As seen on Wilmington Craigslist, rent 411 Spartanburg Ave in Carolina Beach if you want to have fleas. We are still waiting our refund check from the non-caring owners. Our second morning in 411 Spartanburg Ave, both my wife and I found fleas on our legs and flea bites over us and the kids.
So, yes, it’s four long blocks to the beach. The place is not worth renting unless you love fleas. Then by all means, rent away.
Neal Schmitt 140 Guernsey Ave Columbus OH 43204 Filed against : Sparkling Pro Cleaning Services is an unprofessional company PO Box 3334 Dayton OH 45401 Complaint Description: Dispute with Sparkling Pro Cleaning service over a surprise additional fee leaves the cleaning service incomplete.
I made an appointment with unprofessional Sparkling Pro Cleaning Service to clean my house on 7/7. I had spoken with the owner 3 times, once to make the appointment, when I called to confirm the appointment, and third as inquiry as to when the crew would show up as the window of time I was given was nearing an end. First, the crew showed up to clean my house with a small 3-year-old in tow. Cute as can be was the kid – but most inappropriate. Second, an additional fee of $25 (60% of what I paid for the original service) is mentioned as a”travel fee”. There is no language in the contract that states anything about an additional travel fee. It says “Distance restrictions apply” and “Tax and gratuity are not included.” Third, when I called to discuss the situation with the owner, she says fine. By the time I walk back in to my house, the cleaning crew is packing up to leave. When I try to call back and find out what is going on, the owner refuses to take my call, repeatedly sending me to voicemail. Finally, the cleaning crew leaves trash in my driveway and my front door wide open, without a hint of apology or explanation. The coupon was purchased via the website Living Social. Living Social have refunded my money in full. Living Social was expedient, timely and professional, all things sparkling Pro, were not.
The two battles rage on: Manager versus Leader. Up until MCM737, I had shirked my duty to inspire. In fact, my personal motto was “I’m not here to inspire you, I am here to educate you.” My feeling was that music is such a part of my existence and an essential core of my being, how can I possibly create that same feeling within you? I can teach a student about the tools of music creation. I can create amazing opportunities for a student to explore their talents. However, my thinking was the implementation of these skills and the motivation to desire perfection and self-satisfaction was ultimately up to the individual student. That’s a manager’s way of thinking.
I relish my position in front of the class. I thoroughly enjoy sharing information, dissecting the nuanced and watching for “light bulb” moments over my student’s heads. But am I a leader? If I have learned nothing else this quarter is that a leader do not manipulate, desire capitulation or subjugation. Leaders present an enlightened path. Leaders inspire others; even by those that may not want to be inspired. And lord knows students cannot be bothered to be inspired.
Despite the numerous theories we have read about, leadership qualities are elusive. There is no gene, no set of circumstance that create leaders. Just as no one is born a football player, no one is born a leader. Athletes, poker players, chefs and mechanics can practice their craft over and over. They repeat actions until mastered, place themselves in scenarios to determine outcomes and learn from mistakes. But leadership is too nuanced, too shaped by external factors and frankly, so infrequent an opportunity, that “leading” is rarely practiced. Obviously, this is a mistake. Proper leadership training is not just about leading others. It provides a personal path of development and will help shape and create the future
It could be argued that leaders are born and proper leaders will arise to an occasion. When given the opportunity, there are those who are not afraid to lead. They step forward and take on the responsibility to one of four outcomes. 1) The leadership succeeds and continues leading. 2) The leadership fails but a second chance is granted. 3) With neither gains nor losses, the status quo is maintained 4) The leadership fails and a replacement leader is found. With this minimal setup, three out of four times the leader maintains their position. So it would seem we all would have ample time to practice leadership. But that is simply not the case. There is simply not the opportunity for everyone to take a turn at leading.
But let’s say a person does succeed in becoming a leader. What training has prepared us? A football player practices…often twice a day. Poker players calculate the odds and let statistics remove the emotion from the situation. Chefs experiment with ingredients, attempting never-before-tasted combinations before unleashing their concoctions on the public. Mechanics tinker and twist until problems are solved. But leaders? There is no time to practice. We expect leaders to create great things from the word “go.”
Ultimately, how does this knowledge affect me in an educational setting? Does my updated scorecard accurately reflect the necessary qualifications to lead in the classroom? How is my effectiveness as a leader ultimately measured? That remains to be seen.
In hindsight, I do not think my ability to lead was totally missing. Reflecting on my interactions, my constructive criticisms and the vision I have for the music program, there are plenty of instances that demonstrate leadership. My email signature contains a call to action for my students, “Don’t make it for me, make it for yourself. Create.” I challenge them weekly to achieve their best. I carefully outline a path to success. Self-scoring via my Leadership Scorecard, I think I give myself a lot of fours, with a few threes. However, there are also a few twos and ones.
Here are the areas in which I need development and assistance.
1) Actively listening – I am an interrupter. I am guilty of just waiting until the other person is finished before unleashing my thoughts and not truly listening to what that person has to say. I know this. To me, this is my greatest need for growth. How does one practice? I have already started by taking a Yoga class. An hour and a half where I do not talk. I breathe. I listen. But I do not speak. For me, silence is extremely hard.
