El Fin>>>

Eggs died, and test number one, eh...I tried,
Imagination was used to come up with jello innovation,
Decisions, decisions, starfish and visions,
Selecting Kurpis as a professor, I can never regret, as this is a class I'll never forget.
I can never say, "Oh it's just another class" and I can't say that blogging was a "pain in the ass."

Blog It...

I never thought I would have a blog. Let alone a blog that was mandatory for a class. It was very interesting as it gave me a place to reflect on my thoughts about certain class sessions during the semester.  A public place to reflect no less but that was cool. I didn't have any issue with anyone viewing my blog and I'm nosy so it was a good way for me to find out what everyone else was up to.


Honestly, had there been no blog, it's possible that the class activities although fun, would've be disposable activities because they would've been done and that would've been it. I wouldn't think about them any further but being that I had to blog on them, I pretty much had to remember highlights of the class and reflect on my interactions which pretty much reinforced the activities.


In my opinion, if one did horribly in the class due to lack of attention to the blog assignments, that would be really f*****g stupid. I don't get it. The professor wasn't asking for Shakespearean material or Pulitzer writing. All you had to do was stay on top of your assignments, contribute to others, and keep it pushing. The blog is easy points. Just needed a little time management to stay on top is all...


I don't know, when the class ends, I'm pretty sure I won't continue on this blog but open up another blog but probably not until I have lots of free time to post regularly because I would hope that my next blog had a seriously dedicated following as I'd like it to be helpful and entertaining.


Words to Kurpis: The blog is good. Continue to have this as a requirement in your classes. Don't change a thing.


Signing Out.

THE BIG C...

On the last class before spring break, we were given a leadership/management profile diagnostic known as the DISC profile.  After the completion of the profile, I found out that I was a Cd. That means that I rank highest in conscientiousness and that my second highest profile characteristic is dominance.


Damn, that test accurately described me. I do tend to be more conscientious. They describe one who is conscientious as on who thinks analytically and tends to be diplomatic, that is definitely me. As far as the dominance goes, I do have a dominant streak. When they describe the dominant person's ability to manage trouble and take authority, I definitely tend to do that as well.


I honestly wished that I was an "I" as they tend to be natural leaders, however, when Kurpis said that he was an "S," I didn't feel so bad because he has been in the management world for years and it didn't hinder his accomplishments. Also, Kurpis also mentioned that Cd's were the most creative people. That was true and made me feel more confident with my Cd profile result. 


I honestly don't think that you can become another type.  I think that your scores may change as you gain more life experience but I don't think that it will change dramatically.  The DISC profile is definitely helpful. Measures such as this can definitely help one understand where someone is coming from and how to interact with them because perhaps you will take different approaches to conflicts and maintain an environment that takes their personality into account. The DISC profile can definitely help in business interactions because you can avoid making other parties uncomfortable. For example, if you know that the person you are about to engage in business with is an "S", you know not to overwhelm them with situations that can be seen as "curveballs" because you will know that they aren't quick to react to unexpected changes.


I do wonder if my score would be the same ten years from now. Hmm..........

The Power Of Vision...

Want to achieve what seems out of reach? - You need the Power of Vision

Want to reach an all time high in your personal and professional development? - You need the Power of Vision

Do you plan on having the life you've always imagined? - You need the Power of Vision

Yes, the Power of Vision. It is the name of my upcoming lecture series that will be coming to a college near you.

For the modest fee of $800 you can be made privy to the secret known as the Power of Vision!!!

Wait before you get excited, I'm just kidding. The Power of Vision was just some starfish love video that Kurpis showed in class. Cheesy? Yes. Actually, hell yes. Informative? Definitely. Message easily conveyed? Yes. Did I learn something from it? You know I did.

Aside from the whole starfish weirdness, the video's message was clear and concise. No vision = no progress. You have to have vision. However, there is more to that. You can't just throw around the word vision.  A vision as to be detailed, inspiring, and positive.

