EGL @ Leadership Connections

Leadership Connections is May 4th - May 8th. EGL was once again selected to attend this exclusive event for UM organizations. There are some new faces that will have the privilege of attending this great opportunity. The following EGL students will attend LC this upcoming week:

-Claudio Hernandez (ME '10)
-Chelsea Snodgrass (CEE '10)
-Ben Don(ME '10)
-Nick Beaty (ME '11)
-Tom Hamilton (IOE '12)

We look forward to our interactions with other U of M students and have set goals that we hope to meet by the end of the week.

Some of these are:
* Make new friends - this can expand our individual networks as well as help for future collaborations with other organizations.
* Strengthen our relationships with the other EGL members.
* Learn about other societies - this will help with the goals and new board structure, fundraising and alumni opportunities, find ways to engage membership.
* Represent EGL well (This we can assure you will happen!)

Please bookmark this blog for updates from Leadership Connections! We look forward to keeping other EGLs aware of our experiences and hope many of you leave comments or suggestions if you have any!

Posted by tgham at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2008

Day 5: Program Closure

The view from Michigania...

Today was our last day at Leadership Connections. We began by completing five sentences. Here they are (after the colon is what we filled in):

1. We want to say thanks to: staff members and fellow groups for: sharing with us and inspiring us.

2. We really hope that: we can expand on what we've learned this week and bring it back to our society.

3. We are grateful for: the people who created EGL and made it the organization it is today.

4. We learned that: there is always progress to be made.

5. In the coming year, we are committed to: achieving our manageable goals and striving towards our stretch goals.

In number 5, you will see mention of our manageable goals and stretch goals. We didn’t post the picture of our goal sheet earlier, so here are the top manageable goals that we agreed on:

1. To create incentives towards/for meetings/events to engage more members
2. Session with new members and Tauber II’s
3. Create committees under executive board to get more involvement

Here are the top stretch goals that we agreed on:

1. For EGL to be more known to campus, faculty, and staff (100%)
2. Engage more members
3. More prestige
4. Receive more corporate donations/sponsorships (adequate funding)
5. 100% college, university, and community support

We sincerely hope to work towards these goals in the coming months and years. As we rode the bus home, during the four-hour drive we shared the lessons we learned during the week and during the break-out sessions from the day before. Overall, EGL’s first trip to Leadership Connections was a great success. We are all very excited about the future of EGL, and we would like to thank everyone who made this possible: The Office of Student Activities and Leadership; the facilitators: Jimmy, Angela, Jaden, Geni, Gabe, Mark and Dave; Stacie, our program advisor, who encouraged the idea of making a blog for our trip; the EGL student who read our blog and responded with comments; the fellow students at Leadership Connections who constantly provided support and new ideas; the three general student members (Claudio, Meghan, and Nate) who graciously donated a week of their summer to EGL, and provided new insight, energy, and boundless enthusiasm for the program; and our President, Lindsay, for her support and coaching during the sessions. Without her idea of attending LC, we would not have had the opportunity to attend and gain so much from this week.

We hope to return to Leadership Connections in the future, to continue to shape the EGL program and further the program’s mission! Thank you!

Posted by brumao at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 01, 2008

Day 4: Organizational competencies, collaboration, and shared purpose

Key Takeaways:
• The leadership cycle can help us predict and prepare for future events
• Transformational leadership + Transactional leadership = Full results
• EGL is one good looking society and loves to dance!

Leadership Cycle
Claudio felt refreshed this morning from eight hours of sleep. We began the day learning about the cycle of a leader. Identify (the groups with whom you could collaborate), retreat (if first impression does not work out), internal identification (identify within yourself the values of the organization), external identification (market your belonging to the organization, display your passion), leadership (take on a leadership role within the organization), withdrawal (leave the group). We learned it’s important to safeguard against the retreat and withdrawal. This cycle can also help you prepare and brace yourself for the leadership cycle.

Another aspect of the leadership cycle is the concept of burn-out versus stress. Stress is temporary, it can be productive and lead to over-engagement, and it allows you to remain effective until the point of burn-out. Stress is also compartmentalized—it does not affect other parts of your mind or spirit. Burn-out is more serious, it results in disengagement, and it’s ineffective.

