Last Blog

Wow, I can't believe this is already my last blog... "That was quick!"(By Megumi. K) Autumn term was very busy but at the same time very fulfilling. I had never imagined university to be like this...

I really thank all of you for being great classmates:) And thank you Ken, for being a great teacher:)
I hope to see you some of you in classes we have together!!! And I hope we can organize a date where all of us can make it to a nice end-of-ELA party!!

Busy, Busy, and Busy

Everyone has been so busy with all the work they have to do, and all we talk about is how busy we are. It's almost like we are competing to be the busiest person. Like it's the new craze or something. I don't think I was that busy during this period of time last year. I was probably still able to have those extra ten or twenty minutes in the morning where I could be cozy in bed. But now, I have to jump up to my alarm clock(my iPhone) and prepare for finals when I could still be in my dreams. I was thinking about all this before going to bed last night and than I think, wait a minute, maybe I shouldn't be comparing how busy I am right now with last year. So then I decide to compare myself with others. The other day I met some of my friends at Sophia. And after their school festival, they sent me messages asking if we could hang out some day during these few weeks. I thought they were trying to kill me or something because I just couldn't understand going out somewhere during these weeks. I already have my job, three times a week, three finals, three reports, one essay, and two presentations all in two weeks. I must admit that I was lucky to not be part of the ICU festival committee, otherwise I would have been dead by now...

I know that there are busier people than I am. And I know that I'm not supposed to be complaining about how busy I am. After all, it was me who chose to enter the super busy university... But it just kills me to think that I can't sleep for another few minutes when I wake up in the morning... If it were Christmas tomorrow, I would wish for even just some of my work to disappear! All I want for Christmas is that. But obviously there's like another month until Christmas...

Mr. Kitashiro, Mr. Takeuchi, and Dc. Daisy

Happy Halloween!!! I hope you all got enough sweets and chocolates:) I know everyone's been quite busy with practice for the festival, finals, and reports. So I'll just write a short blog about the guest speakers we've had this week.

Mr. Kitashiro. He is as kawaii as our president. Although he graduated from the university of Keio, I thought he kind of seemed like an ICU student. He explained to us how he went to talk to the president of  the whole of IBM in the States to argue how his customer was right. He would go straight all the way through if he thought what he was doing was right and ask questions when he wasn't so sure about something. I think this has a lot to with ICU's critical thinking. And that pushed him all the way up to the top of IBM Asia.
A lot of the people I meet these days tell me to read books. And so did Mr. Kitashiro. I have so many books I want to and have to read waiting for me, and yet I cannot find time for any of them. Maybe I'm not too great with handling my time... But Mr. Kitashiro made it very obvious that reading was good for you in many ways. Also, knowing about your country. To tell the truth, I know nothing about Japan. Especially its politics and history. The other day, I went to accompany one of Hitomi's foreigb friends(?). They asked us some questions while we were walking down a shrine, but we were both puzzled and quite... It was quite embarrassing and sad to come to know that you know nothing of your country. Hopefully I will not encounter any more of these awkward situations...

Mr. Takeuchi and Dc. Daisy's experiences were somewhat extraordinary and unusual. They kept repeating that they knew nothing about Micronesia, including the language, culture, and people. And the more times they repeated it, the more I came to think that they really really were new to the whole country, let alone the situation. It was very surprising to know that the school was in a vey difficult situation. But it was even more surprising when they mentioned how Dc. Daisy was called the "savior." And how they respected him as he was one of the gods.
Although what Dc. Daisy did was a great deal of risk, I think the career has changed the rest of his life. He was dealing with new staff and a risky university, when he may have been sitting back at a comfortable chair, representing one of the best schools in his own country. I think Mr. Takeuchi mentioned how the right person(Dc. Daisy) was brought in at the right time. Matters could have been worse if he had come in earlier or later. The school could have gone bankrupt completely if it wasn't Dc. Daisy. But thank god it was Dc. Daisy at the right time to save the school!

What I learnt from all the guest lectures we have had so far, is that every one of them is very different. They operated their leadership in their very own way and managed to succeed. But one thing I have found in common is that they all have a very good sense of humor. Every now and then, in between their presentation, they would say a little something that would make us grin. They obviously weren't the funniest of jokes(no offense), but it made their speeches much more entertaining and easy to remember. Although we have read through the list of tips of Shackleton's leadership, I think the most important that may be true to every leader could be to have that little bit of humor.