2) Communicate expectations clearly – This is an area on which I have worked a great deal. I find myself usually in one of two scenarios. A) I outline my expectations very clearly. This might include step-by-step instructions, handing out the grading rubric or walking students through the process. Or possibly I include all three. And yet I get frustrated when students are capable of completing the task as requested. This is managerial thinking – the desire for following orders.
The counter argument in wanting students to follow the set order is that the steps for success are neatly mapped out. Accomplishing the tasks in orders is necessary to move the skill set forward. For instance, most musicians do not leap in to playing jazz music. Hours of practice and immersion give great musicians the skills necessary to throw out the rules. Learn the rules, then break them.
The second scenario is that I leave parts of the equation hidden. Students may feel I am not giving them all of the information. And they would be correct. Stumbling around, making mistakes and being forced in to a new situation are all part of experiential learning. Those experiences can be truly educational.
Ultimately, there is no black and white answer that will satisfy me. Visionary, inspirational leadership and the managerial quest for order and evaluation of the learner are intertwined. The goal I have set for this coming school year is to inspire. This challenges my earlier mantra and old way thinking. I will look at my tasks and behavior as an instructor to find areas where I can interweave inspiration. I plan on seeking additional leadership training. I will seek out feedback from students and co-workers. By focusing on my leadership skills, I can marry my quest for meaning in my life and with my desire to succeed as an instructor and offer me an opportunity to move forward in a more focused direction.
The reactions of people to charismatics (leaders) are usually more extreme and diverse than reactions to transformational leaders (Bass, 1985). The affective reaction they arouse often polarizes people into opposing camps of loyal supporters and hostile opponents.
The intense negative reaction by some people to charismatic leaders helps to explain why these leaders are often targets for assassination or political tactics to remove them from office.
(MCM737 Leadership in Organizations , 7th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions 286).
A charismatic leader who articulates an inspirational vision
can influence followers to internalize attitudes and beliefs that will subsequently serve as a source of intrinsic motivation to carry out the mission of the organization.
(MCM737 Leadership in Organizations , 7th Edition. Pearson >
…the opportunity to express opinions and preferences before a decision is made (called “voice”) can have beneficial effects regardless of the amount of actual influence participants have over the final decision
(called “choice”). (MCM737 Leadership in Organizations , 7th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions 90).
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This sets up the unique opportunity to ask students, on their first day of class, “What do you want to learn in this class?” I know what I want them to learn, important skills and tactics that I want to share, and I’m confident that these skills are the “right” ones. Right for entry-level employment. Right – as in skills that are the “norm” out in the field. Right – as in minimum expectations that employers and co-workers will expect. It will be interesting to see what students want.
Autocratic decisions come with a series of pros and cons.
Pros
Cons
As an instructor in the classroom, what other choice is there other than running autocratically? The students have entered the institution to learn and I’ve been appointed by the administration to educate. Right? But is there more…is there an engagement that can happen that breaks down the one-way flow of information while still yielding an authority/subordinate hierarchy? Occasionally I think this is possible.
But there are so many roadblocks I encounter that I think the classroom must have an autocratic leader. And that might be just fine.
A vision? Check – The students only see a step or two in the future. As the instructor, as the leader, I (should) have all of the dots connected and can clearly see where the class is headed. And in my case not just the end of one class. I’ve spent considerable time outlining the entire two years of a production student’s existence at Hocking College. And I think it is a pretty good path.
Things get done? Check – If students did not need direction and guidance, every class would be an independent study. Skills are introduced; students practice those skills and finally are somehow assessed on their ability to demonstrate said skills. Progress is monitored. If students are tripped up, the leader has the ability to re-clarify and reassess.
Millenials in particular are unaware of the hard work required to master a skill. (It’s not their fault. I blame their parents.) Students are not disrespectful of those who worked; they are just oblivious. But Millenials are not special. We all need guidance. But we want our guide to be trustworthy and honest and personable and respectful and helpful. Being appointed a leader is easy. All that other stuff is the tough part.
It is obvious that a person can be a leader without being a manager (e.g., an informal leader), and a person can be a manager without leading. (page (6))
Obvious to whom? I had never given the definitions of these two very distinct entities much thought. But as I read through the list of characteristics, it was very clear that I, as an instructor in the classroom, was a manager.
Before joining Franklin’s MCM program, I had contemplated many different programs. One program under consideration was the Ohio University MBA program. I made the trip down to attend the open house and receive more information. I was handed a neat OU/MBA folder, pen and other trinkets. I sat down in the lecture hall and perused the program’s monthly schedule. The combination of distance and face-to-face learning was intriguing and I awaited the presentation to find out more. About the time I heard the term “middle manager” for the 20th time, I, got up from my lecture hall seat and exited the room. I didn’t know what a “middle manager” was, what a “middle manager” did and I certainly wasn’t interested in the title of “middle manager.” Was I rude? Certainly but I had a long drive.
Back to the present…*sigh. In the classroom, I am manager.
