May 08, 2009
Day 5: Program Closure and Departure
We were able to sleep in today, and following a great dance party last night (and of course a huge win in Anaheim) we woke up in good spirits.
We began with an activity called “Taking it Home.” In this activity there was an inner and outer circle of people and we shared with one another (through a series of rotations) answers to different questions.
We took part in a letter writing activity to ourselves (and the rest of EGL) about our week here. There was much reflection about
1. What we learned
2. What we are grateful for
3. What we want to remember about the week
4. What we realized we do really well
5. What we still need to work on
We will be sharing these five takeaways with the general student body in the Fall! We hope you attend so that you can hear what we came up with.
After this experience, the entire LC camp gathered outside in a circle and numbered off in fours (well Lions, Tigers, Bears and “oh mys”… “Oh My”s could be our mascot?!?). Each animal had the opportunity to confidentially inform another camper of the great ways they showed leadership. Categories such as: Who made you laugh?, Who surprised you?, Who showed true passion?, Who made you feel included?, etc. were announced. Then while the outer circle turned their back, the selected “animal” could tap those who met the criteria on the back. All five of us agreed that this was a great way to humbly thank others and may consider using a tactic like it in the future.
A slideshow was then presented that showed the many events and things we did. (Thanks Gabe Javier!) These pictures will be available soon and we hope to allow you share this with you when they do!
All-In-All
We would like to thank all those who made LC: Round Two! happen and successful. Some we would like to note:
*The Office of Student Activities and Leadership
*The outstanding facilitators: Jimmy, Angela, Jaden, Geni, Gabe, Dave, Linh, and Jen!
*The kitchen staff and all those here at Michigania!
*Stacie Edington our wonderful program advisor!
*Brian Rumao and his push to keep the blog (which has been a great way of reflection)
*Stacie Edington, Dave Hamilton, John Nanry, Brian Rumao, Nate Bennett and Erik Barbara, for their comments and interest in our trip.
*Each other more than any other!
As far as our “facebook” goes:
-EGL has now deactivated the account… maybe it will return down the road
We would like to note that the time we spent here was priceless (thanks to SAL)… no really it was! We have all strengthened our leadership skills, our ability to recognize leadership qualities and our ideas for the upcoming semester (and beyond!). The time spent here at Michigania is something we would all recommend to any student group that has the opportunity. Here is a group perspective:
Why YOU Should Attend LC!
LC is a great opportunity for any member (whether from the general body or from an executive board) to explore their passion for their organization and the ways they can be a leader. Not only is the food delicious and the atmosphere friendly, but the chances campers get to release with other leaders from U of M is astonishing and unlike any other experience. Not only are the other organizations fun to be around, but they provide you with means of collaboration and feedback for the betterment of your organization. It’s a two way street as your organization provides resources to others. It’s surprising the groups that can help you – ones you would never expect!
Also, sometimes it takes locking yourselves in a room (outside of your normal organization settings) with each other for a day… or five… to gain an understanding of the internal and external image of your organization. Leadership Connection opens new ideas, evaluates existing ones, and strengthens the students that attend in the areas of individual growth and team bonding.
Many of the lessons learned here at LC are applicable not only in your organization or personal experience, but in life. If given the opportunity to attend, we urge you to go! At the end of the day, LC just another way that we become the “leaders and the best!”
Seacrest (or EGL LC team rather)… out! Enjoy your summer!
Posted by tgham at 06:29 PM | Comments (3)
May 07, 2009
Day 4: Tricks of the Trade
Though we rouse early again for breakfast, this time there was rain. But we all agreed (and as Hilary Duff would say) "Let the Rain Fall Down." It cooled things off around here as well as provided a calm atmosphere for today's festivities. There was a window of sunshine, but as we finish the blog, lightning and thunder have returned and will tuck us in tonight.
Following another breakfast of delicious omelets and waffles, our focus was based around the cycle of a leader. We began with activites in which we describred what we thought a leader looked like. The key takeaway here was that leaders come in all forms and are relevant in many areas.
