Assignment: Journal on 2 characteristics of healthy group development and 2 obstacles preventing group development.
I'm going to simplify this assignment by picking two topics, and stating how they can help or hinder group development. I'll go with 2 that seem like to brainers to me, conflict management and responsibility.
Responsibility is a burden of obligation. In the stages of group development, a huge part of the groups forming can occur at the time they are first given responsibility. This responsibility can manifest in many ways like taking on roles, generating ideas, solving problems, and making decisions. When the individuals in the group are given responsibility, they become important and needed, making each individual feel like a part of a collaborative effort. All this makes it possible for the group to develop further. However, if responsibility is never taken, or only taken by select individuals, development can be hindered or get stuck in the storming stage.
Which leads me to my next topic, conflict management. I'm personally a huge fan of the storming stage of group development. I like to think that conflict creates some temporary chaos, but if dealt with correctly, chaos can become calm. Without it, we would never learn or grow. But, in order to learn and grow, it's critical to confront group and other inter-personal issues among your team. If conflict is not managed and addressed, issues will only magnify and create more issues. If managed well though, there is exponential room for growth among your team.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Gratitude Filled Snow Globe
I'll admit that lately, my blogging has been cut down to a bare minimum 'must not give up on new years resolution' dreaded homework assignment where I spend far too much time staring at the computer screen. Is this what writers block is? Luckily, today someone said something that caught my attention, and in conjunction with a few other thoughts, I feel I finally have adequate content for a posting.
Working at Snowy Range Ski Area is like working in a snow globe. Some days it's tranquil and quiet as if someone had let it sit idly overnight and then let it be all day. Other days, like today, I get the impression that a two year old has taken our 'globe' and spent their day shaking it violently. What other explanation could there be for 50 mph gusts and white out conditions? Just yesterday, I shoveled in a long sleeve shirt and got sunburn. Today I wore two jackets, got windburn, and still came home cold at the end of the day. Please, put the globe down, kid.
But somwhere in the 33 miles between Laramie and Centennial, there's a buffer zone. For me, it's a place of total bliss, where the sun and the moon never fail to entertain my mind. Wild horses roam the range and the bluest sky you've ever seen makes the endlessness of the whole place that much more magnificent. Most of the time I spend my drive brainstorming words to explain all this, or how to capture it all in a photo, but I always come up short. Short, but happy, because after a few weeks I have nothing but appreciation for the fact that the place I live is inexplainable. For that and my understanding of that, I am thankful.
The past few weeks have been a great mix of old and new friends. Last weekend I spent three days in Telluride with my best friend Alli, skiing and doing many other things Alli and I love to do, like clean kitchens, drink tea often, and play with children. Spending time with an old friend is always a good reminder of where you've been and what you're doing on the path you're on. I couldn't be happier that Alli is 'only' 8 hours away. I also couldn't be happier to have such awesome co-workers at both Snowy Range and at Wyoming Conservation Corps. Finally, I am OUT OF THIS WORLD EXCITED that the one and only Adam Pettee is coming out to visit for a week in march. As much as I love my inability to explain my life here, I'm so excited to share it with someone who can make sense of all my stories.
After all, it's not where you are, but who you're with.
Working at Snowy Range Ski Area is like working in a snow globe. Some days it's tranquil and quiet as if someone had let it sit idly overnight and then let it be all day. Other days, like today, I get the impression that a two year old has taken our 'globe' and spent their day shaking it violently. What other explanation could there be for 50 mph gusts and white out conditions? Just yesterday, I shoveled in a long sleeve shirt and got sunburn. Today I wore two jackets, got windburn, and still came home cold at the end of the day. Please, put the globe down, kid.
But somwhere in the 33 miles between Laramie and Centennial, there's a buffer zone. For me, it's a place of total bliss, where the sun and the moon never fail to entertain my mind. Wild horses roam the range and the bluest sky you've ever seen makes the endlessness of the whole place that much more magnificent. Most of the time I spend my drive brainstorming words to explain all this, or how to capture it all in a photo, but I always come up short. Short, but happy, because after a few weeks I have nothing but appreciation for the fact that the place I live is inexplainable. For that and my understanding of that, I am thankful.
