2015年2月23日月曜日

Through This Course

Through shi course, my difficulty was to keep up with the bloggs and reserch paper. I always forgot to post the articles and the most difficult one is summarizing Shackleton's book. Because of lack of my English ability, I tend to use the similar words with the original. I looked up the dictionary, but I still cannot find the appropriate words. Weblio, the web dictionary which works Japanese-English and English-Japanese translation was so useful because it has a lot of examples, and synoniums.
To make the post more comprehensive, using web articles was good way. Finding the similar ideas from Shackleton's book, and try to find the most interesting or important parts. This helped to express my English and summarize good points.
Reserch paper was though, I do not want to write it anymore. Since I borrowed a lot of books from the library, I thought my works cites have to be the borrowed books, but it was easier to use web resources because it has more English documents than those in library. I regret I should use web resources in the beggining.I also regret I should have taken RW in spring term because I forgot how to do citation.
The interesting topic was how to make good impression on people. Making good first impression is important in human-relationship. I feel my first impression became stronger. Actually, my impression is a little bit strong originally.
I would like to practice all those I learned in this course and develop my skills as leader. Also, I need to improve my English skills, too.

Four Different Approaches to Leadership

According to speech of Brent ( CEO of Business Across Culture Co.), there are four types of leadership.

1. Social, considerate and always comforting Integrator Leader.
Strong point of this type of leader is he tender the atomosphere and try to solve peacefully. His way of leadership satisfy each needs, and unite group. Weakness is if trouble occur, he tend to just apologize or he overwhelmed by the followers.

2. inventive, creative and always optimistic Developer Leader.
He is creative, and come up with a lop of new ideas. He will provide new and creative ideas to solve problem. His weakness is he cannot control his ideas because of lacking of self-managing skill.

3. The quiet, self controlled and always prerared Baser Leader.
His primary is safety and planed actions. He predicts what will happen in advance, and try to avoid all of risks. His weak point is if unpredictable trouble happen, he lose his control and his "defence"and "ensurance" will be developed.

4. The speedy, goal oriented and always competing Result Leader.
He is enthusiastic and energish person. He may solve trouble so fast that he can do other tasks more. His weakness is if the big problem occured, he tend to be monopoly and selfish.


I did the test to identify which I belongs to. I got 6 Integrator points, 6 Beser points, 0 Result point, and 2 Developer points. My result is I am integrator and baser leader. It sounds I am a safe driver. In my experience, I do not say my opinions in the discussion because I am a Leader. Even I am a part of the follower, I may say my opinion. My thought is leader should not say too much opinion because leader has a authority and power. There is no "best leadership model", but I feel it is the best for me.

2015年2月16日月曜日

Reasersh Paper final


Leadership Education; Its necessity and how to develop

              What a meaning does the word “leader” has? Does it indicate the powerful historical leaders such as George Washington, Napoleon, and Hitler? Otherwise, does it means merely “people who leads others”? Majority of people may imagine the former. However the original roll of leader is the latter. Why people have this image on “leader”? Probably it is because of its special power and influence to the masses. The special characteristics which leaders posse commonly is called leadership. Like as we are taking the class of leadership, many people are seeking what is required for leadership. Recently the youth are required leadership in shukatsu, the activity of seeking employment. Also in the AO entrance exam of ICU, one of the essays must be about examinees’ leadership. Many “entrance exam” favors leadership in its selection because it would be the certification of trustworthy. In order to exert leadership among the people, this person must be at least trustworthy with his ability, character, and nature. People obey him because they trust him and feel friendly with him. Nobody will obey to obnoxious one. Thus, leadership has good impression on people and makes smooth human relationship. Generally, person who is trustworthy and friendly will be taken as “good person”. Learning leadership will help people to be good person, so leadership education should be included to educational curriculum.

