They Talk About the Art of Management.

Who really knew

What managers do?  

Organizing , leading , planning and controlling.

Who really knew

What leaders do?

Vision, inspiration, action and consoling.

Who really knew

What Abraham Maslow do?

Esteem, social, and safety need

Who really knew

That managing all of this

Is what we need to succeed?

Express Yourself!

In today’s society, internet allows anyone and everyone to get their voices heard. Internet also provides opportunities to connect with others all over the world—or for people to connect within a classroom. I definitely agree that a blog is an excellent way for students who don’t normally speak up in the classroom, to express and voice their opinions. I was one of those who started reading blogs very late, and I always felt that having a blog would be very time consuming. Despite the fact that I missed two blog entries due to an unexpected family emergency :( (and to be honest nothing seemed important enough at that moment, even though I did not want it to affect my school work it did—that’s life) I must say that it has been a quite fun experience so far…  and I actually feel a bit nervous when I’m about to “publish” something here. Sometimes I just feel self-conscious about my writing or rather I’m a very private person, and blogging is like sharing a piece of you to the rest of the world, and that thought could be a little scary. But that will not stop me from expressing myself on this blog in the future! After all, I think it is great that through blogging we could all learn something from each other, share our ideas and thoughts not only about school but about life in general.      

Always Compromise...

In general, I like to hear what other people have to say before making a decision, of course I then think about how the decision will affect me. Observing, listening and asking questions are key steps in the decision making process—therefore the third way, “compromise” would best describe how I act in decision making situations.    

In this case, there were some people that were more “aggressive” than others. For example, one guy in the front wanted the whole test to consist of multiple-choice questions, and seemed pretty upset when no one mentioned anything about that—which would be an example of, “compete to win”. After the last class discussion, I realize that we did not consider any other options regarding the first exam, for instance, that we could have dropped the test all in all, and replaced it with another test or essay. However, considering the large group that had to be unanimous, and that some people did better than others, the way we approached the solution was probably the best. Sarah did a great job acting as an organizer, listening and suggesting ideas.

 

   

“Not An Eggs-cellent Way to Plan”

The in class activity last week, was definitely a very fun experience. The objective was to plan and build a protecting “cage” around an egg, consisting out of 9 straws + 2 feet of tape. The whole purpose of the straw creation was to prevent the egg from cracking, when dropped from a higher distance.

This was definitely much harder than we all thought, and only one group (congrats to youJ) was able to succeed, and prevent the egg from breaking when dropped.

What Went Wrong?

In theory I think that our plan was great—which was also the problem. Like for most of us, the plan did not work in reality. Our goals and objectives were clear, and we worked together to come up with the “best” solution for the straw creation. However, we did not evaluate our resources properly! We were not realistic, when considering building our cube, which was suppose to protect the egg. Further, it was not quite clear by the time we started how the egg was going to stay inside the cube. The perfect drawing of a cube did not look like a cube in reality (not even close) not only was it hard to make a perfect cube out of straws, but also the time limit effected the look and the purpose of the “outcome”. Another problem was that we did not have enough tape to hold up the egg inside. Neither did we evaluate any alternatives. We were so sure that our plan would work that we completely overlooked possible alternatives. Finally, when we realized that we needed to alter a few things on the construction, it was too late—time was already up.

What We Should Have Done!

Our biggest mistake was that we were very optimistic about the time. Which I have noticed is very common when it comes to planning. During the planning period, we came up with the “perfect” plan, pretty fast. However, we did not evaluate any other alternatives. It was obvious that when it was time for us to implement the plan, we should have come up with a plan B! 

    

  

A Cultural Difference

The money “obsession” in the United States is something that is very different from what I am used to. Growing up in a small country, where there are no extremes of either wealth or poverty in society— most Swedes get to enjoy a traditionally high and stable standard of living. (It is worth mentioning that this at a high cost to individual taxpayers). Don’t get me wrong, people want to be able to enjoy life, however those who “have less” in Sweden will still be able to put their children in a good school and go see a doctor etc. (Since all schools are public and health-care is universal). In short, no matter what your income might be, most people live quite comfortably in Sweden compared to the United States.

Therefore, to a certain extend I do understand why “having” money is everything to some Americans. However, it was very shocking and sad, when I met people over here in NYC that would never for example, date a guy because he didn’t drive a nice car, or because he lived in a certain area. On top of that I have also come to notice that people with money over here, get treated in a certain way—almost as if they were better!? NOT OK! Anyway whether you have money or not, in the end living in a capitalist society will shape the way people think.

Is it true that if you work hard, you will also be able to work your way up the pyramid of the capitalist system? Maybe that is why people argue that this is the land of opportunities? :)

From Sweden With Love

Hi everyone,
My name is Hannah. I was born and raised in Stockholm Sweden. Six years ago I came to visit the great city of New York, but like so many others I fell in love with the fast paste life, the diversity and the countless opportunities this city has to offer. Sooner rather than later I decided to pack my bags, and experience New York City full time-- that was six years ago, and I'm still here :) I will graduate with my bachelor's degree in Communication from Baruch College in the fall-2011. Moving from another country all by myself, as well as accomplishing a degree are two of the challenges I have welcomed with open arms. Someone once said, "Welcome the challenges. Look for the opportunities in every situation to learn and grow in wisdom." These inspiring words define my approach, when faced with a challenge.

Enjoy the blog :)