, and not an imposed will of another. At first you may not think this skill is applicable to resolving conflict, but it makes sense if you think about it. I think a lot of the time when there is a conflict that arises between two people, it is sometimes hard to keep personal feelings out of it. We can sometimes let other smaller issues build up to the point of bursting, and let suppressed smaller issues dictate our feeling and tone of other problems. I know for me, this has certainly been the case; I have let smaller problems build up and when it gets to the bursting point, I have freaked out at a seemingly small issue and the root of the problem is built up feelings offense. We as leaders need to choose not to be offended in our callings in the church, in our various careers, with our children, or with your parents or spouse. If we can choose not to be offended, we can avoid petty conflicts, and push away the emotional factors that can sometimes cloud our judgement and attempts at conflict resolution.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Conflict Resolution
(Disclaimer: I was not here for the lesson, I was with Brandon at the social media committee meeting)
Honor Code
1. I think we have an honor code because BYU is associated with the LDS Church, and we need to represent both in the best way possible. If we ensure that we are living our lives in accordance with the Honor Code then we are living our lives up to the standards of the church. Also, as BYU is a place of higher learning, we can have higher standards than the world. We can grow and learn without the silly worldly influence getting in the way of our education.
2. I think one of the major blessings that has appeared in my life by following the Honor Code is that I'm more accountable for my actions, and people can count on me upholding the Honor Code. I think it reflects well on my person, and puts me in a good respectable light with my friends.
3. I think the best way to inspire and educate is to live the Honor Code, and not be afraid to bring it up. I think the most controversial aspect is the curfew. Don't be afraid to leave at midnight, and honor the commitment that you have made.
2. I think one of the major blessings that has appeared in my life by following the Honor Code is that I'm more accountable for my actions, and people can count on me upholding the Honor Code. I think it reflects well on my person, and puts me in a good respectable light with my friends.
3. I think the best way to inspire and educate is to live the Honor Code, and not be afraid to bring it up. I think the most controversial aspect is the curfew. Don't be afraid to leave at midnight, and honor the commitment that you have made.
Delegation and Empowerment
Self-efficacy:
I want to be very competent and knowledgable in branding and in PR. If I can research and increase my knowledge in these areas I will be better at knowing what is required of my position, and help lead those who will actually carry these initiatives or programs through. I will search out the best resources to gain more knowledge in the areas of branding and in PR to gain a better sense of what I need to be doing, and help BYUSA be more efficient and streamlined in all of it's facets.
-Follow up-
I will measure this by how well I am able to explain the new concepts and ideas that I have simply, and effectively to my team. They can help me measure it, by helping me understand if I'm too confusing and not clear enough.
Self Determination:
This is consistently an issue for me in various aspects of my life. It is sometimes hard for me to accomplish things (like my blog posts, homework, or other responsibilities) if I'm not motivated to do them. However, if i'm passionate about something, you can't get me to stop doing it. I think the key to being able to overcome this habit in my life, is choosing to accomplish and get these things done and out of the way as soon as I can. I think the underlying problem is that I let the pressure build up until it forces me to accomplish the specific task, and what I need to do is just do it. Don't wait, just do it as soon as I can. By not getting behind in my personal life, I will be able to focus and help lead those who help me with programs and campaigns in a more effective manner. I promise, everything will be better if Olivia can get her personal life on track!
-Follow up-
I will measure this by whether or not I'm behind in my classes? If I am behind, then I'm not doing things on-time and right when I get them. I can follow up with Tamara because, she will know or need to know if I am failing (even though that really isn't an option...)
Personal Consequence:
For personal consequence I can help those who I lead feel a sense of responsibility and duty to their various programs and events. I can do this by meeting with them, educating them on their responsibilities, and tell them that they can have an impact on the lives of students if they work hard and desire to serve more fully.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with Tamara in telling how how my relationships with my PD's are going. If they are going well, and if I stress these principles accurately, our relationship will be healthy and good.