              This paper will analyze the elements of leadership, and how to develop it through education in order to become “good person.” Firstly it will show clearly the elements of leadership before giving discussion on leadership. After confirming what leadership is, actual example of leadership development program, and recommended environment for leadership education are given. As we know how to develop leadership under what environment, we have to know what is required for “leadership educators”; called educational leadership. Finally my conclusion and further study will be given.

 

What is “leadership”?

Many of people will be able to answer this question, “Can you tell the person with great leadership?” In spite of it, they may not be able to answer this question, “Can you tell what leadership is?” “Leadership” is too vague expression to discuss. First of all, it is necessary to make a clear definition of leadership. According to Lori, leadership is “an ability which can be developed, not necessarily inborn, and which is manifested in performance, not merely in potential” (93). Leadership is come out from three ways. One is heredity. Although leadership is not necessarily inborn and can be acquired, some people own the traits of leadership by nature. One good example is intelligence. Worldwide great leaders possess extreme intelligence. There is a limitation for “acquired intelligence.” One element of leadership is undoubtedly heredity. Two is environment. Even if some people possess leadership skills as their nature, it will not be exerted under the inappropriate situation. The children from excellent people are not always excellent. Some might be restricted their skills as leader, and other might be spoiled because of their circumstances. Focusing on excellent people, they are not always blessed with circumstance. Certain environment helps to develop leadership in children. Three is training. To develop leadership, enough stimuli are required. For example, there is an extremely smart kid. Adult requests him to make a beautiful statue for next month’s exhibit with his five classmates, not his “friends.” How can he achieve is successfully? Probably adults with average intelligence will be able to do it better. That is because adults are more experienced. In the leadership education, two of three: environment and training have to be prepared for children. (Jones, 8-9)

              Then, what exact qualities are required for leadership? Some researchers discovered necessary traits among the leaders. From these researches, “common traits” of leadership are discovered.

I, Courage, energy and initiative to take actions for organization.

Leader has to be the first person to work for follower. Also, he must be the central of everyone to influence his followers. The leader who is lack of this quality is not enough to influence others because he cannot “move” the followers psychologically and physically.

II, Intelligence and insight to understand organization and his follower. Intelligence creates new idea for the difficulties, and insight to grasp what is going on around and inside of organization. The leader lacking of this quality will lose a clue of solution and make the problem worse.

III, Sincerity, kindness and friendliness to make “trust.”

Nobody will follow the person who is lack of trust. Cooperation is based on the mutual trust. The person lacking of this quality cannot be a leader ever because of his selfishness. Even more, he will be hated or ostracized by others. Some might not be surprised and say it is natural for leader to have it. However, how many people can lists up all of those qualities before giving the answers? Probably few of them can do it. That is why many researchers seek the essence of leadership and that is why the society desires a good leader. The purpose of leadership education is to develop these three qualities. (11-12, Jones)

 

Examle of leadership development

In order to develop leadership skills introduced in previous section, there have been leadership program. By giving actual example, we try to get image of “leadership education.” There is a leadership developing program called “The Ohio 4-H Teen Community Leadership College” in the United States. It was originally the program for adult to develop family leadership, “the Ohio State University’s Family Community Leadership Program.” Through this program, the participants showed developed ability and understanding. Main five purposes of this program are

I, To give trainings of “communication, leadership, conflict management, decision making, time management, and leadership styles”

II, To encourage their potential ability and make them realize the responsibility as the social member

III, To make them independent thinkers with self-confident enough to possess authority

IV, To make them active participants in the community

V, To improve their volunteer ethic by serving as the ambassadors for 4-H youth development program.

This program is based on the understanding that there are diverse leadership depends on the situations. Political leaders are required intelligence, confidence and communication skills to attract audience. Otherwise, school leaders are required kindness, communication and conflict management skills. Every situation needs appropriate leadership. This program is to develop “community leadership”, which can be “any community.” Thus community leadership is the basic leadership to lead any community at school level or even at family level. The results were taken by self-evaluation for participants’ changes in leadership skills; communication, conflict management, decision making, awareness of responsibility, self-confidence and initiative. The significant changes are found especially in “collaboration skill” and the lowest was “initiative.” The conclusion is this program has positive effects on participants’ perception of leadership. Thus this kind of leadership education will be effective.

