The Interview

For my leadership interview i interviewed my boss Bruce Humphries. Bruce is the wood shop supervisor and teaches two classes in metal sculpture classes in continuing studies. Since i've worked under Bruce he has been a good boss, and has treated me with the same respect that i give to him. So far he has been a good leader and a pretty good role model to me. he even gives some of my co-workers some good advise when needed, i haven't need ed his words of wisdom yet, but i know i can go to him if i need a little light shed on certain situations. Bruce is an example of what i like to see in a balanced and knowledgeable leader. i recorded my interview with bruce and here it is.

Poor Leadership

The team failed because of one factor: poor leadership. Each step of the way, Juan’s ineffective leadership facilitated a cascade of unfavorable consequences, and ultimate failure.

First, Juan failed to define a clear objective for the assignment. The student organization was geared towards educational outreach and peer tutoring services for chemistry majors—and yet they were asked to host an anniversary celebration event, unrelated to the group’s mission statement. Fine, but this means the group leader (Juan) must be sure to define the event’s purpose in a way that is meaningful for the group specifically. Maybe the celebration could be considered in the light of promoting educational outreach; or Juan could explain that it is a part of the group’s mission to support, and be committed to, the longevity and success of the university. Thus this anniversary event is very much collaborative with the organization’s objectives. Yet, it seems that Juan was unable to garner sufficient enthusiasm and commitment from his team. Additionally, It was up to Juan to define individual objectives; if specific assignments are not given out, nothing will be accomplished. It sounds like Juan missed this vital step as well.

Further, it seems clear that Juan did not do all of his homework. The funds and resources the team had to work with were undetermined; therefore much time was wasted in considering ideas such as a concert that would not have been feasible. By the time Juan realized they were short sufficient resources for a concert, the team only had three weeks left to have a finished product. With meetings only once per week, that is not nearly adequate time.

That leads into Juan’s next failure: the failure to be proactive. If time—and number of members—is short, increase the number of meetings, find outside help, and figure out how to tweak the project so that it can be accomplished by the deadline. Of course, being proactive earlier on would have made things easier: instead of shooting down the concert idea completely and causing panic, maybe the team could brainstorm a way to make the concert fit the budget. (Different venue? Different band/performer? Fundraise?) Tackling the problem in this manner may have kept the team fully intact.

Finally, Juan was clearly ineffective at rallying his team when frustration and disappointment was plaguing it. The point when a team’s morale plummets is a leader’s most important moments, the time when a leader is needed most. Juan’s half-hearted attempt to ‘facilitate another brainstorming activity’ was never going to be received well by a team who just learned that their brainstorming thus far had not produced good results. It was up to Juan at that point to initiate the flow of ideas, of alternate solutions, of a path to success. Maybe remind the group why they are part of this project (back to my first point) and why commitment to carry through with it is so critical. Obviously, failure to establish these points when the team first started the project makes this rally all the more difficult.

All of these missteps add up to one thing: poor leadership. This shows that being a leader by title is not enough. One must accept not only the authority of leadership, but also the responsibility.

How Would You Respond to that

From my point of view the group didn't do anything but brainstorming, brainstorming is good and is a crucial part of a organization like this, but at some point you have to take action to get things done. the leader, Juan didn't give the team any direction. and even after Juan told the rest of the group that the concert was out of their budget, Juan and the others didn't brainstorm an think of anything else.

also if the group was suppose to come up with an event with a month, i honestly think there should of been more meetings, then like one meeting a week. if the group were to meet at least twice a week, a lot more ground could of been covered, and the productivity would have increased.

the event that the group chose was a bad choice to. not only did the concert not fit with the organization's mission but it was out of their budget, and if Juan didn't know the budget at the beginning of the first meeting, thats saying something; he wasn't prepared. also finding out the things you would need for a concert wouldn't taken a long time, assuming the group had a computer, otherwise it would have taken more time, but if they more meetings such information could have retrieved more quickly. a dinner would of been a good and pretty simple idea, or like a award ceremony for students that did some recognizable would have nice too.

the other group members could have spoken out a bit sooner to have gotten better results from the meetings instead of the failure. If anything, i'm sure there were some other really good ideas, and some concerns about the group's progress, but why no body said anything else that could of helped in the second to last meeting is beyond me.

The Group + Juan

J When you point your finger at someone, there are always three fingers pointing back at you. In Juan’s case everyone pointed him for being the primary faulty component in the committee leading to a downward spiral of failure. While reading this essay I noticed that before Juan started there was an issue. If I were Juan, I would have wanted a moderator to watch over the group before any types of decisions were made. Having a moderator that is linked to the school, as a faculty or staff member would ensure that people would take the mission more seriously. It is best to have someone older and more experienced as a mentor/moderator throughout the process to relay information and ideas about the mission’s progress.
Another issue that caused the group to fall through was the group itself. The lack of interest they had towards the end is something that should not happen. Missions are all about helping out other people and their own feelings and emotions towards their leader distracted them. The main idea that should be understood in a committee is when the goal is to help others out its imperative to remember TO HELP OTHERS OUT! Even though the committee was upset they should have set their feelings aside and look at the real matter at hand which was, “to sponsor educational outreach and peer tutoring to chemistry major.”
Now looking at the leader, Juan, there are many issues that could have been dealt with before the group crumbled. Juan started off the on the wrong foot, he did not really relay the purpose of the mission at all. He started off with brainstorming where the group thought of concerts and benches. Neither idea that was stated relates to the mission at hand. It would have made a lot more sense if the reason they hosted a concert to raise money to sponsor the chemistry majors. Concerts are always fun they attract a large audience so if they kept going down this creative route with the mission in mind they probably would have come up with something.
Juan seemed a little over his head in this one. From the beginning I feel as if was unsure with knowing how to lead. If it that were the case he should have realized that he might have not been the best leader and stepped down from his position. Everyone is a leader regardless of the title they have or don’t have and anyone in the committee or outside of the committee would have been better prepared to run meetings and run the mission.
The whole team should have worked better together and there should have been a leader that understood the purpose of the committee, in charge. It boils down to getting a group of individuals that work progressively and productively together and a leader that knows what to do and how to attack certain obstacles. From there it goes into how well the group and leader work together on the same level with ongoing fluent communication.