Meaningfulness:
This is helping my PR area know that what they are doing is important and can really make a difference. I can do this by sharing personal experiences that I have had with BYUSA and what we do, that have helped change my mind and my perspective. Another thing I can do is invite them to know more people and be more involved in the office, and then from there, they will know other people's stories and understand how important their work is.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with area and see if they think that my PD's are getting to know other people in the office, and if they actually know who my PD's are.
Trust:
One thing that I can do to establish more trust in my PR area is to let them know that I am their friend; I will be more involved in their lives and ask them how their personal lives are going, and get to know them better. This also goes for our Comms area as well, letting the other ED's know that I am their friend, as well as their co-worker (so-to speak). We can work together and have fun. I enjoy that aspect about the organization and I think that is really what establishes trust.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with Tamara on my relationships with all of us in Comms. If things are going well, then we are communicating well, and trusting each other in our various responsibilities.
I want to be very competent and knowledgable in branding and in PR. If I can research and increase my knowledge in these areas I will be better at knowing what is required of my position, and help lead those who will actually carry these initiatives or programs through. I will search out the best resources to gain more knowledge in the areas of branding and in PR to gain a better sense of what I need to be doing, and help BYUSA be more efficient and streamlined in all of it's facets.
-Follow up-
I will measure this by how well I am able to explain the new concepts and ideas that I have simply, and effectively to my team. They can help me measure it, by helping me understand if I'm too confusing and not clear enough.
Self Determination:
This is consistently an issue for me in various aspects of my life. It is sometimes hard for me to accomplish things (like my blog posts, homework, or other responsibilities) if I'm not motivated to do them. However, if i'm passionate about something, you can't get me to stop doing it. I think the key to being able to overcome this habit in my life, is choosing to accomplish and get these things done and out of the way as soon as I can. I think the underlying problem is that I let the pressure build up until it forces me to accomplish the specific task, and what I need to do is just do it. Don't wait, just do it as soon as I can. By not getting behind in my personal life, I will be able to focus and help lead those who help me with programs and campaigns in a more effective manner. I promise, everything will be better if Olivia can get her personal life on track!
-Follow up-
I will measure this by whether or not I'm behind in my classes? If I am behind, then I'm not doing things on-time and right when I get them. I can follow up with Tamara because, she will know or need to know if I am failing (even though that really isn't an option...)
Personal Consequence:
For personal consequence I can help those who I lead feel a sense of responsibility and duty to their various programs and events. I can do this by meeting with them, educating them on their responsibilities, and tell them that they can have an impact on the lives of students if they work hard and desire to serve more fully.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with Tamara in telling how how my relationships with my PD's are going. If they are going well, and if I stress these principles accurately, our relationship will be healthy and good.
Meaningfulness:
This is helping my PR area know that what they are doing is important and can really make a difference. I can do this by sharing personal experiences that I have had with BYUSA and what we do, that have helped change my mind and my perspective. Another thing I can do is invite them to know more people and be more involved in the office, and then from there, they will know other people's stories and understand how important their work is.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with area and see if they think that my PD's are getting to know other people in the office, and if they actually know who my PD's are.
Trust:
One thing that I can do to establish more trust in my PR area is to let them know that I am their friend; I will be more involved in their lives and ask them how their personal lives are going, and get to know them better. This also goes for our Comms area as well, letting the other ED's know that I am their friend, as well as their co-worker (so-to speak). We can work together and have fun. I enjoy that aspect about the organization and I think that is really what establishes trust.
-Follow up-
I can follow up with Tamara on my relationships with all of us in Comms. If things are going well, then we are communicating well, and trusting each other in our various responsibilities.
Leader of Leaders
1. I am a leader of leaders because I think that's just what happens when you choose to serve and lead others. Everyone is a potential leader and you need to give them opportunities to flourish instead of squandering their creativity and opportunities to do. I think of this as the difference between leading and commanding. Leading is teaching them correct principles, giving them the right tools, giving them the right counsel to complete their tasks and letting them go and do it. I am a leader of leaders because the people I lead turn around and do the same thing that I do, but to others. It's all about encouraging and uplifting others to be the best servant they can be.