              To make the education more successful, the recommended environment is “democratic community or society.” The positive work of democracy is freedom of possessing individual identity and acting as individual identity. The freedom is built upon the basic equality as human. In this environment, people can excel their potential. Under the equal situation, people can act according to their thought. How to make this is distribution of internal authority. Central authority means one person has bigger power than others and it is not everyone is equal because of its property. The hierarchy makes communication merely the conversation, will be the obstacle to make decision, and what is worse is conflict will not be a “conflict.” The communication upon different hierarchy of people will not be the mutual understanding because people at higher position possess the important information, and also will have sense of superiority because of his position. In the decision-making, it will be also the obstacle because people with power will have the almost all right to decide the things. Same will occur in conflict because the “strong opinion from strong people in society” will overcome the other opinion. Since people at higher position have right to decide, there should not be the conflict, the difference in opinion. To make the best environment to develop leadership skills, the internal equality should be maintained (Woods 11-12, 27-31).

 

Required skills for educators; Educational leadership

As students develop their leadership skills through education, “educators” must possess leadership as educators. Educators are not merely teachers. They might be the adults around children since all adults can be teachers for children. Educators must be careful of their behavior and action. This leadership for educators are called educational leadership. Some skill should be taught to students for leadership development. Main three skills of educational leadership are

I, Self-management and self-understanding

Self-management involves self-development. In order to achieve it, the following abilities are required.

A, Knowledge to judge everything and have an insight of it

B, Skills to balance the internal power such as communication skills of clear massage and listening, facilitation skill to equip necessity for the best performance, and management skill to make attunement

C, Attitude which means commitment to purpose and value.

D, Creativity to develop insight and make connection instead of old one.

E, Consciousness which is the concept to develop the capacity to understand different individuals.

What is more required is self-acceptance which accepts yourself as your identity. Since self-development is developing your strength and modifying your weakness, the acceptance of yourself is necessary. This process of accepting identity will be self- development. What the self-management means is understanding you and developing yourself. By understanding yourself, you will be able to “manage yourself” to the purpose. This is connected to self-understanding of your personality, sensing, feelings, thinking and judging (Tamlinson 1-2).

II, Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and manage individuals' “feeling” including you. Then, what required for emotional intelligence?

A,“Emotional literacy” to be truly honest yourself. Sense your and others' inner mind and understand them.

B, “Emotional fitness” to get along with human relationship from the aspect of emotion.

C, “Emotional depth” to build your core personality and raise your potential.

D, “Emotional alchemy” to get opportunities and compete for the future.

What is the most important is communication because it is directly connected to all of four essentials (Tamlinson 22-23, Sergiovanni 40-41).

III, Managing stress

These all are connected to your management of stress. The causes of stress are unsatisfied needs of yourself. That can be emotional-physical needs; needs for secure, psycho-social needs; needs for connection to the outside, personal-intellectual needs; needs for new finding or creative strategy.  To satisfy your needs, firstly identify and clarify your needs. Then, understand your needs and find a solution. It is not difficult to find solution because stress is caused because you can solve it if you did as what you want. The effective solution is doing the conceptual approach to the needs, or psychological approach to alternative activities. This psychological approach is to do something fun for you to satisfy yourself instead of unsatisfied your needs (Tamlinson 78-80).

             

Conclusion

              We learned three big sections for leadership education. First, what leadership is and its elements are. Second, the actual example of leadership-developing program in the U.S and the environment makes education effective. Third, the essential quality for educators; educational leadership is introduced. Furthermore, in order to make leadership effective, the followers of leaders should have the concepts as “followers.” This is “followership,” the new concepts for leadership. If followership is included to leadership education, leaders will understand more about the leadership.

