“You win some, you lose some.”

February 27, 2013

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This has been the theme of the week for me. Today is a particularly good example. So far I have slipped and covered myself in mud, lost my ID, and been late to class. Despite these less-than-favorable occurrences, however, I have also have had a few good experiences. I got a good grade on my paper, found my ID in time for lunch, and people have gone out of their way to make sure my mud coated self was okay. I think that this is all part of being a leader . Learning to keep your composure, even if you slip up a little behind closed doors, in the face of challenges. People look to you for an example.

The core of the matter is that people who step forth to lead are typically those who refuse to let circumstance rule their life. Think of all of the amazing people in your life. The common denominator is often a lifetime of struggle that was overcome with grace, strength, and perseverance. How can we expect to help others in their lives without first learning to take control of ours? As college students, I hope this message is particular pertinent to you at such a challenging and rewarding time.

Instead of leaving you with my thoughts for the week, I want you to think of how both good and bad has happened in your life and how you have overcome it. Are you being a leader in your response? I leave you with this quote to meditate on:

It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up again.
-Vince Lombardi

Rant, celebrate, or share a story… be sure to comment letting me know how you handled obstacles as a leader.


Leaders should study mathematics

February 27, 2013

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My African American History Collage

February 26, 2013

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These are the African Americans leaders that mean’t alot to the African American community and the world that don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. Barrack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Micheal Jordan, and Micheal Jackson are not the only successful African American people.

 

 

 


Leaders Admit When They Are Wrong: Marissa Mayer’s Commentary

February 26, 2013

As we study effective leadership philosophies, I think it is important to understand one element in particular: knowing when a leader is wrong. The former Google executive turned CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Meyer, made a comment about working from home yesterday that resulted in numerous headlines.

 

Mayer claimed, “It is not effective to work from home and should be banned.” This female role model’s claim has created a negative impact on her credibility. Most of the audience has reacted harshly to her statement, because there are still a vast amount of employees and employers working from home. Their stance is they are not sitting in front of a TV watching soap operas or wasting time, they are being actively engaged in their own companies and jobs. Mayer’s backfire is in order for a company to be successful, they must be co-collaborative and interdependent to get the task force accomplished.

 

Although both claims are understandable, Marissa Mayer should, as a leader, understand her role amongst the public. After all, leaders are still allowed to make mistakes, but leading a group of people sometimes involves “admitting when they are wrong.”


Educating Ourselves as Leaders on Campus

February 22, 2013

I believe one important part of being a leader is educating ourselves and becoming a resource for others. As leaders on campus, we are especially lucky that there are plenty of resources to help educate us on important issues so that we can become resources to others.

Three trainings in particular that I am aware of on campus are Emerge, Safe Zone, and Mason Cares. Mason Cares only takes 2 hours, while Emerge and Safe Zone are a more intense one full-day training.

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Not Too Much…

February 20, 2013

During high school, especially my senior year, I was determined to make myself known and become apart of everything! I was told by older friends, family, and loved ones that senior year would fly by and to make the most of those times. I took all that advice to heart and signed up for everything that I was able to. Not only did I sign up, but I held a lot of leadership positions as well. Needless to say, this left me feeling extremely burnt out by the end of the year. Although I value those great times, it really became too much for me to handle sometimes.

One of the main things that attracted me to Mason was the diversity found here. So when I first got accepted, I knew there would be tons and tons of clubs and organizations to choose from. However, by the time summer ended and the year was about to begin, I had gotten used to doing nothing. Even though, I heard my Patriot Leader over-emphasize the importance of getting involved, I told myself that I wouldn’t join anything at Mason because I worked myself so hard in high school. I wanted time to enjoy college and take everything in. That was one of the biggest mistakes I could’ve made. I really enjoyed that time of relaxation for the summer, but my mind was ready to get back into high gear once I started at Mason.

Often times as leaders, we don’t know how to balance or manage our time properly. As a result, we usually work ourselves to death. I was torn between becoming involved for fear of working myself too hard and just not doing anything at all. Also, living on a floor with such motivated, inspiring people didn’t help at all either. 🙂 Everyone around me was getting involved in some form and I was just chillen. I’m a firm believer that too much of anything can cause problems. How do you find balance in being a leader? When do you say this is too much? How do you know when you’ve signed up for too much? Is taking time for yourself a bad thing?

Just a few thoughts of mine…

 


Maybe The Nerds Have it Right

February 19, 2013

By Lori Lawson

This week I am about to combine the two popular themes found in my posts – nerdy enthusiasm and Feminism. I am hoping that some of you have seen the television series Battlestar Galactica. Just this past weekend, I was exposed to the wonderful world of space warfare the is this show. Even if you haven’t seen it, however, I think you will still get my message.

After just a few of watching, I couldn’t help but to realize how prominent women are in the series. Even though the show is in the magical land of science and nerdiness, women help very powerful roles without anyone questioning them. The show features a female president, strong female antagonists, and an amazing fighter pilot learning how to become  a leader in the fleet.

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‘Become a Vegan! Become smarter! Live longer!’

February 17, 2013

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‘We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are!’

February 17, 2013

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Philly and Friends!

February 15, 2013

SPRING BREAK 2013!!!                                                   

…During Spring Break, Paige, John and mysel will be going to Philadelphia. While there, we will be helping out with creative writing workshops for K-12 students and building playgrounds. Being able to be a part of the trip is exciting! However, after class on Wednesday, I couldn’t help but think and reevaluate the goals I have made for the trip. During class, we established that fixing a problem only veiwing the surface level issues related to it is not really fixing the problem. Read the rest of this entry »