Is it relevant, is it appropriate and how does it apply? In an organization there will be some sources of information that are consistent through all levels but I think of more concern is the content attained from the source not the source itself. A professor at a previous school of mine reminded us at every class that "meaning is context dependent." I think in planning, at all levels, the sources used need to be analyzed for how the information is relevant and appropriate for the level of personnel in the organization.
I was part of the leadership team at a church where the use of different sources of information was both a positive and a negative to the organization. We were a church that participated in not only Sunday fellowship but also home groups that met throughout the week. At one point in the life of the church we were about 350 people with 20 different home groups meeting throughout the week. Each home group leader was given freedom to select curriculum and lead however they saw fit as long as the core goal of the group was in line with the vision and mission of the church. This lead to great growth but it was growth without any depth and ultimately individual groups felt they knew better than the church did and decided to leave. This caused us, as the leadership of the church, to re-evaluate the goal of our home groups and plan out a strategy of how to reach those goals. We created a team that would discern and develop the weekly message topics of which the pastor would teach. Then from that message we developed more in depth study materials that the home group leaders then used to teach the weekly lessons.
From the top down the whole organization was using the same sources but how it was applied differed depending on the audience and application. The pastoral team objective, curriculum and lesson plans were consistent throughout the organization but different sources were used on how to teach to children, teens, families, single moms, etc. This same logic applies in any organization. The overall sources need to have some consistency to them but when it comes to application and the context of the information other sources may or should be used.
April 29, 2009
April 26, 2009
The Economy as an External Factor
The economy has not only been a factor in my organizations of employment over the past year it has been and is my biggest hurdle to overcome. The current economic crisis is a factor for my current organization and is the main reason I am no longer with my previous organization.
I was a National Account Rep with a wholesale distribution company for nine years until May of last year. I sold product direct to retailers and to other distributors. We started to see signs of some major concerns 2 years ago and tried to adjust our business to better accommodate our customers and increase the value of our product. As we made these changes we ran into problems because we were a small company in our industry and the larger companies had not made decisions yet on how to adjust. This put us at a disadvantage because until the big players make the changes the retailers don't take notice and follow suit. In January of 2008 we received notice about one of our largest accounts cutting back on ordering and in turn we had to cut back. I was the unfortunate recipient of the some unexpected time off and have been out of full time work ever since.
With my current part-time work at my local YMCA we have also been affected by the economy. As a membership driven business we are sensitive to economic issues because people may see membership as an unnecessary luxury. In my direct position I oversee the youth sports program and our program is supported by community sponsors. With the economic difficulties we had to come up with ways to add value to the sponsorship so that it would be more beneficial for businesses to sponsor. It is not that they don't want to sponsor but some just can't. We also have to be sensitive to families who want to and need to participate in our programs but are financially unable to. We are developing a volunteer program to help them along.
I was a National Account Rep with a wholesale distribution company for nine years until May of last year. I sold product direct to retailers and to other distributors. We started to see signs of some major concerns 2 years ago and tried to adjust our business to better accommodate our customers and increase the value of our product. As we made these changes we ran into problems because we were a small company in our industry and the larger companies had not made decisions yet on how to adjust. This put us at a disadvantage because until the big players make the changes the retailers don't take notice and follow suit. In January of 2008 we received notice about one of our largest accounts cutting back on ordering and in turn we had to cut back. I was the unfortunate recipient of the some unexpected time off and have been out of full time work ever since.
With my current part-time work at my local YMCA we have also been affected by the economy. As a membership driven business we are sensitive to economic issues because people may see membership as an unnecessary luxury. In my direct position I oversee the youth sports program and our program is supported by community sponsors. With the economic difficulties we had to come up with ways to add value to the sponsorship so that it would be more beneficial for businesses to sponsor. It is not that they don't want to sponsor but some just can't. We also have to be sensitive to families who want to and need to participate in our programs but are financially unable to. We are developing a volunteer program to help them along.