 


 

Works Cited

Barry A. Garst, Jeremy Johnson. “Adolescent Leadership Skill Development Through

Residential 4-H Camp Counseling.” Journal of extention 43.5 (2005) n.pag.

Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

Jones, Arthur. “The Education of Youth For Leadership.” London: McGraw-Hill Book

Company. 1938. Print.

Kelloway,Kevin, Sivanathan, Niro, Francis, Lori, Barling, Julian.“Poor Leadership.”

Academia.edu. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

McCallum, John. “Follwership: The other side of leadership.” IVEY, Oct. 2013. Web. 15

Feb 2015.

Kleon, Scott. “Leadership Skill Development of Teen Leaders.” Journal of Extension

36.3 (1998) n.pag. Web. 15 Feb 2015.

Sergiovanni, Thomas. “Educational and Organizational Leadership in Elementary

Schools.” Prentice-Hall, 1975. Print.

Tamlinson, Harry. “Educational Leadership; Personal Growth for Professional

Development.” London: Sage Publications. 2004. Print.

Woods, Philip. “Democratic leadership in Education.” London: Paul Chapman

Publishing. 2005. Print.

Body III


Required skills for educators; Educational leadership

As students develop their leadership skills through education, “educators” must possess leadership as educators. Educators are not merely teachers. They might be the adults around children since all adults can be teachers for children. Educators must be careful of their behavior and action. This leadership for educators are called educational leadership. Some skill should be taught to students for leadership development. Main three skills of educational leadership are

I, Self-management and self-understanding

Self-management involves self-development. In order to achieve it, the following abilities are required.

A, Knowledge to judge everything and have an insight of it

B, Skills to balance the internal power such as communication skills of clear massage and listening, facilitation skill to equip necessity for the best performance, and management skill to make attunement

C, Attitude which means commitment to purpose and value.

D, Creativity to develop insight and make connection instead of old one.

E, Consciousness which is the concept to develop the capacity to understand different individuals.

What is more required is self-acceptance which accepts yourself as your identity. Since self-development is developing your strength and modifying your weakness, the acceptance of yourself is necessary. This process of accepting identity will be self- development. What the self-management means is understanding you and developing yourself. By understanding yourself, you will be able to “manage yourself” to the purpose. This is connected to self-understanding of your personality, sensing, feelings, thinking and judging (Tamlinson 1-2).

II, Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and manage individuals' “feeling” including you. Then, what required for emotional intelligence?

A,“Emotional literacy” to be truly honest yourself. Sense your and others' inner mind and understand them.

B, “Emotional fitness” to get along with human relationship from the aspect of emotion.

C, “Emotional depth” to build your core personality and raise your potential.

D, “Emotional alchemy” to get opportunities and compete for the future.

What is the most important is communication because it is directly connected to all of four essentials (Tamlinson 22-23, Sergiovanni 40-41).

III, Managing stress

These all are connected to your management of stress. The causes of stress are unsatisfied needs of yourself. That can be emotional-physical needs; needs for secure, psycho-social needs; needs for connection to the outside, personal-intellectual needs; needs for new finding or creative strategy.  To satisfy your needs, firstly identify and clarify your needs. Then, understand your needs and find a solution. It is not difficult to find solution because stress is caused because you can solve it if you did as what you want. The effective solution is doing the conceptual approach to the needs, or psychological approach to alternative activities. This psychological approach is to do something fun for you to satisfy yourself instead of unsatisfied your needs (Tamlinson 78-80).