Junko President:)

Very interesting lecture indeed. One of the best I've had so far in Autumn term. And by far the cutest person I have ever met on campus. After her hilarious but interesting and grateful lecture, I feel very proud and glad that she is the representative of our university.

Before actually meeting her and listening to her lecture, I had only heard her speech at our matriculation and saw a written interview with her and another president of some school on a magazine focusing on 受験(juken). From these sources, I had thought of her as the "women version" of the traditional Japanese presidents with long meaningless speeches... (Sorry for that Junko sensei). But I seem to have been wrong. Just like most of us, she was an ordinary high school student who had doubts about the 受験 system and therefore Sophia which was, back then, different from the other common Japanese universities. To pursue her wish to further study social linguistics, she moved herself to Penn Uni, which was kind of like her turning point for the rest of her life. She met a professor(I think she might have said advisor?) who she could rely on, studied her favorite fields, and made it to apply for a job in Japan. Working at Keio led her to come to ICU which has made her what she is right now: President of ICU.

Although she may have been just lucky in some points of her life, I think there is a lot to learn from her experiences. First, I think we really need to respect and cherish the relationships we have with others. Whether it be like an ordinary family friend, or an advisor of university, we never know, they could be our fairy god mother(or father) that has the key to change our lives forever. Junko sensei first travelled to the States, Connecticut just to meet her father's friend. But what she saw experiences was much more than just that. She had the opportunity to see the women's liberation movement in New York, which has been one of her motivations throughout her life. Moreover, her intimate relationship with her professor (advisor) at Penn Uni, allowed her to apply for Keio Uni.

Secondly, she never forgot to give up. She chose to apply for Sophia University even though she had a 50% chance of failing the exam. She chose to leave her family and country to pursue her dreams of studying her favorite fields. She didn't believe that a president of a university had to be a man, and became one herself. Her life events aren't normal experiences every girl would have done(or do). But I believe she managed to go through all of this because she never forgot that she could do or become anything she dreamed of. Just like the the famous Walt Disney's words: "If you can dream it, you can do it"

Thank you, Junko sensei:)

Cha Cha Maru

Reading about Lightning up, I was thinking about what would lighten me up no matter what sutuation I would be in. I haven't been able to come up with a perfect answer yet, but what popped in my head was Chachamaru. Chachamaru is a dog(shibaken) who used to live in front of my house. He isn't our dog, but he would often run out from the windows of his home and run into our garden. He would look me in the eye with a guilty look but still ask for food. 

He doesn't live in front if our house any more but I recall him being one of the joys in my life. Even if I had had a bad day, just by looking at him would jusr lighten me up. And thinking of that made me realize how celebrating and cheering up aren't the only ways of lightening up. Just by seeing or meeting your loved ones can also be away of lightning up. If you're feeling down, or want to just cheer up, maybe you should think about seeing some one or some dog you would feel good after seeing:)

OK, that was like a really silly blog post but it's probabaly because it's a Saturday night... 

Chapter 8 Lighten Up!

Find Something To Celebrate.

I love celebrating. It's one of the most cheerful and pleasant times in life. However, sometimes I find it hard to celebrate something or be happy for someone when I'm not in that mood. It can make me feel nervous, anxious, or even angry. I definitely cannot find something to celebrate in every moment of my life. So it's quite astonishing that Shackleton and his crew members would bring up something to celebrate every so often in the grimmest situations. They didn't just celebrate the happy moments that occurred during their trip; hardship, too, was changed into a reason to celebrate. And again, what is quite interesting is that the crew members went along with this idea. Like I said, I wouldn't be able to celebrate or cheer even if the leader of my team had encouraged me to. I don't really know whether the crew members were able to do it because of Shackleton's leadership or whether they were just optimists. But either way, I think it's something we(espesially busy Japanese people) need to think about. You can see how there is hardly no joy when you are on the Chuosen or even just walking through Tokyo. Maybe we should try some of the things we saw in Megu's video that we saw the other day:) 

TED:) Not the bear LOL

Ever since Rab introduced us to the TED or TEDex presentation videos, I've been really interested in them. Some of the presenters are very serious, and other are not. Some of the topics are very useful and some others are not. Here are some of the ones I like!!!

This one is called the "Art of Misdirection." Apollo Robbins calls himself one of the most intelligent thieves. He is indeed! I won't give it away, just have a look and see what he does as a "presentation"!

