Group Paper, Laura Ann

I completely forgot to print this out- I will print it out and bring it to you!!

Group Presentation Paper

Throughout this semester our group has been working on a presentation that centers on the advertisement world. We decided to take an in-depth look at how women are portrayed through advertisements spanning from the late 1950’s to today.

We wanted to see how our topic related to our class and ended up finding out more than we thought we would. There were several similarities that we found. Wilson page 75 describes motherhood as one of the hardest and least (money wise) rewarding job. This is something that we found of interest because most of the older commercials that we found were portraying women as homemakers rather than businesswomen. It would have been a sin for a woman to work rather than to be a mother. In our class we have learned what hardships women like, Alice Paul went through to advance women to the point that they could be considered equal to men; and these commercials show women solely as homemakers- chipping away at everything the women before them had done.

The sexual nature that advertisements uses create a false image that causes women to feel like they aren’t good enough. “’Companies rush to create emotional relationships… centered on idealized notions of how their bodies should look and what they should buy.’” (Wilson, 123) This shines through the whole presentation spanning from the late 1950’s until today.

We have also included advancements in advertisements, for example Dove- the soap company is working hard to make sure that women of all ages love their bodies for what they are- not what society tells them it should look like. “The Dove Self-Esteem Fund was developed to help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes.” (Campaignforrealbeauty.com)

I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about leadership through this project. I have learned that if you see a problem, you should work to fix it. There are so many different ways that we can help get the word out about this ongoing epidemic, and we hope that this presentation will bring light to this subject and help our peers see the unequal treatment that women have in advertisements.

Blog Posting, Laura Ann

There isn't any reading due for today and I was sick last week so I missed the speakers. I suppose that I will just blog on the class and what it has taught me.

I have really enjoyed this class because it has taught me how far women have come and how far women still need to go in respect to equal treatment. I think that since the class was opened up with the movie Iron Jawed Angels it really put the class into the feminist mindset. The film was eye opening because I had never realized how much those women went through to help us get where we are today. This class has helped me to recognize oppression and to try and do something about it. Our group project has also helped me see how women are used to sell products. It never occurred to me before that women were used to sell things- through advertisements. In our project there are different advertisements and commercials going back through history that show how women were told what they were supposed to do (be homemakers) and use sex appeal to sell products. The project really helped me to put into action what we have been learning this whole semester. I have really also enjoyed all of the guest speakers- I am really sad that I missed the last one. They have all taught me something about leadership and the advancement of women. The common theme that they all passed on was passion. If you dont have a passion for what you are doing, then why are you doing it? I really have enjoyed this class and I hope that you continue to offer it so that other students (maybe even a guy or two) can learn from it what we have.

Helen Samhan (Katie LN)

As Shannon said, Helen Samhan did not really discuss leadership directly. However, she did discuss an issue, which affects leaders and really anyone on a basic day-to-day level. It is important to talk about who we are and how we impact the people around us and how they impact us, which seemed to me was a large part of her discussion. Also, it is beneficial, to everyone, when we learn about cultures and beliefs other our own. From the very involved discussion we had in class, I think people were learning from this and definitely benefiting from.
It was interesting to hear the different statistics she gave about what American’s want & value versus what Arab speaking person’s want & value. While I was not surprised by the information, I can see how many it would surprise so many people. Finally, watching the film was really interesting. It was good to see the different the perspectives the women had.

She was by far my favorite speaker. It was really interesting to hear the history of how the Arabs migrated to this country. I did not realize that the earliest immigrants likely had an easier time adjusting to the American lifestyle, compared to later immigrants. One would think that with more knowledge about other countries and better means to communicate, it would have been the other way around. However, it made sense considering a majority of the earlier immigrants were not Muslim.

Last Post: Helen Samhan (Shannon)

As you all know, from my previous reflections on our guest speakers, I have really enjoyed listening to how these influential women first became interested in their own leadership potential. When Helen Samhan spoke to us though, I noticed a distinct difference between her and our other guest speakers because she didn’t really speak of anything specific (an experience or a person) that triggered her interest in her own leadership. She did mention something about her mother’s upbringing that might have contributed to how she was later brought up and the kind of confidence that was instilled in her at a very young age. Samhan talked about how her mother was one of five daughters growing up in the 1920s and how her father encouraged all of them to go out and get an education. This is very interesting to think about considering the time that her mother and her aunts were growing up and how most women were raised primarily to fill the role of wives and mothers. I am sure that this did affect how Samhan was raised and it is probably what made an impact on how she views herself both as a leader and as a woman...