Integrating Transformational Leadership
What is transformational leadership? It is a style of leadership that takes a leader from transactional leadership to performance beyond expectation. Transformational leadership motivates leaders to do more than what is expected. The basic influence behind these styles are the four I’s: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. Also, we did an activity called “start, stop, continue�, where we listed activities that we think EGL should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing, based on the four I’s.

Transactional leadership is a style of leadership of give and take. It’s based on the status quo, and does not necessarily display the goals and higher purpose of the organization. The most effective combination of leadership is the combination of transformational and transactional leadership. To fully achieve your potential would mean having that healthy combination. There are three core team processes for transformational leadership: 1) cohesion, 2) communication, and 3) conflict management. The different types of conflict include healthy and unhealthy conflict. The healthy conflict is cognitive, and creates a dialogue. An effective conflict is emotionally driven and there is a focus on interpersonal incompatibilities, and arises when cognitive conflict becomes corrupt.

Lunch was grilled cheese and tomato bisque. It was delicious. The lemon bars were fantastic, maybe a little on the sticky side, according to Claudio!

After lunch we all split up into several different enriching sessions. Brian went to sessions on how to respond to trigger statements as well as a session on icebreakers, energizers, and reflections. Lindsay went to sessions on improving student organization’s meetings, as well as the session on trigger statements. Nate went to icebreakers, energizers, and reflections, as well as the session on trigger statements. Meghan went to sessions about marketing the student organization experience in the job search, as well as the session on improving the organization’s meetings. Claudio went to sessions on the importance of physical wellness in student organizations, and also how to utilize transformational leadership in teams. While we could all go on about the value and lessons learned, please seek us out or leave comments in the blog if you have questions about any of sessions!

Organizational speed dating followed; we met with Circle K, SWE (Society of Women Engineers), NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), SADHA (Student Americans Dental Hygienist’s Association), MES (Michigan Economics Society), SGE (Society of Global Engineers), Gates Millennium Scholars, LSO (Latino Students Organization), MSA (Michigan Student Assembly), UAC (University Activities Center). We learned these organization’s structure, purpose, and incentives programs, as well as possible opportunities for future collaboration.

Someone left a note that said Lindsay is very cute. We also got sunshine awards for being a “good-looking� society (See picture below for visual evidence). Now there is a dance party, so we’re leaving you all to represent EGL well!!! Hiding in the corner awkwardly like most good engineers…

Cheers,
Lindsay, Brian, Meghan, Nate, and Claudio

Posted by brumao at 11:03 PM | Comments (2)

April 29, 2008

Day 2: Self-awareness, inclusion, empathy

Key Takeaways:
• Teamwork on a low-ropes course leads to many realizations about the way leaders behave
• Have to consider the risks involved before brainstorming, consider “try-storming�
• Circles can be a powerful tool for effective group communication
• Five aspects of leadership that we inventoried to determine our strengths
• Does social justice belong in every student organization’s mission?

We started the day with a low ropes course that encouraged team building. Low ropes were some adventurous challenges that helped bring us outside of our personal boundaries. Examples of games included using wooden blocks to cross a “Raging river�, balancing everyone on a giant see-saw while “whale watching�, and crossing through a giant “spider-web�. While the games were extremely fun, we did manage to learn some lessons too. Dependence on others, the importance of everyone’s unique skills on a team, people sometimes have to be followers—you cannot lead all the time. Sometimes a good leader is passive. Sometimes when working with many leaders, sometimes you have to know when to step back. “You need to learn how to lead from the front and the back.� We also learned about the importance of asking for help when needed. In a group full of leaders, it’s important to realize when it’s necessary to ask! Different activities required different leaders, who had different abilities and knowledge. Communication needs to come full circle, from listening to speaking to everyone needs to be heard (interlocking circle, like a Venn diagram). In each activity, there was a certain amount of planning that needed to be done before starting. Having the ability to trust people is important.

Lindsay made an observation that her group practiced a lot before starting. She said that, in a situation with little risk associated with failure, what’s the harm in jumping in? “We had nothing to lose.� She talked about “try-storming�, where we brainstorm, then immediately try the idea. It’s useful when there are little risks. Claudio also stated the importance of adapting to situations on the fly, and related it to the toxic waste game. Meghan said the forest smelled like chives, but Lindsay thought they were leeks or onions.