Next, we discussed how leaders can sometimes get “sidetracked” and “put into autopilot.” This consisted of the cyclical process::
1) Pre-contact / Identification
2) Retreat
3) Internal Identification / Passion
4) Task Work
5) Leadership
6) Withdrawal
It is a process that each leader must go through to ensure that their organization has a smooth transition. It is a process that ends in INHERITANCE. What do you do for stress release!?! (Leave a comment!)
There was also a long discussion about the difference between stress and burn-out. The key differences were that stress is healthy (at times), it may motivate, it is temporary, it revolves around over engagement, and it can be compartmentalized. Burn-out is NEVER healthy, it serves as a road block, it involves all three factors (physical, emotional, and psychological), it is constant, revolves around disengagement, and is non-functioning. There are many ways in which we can channel our stress.
Each one of us had different ways in which we deal with stress:
Claudio – play basketball, talk to external friends, nap
Chelsea – read a book, listen to her iPod, go outside for some fresh air
Ben – ride bike/unicycle, talk to a friend, watch a movie
Nick – playing his guitar, sleeping, watching movies
Tom – go to church, run without an end in mind, lift weights, talk to a loved one
The key thing here is that we all confront burnout with different ways of balance. Key means are:
1) Leveling the work (via delegation, detached concern, preparing a team, not panicking, knowing peak seasons, and recognizing when a rut is occurring)
2) Helping others do their best without becoming engaged. More or less, we show concern without the engagement.
We each then shared our individual “leadership” story. This consisted of: 1) How we got involved in EGL, 2) How we became leaders, 3) How we learned about EGL, 4) Who taught us to be a leader in EGL, and 5) What have we not been taught thus far. Each of us had similarities (such as the way an older member took us under their wing) and differences (the time we joined and the roles we have played thus far.)
After this discussion, we valued tools for decision making. Tools such as Stephen Covey’s Quadrant System for prioritizing /time management we used to distinguish whether things were important or not as well as if they were urgent or not. We formed SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely). The use of RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) also helps for decision making.
Individual skill building sessions followed. Each of us had unique experiences.
Claudio learned about “Confronting Sexual Violence on Campus“ and “Using the Web World“
Chelsea tuned into “Creating and Establishing Partnerships“and “Making Smooth Leadership Transitions”
Ben focused on “Icebreakers, Energizers and Reflections“and “The Wide World“
Nick focused on “Marketing Your Organization’s Experience“and “The Web World“
Tom learned about “Using Campus Facilities” and “Making Smooth Leadership Transitions”
Each of us gained a lot from these experiences.
After sweeping SWE in for dinner we started a “Friend Requesting” activity. This consisted of discussions for potential future collaborations (SGE, Michigan Mock Trial, & Mpowered Entrepreneurship) or information exchange for the betterment of other programs (Jen Wegner, NSBE, SWE, IEEE, SAPAC, & MSA). We focused on the engagement of our members, fundraising, and the incentives program.
Tom would like to mention that NSBE made a huge impression on us all. Their passion for their organization, respect for one another, and fun they have while working together is something for EGL to strive for in the next few years. They are truly passionate about their purpose and we have formed a high respect for their methods and values.
QUICK NOTE: Due to the lightning, there was a short loss of internet (and the blog entry was erased!) However, we feel comfortable with our work today and are chewing on some ideas as the day closes down.
Facebook:
-EGL courted SWE to dinner to sweep them away from their other lovers
-EGL wrote on SWE’s wall “You can stand under our umbrella… ella… ella… ay”
Hope you all tune in for our last words tomorrow! We will leave EGL represented well – THAT is certain!
Adios,
-Claudio, Chelsea, Ben, Nick and Tom
Posted by tgham at 06:00 PM | Comments (5)
May 06, 2009
Day 3: Where We Are, Where We Want to Be
Greetings from the still dry (keep your fingers crossed) Camp Michigania ~ Day 3!
Though a few of us were still upset about the Red Wings loss last night (or early this morning rather), we woke earlier than before to get a good start on our day.
Our first task consisted of recollection of the personal values and beliefs that we came up with the night before. Division into groups of seven then followed where we played Jeopardy against the other teams. Jeopardy had four categories (supermarkets, financial organizations, universities, and communication companies). Each question presented a mission statement for an unknown institution. The goal was to guess which institution the mission statement belonged to. It was very surprising to see how many mission statements did not agree with some of our personal opinions of each institution.