April 25, 2009
Influence of Internal Stakeholders
I worked under the same manager in an organization for nine years until May of 2008. When I started with the company we were an organization of 150-200 employees and when I left they were down to 13 people. Throughout my time with the organization I saw several changes occur within management but no matter the size of the organization some things stayed the same. The organization had a couple of things going on that would have and did make it a challenging work environment for any manager. Not an impossible work environment but definitely challenging. The organization is privately owned and the owners work in the day to day operation of the organization at the executive level. This placed these particular managers in the position of not only being stakeholders but also shareholders and as such they micro managed my supervisor who happened to be the only executive level manager who was not a shareholder.
When it came to planning for the team my supervisor, who had 20 years of experience in the industry, was not given the opportunity to set goals and develop action plans without someone constantly looking over his shoulder and causing him to second guess what he thought was best for the team. After a plan was in place then the roadblocks appeared because those who were shareholders were very cautious about what resources and employees we used no matter how beneficial they might be to the organization. Working in this environment made it very difficult for my supervisor to feel excited and motivated about the work to be done and in turn difficult for him to lead the team to perform at a high level. Controlling the direction of the team was a catch-22 situation because although my supervisor was on the ball to realize areas needing correcting the actual response could take too long to be effective due to the cautiousness of the shareholders.
As I mentioned earlier the company went from 200 people down to 13 in about 9 years. This changed occurred because of changes within the company but I think in large part a factor was also the value and influence given to internal stakeholders. Unless you are a shareholder or family of them you are not given a voice to contribute to the overall direction and decisions of the company. I don't believe stakeholders should have influence over a manager to the point of the manager not making the best decision for the organization but I do believe that internal stakeholders can provide a perspective that others may not see and should be given the opportunity to contribute.
When it came to planning for the team my supervisor, who had 20 years of experience in the industry, was not given the opportunity to set goals and develop action plans without someone constantly looking over his shoulder and causing him to second guess what he thought was best for the team. After a plan was in place then the roadblocks appeared because those who were shareholders were very cautious about what resources and employees we used no matter how beneficial they might be to the organization. Working in this environment made it very difficult for my supervisor to feel excited and motivated about the work to be done and in turn difficult for him to lead the team to perform at a high level. Controlling the direction of the team was a catch-22 situation because although my supervisor was on the ball to realize areas needing correcting the actual response could take too long to be effective due to the cautiousness of the shareholders.
As I mentioned earlier the company went from 200 people down to 13 in about 9 years. This changed occurred because of changes within the company but I think in large part a factor was also the value and influence given to internal stakeholders. Unless you are a shareholder or family of them you are not given a voice to contribute to the overall direction and decisions of the company. I don't believe stakeholders should have influence over a manager to the point of the manager not making the best decision for the organization but I do believe that internal stakeholders can provide a perspective that others may not see and should be given the opportunity to contribute.
Outside Factors of Influence
Within my current place of employment there numerous factors that affect management decisions. Through my work at the YMCA we are constantly evaluating and adapting to the needs of our members, the community at large and the schools in our community. As a membership organization we have to be aware of cultural and economical influences that may factor in to the programs and services that we offer. We are also a seasonally affected organization whether it is sports season, weather seasons or school schedules.
When our managers are planning for our fitness programs the season of year must be considered. An outdoor walking program during January in Ohio will not be well attended. While the factors may determine our goals they don't always have to determine how we act upon those goals. Our plan of action for our sports programs are determined by the resources we have available to us and how best to use them. In this way our managers find ways to organize fro the best results. How our managers lead the organization can be influenced by outside influences in that the motivation for why we are developing a program may be in its benefit to those it serves. The most difficult piece to handle of the outside influence can be the controlling of our managers. Our progress as an organization affects so many, outside of employees, that making corrective decisions has to be in a way to have the least negative impact while doing it quick enough to not cause any more problems.
External factors are going to have some influence on an organizations decisions with more or less influence depending on the type of organization. I believe external factors should be given weight in managerial decision making depending on how relevant they are to the decision. The fine line to walk is not letting outside factors have so much influence to the point where it leads to bad business decisions being made. If this starts to occur it may to time to re-evaluate the direction of the organization and why the outside influences are having so much influence on the company.