I have visions for my future but mostly personal visions.

They include:

1. Becoming a well-traveled individual that gains an understanding and respect for people of different cultures and learns to appreciate the diversity the world has to offer.

2. Learning to accept my accomplishments and failures and using them as ways to enhance my character and not define me.

3. Beginning my professional life after college with a position that helps me gain insight into the field I pursue which will enable me to serve as a self-employed consultant.

Of course, naming a couple of visions is all good and dandy but what's vision without a plan. So, below are my ways that I plan to accomplish my vision.

1. I plan on visiting every other continent and visiting at least 5 regions of each continent and learning their way of life and internalizing it.

2. I plan on using my accomplishments and failures as learning experiences that will allow my to become a well rounded individual and not only help myself but others.

3. Upon graduation, I'd like to pursue a career in the Human Resources Management field and learn as much as I can until I'm an expert in the field and then branch out and do my own independent contracting thing.

So, that concludes the end of this super long post... What do you think? Shoot...

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

It was Monday. But not any Monday. It was a post test Monday. The good news --- We got our tests back. The bad news --- The lowest score was a 26 and the highest score was an 85. Who got what? Well, I'll just protect the innocent on both sides of the grading scale.


Kurpis then said he was willing to accept our proposal on what to do with the test scores and a proposal of what to do as far as formatting the next test, as long as it was reasonable. It was after that, that the madness ensued.


There were words like curve, and extra credit, and no essay etc. etc. etc. There was a whole lot of noise and no order. But then, there was a time constraint imposed. And amidst all of the chaos, a leader emerged. And then another. And then another. And then another. Words were being thrown around and ideas were being put on the table. There was so much emotion involved and things just got crazy. Some people wanted a curve. Others wanted extra credit. It was a mess. But compromise was met, as the class decided on a curve and an extra credit assignment. We also agreed on how to format the next exam. We made the deadline.


In class, there was definitely compromise, if there was no compromise, there would have been no proposal. There was also accommodation, especially on the parts of those who actually did well. They didn't have to agree to anything.  


How did I handle the potential for chaos during the class? It was basically accommodation because I actually got a decent grade (in my opinion) and was all for those that needed to get to where they wanted to be so they could at least be partially satisfied. However, as the time to submit our agreement and tensions got higher, I tended to be on the avoidance side of the spectrum because I was just annoyed. I was tired of hearing people screaming at us and carrying on about this, that, and the third. I wanted to withdraw from it all.


Now that I look at it in hindsight, another way that the conflict could have been handled is if people realized that it wasn't all about getting extra points to boost the grades we already got. We should of had a dialogue to discuss where we went wrong and then figured out how we could've done better next time and possibly opted to work harder on the next test and get rid of the grades we got on this one. That would have been the best way to deal in my opinion. 


But there will be no next time. And we can't change the past. We can only go forward.

AN EGGS-CELLENT WAY TO PLAN? WELL...UMM...ERR...NOT EGGS-ACTLY!!!

Before I get all into this post, I just want to mention a few things:

1. Congrats to those peeps in the first row that got those 10pts. Definitely well deserved. I saw their egg contraption and said, "Sh*t! I knew I should've sat in the first row."

2. Honorable mention goes out to the group that was disqualified. Their egg contraption was cool. Their egg device made me say, "Why the f#ck didn't I think of that s^it?"

3. Kurpis said that this would be one of the most memorable moments in our class histories. All I have to say about that is, "He ain't neva lied."

Now into the meat of the post...

Let me delve into the failure of my group and relive the horror...

Kurpis asks: Which of the steps did your team actually go through?
A: Well, we kind of had step one going a little bit but not completely. We understood our deadline and that was about it. We didn't know where we were going and were definitely not specific enough.Well, as far as step two goes, we identified skills/talents/and resources to get the job done. We actually had two people in our group that had participated in the egg safety operation program before. "So why didn't you get the extra points?" I don't know...