Presentation

Well, I cant send the presentation over email because it is too large... any ideas?

I am trying to send the updated version of the power point out. I think that it might be too big for the mason email... i am sending it from my earthlink. let me know if you didnt get it!

Final section of Exploring Leadership

Although this book was long, and difficult at times to get through, I absolutely loved it and plan on keeping it (rather than selling it) to use as a reference tool in my future leadership roles!
For the last few chapters of the book, I'd like to place most of my focus on the Chapter 14, as I feel that caring for one's own inner-environment is one of the most important aspects of leadership.
The section on Leadership Development as Renewal seems to me not only a great framework for leadership, but definitely a wonderful framework for life as well. I feel so excited by Covey's idea of the 'Principle Centered Leader': "They are continually learning. They are service-oriented. They radiate positive energy. They believe in themselves and in other people. They lead balanced lives. They see life as an adventure. They are synergistic. They exercise for self-renewal." (pp.33-39, 424.)
To take these qualities a step deeper, I think that it would be fair to say that a whole book could be written on how to further cultivate this kind of life style. Currently I'm really exploring within myself, how to be fully who I am, and how that fits in with my relationship to the outside world. I have felt somewhat different from most based on a lot of the questions that I've been asking myself, and feel such a great sense of reaffirmation upon reading (especially) the last section of this book.
A very strong personal belief of mine has always been, that the way we treat ourselves will be directly affected in the way that we treat others. I think that this idea is magnified especially in close-knit group situations. So to pull this idea back into the text, (for me) means that the most important thing I can do to really cultivate the Principle Centered Leader within myself is to first turn all of these ideas inward in the hopes of striving towards increased integration (integrity) which seems to be the foundation of successful leadership.

4 and 5

I was really excited to realize that part's four and five were a lot like the last part that we read in that the Komives book is getting a lot eaiser to read. The social change model made a lot more sense to me than the relational leadership model and the comparison of the two was interesting to read about. There are seven main principals that you have to go by in the social change model and each of these principals are important. Congruence was my favorite one of these seven principals because I really like the idea that streamlining your own personal principals with the ideals and goals of a group can help the group function with a lot more ease. As well, I liked the part where they talked about Ghandi's son finding peace. The principals that were mentioned were principals that I am familliar with because they are very important to the Buddhist religion. Some of these truths are wealth without work, politics without principal, and religion without sacrafice. My favorite was definately wealth without work because I think this is important to reflect on. When you give someone something that they didnt work for, it never seems to work out well. This is really important to reflect on when it comes to leadership because getting something that you didn't work for doesn't pave the way for good leadership.
Part 5 was about change within yourself. Self transformation is also an essential part of leadership. This is also especially important for women in leadership roles because changing and remaining dynamic in your leadership role is always important. I find myself often getting caught up with life and forgetting that in order to be a good leader you have to stay fresh and currnet in your role and change within yourself is really important for this.
thats all for now!

Komives, parts 4 & 5

Part 4 of the text is all about change. The authors attempt to clarify the necessity for change, how to deal with it, why people resist it, & how you can help manage change so people are less resistant. The very first thing the authors wrote about this section is a quote from Alvin Toffler: "'...change is the process by which the future invades our lives.'" (p 325)I loved this quote because while we all know that some change is good, it does not necessarily mean that wee have a choice in the matter. The future is coming at us and we just have to deal, because we cannot stop it.
In chapter 11, Understanding Change, the authors stated that, "Human beings...want to control their environments, and some experience an even greater need to be in control of their surrounding." (p 331) At my previous university I was on student government. After being on for a couple years, a person ran for President & won. However, this person was never on student government before - so had no idea how things worked. She came into the organization she was going to run the place (being president, and all...) however, it was not her job. Her job was dealing with administration. It was actually my job to run the board & meetings. She had a lot of changes to deal with at one time - not only was she joining a new organization, but she took on a leadership role with no experience. This quote reminds me of her: she was struggling to remain in control of everything, because of all the changes she was faced with as well as her false expectations. I think if she had better understood what she was getting into, she would have dealt with it better.
I love the quote the authors used in chapter 12 from Saul Alinsky: “’Change means movement; movement means friction; friction means heat; heat means controversy.’” (p 351) Change almost never comes easy, no matter how many people may be in favor of the change, there’s always going to be one who is against it.
It was also interesting to read about the differences between the Relational Leadership model and the Social change model. I like that the social change model focuses on the “dynamic interplay between” different people and groups. It’s very much related to how we live our everyday lives.

