Assignment 7: Growing Leaders

This week, I read an article from Tim Elmore's blog, Growing Leaders. The article discussed how an internship is more than just an opportunity, it is like along interview that prepares you for the future. It talked about an employer's poor experiences with a college internship program at his place of work, and how he interpreted the interns' positions as something he wished would have been cut short. In the article, the author discusses how this employer shifted the perspective of an internship as a job to the idea that the internship be interpreted as the college students being put under a microscope for evaluation like an extended interview. He discusses four skills that potential employers look for: teachability, initiative, responsibility, energy. The most important point that was made in the article is that an internship is a simulation of a real job that a college student will hold one day.

I like the perspective this provides for my mentorship. I know that when I am in a foreign setting, I will tend to act more prim and proper as I would in a comfortable setting. This creates an issue within a vocational setting in which I am too comfortable with some people and not comfortable with others. I actually call my mentor by his last name (Mr. MentorGuy) and everyone else in the office by their first names. I think one of the ways to make a good impression is to maintain boundaries with my direct boss, but use the opportunity to connect with my other coworkers and communicate with them in a first name basis. Another way to make a good impression is to be consistent. I like the quote "I am nothing if not consistent," and I try to apply that in every circumstance in my life. Additionally, the most relevant thing about the article that I was able to read is the four skills potential employers look for. I always assumed what employers were looking for, but the article help reinforce the validity of these invaluable skills. Lastly, treating an internship like an extended interview keeps a creature of habit like me from becoming too comfortable in my work, and on my toes.

Yasamin, 9/23

Assignment 6: Work Ethic

Your interpersonal score is 5.69 out of 7 Your initiative score is 5.31 out of 7 Your dependability total is 5.57 out of 7

	Interpersonal Skills	Initiative	Being Dependable
Female	6.00	5.67	6.34
Male	5.75	5.52	6.07

For this assignment, I took the OWEI test. My score is listed above, underneath it are the average scores for males and females. I also read this article for this assignment.

I think my scores ended up relatively low compared to the averages because I did not pick the two extreme answers (always/never) at all. I think my biggest issue is that because I am still in my most formable years and not really settled down in life, my attitudes and behaviors have not become totally suitable for the workplace. That's okay, however, because I still have over five years to learn before I enter the workforce, and lower scores mean that I have room for improvement across the board. 

I think as one gains more work experience, their work ethic improves over all. Going into something new, my expectations of how much work it is going to be are often times far from the actual workload. Because of this, I am constantly adjusting to what I need to be doing. This inventory shows me that I need to work the most on interpersonal skills and being dependable. I think it is fair that I do not have the best interpersonal skills, since I have only ever been interacting with my friends, family, and teachers. As I get older, I will get more opportunities to communicate and work with strangers, thus the need for stronger interpersonal skills arising. Additionally, I can improve on being dependable starting now. I think my score was low for that category because I did not confidently answer any of the questions that related to that skill. Also, dependability is an umbrella term, so it will take some time to strengthen this trait.

As a whole, this assignment showed me that my mentorship will be a great opportunity to work on bettering the skills that I am lacking in. I am in at least one meeting a week with my mentor and someone else, so I get plenty of practice for my interpersonal skills with new people. Additionally, some of the things we work on are sensitive and cannot be revealed to the public, so having to keep them hush helps me focus on dependability and trustworthiness. Having this mentorship prepares me better overall than being in high school ever could, because my actions here are affecting the real world and those outside my academic bubble.

Yasamin, 9/16

Assignment 5: Communication

Communication, in my experiences, is the most important part of any relationship: familial, friendly, and professional. The way one communicates in each type of relationship varies based upon the context of the interaction. Familial relationships and those with your peers are different from those with a potential employer. Since your family and your friends already know you as a person, their expectations are based of off how you have reacted in the past. Because you can expect them to know what your are going to do or say, it is easier to communicate with those that you know. There also does not need to be as much communication because there are already understood boundaries in place. For example, my mother knows that I wake up early during the week, but like to sleep in a little on the weekends. I don't have to communicate this to her, since it's an established expectation.