The past few weeks have been a great mix of old and new friends. Last weekend I spent three days in Telluride with my best friend Alli, skiing and doing many other things Alli and I love to do, like clean kitchens, drink tea often, and play with children. Spending time with an old friend is always a good reminder of where you've been and what you're doing on the path you're on. I couldn't be happier that Alli is 'only' 8 hours away. I also couldn't be happier to have such awesome co-workers at both Snowy Range and at Wyoming Conservation Corps. Finally, I am OUT OF THIS WORLD EXCITED that the one and only Adam Pettee is coming out to visit for a week in march. As much as I love my inability to explain my life here, I'm so excited to share it with someone who can make sense of all my stories.
After all, it's not where you are, but who you're with.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Group Reflections
Your middle school teachers really weren't kidding when they told you you would have to work in groups in the 'real world'. Upon trying to list all the groups I've worked in or with in some capacity, I've filled up a whole page with no problems. I've narrowed it down to the two best extremes I can think of...
The first is my historically favorite 'great' group-The 2007-2008 officers of the Towson University Rock Climbing Club. To be totally honest, upon running for officer of RCC I had NO idea at all what I was getting myself into. Luckily, the three other officers all had experience with the club and made my transition super easy. One of the essential components of our success was our communication. Each week we held a meeting to talk about what was going on with our club supervisor and have a small chunk of time to get some work done. After our hour long meeting we would all go out to a secret lunch spot together so that we could have some fun time as well. Aside from our communication efforts, we all filled specific niches in our group. Ian was our 'techy', having a wide knowledge of climbing equipment and techniques. Bob was our muscley workout master pushing us in workouts, but also supporting the officers to keep getting more work done. Alli was our group mom and workhorse who kept everyone happy and loved while all the while being a master of paper work and technicalities. All of this hard work and group cohesion really paid off when we planned our clubs first cross country trip to New Mexico in the spring of 2008. It took a lot of extra work to convince our administration that we were prepared, but with a glossary of terms in your powerpoint, how could you ever go wrong? The leadership team finished off the year strong by making a solid transtion into new leadership for the fall semester when the club traveled to California and Alabama to climb. We definitely left a legacy-Kudos to you all; Ian Brown, Bob Spielman, and Alli Kreuzer!
And then of course, my classic 'bad group'. If you've ever experienced a humid New Jersey summer, you know it can be quite unpleasant. In particular, working in a field with no shade from 8-4 as a slave with a 20 minute lunch break really seemed to bring out the worst in people. Of the 13 staff, 6 were returning and good hard workers. Another 6 had never worked at a camp, and more significantly had no experience on a ropes course. Then of course, right in the middle was me. I had a good amount of experience climbing and belaying but had not worked at a summer camp before. So let me put it this way, despite all efforts to bring everyone to the same level of training and operational standards, information seemed to evaporate into thin air for the new folks. Things that were obvious and clear to people with experience(like anchoring down and belaying with 2 hands) just didn't stick with the new guys. Eventually the experienced folks got tired of trying to teach and the new folks got tired of trying to learn information that just didn't come accross clearly. Ultimately, this meant that the new guys got stuck doing the slave work(moving ladders back and forth and hauling screaming 5th graders 30 feet into the air on a giant swing. I think it goes without saying that one would not want to haul children up all day in the sun when another job(launching children from the zipline) involved sitting on a shady platform in a tree for hours on end. I don't think there was anyone in particular to blame for these misfortunes, and without adding extra days of training, there was really no way to 'correct' the problems once the season was underway. In conclusion, I learned a lot that summer, but not enough to bring me back for another season. Only 4 staff returned the following summer. Wah wah...