When our managers are planning for our fitness programs the season of year must be considered. An outdoor walking program during January in Ohio will not be well attended. While the factors may determine our goals they don't always have to determine how we act upon those goals. Our plan of action for our sports programs are determined by the resources we have available to us and how best to use them. In this way our managers find ways to organize fro the best results. How our managers lead the organization can be influenced by outside influences in that the motivation for why we are developing a program may be in its benefit to those it serves. The most difficult piece to handle of the outside influence can be the controlling of our managers. Our progress as an organization affects so many, outside of employees, that making corrective decisions has to be in a way to have the least negative impact while doing it quick enough to not cause any more problems.
External factors are going to have some influence on an organizations decisions with more or less influence depending on the type of organization. I believe external factors should be given weight in managerial decision making depending on how relevant they are to the decision. The fine line to walk is not letting outside factors have so much influence to the point where it leads to bad business decisions being made. If this starts to occur it may to time to re-evaluate the direction of the organization and why the outside influences are having so much influence on the company.
April 22, 2009
Who I Am
I was born and raised in Oregon, spent a few months in Oklahoma and have been in Ohio since 2000. I have over 18 years of sales experience in a variety of environments and industries. I have sold everything from music CD's to computers everywhere from Wal-Mart to your local Mom & Pop store. Over the past 8 years I have coached and developed programs for youth sports in football, basketball, soccer and various other activities. I am a licensed Pastor within the Association of Vineyard Churches and hold a graduate certificate from Vineyard Leadership Institute in Columbus, Ohio. I am also a licensed Red Cross CPR/First Aid trainer, the Youth Sports Director at my local YMCA and operate my own artist management / event planning company.
I went right from high school to college but was looking more for a reason to get away from home. I originally went to college to be a high school math teacher but did not give it the focus I needed to. The graduate certificate I earned in 2005 was done through a distance learning program through Vineyard Leadership Institute. I am looking to finish up my bachelor's degree through University of Phoenix by fall 2010 to help develop my own business more and advance in my current positions. Unfortunately I lost my sales job of 9 years in May of last year so I am also hoping this helps me to get back into full time work. This degree will give me the resource and basis to provide for my family while leading by example.
My wife and have been married 16 years as of February. We are the proud parents of 7 wonderful children from 14 down to 2. We have 3 boys and 4 girls with no twins. We love spending time with our children enjoying everything from a weekend camping trip to an afternoon swimming at the YMCA. I enjoy playing with my kids, a nice round of golf, a good book and especially a quiet evening with my wife.
I went right from high school to college but was looking more for a reason to get away from home. I originally went to college to be a high school math teacher but did not give it the focus I needed to. The graduate certificate I earned in 2005 was done through a distance learning program through Vineyard Leadership Institute. I am looking to finish up my bachelor's degree through University of Phoenix by fall 2010 to help develop my own business more and advance in my current positions. Unfortunately I lost my sales job of 9 years in May of last year so I am also hoping this helps me to get back into full time work. This degree will give me the resource and basis to provide for my family while leading by example.
My wife and have been married 16 years as of February. We are the proud parents of 7 wonderful children from 14 down to 2. We have 3 boys and 4 girls with no twins. We love spending time with our children enjoying everything from a weekend camping trip to an afternoon swimming at the YMCA. I enjoy playing with my kids, a nice round of golf, a good book and especially a quiet evening with my wife.
April 17, 2009
Lifelong Learning
... the continual, lifelong challenge is to apply the mental endurance/critical thinking/problem solving skills from undergraduate program to "As Is" situations in the real world and transform them to the "Should Be" scenarios from graduate studies and discussions with experienced practitioners.
This is interesting because although we are all hopefully looking for ways to build upon what we learn throughout our lives we don't always understand the relationship of our stages of learning to each other. This same philosophy can be applied to so many other scenarios other than just our education process. With raising kids we teach them how to evaluate and understand relationships, hopefully portraying how relationships should be so that when they go out on their own and are confronted with the as is situation they know what it should be like.