We then were lead into an activity about the values of our own student groups. First, each individual member selected their personal top five values (from the same deck as last night) that EGL stands for. After comparing the values we set for EGL and our personal values, it was surprising to see many differences. However, we came to the conclusion that our individual values were much different than the values our group should have due to the unique contribution each member adds to the group as a whole.
Though the previous task was not easy, we didn't know that a harder task was ahead of us. As a group, we were instructed to collaborate the top three values for EGL. With varying opinions, we took part in a healthy debate. The values that were discussed were:
-accomplishment
-improvement
-learning
-teamwork
-ambition
-diversity
-quality
-collaboration
Though many overlapped and everyone's interpretation of certain words were different, we came together and selected three (presented in no particular order):
-diversity
-accomplishment
-improvement
Just as we began to wonder how our values met our mission, the facilitators created an activity to do just that. Our findings were miraculously accurate. As a reminder, EGL's mission statement is the following:
"The EGL Honor Society looks to develop and leverage the collective skills of its members in an effort to make a siginficant contribution to the University and the community. EGL has four interrelated purposes:
1. To serve as n Honors Program within the College of Engineering that recognizes a student's conmmitment to academic excellence while pursuing a rigorous curriculum leading to both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering.
2. To improve a student's ability to live and work effectively in an increasingly global society through the development of intercultrural communication skills and the study of the language, history, and customs of a region of the world.
3. To encourage and foster an understanding of business principles by integrating coursework offered by the Ross School of Business into the engineering educational experience.
4. To develop each student's potential to become a future leader in engineering and business through the successful completion of a synthesis team project through the Tauber Institute for Global Operations, leadership modules, networking and engagement in a strong and active society with students and alumni of similar abilities and aspirations."
After relating these to our values, it was easy to see that our selections were quite accurate. Each purpose of our mission statement was satisfied by at least two of our three values.
Purpose 1: met via improvement & accomplishment
Purpose 2: met improvement & diversity
Purpose 3: met improvement & diversity
Purpose 4: met improvement, diversity, & accomplishment
Though our task was tough, we felt a sense of accomplishment (no pun intended) after this activity. It was by far the top moment thus far we have had as a group.
After another delicious meal, we regathered to asses the organizational culture of EGL. Organizational Culture consists of the purpose, values, practice, and projection of a group.
The purpose was the fundamental reason the organization exists. Values are what the organization stands for, or the prime belief that directs how things are run. On the other hand, practices and projections will change with time as they are based on the internal and external things that EGL does. Practices are where your organization lives out the priorities, both internally and externally. Projects are how your organization markets itself, how the group informs others about itself.
After dinner we had a two-hour session on goal-setting. We all found this to be very worthwhile. We learned about the state of an organization and how many factors can create various outcomes. The key parts of an organization are:
*vision
*skills
*incentives
*resources
*an action plan
*results
All these put together create CHANGE!
Possible outcomes when one is missing are: confusion, anxiety, resistance or frustration. Then we individually brainstormed goals for EGL in the generation segment of the session. When we returned to the group, the five of us created a web of goals.
The top three tangible goals based on our discussion were:
1) Determine new ways to fundraise and implement them! Use money to fund the new incentives program and other EGL events.
2) Engage membership, specifically new members, with a retreat/survival guide and a strong push for mentorship "pods."
3) Help brand EGL in a positive manner through collaboration in social/cultural events.
Other goals (some reachable, some not) consisted of:
- Figure out how to improve the website so that it caters to the membership, alumni, and corporate sponsors.
- Find ways to increase input and provide immediate, visual results
- Create an international buddy program push.
- Tweak the board (when adding new Membership Chair) and reevaluate the board's office hours. Consider making the office hours offer activities that relate to each board position.
We would like to get more input from the membership about these goals as the members at LC did last year. As the summer progresses and as we return to campus next fall, we look forward to hearing various opinions on our ideas about EGL. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog, in fact we would love to hear from you!
Speaking of goals, (and the fact that it is hump day) encourages us to evaluate how we are doing on the goals that we made for this camp.