Part 5 of the text discussed development and renewal. I really appreciated the last chapter which focused on the person. On page 422 the authors asked you to list your top five strengths. I did and it was interesting to see what would make them my “signature strengths.” I have been considering different career possibilities and those strengths that were my “signature strengths” really fell in step as necessities for those careers that I’ve been thinking about. From this reading and personal experience, I feel it’s important to find a career that fits in with those strengths so I can have a job that does make me happy.

Nance Lucas & Robin Gerber (Katie L.N.)

I really enjoyed listening to these two women speak. I thought the way they started, talking about their experiences, helped them to make more of an impact (on me anyways).
One thing that I loved was that Robin was open with the fact that she dropped out of college. So many people brush that fact aside when it is part of their story. It is just "go to college," without any room for discussion. But, she is right, college is not for everyone! And that does not mean that you are not smart.
My favorite part regarding what Nance said was her insistence on being happy, making sure that you love what you do so it will make you happy & maintaining a balanced life. As I said in my presentation, & I am sure many other times, that is my biggest struggle. While I know the importance of it - sometimes the execution is not quite there. My problem is, I know what makes me happy - but finishing school is in the way of that and adding to my stress. (sadly) Which is obviously why I appreciated what Robin had to say.

Updated Power Point

I think I have it. I am going to keep working on it and i don't know when I sent it out of anyone else added anything to it. I will bring what I have to tomorrow.

Sarah I

This is a good article, its from the Washington Post, it is titled Sex, Blood, and Advertising.

Washington Post

Here is part of the article:

Krissy Benner of McLean wrote: "Everyday I read the KidsPost with my boys after school. This morning I tore out the KidsPost page to save it for them. I was very horrified when I turned the page over today and saw a full-page ad . . . featuring a smiling man with blood splattered all over his face. How am I going to explain this disturbing picture?"

The Post may be the only big newspaper in the country with a staff-produced daily page for children; it usually runs on the back page of the Style section or just inside. Advertising executives don't monitor what goes on the back of KidsPost, but editors try to keep an eye out for inappropriate ads.

Katharine Weymouth, vice president of advertising, didn't see the ad before it was published. She said she would have tried to change it had she known. Executive Editor Len Downie found out about it late in the evening and alerted Publisher Bo Jones, who felt it was too late to change.

Another questionable ad ran in April on the back of KidsPost -- a full-page body lotion ad featuring a nude woman. Weymouth wrote to an upset reader: "We actually had a fair amount of internal debate about whether to run it and ultimately, decided to take it. We erred on the side of running it because we felt that, while she is nude, it was reasonably discreet. As a mother of three young children myself, I take your point about putting it behind the KidsPost page."

Ads with sexual content draw complaints. Lucy Cooney of the District wrote that one ad was "offensive beyond words. I am appalled." David Brown of Gaithersburg wrote about two more: "Am I the only reader getting sick of seeing all the ads, usually on Page A3 or A4 (this morning both!) advertising 'better sex for life' ?"

Presentation

Does anyone have the most updated part of our presentation?

Guest Speakers and KLM: Parts IV & V (Shannon)

As I have said before in my write-ups about our guest speakers, I really enjoy listening to the stories that these inspirational women tell about how they first became interested in their own leadership. Robin Gerber explained how she dropped out of college, started working, and soon discovered that “sexism was alive and well.” This experience got her interested in women’s organizations like NOW and YWCA, where she found a mentor who saw leadership potential in her that she didn’t see (something that Nance also talked about). Nance Lucas told us how she went to PennState for their pre-med program so that she could become a surgeon. She couldn’t see herself doing eight years of school and she ended up changing her major four times. In one of the courses she took about career planning, she was able to develop a mentoring relationship with a professor who recommended that she go into Higher Ed. Both of these guest speakers had the experience of people telling them that they would make good leaders—they didn’t necessarily see it for themselves.