2015年2月11日水曜日

The marshmallow challenge


The marshmallow challenge is the team-working challenge introduced in TED. The key concepts of this is to notice the importance of team unity and trial-error process. Each team is distributed tape (one meter), string (one meter), spagetti (20), and marshmallow. The goal is build up as higher as possible and compete the height of marshmallow on the building. Many of group challenged this project, such as college students, high school, professionals, and so on. The group who recorded the highest is kindergarten students: about 90 cm. The lowest is business school students: 40 cm. What makes the difference is amount of discussion held in the assigned time. Business school students discussed as much as they can before they build in order not to make a mistakes (in this case, in order not to collapse it). They try to build it higher without any risk, it won't succeed. In contrast, kindergarten students initially challenge to build and modify if necessary. Their concept is "we just repair it if it needed."

My team could build 50 cm tower in first trial. It is average height. We spent too much on constructing.

Lighten up


Find something to celebrate and something to laugh about

 This strategy is quite a bit different concepts from others. Under the extreme pressure, "lightening up" people's mind will make people relieved. Shackleton settled many celebration; birthday, arrival, etc. The positive thinking and motivation for action comes from "light mind." To laugh is important as well as to celebrate. That is why people like "entertainment" as their hobby.

Many of American presidents have "humor" ability. "Humor" has impression of good-nature and friendly people which can strengthen the unity. Also it makes effective the relationship of mutual cooperation.

Mutual Respect


Minimize status differences and insist on courtesy and mutual respect.

 
As unity is emphasized in the previous section, mutual respects is the central of it since the status gap in team causes discontent. Equality in every status and less privileges would tender the atmosphere in critical situation. It does not mean hierarchy is bad. In order to run organization, the difference in role and in authority is absolutely needed. Mutual respect as human and on basic equality makes the smooth relationship.

Team Massage


Reinforce the team message constantly: "We are one - we live or die together."

 
In many of organization reward individual achievement rather than team achievement, although teamwork is the key to success of organization. In the critical situation, the discord in team might kill themselves. Tight unified team work is necessary to win. The most severe danger in potential is in the people's mind. Shackleton understood it from his experience of former exploration. However, even though it is the homogeneous group with the same goal, diversity must be respected. Unity comes from the mutual help.

To make rigid unity, communication works as the fundamental function of team. In order to inform the necessary information, to involve everyone into the group, and to create solutions for conflict, it is important to "understand" each person.

2015年2月9日月曜日

Body II for RW


              The second section will introduce the actual program to develop leadership and recommend the suitable environment for leadership education. There is a leadership developing program called “The Ohio 4-H Teen Community Leadership College” in the United States. It was originally the program for adult to develop family leadership, “the Ohio State University’s Family Community Leadership Program.” Through this program, the participants showed developed ability and understanding. Main five purposes of this program are (1) to give trainings of “communication, leadership, conflict management, decision making, time management, and leadership styles,” (2) to encourage their potential ability and make them realize the responsibility as the social member, (3) to make them independent thinkers with self-confident enough to possess authority, (4) to make them active participants in the community, (5) to improve their volunteer ethic by serving as the ambassadors for 4-H youth development program. This program is based on the understanding that there are diverse leadership depends on the situations. Political leaders are required intelligence, confidence and communication skills to attract audience. Otherwise, school leaders are required kindness, communication and conflict management skills. Every situation needs appropriate leadership. This program is to develop “community leadership”, which can be “any community.” Thus community leadership is the basic leadership to lead any community at school level or even at family level. The results were taken by self-evaluation for participants’ changes in leadership skills; communication, conflict management, decision making, awareness of responsibility, self-confidence and initiative. The significant changes are found especially in “collaboration skill” and the lowest was “initiative.” The conclusion is this program has positive effects on participants’ perception of leadership. Thus this kind of leadership education will be effective.