I watched this one because the title looked so interesting...: "How I held my breath for 17 minutes." David Blaine just talks and talks and sometimes drinks about how himself holding his breath. I didn't really think he was one of the best presenters but he surely had something that would attract me. Have a look!

Now, here's something very interesting. This is one of the serious one with a very strong message. Elizabeth Loftus is a psychologist who studies human memory. Her experiments are truly interesting. This is something you should definitely watch if you are interested in how the human memory works.

These three are just a part of my recommendation. There are many other, but I guess I'll leave that for the next time. If you have time on your hands, check it out:) Oh, and if you have any recommendations too, please let me know!!!

Chapter 7: Conflict

Conflict. Chapter 7 provided us with examples of how Shackleton dealt with conflicts and anger during the expedition. Taking into consideration that the expedition lasted for about two years, it is quite fascinating to know that Shackleton managed his anger and conflict among the crew members. I would so not have been able to do so. I argue and fight over everything with friends and family. From the smallest things: like fighting for the remote controller, to major decisions: like whether we should move to a new house. But, obviously, these conflicts can be handled with no problem. In the end, they don't really have any effects on our lives. However, on the other hand, Shackleton's crew members were fighting for their lives. Whether it was a biscuit or a cup of hot milk, everything was so special and precious that disputes and conflicts could have often occurred. But unlike the crew members of Karluk, no one was killed.
What amazes me, however, is not how Shackleton was good at handling such conflicts. I have seen and encountered leaders who are good at doing away with conflicts and arguments. But never have I seen someone do the same under extreme conditions. Conditions where a single decision could lead to someone's death... Imagine being on a rocking ship with icy cold water coming in every so often  for two years. Then imagine you are starving and freezing cold. Would you be able to stay calm and solve conflicts amongst your followers? Equally share the amount of food you have left instead of taking bigger portions because you are the leader? I don't think normal people(or even leaders) would be able to do what Shackleton did. Shackleton managed to handle the conflicts and even decrease them in the long term. He always managed to stay calm whatever the situation was and dealt with every problem the best as he could.

The Moose Metaphor. Before reading this chapter, I was flipping through it, and I saw what I thought was like a picture of a deer. I wasn't quite sure what the author was up to, and to be honest, I don't really understand why he used the metaphor of the moose, even now that I've read the entire chapter. And I'm not questioning how he should have chosen some other animal. I just personally don't think the moose metaphor is that easy to understand nor easy to replace it in real-life situations... But it's funny because the author says that it seems to be working... Is there something wrong with me? Maybe I should come up with a better metaphor! LOL!

Shackleton

Finished reading the chapter of optimism and the two ones after it. I think I'll mainly focus on the chapter about optimism. After reading the chapter, I was quite impressed with Shackleton's leadership. Although the dire situation, all crew members followed Shackleton's belief in that they would make it back to their homeland. The chapter describes how Shackleton's optimism was what led the expedition to keep having their hopes high. However, Narumi posted a very different view on her blog. I won't explain her ideas, if you are interested, just go and see her blog. When I read her blog I understood what she meant, but did not completely get persuaded. However, my point here is that, after being exposed to Narumi's argument, I started to feel that the book(this chapter) lacks information to support its idea on Shackleton and his great leadership. Maybe there are more precise reasons and explanations of why the author thinks his way in the continuing chapters, but when we just look at the one on Shackleton and optimism, it kind of rushes to the conclusion without much information or related examples. (I tend to jump to my conclusions too...) And I could totally understand how Narumi would think that way.

Next chapter. Stamina. I guess there isn't much to say about this chapter. But reading about Shackleton and how he didn't take much care of himself compared to his crew members reminded me of mothers (in general). I think there are a lot of mums out there who care and love their family, but don't treat themselves the same way. And thinking about mums made me realize that they could be leaders as well. Although maybe just a leader of a few people, and although we don't really think of it this way, it makes no difference. They could be one of the closest leaders we spend time with everyday.

Next next chapter. The team message. Although it seems very simple, I think a lot of leaders have trouble making their followers focus on the team message. Whether it be the main values or just a rule the members are supposed to follow. But as the author mentioned, I think leaders and group members work the best when the group as a whole manages to share some kind of identity.