There is a difference between communication with friends and family, however. Since ones friends are usually the same age as them, communication within that relationship can be more casual. Siblings can also be more casual with each other. Communication with parents and older relatives such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents on the other hand needs to be a little more formal. Since these family members are usually much older than you, there needs to be a level of respect given to them that is higher than that with friends. For example, if my friend did something nice for me and I wanted to thank them, I would probably send them a nice text message. If an older family member did this, I would probably take my time and write them a nice card and give it to them in person, or call them and mail the card if they live far away.

With a potential employer, communication is different. Since they do not know what to expect from you, it is important to make a good first impression, both in written and face to face communication.
Email etiquette is crucial, as well as following up and and thanking them for their time. Additionally, handwritten letters of thanks can show a potential employer that you really care after an interview. During the interview, the employer does not know what to expect so having a firm handshake, good posture, and maintaining eye contact are good nonverbal ways to demonstrate to an interviewer that you really care. Additionally, the language you use with an interviewer should be respectful and professional, avoiding colloquialisms (such as "ya'll") and filler words (um, so, uh, yeah, etc.). For me, I can use all of the methods to a successful interview I just listed (that I learned at a leadership seminar yesterday!) throughout my mentorship to maintain a positive and trustworthy reputation with my mentor. I think it is important to remain consistent with how one communicates with others, because it shows that they are stable and dependable.

Yasamin, 9/16

Assignment 4: Getting Ready for Your Mentor

The "Getting Ready for Your Mentor" article helped me understand all the work that should be put into a successful mentor/internship. Even though it stressed the cliche of "you get out what you put in", the points highlighted by the article helped show what to prioritize. I think that the most important points that were made were to always have something to do and to constantly be networking.
Since at my mentorship I can only shadow, often times I have to sit around and watch while my mentor writes emails or does simpler tasks. Because of this, I have tried to acquire some materials in my field of interest that I could study while my mentor has to do these less interesting tasks. For example, I have a packet on one of the projects that we are currently working on that I refer back to or study when there is not anything new for me to observe. Additionally, I bring a notebook and a pen to my mentorship everyday in order to take notes on things that I want to commit to memory, as I believe it is important to use every opportunity to learn.
Another major point that the article discussed was networking. Since I am right in the middle of the Community Development department of a rapidly developing suburban city, I can experience firsthand the different elements that come together to create such a setting. For example, this past Thursday I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a team from a private developer that was proposing a site plan for a lot in the city. Additionally, I had met with the City Administrator the week prior. Just having the ability to meet and talk to people in my field of interest allows me to have the upper hand against my peers as I go through schooling and get ready to enter the "real world". I believe that education is only part of the equation when it comes to employability; the other key component is networking and making yourself known. The article also touched upon building a portfolio, which I think I will start doing this year to get a step ahead as I attempt to network.

Yasamin, 9/9

Assignment 2b: Leadership

This is my video for Honors Mentorship Assignment 2b: Leadership. It is a story about an old-timey cat that is inspired to play the piano like keyboard cat. By having a mindset for the bigger picture, being responsible, and taking the initiative to practice, the cat is able to follow its dreams to becoming like keyboard cat.

Yasamin, 9/2

Assignment 2a: Leadership

This post is in response to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zarli7__Su8

I think the most important thing that JD Russo discussed in his TED talk was that society is becoming indifferent. He talks about how people have so much content available to them because of technological advancements, but instead of being proactive, they just take these things for granted. There is a huge generation gap between what society was then and what it is now, and it is fueled by indifference. This is striking to me because I also believe humans have fallen under a sheep mentality. They are no longer willing to act out against something that is incorrect, especially since "everybody's doing it". 

In stance with my belief that everyone deserves to live in a nice environment, I strive to become a leader to raise awareness and eventually help those from places which are not safe, dilapidated, or generally ignored by surrounding progressive communities. Progressivism starts at the local level, and I plan to get as involved as I can so that no one person misses out on the opportunities that their peers have.

Yasamin, 9/2