* We have all made new friends and strengthened relationships - both within EGL and outside of EGL
* We have learned about other societies and are formulating lunches in the next few days to plan events.
* We have represented EGL well - we have in fact become a common group to "poke" here at LC
Lastly Facebook updates!
- EGL is now a genie in a bottle baby, you better rub us the right way
- EGL accepted an invitation with SGE for a dinner date tomorrow. No formal attire required.
- EGL was superpoked by SWE (must be Ben... read below)
After finishing these goals and writing to you fellow bloggers, we will head to the bonfire by Walloon Lake. There will be smores, camp fire songs, and overall a lot fun.
Cheers,
Claudio, Chelsea, Ben, Nick and Tom
P.S. Ben Don saved the president of SWE in her dream last night. As Taylor Swift would put it, Ben Don has traded in his unicycle for a set of armor and a white horse.
Posted by tgham at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)
May 05, 2009
Day 2: My Organization and Me
Greetings from Camp Michigania ~ Day 2!
After a short sleep, we all woke up early for a hearty breakfast. With full stomachs, we headed out into the wilderness in hopes of gaining much from the low ropes course.
Teams were split up into 20 campers, each a diverse mix of members from most other groups. After learning the names through means of icebreakers, (Yeah, Brian!) teams were challenged to complete in team building tasks. The first task was to cross a “raging river” by only using “magical” blocks. There were 20 members and only 12 blocks. Comfort boundaries were tested and eventually expanded!
Another task was to guide a golf ball into a tin cup over 30 feet away using only limited piping. Some pipes were curved and short; others were long and straight. Each member and their piping had to be used at least once and the ball could never come to a stop.
The final activity required us to use our physical and logical thinking skills to obtain personal objects of each member placed outside of a circled rope.
The key takeaways from this were the following:
*Trust the ones around you - know that everyone has a common goal.
*Use positive means of communication – especially when addressing an individual make sure you use first names.
*There always exists a difficulty in communication amongst groups. Each group varies, but continue to keep the common goal in mind and make sure everyone feels comfortable and a part of things.
*Part of being a leader is filling the role that your team needs. Whether that means stepping back as a leader and accepting a smaller role, know that your contribution is still important and you will have more opportunities in the future.
Hiking back from the woods, we were welcomed with a scrumptious lunch. Many of us followed lunch by enjoying the sunshine while getting to know unique members from all over the University.
After lunch, we took part in individual testing. Many of you may have heard of the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) test. (This is the most widely used personality instrument in the world). This provided eye opening opinions and allowed ourselves to categorize ourselves through our personal qualities.
The first part of the test was an activity in which we signed a paper with our autograph. After we did this, we repeated the signing with our non-dominant hand. (Try this… and see if you feel the same as we did!)
The feelings we experienced when signing with our dominant hand were: confidence, comfort, and strength. When signing with our off-hand we felt: insecure, weak, and uncomfortable.
The MBTI test then proceeded to the four respective preferences.
1) Extraversion (E) v. Introversion (I)
2) Sensing (S) v. Intuition (N)
3) Thinking (T) v. Feeling (F)
4) Judging (J) v. Perceiving (P)
After collaborating our ideas we found that the "team type" was ISTJ. (For further meaning consult wikipedia or contact Tom at tgham@umich.edu) However the only common preference was introversion (I). As a group, we felt that the introversion is attributed to characteristics of most EGL students:
* We tend to think things through before presenting our ideas. In other words: "We prefer to reflect, then act"
* We internalize our thoughts and stay in the background on tendency
* We tend to like working on our own when given the option
The pros from this:
+ This makes our ideas concise and compelling
+ This is a great demonstration of the business and professional image we are going for
Some possible cons:
- These same characteristics may make us appear less approachable, in particularly to new EGLs.
- Some valuable opinions may not be shared at GBMs, Executive Board Meetings, or other windows of opportunity.
Discussion on improving this issue was based around ways in which we can engage new membership and make them feel comfortable and important from the very beginning. One way that we felt this could be improved was a stronger push for our Mentorship Program or even a retreat for the new members.
We dispersed ourselves at different tables during dinner as we continued to make friends and inform them about EGL. We also gained valuable knowledge from other groups. Ben would like to note the camaraderie he has seen NSBE display through todays activities (i.e. rap battles, etc.).