Chapter 11 was focused on understanding how and why change happens, but it also incorporated many of the ideas that we talked about in class last week. The chapter emphasized the fact that you need to understand yourself and others before you can collectively work toward change, which relates back to the Relational Leadership Model. It seems like change is either something that people embrace or that they resist at all costs—but I’ve also noticed that a lot of times how people respond to change is very dependent on the situation at hand.

Chapter 12 introduced the Social Change Model of Leadership Development which describes the values that a leader must possess if she is to work toward successful change. After reading about each of the values, the diagram on page 360 really gave a nice visual representation of how the values are connected because of the way that they all affect each other. I was glad to see that the end of the chapter was about conflict. I am always looking for ways that I can deal with conflict because I tend to avoid it in any way that I can. KLM say that “dealing, or not dealing, with that conflict can determine the success of the change effort” (378). This is so true! It’s hard to give a successful group presentation when there is unresolved conflict among several members of the group…

Chapter 13 again stressed how important it is to learn about yourself and to know who you are before you can develop a leadership identity to lead others. Then chapter 14 explained how part of being a leader is being able to go through renewal so that you can reach your full potential. I liked when the authors wrote about the woman with the sign on her refrigerator that says: “Don’t should on yourself today” (417). The authors then encouraged us to think of all of the “should” messages that we give ourselves each day. I think that women probably have “should” thoughts more frequently than men, and I know that it is something I do to myself all the time. If I don’t get as much work done as I had hoped to do, I have thoughts like “I shouldn’t have taken that 20 minute break” or “I shouldn’t have gone out with my family/friends.” After reading this section though, I see that these thoughts are a bit unrealistic (and negative!) because those breaks that I take from my work allow me to find the mental energy that I need to come back and finish up whatever I was doing.

Other Dove Websites

http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2005-07-07-dove-usat_x.htm

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/press.asp?section=news&id=3073

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_Beauties

Lindsey Stokes on CNN

CCN Transcripts
AMERICAN MORNING
Aired July 19, 2005 - 09:30 ET

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0507/19/ltm.04.html

COSTELLO: Real women have real curves. That's the message that Dove is sending with a new ad campaign for its firming cream. The company selected six regular women with regular figures for its marketing campaign. The ads, which were not touched up or airbrushed, now appear in magazines and billboards across the country.

Joining me now from Chicago, two of the Dove models, Lindsey Stokes and Gina Crissante.

Welcome, Lindsey and Gina.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

COSTELLO: Lindsey, let's start with you. This was a big casting call. Why did you decide to take part?

LINDSEY STOKES, POSED FOR "REAL WOMEN" AD: Basically, I mean, it's -- honestly, it's just a positive message. It's telling girls, you know, to stand firm and enjoy their curves, or celebrate their curves, and you know, they had let us know, they informed us it's going to be in our underwear, and there's a big controversy. Honestly, we felt that it was really nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, why not just do it, and be real and honest about it, celebrating our real beauty? I felt great about doing it.

COSTELLO: Well, Gina, you got paid very little for doing this, right?

GINA CRISANTI, POSED FOR "REAL WOMEN" AD: We were compensated for time and travel, but really we were participating in this campaign, because we believe in the message. We believe that, you know, beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, so I'm happy to help Dove launch their new line of firming products since they're using it as a means to a really positive end.

COSTELLO: So what's it like, though, walking down the street and seeing yourself in your underwear on a huge, giant billboard?

STOKES: Go ahead, Gina.

CRISANTI: It's unbelievable. It's really inspiring. I grew up not being happy with my curves at all. I know from personal experience that body image is linked to self-esteem. So for me to now see myself celebrating those curves on billboards and in magazines, it really means a lot to me.

STOKES: And you know, I was just talking to Gina earlier about this, I grew up with girls, you know, seeing Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, I mean, these are the girls we grew up with, these models, and it's almost like they're unattainable, you know, and to even be put in that category, as, you know, playing model, I guess you could say it's just so wonderful, and it's so -- it's like a dream almost, and a great opportunity.