              To make the education more successful, the recommended environment is “democratic community or society.” The positive work of democracy is freedom of possessing individual identity and acting as individual identity. The freedom is built upon the basic equality as human. In this environment, people can excel their potential. Under the equal situation, people can act according to their thought. How to make this is distribution of internal authority. Central authority means one person has bigger power than others and it is not everyone is equal because of its property. The hierarchy makes communication merely the conversation, will be the obstacle to make decision, and what is worse is conflict will not be a “conflict.” The communication upon different hierarchy of people will not be the mutual understanding because people at higher position possess the important information, and also will have sense of superiority because of his position. In the decision-making, it will be also the obstacle because people with power will have the almost all right to decide the things. Same will occur in conflict because the “strong opinion from strong people in society” will overcome the other opinion. Since people at higher position have right to decide, there should not be the conflict, the difference in opinion. To make the best environment to develop leadership skills, the internal equality should be maintained.

Body I for RW


The first section will discuss what the leadership is. First of all, it is necessary to make a clear definition of leadership. According to Lori, leadership is “an ability which can be developed, not necessarily inborn, and which is manifested in performance, not merely in potential.” Leadership is come out from three ways. One is heredity. Although leadership is not necessarily inborn and can be acquired, some people own the traits of leadership by nature. One good example is intelligence. Worldwide great leaders possess extreme intelligence. There is a limitation for “acquired intelligence.” One element of leadership is undoubtedly heredity. Two is environment. Even if some people possess leadership skills as their nature, it will not be exerted under the inappropriate situation. The children from excellent people are not always excellent. Some might be restricted their skills as leader, and other might be spoiled because of their circumstances. Focusing on excellent people, they are not always blessed with circumstance. Certain environment helps to develop leadership in children. Three is training. To develop leadership, enough stimuli are required. For example, there is an extremely smart kid. Adult requests him to make a beautiful statue for next month’s exhibit with his five classmates, not his “friends.” How can he achieve is successfully? Probably adults with average intelligence will be able to do it better. That is because adults are more experienced. In the leadership education, two of three: environment and training have to be prepared for children. (8-9 Jones)

              Then, what exact qualities are required for leadership? Some researchers discovered necessary traits among the leaders. From these researches, “common traits” of leadership are discovered. First quality is courage, energy and initiative to take actions for organization. Leader has to be the first person to work for follower. Also, he must be the central of everyone to influence his followers. The leader who is lack of this quality is not enough to influence others because he cannot “move” the followers psychologically and physically. Second quality is intelligence and insight to understand organization and his follower. Intelligence creates new idea for the difficulties, and insight to grasp what is going on around and inside of organization. The leader lacking of this quality will lose a clue of solution and make the problem worse. Third quality is sincerity, kindness and friendliness to make “trust.” Nobody will follow the person who is lack of trust. Cooperation is based on the mutual trust. The person lacking of this quality cannot be a leader ever because of his selfishness. Even more, he will be hated or ostracized by others. Some might not be surprised and say it is natural for leader to have it. However, how many people can lists up all of those qualities before giving the answers? Probably few of them can do it. That is why many researchers seek the essence of leadership and that is why the society desires a good leader. The purpose of leadership education is to develop these three qualities.

2015年2月2日月曜日

Intro of RW

   When you hear word "Leadership", what you imagine? Wise and honorable leader such as presidents in the U.S? Or, powerful and confident leader such as Hitler? Leadership can be taken as inborn ability or character that "lead" people. The difinition of leadership is "inborn ability, which can be developed." It means every people can be leader, by developing it. Recently, demand for leadership is increasing. In Japanese shukatsu, the activity to seek employment, leadership experience is in demand. In addition, in AO entrance exam of ICU, one of the 2000 character essay must be about leadeship of testees. Developing leadership ability will help you in much situation. It is needed to run organazation such as club activity or even to manege discussion in class. Leadeship education shlould be included to oedinal educational curricuram for Japanese education.

Reflection on Chapter 7

Master conflict - deal with anger in small doses, engage dissidents, and avoid needless power struggle.