Kurpis asks: Which did you bypass?
A: Do I really have to answer this question? Oh, I do. Right. So...as far as step 3 is concerned, we didn't generate any alternative ideas...we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of the model we chose and used in anyway. We had that, "F*ck it, it's gonna crack either way." We didn't analyze alternatives and make a tactical plan that step 4 mentions. In fact, we switched up our design at the last minute. Trust me, it didn't matter, that design was doomed to fail too...As far as step 5 goes, we didn't get to take corrective actions and revise the plan because time was up and we were only given one egg to kill...Rest In Peace to Crackhead D. Egg.

Kurpis asks: How do you evaluate your team's ultimate performance given the effectiveness of your planning?
A: Well, considering that we didn't follow the rules of the planning process to a T, I guess I can say that my team's ultimate performance wasn't so damn bad. I'm sure that if we knew better, we'd do better...umm...maybe not!

Kurpis asks: How could you have been more effective in the planning of your task?
A: Well for one, we could've consulted with the group in the first row and skyped a engineering/physics major.  But in all seriousness, we could've probably discussed many more alternatives and communicated a little more.

Question to self: Would you change a thing?
A: Hell no. I think that me and our group did the best we could do and it's all good. You win some and lose some.

DISCLAIMER: EGGS WERE DEFINITELY HURT DURING THIS PLANNING EXERCISE

Try Not to Give "The Thumb" to Your Italian Chef Before Tipping the Waitress from Iceland...

Did you know that giving the thumbs up to an Italian native is the equivalent to saying, "Up Yours!'

Did you know that tipping a waiter/waitress in Iceland is extremely disrespectful?

Well, if you attended class this past Wednesday, you do know that. However, I'd bet money that you didn't know that before class (um, not really, I like my money). In the future, we may have to travel internationally and if the culture of your destination was not researched, you can commit a serious faux-pas. Potientally, a faux-pas that may lead to refusal of services from the company you are trying to pitch to.

Well, as a New York resident, I have encountered situations in which I encountered a culture that was different from mine. Being from Brooklyn, one of my earliest was my first exposure to the Hasidic Jewish community. It was a visible cultural difference.

It was in Crown Heights Brooklyn and I remembered seeing women in these long skirts and turbans and men wearing these black hats with curls on the side of their heads.  They pretty much seemed to stay to themselves but they maintained doing so even amongst the other members of the community that were primarily of African or Hispanic descent.  I asked my mom who they were and she told me that they were Hasidic Jews and that it was their culture to dress modestly and keep to themselves.

Whoa...Can you say culture shock? In my culture, women wear mini skirts and pants if they want to. Women don't wear turbans and headscarves unless they are doing household chores or making some type of fashion statement. Men either have haircuts or long hair if they choose.

That experience of mine falls into the visible culture difference that was displayed. I've never been privy to experience any of the invisible culture differences they may have, as I have never interacted with a Hasidic Jew on a personal level, but hey, the world is small. And, anything is possible. I'd be welcoming of the opportunity.

--- The Rambling MMIT

Hello Distinguished Ladies and Gents (or if you prefer, gals/broads and guys/dudes,whatevs)

Hey lovely people of MGT 3120 (as well as those random people who found my blog after doing a drunken web search)! I am the M.M.I.T aka Mad Manager It Training. But, if you wanna call me by my government name, it's Shaneek. I am a Baruch College student that is almost at the graduation finish line. Hopefully, upon graduation with a BBA in Human Resources Management, I will be taking over all matters regarding human capital at some established company, hiring and firing people whenever I feel like it, building arcades in workplace cafeterias and implementing mandatory shopping breaks in addition to lunch breaks. Okay, that was my ideal post graduation job that probably won't happen but it's cool. I'm sure I'll be prepared for whatever comes my way. eBay and Netflix are my anti-drugs and I hope that you guys have fun following me as I discuss my ups and downs during this MGT 3120 thang...