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

CRISANTI: I was gonig to say it's a great opportunity to encourage young girls to grow up feeling good about themselves, and that's another really important part of this campaign. And actually by...

COSTELLO: We do hope it sends a positive message.

CRISANTI: Right.

COSTELLO: Lindsey and Gina, thank you.

I want to talk more about this with Kate Betts. She's editor-in- chief of "Time Style & Design," a supplement to "Time" magazine.

Welcome.

KATE BETTS, "TIME STYLE & DESIGN": Welcome.

COSTELLO: And I wanted to get your perspective, too. They seem very proud of what they did. The thing that bothers me about these ads, the women are in their underwear, and I just don't see the point of that.

BETTS: Well, I think the point of that is to show their curves off. And I think the point...

COSTELLO: A bathing suit, perhaps?

BETTS: Well, it could have been a bathing suit. I mean, I think the point was to give them sort of, you know -- to expose their curves and to make it look sexy and somewhat natural. I mean, I guess a bathing suit would give a different message, in a way.

COSTELLO: I guess so. The only thing, too, is they're advertising a firming cream. So if you need a firming cream, are you really all that happy about your curves?

BETTS: Well, I don't know. I mean, the thing that struck me about these ads is it's hard to tell what the ad is for when you first see it, because, you know, they're there in their underwear, and it could be an underwear ad. But I also think that -- I agree with them when they talk about the positive message. I think that's really, really important, and I think that nowadays especially, we're so train to want to look like, you know, a 16-year-old, basically.

COSTELLO: A 16-year-old boy.

BETTS: Yes, exactly. And so I think it does send a really great message. I think that it's going to take a while for people to be untrained that way in advertising. So hopefully this will be the beginning of a trend.

COSTELLO: You know what women say to me? And i've talked to a lot women about this, because I thought it was only me. It's the type of underwear they chose to put on these women. It's strange. It doesn't really look like underwear that most women wear.

BETTS: Right, it's neither sexy nor underwear-ish. Yes, that's true. You think they're going to go to the extreme of putting them in their underwear, make it look really sexy.

COSTELLO: Or attractive. And it's not the most attractive thing to be wearing. And if you have a regular body, certainly you can wear attractive clothes?

BETTS: Right. Well, I mean, they were probably going for a uniform look.

COSTELLO: A uniform look.

In the end, will this really work? Because aren't women buying the ideal when they buy beauty products?

BETTS: Well, that's the problem. I mean, that is the thing with advertising, is you do want an ideal image. You want something inspirational, and even though I think these girls look really great, I mean they are in great shape. It's not like they're flabby or anything. I think that it's -- we're so trained to want to look like a certain ideal, and it's going to take time for us to see a billboard like that or an ad like that in a magazine and say, oh, wow, I want to look like that. That's our instant response to advertising. And so to sort of like rethink that is going to take a little while.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll see what the sales figures are for dove in the future.

BETTS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Thank you very much. Kate Betts joining us on AMERICAN MORNING. Thank you -- Miles.

BETTS: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Well, they're certainly getting a lot of mileage out of it, aren't they?

All right, Daryn Kagan, what do you think of the ads? Do you like them?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I think it's great. Any time you expand the idea of what our woman's bodies should look like. You know, it reminds me, we're having Serena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams, on later this morning. These are two women who are redefining what women's bodies can look like.

http://www.wanderings.net/notebook/Main/DoveAdCampaignARealKnockout

This website has a quote from Lindsey Stokes on it- the woman that I am trying to get in contact with- see below!

Dove model and Chicago transplant Lindsey Stokes, 22, didn't hesitate for a minute when asked to appear in the unretouched ads. Approached at her part-time job at the Gap at 555 N. Michigan, this Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago fashion design grad says the spots were "nothing to be ashamed of. Obviously, you have issues growing up. I'm finding as I'm growing older, I'm becoming more comfortable in my own skin.

"We're real women; we have real curves," continues Stokes, herself between a size 8 and 10. "We're all different, but we're all universal, you know what I mean?"