The first is my historically favorite 'great' group-The 2007-2008 officers of the Towson University Rock Climbing Club. To be totally honest, upon running for officer of RCC I had NO idea at all what I was getting myself into. Luckily, the three other officers all had experience with the club and made my transition super easy. One of the essential components of our success was our communication. Each week we held a meeting to talk about what was going on with our club supervisor and have a small chunk of time to get some work done. After our hour long meeting we would all go out to a secret lunch spot together so that we could have some fun time as well. Aside from our communication efforts, we all filled specific niches in our group. Ian was our 'techy', having a wide knowledge of climbing equipment and techniques. Bob was our muscley workout master pushing us in workouts, but also supporting the officers to keep getting more work done. Alli was our group mom and workhorse who kept everyone happy and loved while all the while being a master of paper work and technicalities. All of this hard work and group cohesion really paid off when we planned our clubs first cross country trip to New Mexico in the spring of 2008. It took a lot of extra work to convince our administration that we were prepared, but with a glossary of terms in your powerpoint, how could you ever go wrong? The leadership team finished off the year strong by making a solid transtion into new leadership for the fall semester when the club traveled to California and Alabama to climb. We definitely left a legacy-Kudos to you all; Ian Brown, Bob Spielman, and Alli Kreuzer!
And then of course, my classic 'bad group'. If you've ever experienced a humid New Jersey summer, you know it can be quite unpleasant. In particular, working in a field with no shade from 8-4 as a slave with a 20 minute lunch break really seemed to bring out the worst in people. Of the 13 staff, 6 were returning and good hard workers. Another 6 had never worked at a camp, and more significantly had no experience on a ropes course. Then of course, right in the middle was me. I had a good amount of experience climbing and belaying but had not worked at a summer camp before. So let me put it this way, despite all efforts to bring everyone to the same level of training and operational standards, information seemed to evaporate into thin air for the new folks. Things that were obvious and clear to people with experience(like anchoring down and belaying with 2 hands) just didn't stick with the new guys. Eventually the experienced folks got tired of trying to teach and the new folks got tired of trying to learn information that just didn't come accross clearly. Ultimately, this meant that the new guys got stuck doing the slave work(moving ladders back and forth and hauling screaming 5th graders 30 feet into the air on a giant swing. I think it goes without saying that one would not want to haul children up all day in the sun when another job(launching children from the zipline) involved sitting on a shady platform in a tree for hours on end. I don't think there was anyone in particular to blame for these misfortunes, and without adding extra days of training, there was really no way to 'correct' the problems once the season was underway. In conclusion, I learned a lot that summer, but not enough to bring me back for another season. Only 4 staff returned the following summer. Wah wah...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Today...reading, not writing
Ironically, somewhere in my quest towards writing, I've become totally engulfed in reading. I've gone so far as to invest $15 in a subscription to national geographic and got a membership to the laramie library.Today I'm experiencing a total post-superbowl food-coma writing block. I have much bigger and better plans for tomorrow's post. For now, I just want to read, not write. Here's what I've had my nose in...
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell..."What must underlie successful epidemics, in the end, is a bedrock belief that change is possible, that people can radically transform their behavior or beliefs in the face of the right kind of impetus."
Where Men Win Glory by John Krakauer..."Earlier times may not have understood it any better than we do, but they weren't as embarrassed to name it: the life force or spark thought close to divine. It is not. Instead, it's something that makes those who have it fully human, and those who don't look like sleep walkers...It isn't enough to make someone heroic, but without it any hero will be forgotten. Rousseau called it force of soul; Arendt called it love of the world. It's the foundation of Eros; you may call it charisma. Is it a gift of the gods, or something that has to be earned? Watching such people, you will sense that it's both: given like perfect pitch, or grace, that no one can deserve or strive for, and captured like the greatest of prizes it is. Having it makes people think more, see more, feel more. More intensely, more keenly, more loudly if you like; but not more in the way of the gods. On the contrary, next to heroes like Odysseus and Penelope, the gods seem oddly flat. They are bigger, of course, and they live forever, but their presence seems diminished...The gods of The Odyssey aren't alive, just immortal; and with immortality most of the qualities we cherish become pointless. With nothing to risk, thegods need no courage." Quote by Susan Neiman-Moral Clarity
Three Feet From Gold by Greg Reid and Susan Lechter..."Remember that your real wealth can be measured not by what you have, but by what you are" Quote by Napoleon Hill
and finally...
