BUSI 2200 Reflection Essay PDF

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End of the year reflection paper...

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Team & Leadership Self-Reflection The first thing I noticed when I walked into our class room at the beginning of the year was how strange the set up was of chair seating. I wondered how a lecture, or even class presentations, would go with half that class facing their backs to you. After being put into our groups I learned the reason and appreciation for the seating arrangements. I found it very practical to already be in our groups so we would have time before and after class to discuss important topics. I felt that sitting with our groups during class helped us stay connected with each other about meetings times and stay on top of our upcoming assignments. Leadership Self-Assessment Throughout this semester, I learned a lot of ways to become a better leader. I am majoring in Entrepreneurship, in which someday I will need to possess the skills of a leader in order to run my own business. I do not think a “leadership” title can just be handed over to someone with no experience and have a high chance of succession. I was able to take the skills I have learned in the past, as well skills learned throughout the BUSI 2200 course, to implement strategies to become a better leader. I was always one of those students who was not a fan of group work. I felt as though I somehow always got stuck with students who were not very competent or committed to the group. I was always trying to think of ways to make every member feel involved and feel as though their input was important. I think that this helped me strengthen some of my own leadership qualities. I would make sure I was always dependable and committed to any group assignments I was put in. East Carolina University’s definition of a leader is, “The relational process of inspiring, empowering and influencing positive change.” I think that this definition fit perfectly into our group. Although no one was given the title as a leader, some of us stepped up in different situations

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to take charge, mostly Kerry and myself. I think that there are many qualities a leader can acquire. Some leaders have stronger qualities than others, but that does not mean one leader is necessarily better than the other. I think that our group had a good mix of leaders and followers for each individual assignment. I think that working with the same team for an entire semester helped us have a different understanding of each other. I learned who would miss a lot of group meetings for class or work, and even which members even have an impact at each meeting. After dealing with other groups in the past, I think I had a lot more empathy to those members who always made it to most of the group meetings, but sometimes had something come up. I think that this team also help me realize a lot more self-awareness. I thought it was interesting to see what values and techniques motivated each individual in the group. I have always been self-motivated to excel on an assignment I have been assigned, whether at work or in school; but working in a group for most assignments in the course, I picked up on a lot more strengths and weaknesses that I didn’t know I had. I usually like the take charge to make sure every assignment is done right, but with group assignments I had to let each of group contribute in their own way. I think that creating the Team Charter helped point out who possessed leadership skills when coming up with policy guidelines for our team. Although the group came to a consensus for most policies, it was helpful to have someone set up and brainstorm different policies or consequences for the group to choose between. For our Project Proposal, I felt as though I stepped up to get an organization chosen quickly. I am passionate about animals, and with my groups consent, I almost immediately contacted the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina to work with them. And although we came up with a project plan as a group, I took it upon myself to reach out to the other

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organizations in the community for additional donations and discounts. When it came to the Project Plan, I think that each member did an equal share of work to contribute to our fundraisers success. Out of all the teams I have worked with, I think that I acquired the most leadership skills from working with this BUSI 2200 group. Each member was always dedicated to the work, but sometimes they needed a push to start it. I think that communication was key to keeping the team on track. Sometimes just sending out a group text was enough to get the members focused on upcoming assignments. I think that each member of the group possessed leadership qualities, although they may have just been to shy or conservative to speak up. As long as our vision for assignments was clear, I found it was easy to keep everyone focused and involved for each assignment. Overall, I do not think a leader can be described by positional power. A leader should have the ability to influence, inspire and motivate any group of individuals in any way. I think a leader should be capable of persuading others to help make a vision become a reality. In this particular group, I think I stepped up as a leader for most assignments. I now know I have the potential to be a leader, as well as continue to acquire more leadership skills as I learn and grow. Team Skills Self-Assessment I think that the concept of working with a team for an entire semester is very practical. Once you enter a career, or some jobs, you may be stuck with the same team for months or even years. I think that team work is one of the most important aspects of a team. As I learned from our book, “Six Habits of Highly Effective Teams”, by Stephen Kohn and Vincent O’Connell, becoming a part of a team is something special. Kohn and O’Connell believed maintaining a positive relationship with each team member is the core component of a successful team.

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In the beginning of the semester, we were asked to create an S.M.A.R.T. goal analysis. I feel like this helped break the ice for the members in our group. It helped me learn each other’s weaknesses, and we were able to plan ways for each of our members to accomplish their goal. A step beyond the S.M.A.R.T. goals was the M.B.I.T. assessment. This assignment allowed us to learn more about ourselves, as well as our group members. I found traits that I shared with some group members, and others who were complete opposites. I think the different traits we all possessed benefited us in the long run, and made us a stronger team overall. I found it very useful that both those assignments were towards the beginning of the semester to help us get a better understanding of each team member. Learning an in-depth perspective of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses helped when it came time to divide up tasks. There are many ways team members can contribute to a team. With opposing traits coming from each individual, the diversity in our group was to our benefit. When working with a team, I am always accountable, responsible, and willing to provide feedback or help others. Since we worked with the same team for so long I found myself becoming more comfortable with the team. I think I was able to open up more and share ideas, which I normally keep to myself. I built relationships and trust with certain members. I felt important as a team member, and I wanted to motive and help the other team members as well. Leadership skills are just as important as team skills. Businesses now look for students with experience working in teams. I think that even with an excellent leader, most of the time a team cannot function without team work. I found this BUSI 2200 course valuable in the fact that all components we learned in lecture, we were able to turn around and implement them into our team actions. All skills can be perfected, and I think that gaining leadership and team skills will continue to be an ongoing process....