Robin Gerber and Nance Lucas & Part IV; Laura Ann

What can I say? I know that we are supposed to blog about section IV but before all of that I wanted to talk about our speakers. When they were talking to us they had this presence or something that was so captivating- they just made you want to talk with them and hear their experiences. I really enjoyed all of the advice that they gave us. It was like they were talking to each of us individually, like they were giving me advice. I liked that they were adamant about honesty- keeping your reputation respectable. I like how Nance said that "honesty is the number one expectation of leaders." I completely agree. Being honest fits into my moral compass. I would rather be honest and wrong then dishonest and right- Nance said that "being honest will get you further in life." Take Martha Stewart for example, a really nice lady, but by lying she was sent to jail- rather than telling the truth she lied and faced a worse fate. In my other leadership class a speaker told us that he tells the people working for him: "You can't do anything wrong [that isn't immoral or illegal] that I can't fix." I wish that more people would understand that being honest and hardworking will get you far in life.

Chapters 11 and 12 were interesting. In chapter 11 there is a set of hypothesis of why people are resistant to change- I think that if I am resistant to change it is either because of satisfaction or habit. I am so busy with the day to day that I think sometimes I don't realize that there might be something that needs change. Although somethings don't necessarily need change, everything always changes- its part of nature. I like that table that shows the 8 steps for large scale change because it really lays out what needs to happen to make successful change. Chapter 12 helped me to understand how to be an agent of change. I liked the quote: "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead. That reminds me about Alice Paul. She helped the women gain their political freedom. The common characteristics of leaders that I like the most has to do with Group Values. I think that if a group all has the same values and the same ideologies there will be a better chance that change can and will be done.

Sears Commercial

The new Sears commercial has a women screaming with excitement, it then goes on to say that all those things she has been wanting are on sale at Sears, it shows washers and dryers and all different appliances.. at the end it says "don't just give gifts, grant wishes."

ugh.

commercial

this one is long...but it's a perfect example for the homemaker aspect. I'm sure we wouldn't use it because it's too long...just wanted to show everyone...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWqkIdIKDls

http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/student/98_fall/theory/hornor/homepage.htm

what do you think of this site?

Laura Ann and group

what is the website you use to do the work cited page?
I also can I also get from everyone their phone number and email.
My number is 7038435336

Exploring Leadership Assigned reading

I have to agree with Laura Ann, in that Chapter 4 was definitely my favorite thus far. I know that I've mentioned this before, but I really see so much value in exploring this idea of integrity. I am so glad to see it discussed in this book! Reflecting on some of my strengths and weaknesses (while thinking about my psychological type) I would have to say that I am definitely more comfortable with open-deadlines. In other words, I have much difficulty getting things accomplished on time. I'm trying to figure out this might be considered a strength, but I probably shouldn't think too hard on figuring that out! I know that I am most definitely an extrovert, and feel incredibly energized after connecting with people in a meaningful way.
I also really liked this ideal of "A Person of Character" p. 133-134. I was actually thinking last night about how I could improve in some of these areas (I feel that I'm focusing on these qualities more as strengths that I have, and am improving upon them, rather than focusing on my weaknesses- so as not to disempower myself.) Most of these characteristics I feel pretty solid in, however the idea of accountability (especially with following through, and with deadlines) is a work in progress.

KLM part 2

hey ladies!

I loved reading part II of Komives even though I'll admit I haven't enjoyed much else of the book... This is one of the main reasons that I am looking forward to talking to Nance Lucas tomorrow because now I finally feel like I have good questions to ask her. I think learning about yourself is one of the most important parts of leadership, but one of the parts that people often overlook. Even I sometimes forget that knowing my own strengths and weaknesses is one of the most important parts of being a good leader. I often try to blame others for my lack of good leadership just because they're not listening or because they aren't as excited as I am for any project or group. I loved reading about discovering oneself and understanding oneself is such an integral part of good leadership. It all goes back to that old saying that if you don't love yourself, than who will. I think that same saying applies here, and I think Nance will agree! If you don't know how you lead, if you aren't able to play to your strengths, than where are you really as a leader. This is something from part II that I think every leader should understand and embrace as a part of good leadership.
see you in class!
alli

Group Proj

Hey y'all. I was wondering what y'all talked about yesterday. It seems like the project is coming along well. I am kinda confused as what part of the slides are "mine." It looks like all of the homemaker/housewife slides are done...which is totally fine- but I definitely want to contribute to the presentation. Should we add more slides? Would you like me to do more of the research part? Let me know!