I think I want to sleep now... I'll write the rest(if there is any rest) on my next blog...
Goodnight everyone:)

Negotiation

We're done with negotiations!!! One of our key points was that compromise isn't the best way to end a negotiation. We should always be thinking about win-win and what outcome would be the best for both ourselves and our partners. During our discussions, however, some people mentioned how real life negotiations wouldn't be as easy as the ones we did in class. A lot of the times situations are too complicated to be win-win, and other times we just want to win, no matter what our partner's outcome may be. I totally agree. And I think one of the most complicated situations are at levels of negotiations amongst countries. 

For one thing, the negotiations nations handle, deal with big and complicated subjects and issues. Most of the times, these subjects and issues contain financial problems which could even easily change a country's status. Therefore most of the time one country gets what they want and the other gets nothing. Or in some cases, there is no conclusion at all. If we take the negotiation of the Northern Territories between Japan and Russia as an example, it is easy to understand that coming up with a conclusion where both are happy is very difficult. Both sides care for the advantage of having the islands. And it is whether they get the islands or end up with nothing at all. That is precisely why Japan and Russia have been on this topic for decades. The negotiation seems to go no where even though both sides are willing to solve the problem. Same goes to many of the other international negotiations. It is very rear to reach a win-win conclusion, or even just a conclusion.

Secondly, there is the case where one side does not consider the necessity of a negotiation. For example, North Korea has closed its doors to nearly all negotiations dealing with their use of nuclear weapons and world safety. Neither win-win nor compromise can be met simply because no negotiation is held. 

Just to wrap up the mess I have above, I'd like to mention that in some situations, negotiations aren't as easy as the ones we practiced in class (obviously...). In some cases negotiations do not work as smoothly, or in extreme cases, negotiations are simply just refused. But even though real life may seem harsher than in-class practices, I hope to keep in mind the fact that some people have been successful at negotiations. 

random blog!

I think we were told to publish to blogs a week: one about the book, and another that could be about anything. Am I right? Not too sure but here's a random one.
Some of us were at gakki the other day talking about Mako-sama. A few of us had already seen her around campus, and someone had even already talked to her!!! Unfortunately, I have not seen her around campus nor have I spoken to her. However, I am really interested and curious about her and the imperial family. In fact, I have been in love with royal families and imperial families from around the world, long before I knew Mako-sama entered ICU. I love listening to their speeches, watching their wedding videos, looking into their family stories, as well as to what they wear and what kind of life they live. It has just always been very fascinating. As for Mako-sama, I've heard rumors about her life in ICU. SPs, drivers, her fashion, what classes she takes...etc... All of this stuff really interests me, but to know that she could be in a same classroom as me, taking the same class is just another feeling. Just wow. She used to be one of the people I would see on TV when it was her birthday, a person who lived in a completely different world. It's kind of hard to believe that we belong to the same university. Oh well, I hope to see her someday:)))

chapter 2

It would be difficult for followers to follow their leaders if all they did was move their mouths. Shackleton knew this very well and demonstrated what needed to be done as well as explaining it in words. ''Action is louder than words.'' I believe that this is something we should all keep in mind whether or not we become a leader in the future. 

Most of us prefer not to be told what to do. Whether it be our parents, teachers, or bosses, it certainly isn't a pleasant thing. I remember a class leader in elementary school who used to always shout "Clean the classroom properly!" Everyone would do so hesitantly while wondering why she herself wouldn't "clean the classroom properly." She was the teacher's pet but obviously not a wonderful leader we all respected. After reading chapter 2 and recalling my experience during elementary school, I reconfirmed that real leaders aren't the ones who just stand there waiting for their followers to act. Real leaders are those who are willing to move themselves too. (wow, I can't believe I just went on and repeated what the author was talking about. haha.)

However, some people still believe in leaders who demand things and point fingers sitting in their chairs. Leaders who remind me of the "old Japanese oyaji." These old Japanese oyaji leaders remain in some of the top companies of Japan as well as in the family and neighborhood. They tend to have a big room followed by a big desk and chair. They come to work later than their followers, and often misunderstand that they have control over them. The word "bossy" fits them the most. But a lot of followers have decided to follow them despite their nasty character. I think it is the Japanese tradition and culture of respecting your boss that makes them follow their leaders. They were brought up to believe that bosses are bosses and that obeying their orders was their duty. 

It certainly isn't easy to change a country's tradition/ culture or a person's discipline. They've been there long before they were even born. They see it as a normal thing even though they may have complaints within themselves. And therefore, some are still stuck with their bossy leaders and a lot of stress. 

Although it probably will not work with the Japanese tradition and culture, I was wondering what would happen if some old Japanese oyaji leaders read the book. I guess they wouldn't change a fraction of their leadership, but it might be interesting to know what they think of it...