Managers value stability, order, and efficiency, and they are impersonal, risk adverse and focused on short-term
results. (Page (7))Managers are concerned about how things get done, and they try to get people to perform better. (Page (7))
Bennis and Nanus (1985, p. 21) proposed that “managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing.”(Page(7))
As a classroom facilitator, I seem to have two paths – instruct or inspire. And only one is available at a time. Instructing students on new technologies is a difficult task. The expected norms are often not present: students are excited about learning the technology, students had many choices to pick for their classes and they’ve picked this one, students are paying for their education thus they are motivated to extract maximum value, students have a desire to excel and on and on. However, many students to not exhibit these desirable properties. Thus, I’m often left with the “instruct” path.
Demonstrations on new technology, redundancy to establish correct practices and habits, rigorous testing to verify results – all part of managing. Stability? Check – the class times are set for 11 week intervals. Order? Sure, not everyone can talk at the same time. Efficiency? Absolutely – Often, what I want to accomplish in a class is more than the time allowed. Impersonal? This is getting trickier. Other instructors will say “Back in my day, I wouldn’t dream of bothering my professor with my personal problems.” Personal connection mediums, such as social media, didn’t exist. So there was a wall between the teacher and the student. That wall is no longer present. And above all, an instructor’s concern is trying to get students to perform better at something. That’s our main goal. That is why we are present. To transfer our skills, habits, methods, techniques, methods and processes to students. Was I fooled into thinking I was a leader? But I’m a manager. The question is “Does it have to be that way?”
Note: By no means are students sloths and failures and washouts and burnouts. I’m beginning to understand them a lot more. But students are never as hungry for the material as many instructors would like. We teach the subject because we know the subject and are passionate about the subject. We thump our chests, reveal motivating career paths, create inspired assignments and pour great effort in to creating worthwhile content – and in the end, I often feel like I’m performing for crickets.
It has been quite interesting to read so much about leadership in such a short time. Before class even started, I began to read Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great.” The book was well researched but I found myself with two major issues. 1) One of the company’s featured was Circuit City, a company no longer in business. Now, I don’t fault Collins and his merry band of researchers. The direct downfall of Circuit City is exactly what made the company great – the right people in the right job. Once Circuit City fired all of its experienced staff and replaced them with minimum wage workers inexperienced in the technical aspects of the industry – well, the company fell from greatness to non-existence. Secondly, for all the research and excruciating detail the book has, sweeping statement like “The right people in the right job” is just too much broad corporate speak for my tastes. So anyway, I put the book down.
However, Collins’ addendum, “Good to Great and the Social Sectors” intrigued me. This monograph (defined as “A scholarly piece of writing (often book length) dealing with a detailed, yet often limited, subject) struck a chord with me. Maybe it was the audio CD format, or maybe I was ready to receive the information. Regardless, this shorter piece really brought some sage advice that connected with me. One idea that stuck me is that no matter what field, discipline is a core element to success. Disciplined people confronting the brutal facts and taking disciplined action. I wrestle with all three parts of that last sentence. When discussing this with my wife, she commented that I was disciplined in certain areas of my life, just not all areas of my life. My desk? A mess. Exercise? Regularly. As an instructor, I have lesson plans and outcomes all laid out. Can I improve? Surely.
The second notion that resonated with me is the idea of resources: that, instead of focusing on money and profit, many in the social sector focus on other important resources – time, generosity, heart, goodwill and talent. Money still comes in to question as bills need paid and salaries paid. But the idea that there’s other resources that motivate us, that drive an economy and that drive people to action. The education system relies on inspired teachers to do great things with often limited resources. Throwing money at a problem never works. But as a whole, the collective “we” wants our children taught by the best. Then why are teacher salaries often so low?
On the flip side, the administration should/could take a more pro-active approach in saving money and better utilizing resources without resorting to the oft used “We don’t have any money left in the budget” tactic. That reeks of poor planning. Electronic copies of course syllabi and recycling programs are just two opportunities where management looks reactionary rather that visionary. The delivery of these initiatives is just as important as the initiatives themselves. (I believe “the medium is the message” is in play).
Chapter 4 of our text book is titled “Participative Leadership, Delegation,and Empowerment. ” Both of these initiatives fall squarely in to all three of these categories. I think most instructors will gladly implement the new changes. However, the opportunity was lost to embrace the faculty into the changes and potentially come up with several new methods of cost-cutting. A) Pull in a small sampling of teachers under the direction of a high level administrator. That’s participative leadership – get those subordinates most in the know to help solve the problem. B) Pose the questions about saving money from one area of our business to allow allocation to another. This is delegation of both finding and solving the problems. Finally C) empowering those subordinates to continue to think of cost cutting methods and implementing the recommended changes.
Instead, hastily composed emails predicating Armageddon reign down in my mail box. The administration has lost a golden opportunity to lead, delegate and empower.
Through listening to all of this, I think about my own (in) ability to lead and to inspire. That’s next.
From The Nature of Leadership:
Managers are concerned about how things get done, and
they try to get people to perform better. Leaders are concerned with what things mean to people, and they try to get people to agree about the most important things to be done.