Brian saw a major difference when we were out in the forest and trying to brainstorm ideas. Many people had ideas and lots of voices were not being heard. We decided to get in a circle so everyone could see and hear each other. Suddenly, only one person talked at a time, and everything seemed more efficient. Brian is now a huge fan of being in circles during meetings. When we are in a circle, everything is equal, unlike in a rectangle table, where there is a clear head of table.

Lunch
We returned from low ropes to delicious lunch of pizza and salad. Lindsay met the dental hygienists of America group at lunch. There are 27 women in the class, no men. They are all undergrads, who take the same exact same classes together for soph., junior, and senior years.

Leadership Practices Inventory
After lunch, we worked on a student leadership practices inventory. There were five different aspects to leadership: 1) modeling the way, 2) inspiring a shared vision, 3) challenging the process, 4) enabling others to act, and 5) encouraging the heart. A leader is comprised of all those aspects, plus others not listed. We filled out an inventory test to determine our strongest aspects. After grouping based on our highest strength, we acted out a scene to help others learn about how to become more like that aspect. Meghan and Brian were strongest in challenging the process, and Nate, Lindsay, and Claudio were strongest in enabling others to act. After evaluating ourselves, we also evaluated the fellow EGL members present. This was a critical tool in the improvement process; giving constructive feedback provides the spark to kaizen (continuous improvement). We will return to this tomorrow, when we quantitatively compare our own ratings to the group ratings. TUNE IN TOMORROW, by 11PM EST.

Dinner
Lindsay and Brian, along with members of the Michigan Economics Society, tossed a Frisbee for some time. According to Claudio, cheesecake was on point for dinner. Apparently, in tilapia scampi, the scampi is butter sauce. Nate was a big fan of the fried chicken, and ate dinner with a table full of girls. For the record, Claudio also ate with a table full of girls! Brian ate with Circle K girls, and realized what a great opportunity exists for EGLs to volunteer! Expect more details to come…WHO WOULD BE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?!

Social Justice
Is Ally short for Allison?: A session on social justice. We ended the night with a whole-group session about the role of being an ally, as well as the role of social justice within student orgs. An ally is defined as a person who fights for a cause, whether or not they identify with it. We also discussed the different social identities, such as race, sexual orientation, geographic status, ability/status, socioeconomic status, country of citizenship, etc. We all had to select the identities with which we felt most salient, with those which we felt most uncomfortable, and with those we felt most privileged.

The discussion veered to answering the question: Can every student organization be a social justice organization? We talked about the difference between fighting for social justice and being socially just. Many students talked about using their org email lists to let all their students know about social justice issues and asked if people found that was appropriate. We did not find any clear answers on the topic, so if readers have opinions on the role of social justice within EGL, please do post comments!

A key take away from this segment was phrased as three questions:
1) When is the best time to do something?
2) Who is the most important person?
3) What is the right thing to do?
Leo Tolstoy posed those questions and answered them as 1) Now, 2) The person you’re with, and 3) That which will most benefit all. Just something to think about…

PICTURES COMING TOMORROW! WE PROMISE.

Cheers,
Lindsay, Claudio, Meghan, Brian, and Nate

Posted by brumao at 10:43 PM | Comments (1)

April 28, 2008

Day 1: Learning environment, shared purpose

Key takeaways:
• Many organizations on campus!
• We all have our own expectations for ourselves and each other throughout the week
• There are eight different leadership capacity areas
• Would like to look further into the relationship between the program and the society

Leadership Connections was kicked off today with every society being asked to describe their work as a machine. We had to also act it out and the large group would guess what we are. Examples included coffee makers (because they wake people up), carousels, etc. We were trying to think about the purpose of EGL and what it does for us. We know it connects people, and how our mission is very global. We thought of some sort of vessel that transports people and transforms them. We have a driving executive board, and everyone else (i.e., the student membership) is mostly along for the ride. We tried to find a way to represent how EGL works to build everyone’s talents to make an overall great organization. We settled on a train, complete with Nate as the conductor. Why are we a train? BECAUSE WE’RE FULL OF ENGINEERS! However, SWE took our idea moments before we were called. Like every good EGL student, we planned ahead under pressure and went with our second option, the airplane. We demonstrated the airplane in front of the 70-or-so students, and after a futile guess of a windmill, someone guessed the airplane! Looking back on this, we found out that SGE’s idea was an airplane. It goes to show that engineering groups do indeed have a similar purpose.

During the break, Meghan got lost on her run. She eventually found herself using the resources of the angle of the sun and her trail map.