   Conflict is big problrem in the organization, but inevitable. Managing conflict will be the key factor especially under the critical situation. Conflict will make the situation more stressful, and less productivity. But the important point is avoiding conflict is not problem-solving. MANAGING is the solution of conflict. What this means is conflict is the difference of the opinion. Avoiding conflict is neglecting other opinion and never solve radical cause. Never neglecting and facing it is the most respectable atitude toward other opinion. Difference in opinion can be happen since each people have different way of thinking.
   Then how we solve conflict? First, you must identify the cause of conflict. Before you identify it, you cannot do anything. Second, find the common goal. If we have the same aim, corporation will be promoted. Try to make win-win situation. If people can get result or reward, they are less dissatisfied. Dissatisfication makes conflict worse and worse. Facing to negative feeling will be profit to the organization.
   To solve conflict, never waste unneeded energy. Soving conflict by the easiest way is the most important. Since people are under deadly condition, they do not have eccess energy to waste on conflict. Problem-solving ability is needed for team executive.

2015年1月26日月曜日

Reflection on chapter 4

Take care of yourself: Maintain your stamina and let go out of guilt.

Those who chose to lead at The Edge have high energy to achieve their goals. Achieving high goal requires physical and psychological exhausting.
The expedition of Polar requires good health. But Shackleton did not have it. When his first sailing, he got what is called "sailer's fever" on his voyage. Also the expedition with Scott on Discovery, he got serious ill.
Althogh his health is not enough, his ability to take care of other's are admirable. In contrast, his self-management is not enogh. This caused his early death.
Smart people often lose their self-control on health. One reason fot it is called "summit fever." It is people engage too much on their goals, and all other is faded.

Outline for Research Project


I. Introduction

  A. Leadership is not inborn ability. It can be developed by education.

  B. To run an organization, leadership will be needed.

  C. Leadership education should be included to the educational curricuram (Thesis)

II. What is leadership education

  A. Program done to develop leadership

  B. What is necessary for leadership education

III. Essential skil for leadership; followership

  A. Followership makes leadership more effective

  B. Followership is not “only follow the leader”. It is help the leader.

IV. Leadership necessary for educators.

  A. Teacher also needs leadership

  B. Leadership is not only intelligence, it is mental intelligence

V.Conclusion

  A. Summary

  B. Restating Thesis

2015年1月18日日曜日

Reflection on Chapter 3

Instill optimism and self-confidence, but stay grounded in reality.

Being optimism is not "not expecting trouble." Optimism person always gets accurate grasp of the present situation, recognize the trouble and soive it. This person has the clear vision of the future since he (or she) trust himself (or herself) and others.

What makes people optimism? I summarised 5 important points.

1. Thinking the future
Optimism people never obsessed by the past. They face to the future, to change the situation.

2. Approaching the goal
They have their own goal, and make efforts to reach it.

3. Being "excellent"
They try to be excellent. "Excellent" does not mean "best." Each of people can be excellnt, and there is not difference.

4. Focusing on results
They always cares results. To do their best, they seek the best action.

5. Facing to problems
When they face to the problem, they seek the solution of it not the problem. This must be possible.

6. Take a quick action
They take a quick action. They never prolong.

These are the essential of optimism and most of good successors have these optimism action. These are not inborn nature, but can be developed by experience or practice.

My Research Proposal


Education for Leadership Development

Every people belongs to any organization, the group of people. When the organization takes actions, how to unite individuals is the key point which sometimes determine whether the organization is good or not. This organizing skill is called “leadership”, and recently this skill is more required compared to the past like as Super Global Universities or High Schools which the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) designated for the special institutes to raise global leaders in Japan. Though MEXT designated some institutes for leadership developers, but this leadership education should be involved into the curriculum for all students. Some considers leadership is inborn skills and it was researched for the decades, but according to Lori, its definition is “an ability which can be developed, not necessarily inborn, and which is manifested in performance, not merely in potential.” (1) And also Scott's experiment shows leadership program for teenager is effective to develop their self-evaluation of leadership. Thus, leadership education for students should be considered to be effective. Leadership is not only done by leader. Followership is also involved into leadership, to make actions more effective. This is called
Leader- Memeber Exchange. It is “Leader attribute to subordinates, follower attributes and implicit theories, follower contribute to effective leadership, and social learning theory (Yulk).” Follwership should be studied as well as leadership for deeper understanding of leading.