Is it possible that in working alongside experienced practitioners they may have lost sight of the "Should Be" scenarios that they once followed? As a new graduate of the "Should Be" institute it may be our responsibility to reconnect the experienced workers in the "As Is" corporation back to the teachings of their alma mater. Or is it also possible that some situations are "Should Is" environments that require a little of both to be fully appreciated?
This is interesting because although we are all hopefully looking for ways to build upon what we learn throughout our lives we don't always understand the relationship of our stages of learning to each other. This same philosophy can be applied to so many other scenarios other than just our education process. With raising kids we teach them how to evaluate and understand relationships, hopefully portraying how relationships should be so that when they go out on their own and are confronted with the as is situation they know what it should be like.
Is it possible that in working alongside experienced practitioners they may have lost sight of the "Should Be" scenarios that they once followed? As a new graduate of the "Should Be" institute it may be our responsibility to reconnect the experienced workers in the "As Is" corporation back to the teachings of their alma mater. Or is it also possible that some situations are "Should Is" environments that require a little of both to be fully appreciated?
Attributes vs. Skills
I think that both skills and attributes should be considered but depending on the position one may hold more weight than the other. If you are hiring for a position that requires a specialized skill you might look at a person's skills over their attributes but if you are filling a position that needs to be developed and grow someone for it you might consider skills more. Selecting a candidate on attributes over skills may mean that you have a personality or work ethic that is compatible but they may not have the skills required to perform the position fully. Whereas selecting a candidate on skills over attributes may give you a person who is highly skilled in the required duties but their personality and work ethic are such that it is difficult to work with them.
Although both should be considered I would take a person with the right attributes over superior skill. If they have the right personality and work ethic I believe you can teach almost anyone a necessary skill if they are willing to learn. However, someone who is highly skilled will not always be willing to work with a team who they are not compatible with and may think they are untouchable because of their skill level.
Although both should be considered I would take a person with the right attributes over superior skill. If they have the right personality and work ethic I believe you can teach almost anyone a necessary skill if they are willing to learn. However, someone who is highly skilled will not always be willing to work with a team who they are not compatible with and may think they are untouchable because of their skill level.
April 16, 2009
Thanks For The Support
Thank you for all you help and support. Without you behind me I would not be where I am today. You have always believed in me and encouraged me to go above and beyond what I thought I could possibly do. There are too many things to mention that you have supported me through but this past year has to be tops on my list right now. Although I have been out of work for the past year and am still struggling to find a job you never gave up on me. You still believe that there is something bigger and better for me out and encourage me to go after it.
You are the best friend anyone could ask for. Always there when I need you, a shoulder to cry on or a friend to laugh with. For the rest of my life all that I become will be because of you.
You are the best friend anyone could ask for. Always there when I need you, a shoulder to cry on or a friend to laugh with. For the rest of my life all that I become will be because of you.
April 11, 2009
Problem Solving - Einstein
"You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created."
I believe this means that you have to remove yourself from the situation the problem occurred in before your can fix it. You have to be able to look at the problem and give it the necessary amount of time and respect to make the right decision for the situation. Removing yourself from the situation and objectively analyzing a situation will give you the ability to make the best decision for solving the problem no matter how personally you may be affected.
When problems are created there is a specific set of circumstances that caused them to happen. Those circumstances make it difficult to fully appreciate the problem and to effectively analyze it.
You can't clean the mud off your shoes while you are still standing in the mud.
— Albert Einstein, Swiss-American mathematician, physicist and public philosopher (1879-1955)
I believe this means that you have to remove yourself from the situation the problem occurred in before your can fix it. You have to be able to look at the problem and give it the necessary amount of time and respect to make the right decision for the situation. Removing yourself from the situation and objectively analyzing a situation will give you the ability to make the best decision for solving the problem no matter how personally you may be affected.
When problems are created there is a specific set of circumstances that caused them to happen. Those circumstances make it difficult to fully appreciate the problem and to effectively analyze it.
You can't clean the mud off your shoes while you are still standing in the mud.
— Albert Einstein, Swiss-American mathematician, physicist and public philosopher (1879-1955)
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