2. I think the love that I reflect can reflect to volunteers through my words and my actions. I have a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a love of service, a love of people, a love of freedom, a love of fun - I could share that love by saying that I love _____, or I could show it by the attitude in which I serve, the way I talk to others and encourage them to volunteer, the amount of enthusiasm I put into being involved and helping with events. I think the more effort I can put into reflecting the love that I have, the more it will.
3. I can be a more divine-centered leader of leaders by being in tune with the spirit. By making sure that my spiritual life is where it needs to be, so that I can most effectively perceive the needs of those that I serve and lead. If I am always trying to do the Lord's will, I will always be seeking his counsel and will always have to make sure that I have my life in line in order to be able to pick-up on and receive that counsel.
2. I think the love that I reflect can reflect to volunteers through my words and my actions. I have a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a love of service, a love of people, a love of freedom, a love of fun - I could share that love by saying that I love _____, or I could show it by the attitude in which I serve, the way I talk to others and encourage them to volunteer, the amount of enthusiasm I put into being involved and helping with events. I think the more effort I can put into reflecting the love that I have, the more it will.
3. I can be a more divine-centered leader of leaders by being in tune with the spirit. By making sure that my spiritual life is where it needs to be, so that I can most effectively perceive the needs of those that I serve and lead. If I am always trying to do the Lord's will, I will always be seeking his counsel and will always have to make sure that I have my life in line in order to be able to pick-up on and receive that counsel.
Branding
Disclaimer: this post ended up being brainstorming on my branding concepts and ideas. It was helpful, but I actually answer the prompt towards the bottom :)
In any organization or business, their brand is their image and the culture associated with that specific good or service. There are various components that make up a brand for example: a logo, employees and the customer. The brand is the overall experience that customers work away with. For BYUSA our branding is very extensive; we have a range of "goods" that benefit the student body in a number of ways. We offer opportunities for students to serve, and we also offer many opportunities for students to be served in the form of dances, clubs, SAC, concerts, and various programs. Collectively, the opportunities to serve and be served help contribute to a more Zion-like community here on BYU Campus, which is the vision of BYUSA.
The vision of BYUSA is: As a part of a BYU education, the Student Service Association's vision is to be leaders centered on Jesus Christ, who contribute to the building of Zion communities which are united in heart and mind that there be no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or physically poor among us.
From this vision, the ideal way that we as an organization would desire to be viewed would be that we are a diverse group of individuals that come from all walks of life united in serving the wonderful diverse and unique BYU campus that we all belong to. We all uphold and endorse the honor code and live our lives in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, with him as the ultimate example of the leader of leaders. We invite others to be a part of the service by getting involved and enjoy the blessings that are available to them through service. We also invite students to enjoy the various events we put on, various clubs they can be a part of, and the opportunities they have to share their opinions about campus life. Our efforts in combining service with being served result in a unified BYU campus.
To then describe our current brand in the eyes of the public is that BYUSA is full of nice/snooty/stuck-up kids who were involved in leadership/student government in high school, they love serving and helping people (if they understand that we're a service organization), they are "Molly Mormon"'s and "Peter Priesthood"'s who have always been that way.
I think we are perceived this way is because we are only approaching our advertising and branding in terms of people being a part of us. No one likes to be told what to do, and so that puts them on the edge and puts us in a position to be judged by our immediate outward appearance. Which lends to our biggest branding faux pas - students and our generation associate themselves with the type of people who are associated with the organization. If they can't connect or feel like it's something cool then they have no incentive to join or be a part of it.
We have been branding ourselves as the place where "Molly Mormon" and "Peter Priesthood" can come and re-live their glory days in high school, but this time in college! We haven't been advertising to the right Psychographics (def: The use of demographics to study and measure attitudes, values, lifestyles, and opinions, as for marketing purposes.)