Works Cited

Moore, Lori. Rudd, Rick. EXTENSION LEADERS’ SELF-EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP SKILL AREAS.

Kleon, Scott, Rinehart, Susan. Leadership Skill Development of Teen Leaders.

Yukl, Gary. Leadership in Organization.


2015年1月8日木曜日

Summary of Chapter 2

Set a personal example with visible, memorable symbols and behaviors.

As a leader, showing something visible attitude encourage the followers. Especially under the stressful situation, it is effective. Leader is the model of what is needed to achieve goal, and who the followers have to aim at. On this chapter, I will focus on the work of speech that the leader must be careful of.

The leader is the ideal model of the organization. Their behavior must be something conduct the followers. Giving actual examples of Shackleton, the total weight of sledge had to be as light as possible in order to march quickly. Personal belongings should be discarded, but Shackleton knew some items have effect on the followers' metal. He set a rule "2 ponds for each person" for the weight. Shackleton threw his golden items away on the icy ground in front of his followers. His action encouraged them. This is the good example that the leader worked as "the model" of everyone.

"Leader" is the model of the organization and also the symbol. One example of how to work as symbol is making a speech.

Making a speech is the mainly important point as the leader. Making firm relationship with each follower is significant, but also relationship of leader-followers is key of the organization. That means organization is not the group of several couple of friends, it is the unity of people who own the same goal. Speech works to affect the unity.
However, merely making a speech is not effective. The speech have to be done with right words, right tone and confidence. When choosing the words, something encouraging and too emotional ones must be avoided because in that situation, the followers are already trying hard and mentally exhausted.
As the speech is delivered, their final goal must be showed constantly. Like we continue to add fuel to keep the fire, it must continue to carry what make the followers' motivation.

2015年1月6日火曜日

Summary of Negotiation

Negotiation is the important part in our human relationship, thus good negotiation skills make our communication better. Today's reading is about what is noticeable among the skilled negotiators.

Seeking Information
The skilled negotiators try to find more imformation than the average nagotiators do. By doing it, it is possible to obtain necessary information to discussion. Good information controls good discussion.

Testing Understanding and Summarising
Testing understanding is making sure the other understand what has been done in discussion. Summarising is briefly restate the main points in discussion. Both works to avoid the misunderstanding.

Reflecting
Reflecting is similar to testing understanding. It is repeating what the other said to make sure the discussion is being done properly.

Behavior Labelling
The slikked nagotiators provide advanced attention to indentify their behaviors. For example, before they ask "What is the unit cost?", they add more sentence - "Can I ask you a question, what is the unit cost?" This works to draws attention and force the other to respond. Also it brake the negotiation to let both negotiator rethink of what has been talked.
However, there is one exception. The skilled negotiators do not label disagreement. The average negotiators tend to start with "I disagree with ~." In contrast, the skilled state the reasons fisrt, and gradually show disagreement. Stating the reasons first drive the other to listen to the reasons more than labeling disagreement first. Thus the skilled negotiators avoid labeling disagreement in negotiations.

Feeling Commentary
In the negotiaiton, both sides have their true motive in their deep mind, and negotiation is alike seeking what the other want and triying to make an agreement. The skilled negotiators reveal what is going on in their mind to make a trust to the other. In the nagotiation, showing feeling relieves the other.

Reflection on my previous negotiation
In the previous negotiation, I did "seeking information" to make a win-win agreement. But think of it, I never did other acts. If we have a chance to have negotiation next time, I want to pay attetion on all of these above to become "the skilled negotiator". As the reading says, practicing makes us skilled and it is better than only obtaining knowledge.