Teamwork?

Like Arlen mentioned, Juan did not stay on task while planning for the event. Juan needed to be clear on what the goal of the one-hundredth anniversary was for and he wasn’t. Putting on a concert or buying a bench does not show how successful the peer-tutoring program has been. There

Jobs should have been designated at the first meeting. The entire team should have been assigned to come up with ideas for the event during the first meeting. Juan should have had some ideas so the group could see an example of what an acceptable event would be.

The team then should have voted on the top three event plans. The team then should have been split up to research an event plan focusing on the budget and time and bring this information to the second meeting. Research is a big part of finding out whether or not an event is feasible and realistic.

There was also no communication via email, blog, or facebook outside of the meeting. When planning a big event constant communication is important for the event’s success. If the team were to post their research for the top three events on a blog page, they could all be ready to take the next steps in voting for the top event and execute plans in the second meeting. As team leader Juan needed to be in charge of this and oversee/check in with each research group.

The team’s frustration is understandable. There were many problems that could have been prevented with better planning, but to walk out on a meeting shows a lack of concern and pride for the organization. If the team does not care enough to stay and work out issues at a meeting, how can they expect others to care enough to donate to the peer tutoring organization? Juan lost control of his team from the first meeting. He did not have a clear direction for the team, so the team didn’t follow Juan; they left.

-Arielle

Response to Juan

Well for one, Juan and his teammates failed to organize something that revolved around the actual cause. But another problem was that Juan was unsuccessful in taking charge and finding one project for the group to focus on. Setting aside the fact that each idea strayed further and further away from "sponsoring educational outreach and peer tutoring to chemistry majors"...It felt as though every time the team got together, their ideas became more extravagant and more costly. When Juan volunteered to be the leader, he should have realized what responsibilities he was going to be taking under his wing. And not to blame it solely on the leader, but when Juan was seen struggling, his teammates should have stepped up, or maybe one or two people in particular should have stepped forward and tried to get things in order.

There is nothing wrong with holding a meeting to brainstorm ideas, but choosing between raising money to buy a bench or holding a concert are polar opposites financially. One idea costs at most a couple hundred dollars and the other costs thousands of dollars. "Members were disappointed and confused about their role in planning" what I've learned from being a leader and listening to a leader is that if the person in charge does not specify certain tasks for each person, it's harder for things to get done. Being a leader is not only being the final say in the matter, it's also your responsibility as the leader to facilitate and make sure everyone else is on task. Without assigning people with specific jobs, nothing will get accomplished.

If a concert was relevant to the 100th anniversary, Juan and his other members would seriously have to factor in the cost of fundraising, how would they raise money to book a venue, get local bands to play, rent equipment, advertisements, ticket prices, a lot goes into hosting a concert. I think for Juan, he set too high of expectations for himself and his teammates. The goal is to be practical and stay focused on the task at hand. By the end of the month, the other teammates realized what a lost cause it was to be a part of Juan's group, they realized he wasn't being successful in his leadership position so more than half bailed.

Being a leader is not an easy job to take on, but with the right ideas and plans, anything can get done.

A Few Thoughts On Juan

    There are three main issues this said Juan had leading his group. First, he apparently failed to address the mission he and his group were initially given, he came unprepared for the meetings, and he also seemed to never come to the meetings with any ideas.

    Juan tried to organize activities for the anniversary that did not stick to his original mission. According to students in his group, their mission was to "sponsor educational outreach and peer tutoring to chemistry majors". However, I fail to see how buying a bench or writing a musical number assessed this goal. Juan started out on the wrong foot. Instead of finding activities to encourage interest and assistance for chemistry, Juan tried to find methods of making the event entertaining. To make the event interesting is not a bad objective, in fact it would most likely benefit the activity's effectiveness if it were interesting. Still, the events Juan came up with were only interesting and not relevant to the purpose of the student organization.

    Juan also failed to come to the meetings fully prepared. It is imperative for event planning to consider financial assets. An event cannot be ratified without confirmation that said event is withing financial capabilities, knowing his financial limits would have helped Juan not waste his time. As the group leader, it was Juan's responsibility to inquire about the amount of money the event would have at their disposal.

    Juan also failed to come prepared with ideas to his meetings. A group is meant to collaborate and refine ideas, but a leader it is important to come prepared with ideas to bounce off of. A leader should not come to their group's meeting expecting other's to initiate for them. Collaboration works best with rough ideas to start out with, that other members can then smooth and polish out into better ideas. Juan should have done some of the brainstorming prior to the meetings. Perhaps the other's in the group became frustrated when Juan tried to "facilitate another brainstorming activity" instead of actually providing solutions to their problem.

 

-Arlen