Following dinner, the entire camp joined together and discussed important values and beliefs. Following audio clips of personal essays, we identified values that each member in each audio clip stood for. Next, we then were handed a stack of 60 values and were instructed to organize them into four categories (1. Very important 2. Important 3. Sort of important 4. Not important) Some values from the stack included: improvement, loyalty, optimism, etc.
Each member shared his/her personal values with another member from the camp. Together each duo compared and contrasted why he/she chose his/her respective "Very Important" 15 values. A long group discussion followed on social justice and its role on campus climate.
Ah... on a lighter note :)
In case you were wondering…
Our "facebook" currenty has the following updates:
- <3 Relationship status: “its complicated with SGE”
- IEEE has been messaging us and SGE is in suspicion of cheating
- "EGL’s hips don’t lie"
- EGL poked SWE & SAPAC (but don't worry it was with consent)
Now for Ben's Engineering Joke...
Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?" The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."
The second engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."
Today's conclusion - We all found ways to grow individually yet keep the goal (EGL) in mind. No matter your role, you can have an impact on your respective society.
Tomorrow we will wake up even earlier, but will include discussion of "Where EGL is, and where EGL wants to go." Until then...
Cheers,
Claudio, Chelsea, Ben, Nick, and Tom
Posted by tgham at 09:47 PM | Comments (5)
May 04, 2009
Day 1: Setting Expectations, Confronting Perceptions
After gathering early at the Union a total of 82 students from 19 different student groups boarded charter buses set for Boyne City. Our Destination: Camp Michigania.
We arrived at Camp Michigania and short introduction to the staff, we set up our cabins. After this, our first activity was kicked off as every group described their respective society as a zoo animal. We then acted it out and the other groups would guess what we were. After figuring out the animal we then described why we chose the animal. So, fellow EGLs, what animal did we choose to represent us? Yes, that's right... the Beaver. As we acted out building dams the true thought behind the beaver was this.
Why we chose the Beaver:
*Beavers are exceptional at working in teams that work towards a common goal
*Beavers engineer structures to help benefit "beaverkind"
*They are hard workers that are relentless
*Beavers are resourceful
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...
*Beavers connect things together - as EGL connects the curriculum of engineering, business, culture and leadership
It should be noted that we were amongst other animals (some of which are extinct) such as pterodactyls, velociraptors, flying foxes, and earthworms to name a few. We were even graced by the presence of Simba from the Lion King. This provided us a great background on each of the other groups.
The Leadership Connection staff has themed a way to log our advancement throughout the week. This is going to be represented through a "Facebook" homepage. The homepage displays the mission statement of EGL, the members that are representing EGL here at Camp Michigania, 10 random facts about EGL, and our profile picture of course. (Thanks Dan!) Throughout the week, we will be "updating our status" to signify the progress we are making and the things we are learning. Maybe tomorrow our relationship status will change as well!
After a luscious steak dinner, we regathered for another team building exercise. The activity was centered around confronting perceptions. Each member was sent into a room full of photographs and was to select the following: a photo that represented his/her perception of their student group and a photo that represented his/her perception of what others think about his/her student group. After gathering photos, every member presented his/her photos to his/her organization before breaking up into groups of five students (each from a different group). The idea behind this was to see if other student organizations agreed with our perceptions and to help them understand our point of view.
We were surprised to discover two things:
1) Many students, including other engineers, were unaware of the benefits/requirements of EGL.
2) Numerous student organizations are eager to collaborate with EGL on events in the future. Specifically we talked to groups like SGE (Society of Global Engineers) and MPowered (An entrepreneurship focused group)
Through further discussion we also came away with knowledge of basic incentives programs from societies such as SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
After a long bus ride and day full of activities we look to take on the low ropes course early in the morning. Until then, we thank you for your interest in reading this and hope you will check back tomorrow!
Pictures are soon to follow!!!!
Cheers,
Claudio, Chelsea, Ben, Nick, and Tom
Tune in tomorrow for Ben Don's ridiculous joke. Also, please leave some feedback. Any other animals in mind?!?
Posted by tgham at 09:37 PM | Comments (3)