Leadership

Currently, I'm taking an Urban Leadership course, while relates to what I've got going on with my internship. One of the things we discussed in class yesterday was that when power distribution is equal in a company the more productive that company is. I wish this concept could work where I'm at right now. i think this would make the employees more accountable, and reliable. If everyone is at the same level of "power" then I think people would be more inclined to go above and beyond, in more cases. People would hold themselves accountable for being on time, and being respectful to coworkers.
Originally, when I heard this, I didn't think it made much sense. In America, many of our companies are run in a hierarchical structure, and that seems to be the most preferred model. I don't know what I think works best for society, or what I think I work best with. I think it depends on the type of organization your working for.

More scheduling Conflicts

This week at my internship, I tried to write the schedule weeks out in advanced. I spoke with the owner, and he agreed it would be beneficial for the staff. Most of my reasoning involves making sure that people are aware of when they are expected to come in. A couple of employees have left while I've been here, and no new employees come to replace them.
Another issue I'm having with the staff is their inability to be on time. Without exposing too much information about the company, it is unfair to everyone. People are stuck staying after their shifts, waiting for co-workers to relieve them, and while they wait, they are unpaid. In fact, the person who is supposed to come in at say 1, starts getting paid at that time, regardless of it they are there or not.  Does that make sense?

Wow

When I walked into work today, I was shocked by the dirtiness of the place. I instantly began restocking, cleaning, and preparing the place for the day. While I am relatively timid at work now, I know there will come an opportunity for me to express my expectations. I strongly feel that people should leave a place the way they entered and first experienced it.

I also began scheduling for both locations, central and downtown. This has deemed itself the most difficult task thus far, simply because people work there part time. When a comany has a lot of part time employees, it makes it difficult to schedule around other requests. I've also been asked by my co-workers to speak with my boss about his hiring choice, and I feel anxious about that. I wish there was a seamless way of approaching this situation. I think my best bet is to take a couple days, and get back to it.

I'll keep you posted.

The hands on experience that I've been able to undergo has helped me develop a high comfort level in the workplace. On a daily basis, we experience the community in a number of different venues. We meet people who work in politics, visitors, students and local servers in the community. One topic of discussion that has fluttered around the workforce is Governor Jane B.'s communication slip up in the media.

I find it interesting that its always been a "taboo" to speak about politics in the work place. The experiences I've had, is that people are relatively open minded when it comes to that discussion, and will listen to both sides of an issue. The term "politics" can mean a number of different things to different people. It can mean physical politics, or the politics within a company. It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the future.

Liam Gryphon

Since this is my first blog, I decided to write about something personal to give other bloggers some insight into my life. This summer, I gave birth to the most amazing little boy, whose name is Liam. The experiences I've endured the past few months of my life have been groundbreaking and life changing. I really feel blessed, and fortunate to have such an amazing boy.

One thing I experienced at my internship, that also made me feel blessed, was a conversation with a young man. He came in and asked if he looked familiar, which he did. I told him yes, but realized he was talking 'slower' than average, and I didn't remember that. He then went on to tell me that he was in a bad accident, and experienced brain damage.

This story, and ones like this, make me thankful for my health. It makes me realize how quickly life can change, or even end. I really don't think "thank you" is ever overstated, and that we need to live each day as positively and powerfully as we can. Its impossible to tell what the future might hold for us. I look forward to sharing the next few months with everyone as we discuss what we learn throughout the semester.