Now... How do we fix this?! We don't want to be branded like this because it's NOT TRUE! We are so diverse and we all love service and helping others and creating a more zion-like community, but we are still ourselves. We still have our unique interests and quirky personality traits that make us who we are, we're not perfect and we honestly don't profess to be.
We fix this by showing that we are diverse and just like everyone else on campus because we are. We're all BYU students, and some of us choose to serve in BYUSA.
In any organization or business, their brand is their image and the culture associated with that specific good or service. There are various components that make up a brand for example: a logo, employees and the customer. The brand is the overall experience that customers work away with. For BYUSA our branding is very extensive; we have a range of "goods" that benefit the student body in a number of ways. We offer opportunities for students to serve, and we also offer many opportunities for students to be served in the form of dances, clubs, SAC, concerts, and various programs. Collectively, the opportunities to serve and be served help contribute to a more Zion-like community here on BYU Campus, which is the vision of BYUSA.
The vision of BYUSA is: As a part of a BYU education, the Student Service Association's vision is to be leaders centered on Jesus Christ, who contribute to the building of Zion communities which are united in heart and mind that there be no intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, or physically poor among us.
From this vision, the ideal way that we as an organization would desire to be viewed would be that we are a diverse group of individuals that come from all walks of life united in serving the wonderful diverse and unique BYU campus that we all belong to. We all uphold and endorse the honor code and live our lives in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ, with him as the ultimate example of the leader of leaders. We invite others to be a part of the service by getting involved and enjoy the blessings that are available to them through service. We also invite students to enjoy the various events we put on, various clubs they can be a part of, and the opportunities they have to share their opinions about campus life. Our efforts in combining service with being served result in a unified BYU campus.
To then describe our current brand in the eyes of the public is that BYUSA is full of nice/snooty/stuck-up kids who were involved in leadership/student government in high school, they love serving and helping people (if they understand that we're a service organization), they are "Molly Mormon"'s and "Peter Priesthood"'s who have always been that way.
I think we are perceived this way is because we are only approaching our advertising and branding in terms of people being a part of us. No one likes to be told what to do, and so that puts them on the edge and puts us in a position to be judged by our immediate outward appearance. Which lends to our biggest branding faux pas - students and our generation associate themselves with the type of people who are associated with the organization. If they can't connect or feel like it's something cool then they have no incentive to join or be a part of it.
We have been branding ourselves as the place where "Molly Mormon" and "Peter Priesthood" can come and re-live their glory days in high school, but this time in college! We haven't been advertising to the right Psychographics (def: The use of demographics to study and measure attitudes, values, lifestyles, and opinions, as for marketing purposes.)
Now... How do we fix this?! We don't want to be branded like this because it's NOT TRUE! We are so diverse and we all love service and helping others and creating a more zion-like community, but we are still ourselves. We still have our unique interests and quirky personality traits that make us who we are, we're not perfect and we honestly don't profess to be.
We fix this by showing that we are diverse and just like everyone else on campus because we are. We're all BYU students, and some of us choose to serve in BYUSA.
Group Development
I think collectively as a group we are in the storming/norming stages. As we've been working together for a couple months, we've been able to work collaboratively for various reasons and have begun to understand how to work with each other and what does and does not work. The only reason I would say we are still in the storming stages are because I think as stress amounts with fall and all of our various things that will appear in the fall, I think we will still find trouble in working together in a successful way. Another reason I think we are still in the storming phase and will be for a while is because we are all different people and in different phases in working with our programs and our PD's and we all progress at different rates.
I will help BYUSA achieve and maintain the performing stage by being a good problem solver. I think as issues come up and we are getting through the storming phase and into the norming if I can be positive and set on helping our group be unified, that can help Communications add to the total unity of the office therefore helping us all get to the performing stage.
I will help BYUSA achieve and maintain the performing stage by being a good problem solver. I think as issues come up and we are getting through the storming phase and into the norming if I can be positive and set on helping our group be unified, that can help Communications add to the total unity of the office therefore helping us all get to the performing stage.
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