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold..."The problem, then, is how to bring about a striving for harmony with land among a people many of whom have forgotten there is any such thing as land, among whom education and culture have become almost synonymous with landlessness. This is the problem of conservation education."
I know that its a bit of an eclectic blend, but I generally don't make book reccommendations lightly, so when I say you should check these out, I promise that there's purpose.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Ongoing Debate
Assignment: Journal regarding the differences between preservation and conservation.
Wyoming Preservation Corps doesn't exactly roll of the tongue. The idea of a preservation corps makes me giggle. What would such a thing even mean? Momentarily, I will entertain the concept as the most ultimate preservationist would. Maybe we would all sit around behind desks as assignments were handed to us. I can just picture Tim and Kendall giving orders ..."Go out and meet with this agency. They will have you fence off coordinates x,y through x,y. Oh yea and that will be barbed wire you put up. Suckers couldn't even sneak in if they tried" But really, could such a deep green ecological concept be any more unrealistic?
Have you ever asked yourself, 'if I wasn't here to appreciate these spaces and species, would they appreciate themself?' 'Is there inherent value in land sans human input?'
In my mind the answer is a resounding yes. Every form, plant or animal, serves a function in the system of life. I have no doubt that life, in whatever forms or through whoevers eyes, bears an importance with or without me to appreciate it. From my humble perspective though, the concept of preservation could only work in a world of an extraordinarily small population. In other words, preservation is only reasonable for a few dreamers out there.
And I am not one of them. The realities of the world we live in are without a doubt startling. With a population that is close to topping 7 billion, I couldn't bear to say that any new life does not deserve access to any particular space. I do belive in my civic duty to contribute towards maintaining the spaces that we do have left for future generations of plants and animals(yes, we too are animals) to continue their functionality in the giant earth system. Which is why I've found myself here working for the appropriately named Wyoming Conservation Corps. Because I know that development of energy and other natural resources is part of a better future, but I also know that the reclamation of those spaces after development will help us bide the time until more creative and less impactful solutions are available.
In my opionion, preservation should always remain on our horizon for reference, but conservation is as close as we can get to finding harmony with land for the present.
Wyoming Preservation Corps doesn't exactly roll of the tongue. The idea of a preservation corps makes me giggle. What would such a thing even mean? Momentarily, I will entertain the concept as the most ultimate preservationist would. Maybe we would all sit around behind desks as assignments were handed to us. I can just picture Tim and Kendall giving orders ..."Go out and meet with this agency. They will have you fence off coordinates x,y through x,y. Oh yea and that will be barbed wire you put up. Suckers couldn't even sneak in if they tried" But really, could such a deep green ecological concept be any more unrealistic?
Have you ever asked yourself, 'if I wasn't here to appreciate these spaces and species, would they appreciate themself?' 'Is there inherent value in land sans human input?'
In my mind the answer is a resounding yes. Every form, plant or animal, serves a function in the system of life. I have no doubt that life, in whatever forms or through whoevers eyes, bears an importance with or without me to appreciate it. From my humble perspective though, the concept of preservation could only work in a world of an extraordinarily small population. In other words, preservation is only reasonable for a few dreamers out there.
And I am not one of them. The realities of the world we live in are without a doubt startling. With a population that is close to topping 7 billion, I couldn't bear to say that any new life does not deserve access to any particular space. I do belive in my civic duty to contribute towards maintaining the spaces that we do have left for future generations of plants and animals(yes, we too are animals) to continue their functionality in the giant earth system. Which is why I've found myself here working for the appropriately named Wyoming Conservation Corps. Because I know that development of energy and other natural resources is part of a better future, but I also know that the reclamation of those spaces after development will help us bide the time until more creative and less impactful solutions are available.
In my opionion, preservation should always remain on our horizon for reference, but conservation is as close as we can get to finding harmony with land for the present.
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