Leadership Principles: ENGR 408
Lessons Learned
I started this semester with one goal in
mind, to improve my emotional intelligence, which I have identified earlier as
a weakness. This particular skill is very significant for me as a leader,
because to lead with empathy, I need to relate to people and be able to see
things from their perspective. Not only that, but I need to know how to deal
with emotionally charged situations and find the right balance between justice
and empathy. When I took the optional Emotional Intelligence IQ test, I was
provided with a detailed feedback on the issues I might have and the proposed
solutions for them and they were the bases for my improvement plan. I was lucky
enough to find almost all lessons are related to this concept. The following
concepts are the ones that really stood out for me during the semester.
Leading Across generations: I
have been introduced to really interesting theories on this topic, whether form
the readings or the guest speakers. I came to a conclusion that those companies
who fail to engage and the young and experienced generations will suffer from
lack of empathy and workforce development in which only one group will get more
opportunities and empowerment at the expense of the other. Also, I agree with Mr. Joseph Valencia when he
mentioned in class that there is no leadership style better than the other and
the boundaries between the generations are not definite, so what we need is
tolerance and understanding. This is related to the emotional intelligence in
that, understanding and respecting the differences is something the leader is
responsible for, for it is a culture that should be embedded in the workplace
and eventually it will become a mindset.
Comfort zone: This was my
favorite exercise. It is empowering to face the fears with heads on and keep
adding to the strengths, which could unlock many
potential opportunities. However, it is equally important not to go to the
stressed zone– the danger zone- that is a “leadership burnout.” Many
people actually go from the stretching zone to the stressing zone unaware of
it. This exercise could add to my emotional intelligence by facing my fears and
dealing with stresses and my failures in a very mature way.
Collective intelligence: I
believe this is the core of any teamwork. The teamwork is not a goal itself,
but an approach to get different insights to solve a problem or improve an
idea. In the Collective Intelligence assignment I did with my ENGR 493 group,
we have built our approach based on the mass collaboration concept that is
developed by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. For that concept to work,
they have stated four essential components: sharing, openness, peering and
acing globally. I find all of them to be the bases of the successful collaboration
in the modern world. This particular concept is especially important because of
the dynamic nature of the problems we face nowadays, in which there is no one
model that could be applied to solve all issues, but each one is unique and
that adds to the complexity of whole system. I have also learned that when
collective intelligence is combined with creativity, such as using the mmowgli
game in the “Government For The 100%”, one could double the outcomes and add
new and interesting values to the team or the organization in a larger scale. This
is another motivation to work on my emotional intelligence to be able to
communicate my ideas to the team in a very efficient manner.
NOOK - BASED LEARNING PROJECT
The goal of the Nook-Based
Learning Modules project is to create two simple lessons that can be
viewed/used on a Nook device that will assist the education of young adults in
the underdeveloped nations of the Central/South America region. These learning modules
must be easy to follow, and must focus on two specific areas of learning that
will benefit those within the target demographic. We have chosen basic English
skills and first aid/hygiene/disease prevention as our two topics. Our plan is
develop one learning module for each of these topics using Microsoft PowerPoint
or Google Slides software, and then upload these to the Nook device. After this
is completed, we plan to make use of the Penn State Global Brigades Panama
connection as a trial run, which will allow the learning modules to be tested
by young adults in Panama for feedback and further development.
Sample of the lessons:
Leadership Experience
2010: Leader, UT Club -scientific club- , the preparatory year, King Saud University.
2010:Leader, Training Courses Initiative (SPP), King Saud University.
Leadership Training
2014 - present: ENGR 409 Leadership in Organizations
2011: Participant, The Leadership Development Program, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Completed training of 50 hours in the following:
"Self-management Strategies".
"Attributes of an effective leader".
"The Emotional Intelligence EQ".
"The Concept and Element of Leadership".
"Th Basics of Management and Functions of the Director".
"The Creative Leader".
Leadership Training
2014 - present: ENGR 409 Leadership in Organizations
2011: Participant, The Leadership Development Program, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Completed training of 50 hours in the following:
"Self-management Strategies".
"Attributes of an effective leader".
"The Emotional Intelligence EQ".
"The Concept and Element of Leadership".
"Th Basics of Management and Functions of the Director".
"The Creative Leader".
