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!