Group Expectations for the week
Lindsay: Represent EGL well, be open minded, to make other people wish they were an EGL member. Want to show how diverse, creative, and innovative we are. Want to show others how, despite being a great society, we do still have a lot to learn. As a result, ask questions, learn from other societies, be active listeners. Paying attention while people are talking is very important. Not interrupting, asking open-ended questions, nodding affirmatively.

Meghan: On a personal level, was hoping to learn more about student society. Where it stands, the vision, the goals, its purpose. In terms of expectations of the group, ensure that the different perspectives between the two exec board members and three general student members are all heard. Openly discuss the goals of EGL.

Claudio: On a personal level, first absorbs everything. Likes to see the big picture before acting. Would like to take in as much as he can. Doesn’t know too much about EGL as a society. Communication and networking in other organizations are keys. Would like to know if EGL can improve its relationships with other societies.

Nate: Learning more about the society, still considers himself a new member. Still vague on the issues facing the society, because he has only been a member for four months. One of the things he would like is a crash course on EGL, and where it stands. As far as leadership training, is looking for a broad training, and would like to understand more about EGL, and how to apply the program to EGL.

Brian: Discussed the expectations of the students attending.

For the team builder after dinner, we sat on each other’s laps in a big circle. Trust us, that’s all you want to know, although it did break a lot of physical comfort-zone barriers, that may open us up to the rest of the week.

We discussed the question, “What is leadership?� There were eight different capacity areas that we were allowed to join: Commitment, self-awareness, empathy, organizational competence, collaboration, inclusion, shared purpose, learning environment. Brian and Lindsay were both in the learning environment group. We found that leaders need to foster these environments within the organization, and that leaders utilize mistakes to create learning experiences, as well as developing a respected environment. Meghan was in the commitment group with Claudio, and they said that leaders need to show a certain level of commitment to be an example, “empower members of the organization to be committed�, leaders are responsible for delegating much of the work. The methods of doing this are by “actions speak louder than words�, working towards the club’s objectives and purposes, being persistent, defining expectations, making people feel like they are needed. You cannot be a part of something you are not committed to. Nate was in the empathy group, and he said that it was important because a leader must keep in mind the needs and interests of all the people in the group, so empathy comes into play a lot times in decision making, and conflict resolution, when leaders must find the best solutions for the group. Also for fostering a creative environment, because when a leader empathizes with all members, they all agree there is an accord within the group which makes everything more productive.

We were asked to think about the distinction and synergy between the PROGRAM and the SOCIETY. We spent some time explaining the difference between the program and the society, and Claudio nicely summed it as the Program is based on academics, where the Society is based on extra-curriculars. We discussed how the society and program may have different goals. At the same time, it would seem that the program and society share the same goals, because we’re all trying to make us a better prepared engineer. We will consider this throughout the week.

Nate discussed how there is a lack of cohesion in the society, where students commonly see the expectations of EGL lie within the program, and the focus on success in academia, so the expectations of the society can fall by the wayside. Meghan mentioned that it would be very valuable to talk to the older classes of EGLs, like those who just finished their Tauber projects. Lindsay asked the question, “What can we do to satisfy the most people, without sacrificing the mission of the program and society?� Nate mentioned that more marketing about the society would help potential students realize the importance of the society. Meghan added that the essay question about what students would contribute to the society is also very important.

Claudio asked if there are any repercussions if students do not attend society events. Lindsay and Brian discussed how there are no consequences for not attending, but we do believe that every student can get something out of the sessions we put on, so we hope that the value-added would make their attendance justified. We have not ever made any society event completely mandatory, because we want the students at the events to want to be there, and be enthusiastic about it. Lindsay mentioned that getting older members to events might be something that we want to focus on.

Cheers,
Lindsay, Meghan, Claudio, Brian, and Nate

Posted by brumao at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2008

EGL has created a blog!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to EGL's first-ever blog. Here we will post entries about the program and society, as well as provide updates from Leadership Connections!

Leadership Connections is April 28 - May 2. EGL was selected to attend this exclusive event for UM organizations. The following EGL students will be attending:

-Lindsay Parker (AERO '08)
-Brian Rumao (IOE '09)
-Nate Bennett (NERS '09)
-Meghan Haigh (IOE '10)
-Claudio Hernandez (ME '10)

Please bookmark this blog for updates from Leadership Connections!

Posted by brumao at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)