Snake eggs

Yesterday we had another class of negotiation skills. This time it was a little more complicated than the oranges because we had more people in a group and we each wanted different things. But surprisingly we managed to win-win the situation and each be happy with what we achieved. What was more important was the process of our negotiation. In order to successfully achieve what we wanted, we had to exchange information and find out the best(win-win) solution. It was rather easy to do so because we had all our information written on a piece of paper. But imagining real-life situations where there is much more information including numbers and difficult names just gives me a headache...
We see a lot of dramas theses days where Japanese salesmen in black suits run around to attain their negotiations. In a lot of these scenes I realized how they come back disappointed. Imagine real-life. I don't think things would be better in real life...

Although this is kind of random, I'd just like to refer to what Yuca wrote in one of her blogs. She mentioned how leadership is not always a natural talent, and that it could also be nurtured. I strongly agree with her when looking at my sister. My sister was one of those girls who would rather read books at home than go out and play with her friends. She used to have very few friends. But that changed before entering high school. When she was studying and researching for her group discussion for her entrance exam, she realized that she needed to stand out to leave an impression amongst the teachers. And so she came up with the idea of taking the chair of her discussion group. She practiced how to organize multiple opinions and tried to have control over the whole discussion so things wouldn't go all over the place. And she actually entered her first-choice high school. Now she's a member of the school council, one of the leaders of the whole school. So I think this would be an example of how leadership can be nurtured. She once used to be the very quite girl who always preferred to stay behind others, and now she's co-leading a school.

Shackleton

That Shackleton managed to come back alive with all the crew members from what seems like an extraordinary journey is astonishing. As the author says, it is indeed quite interesting to analyze what made Shackleton a good leader, but I still have doubts on whether his leadership should be an example for us. We live in a completely different environment with different situations and challenges. Most of us would, never in our entire lives, experience what Shacleton went through, not even something similar to it. Moreover the more "real-life" examples that refer to Shackleton's leadership also seem very exceptional to most of us...

This is what I thought while reading the preface and chapter 1. But don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy reading what Shackleton and his crew members went through during their expedition!!!

Wednesday's class!!! I was curious of what we were going to do for class that day because Ino-Ken was playing around with oranges. haha. But they came in very handy... I guess... 

Together with leadership, negotiating is not my thing. I would rather wait for my partner to give in or otherwise give in myself. I always thought it would be less trouble that way. But today's negotiation practice made me understand that compromise isn't always the best solution. A little thinking may do both sides good! Maybe I should try it with my sisters too...

First Week

When I read the article on posture and the positive and negative effects it can give us, I instantly recalled the feedbacks Rab gave to me after my presentation. He pointed out how I would often fiddle with my own fingers, or look at the wall when I should be looking into the listeners' eyes. He suggested I quit doing so because it made me look unconfident about myself and unprepared for the presentation. Obviously, none of the gestures were done on purpose. However, unconsciously, I was giving out these negative messages which probably reflected on my scores. 

It was interesting to read and to know that there are studies in the States that actually focus on such human behavior and the outcome of their tasks. What more, so many of these studies conclude how body posture can boost power at work. It seemed that the article was proving what Rab pointed out to me after my presentation.

First week of RW finished and everything seems well so far. To be honest, at first, I really didn't understand why Ino-Ken made us greet him all over again or why he explained he chose a blue shirt...(sorry Ino-Ken) But now that we've gone through some articles and read the first few chapters of the book, I now understand the main theme we'll be exploring and studying throughout the term. I will be looking forward to our classes, as they seem very interesting and very different from what we did with Rab!

First Class:)

While reading the article, I recalled how most of the times, I would be one of the followers rather than the leader. Leadership has never really been my thing... In any case, the article was quite interesting. One thing I was quite sure of, (and what my discussion group was quite sure of) was that it focused on American leaders and not Japanese leaders. In order to achieve good performances, Japanese leaders would probably have a tense look to pressure their followers, and not a great big smile. But if the 'Japanese tradition' did change, and leaders were to be more friendly and lovable, maybe our GNH levels wouldn't be as low as they are right now. I wonder, though, how many leaders in Japan are willing to make the change... Not a lot, I suppose...

This video clip became quite famous when it came out! A Southwest Airlines' flight attendant making his emergency instruction announcement. Might have to do with Herb Kelleher and his style of working!