Thanks,
LA

KLM 2, Laura Ann

KLM Part 2

I enjoyed this part of the book (much like the others in my group!) This part talked about how you shape your own personal identity. It made the reader think about their motivations. It is weird because this ties into all of our speakers and most of our interview stories. They all wanted to express to us how important it is for us to discover what we are passionate about, what motivates us. This class, along with my other leadership class is helping me to understand that working needs to be centered around what I love and what I stand for, not around money and fame. The things that I am passionate about have spurred from my values and upbringing...which is also mentioned in the text when talking about how you develop your character. I think that with out the set of morals and values that I have developed I would definitely not be the same person. I definitely think that knowing your self is very important to developing your own style of leadership- with out knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are you aren't able to fill a team of people that work well with each other. I liked that the book pointed out that women aren't the only ones that can be nurturing towards their children- I don't understand why it is hard for society and men to understand that. Just because a woman has the child that doesn't mean that she has to be the sole provider for that child.. men should learn to help... That's all for now!

Komives 2 (Katie L.N.)

This section was definitely a lot easier to read than the others! My favorite chapter was chapter 5. I think understanding others is essential to life -not just being an effective leader or group member. While I do think it is important to understand and respect differences between people and cultures - I think it is equally important to understand and respect the similarities. Furthermore, the same understanding should come between men & women. The authors quoted another in saying: "'...the degree of overlap between the sexes is as important, or more important, than the average differences between them.'" If men and women could spend more time focusing on things they have in common then what sets them apart, maybe we could better bridge that divide that exists in so many different settings of life.
In chapter 4, the authors pointed out that in order to truly understand yourself, you have to ultimately figure it out on your own. (p. 121) I think this is important to remember. Many people rely on others to help them understand themselves. And, while that may help - it can not get a person to the end result.
Self awareness is not only good for the self, but for others as well. The section discussing ethical behavior in chapter 4 states that, "a person of character promotes ethical decision making and expects ethical behavior from others." (p 133) So, understanding the self promotes "good" behavior and in turn not only expects it from others but provides an example, as well.
Furthermore, in chapter 6, the authors states that "'leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.'"(p 194)

Komives

Wed Meeting

To all of the new members: we meet on Wednesday's at 10:30am. We meet on the 2nd floor by the elevators. Please look on both sides, we usually meet on the same side as the program board, freshman center, and women's center. We are usually at a table around the corner from the elevator. Please let us know if you are not going to be able to meet- it is very important for all of us to meet and get on the same page. On that note, I actually cannot meet on Wednesday because I have a doctors appointment in Stafford... pretty crappy. Please let me know what yall discuss and what I need to complete!

A girl wants to join our group her name is Sarah Robinson and she sits next to me. I told her I would ask you guys if it is ok for her to join. her emial is srdoinsf@gmu.edu her phone number 703-395-4779

hay what do you guys think of this? Sarah I

From the begging of time the household and the children were the roles of women.

Society saw women- housewives and takes care of the cleaning, shopping, and the children.

Wives become the responsible for buying, using, cleaning, and maintaining consumer goods. (1980s)

Men were the ones that got the job and their responsibly for the fiancés.

The women were the ones that did all the work in the household so the advertisement was designed to target women they were the buyers.

1947 90% consumers were women

Their job and role in society was a homemaker.

When the producers advertise housekeeping appliances they used women because it was their role in society at that time.

The appliances would decrease their time at one chore and allow them to get their housework done faster and better and time to do other housework at the same time.

“By glamorizing appliances as partners in achieving health and happiness, advertising and design have encouraged women to embrace housework as women’s “natural” calling”.

Lupton, Ellen. Mechanical Brides: Women and Machines From Home to Office. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.

KLM: Part II (Shannon)

I found this part of the book to be very enjoyable and easy to relate to because of the fact that it focused on knowing yourself, getting to know those around you, and understanding what it means to lead ethically.

Chapter four explained how you need to know your own strengths and weaknesses before you can effectively lead others. It also emphasized the idea that rather than dwelling on our weaknesses, we should focus on our strengths. This is the whole idea behind StrengthsQuest, which is a very helpful tool to give you insight into those amazing qualities that you do have but tend to ignore because you spend so much time thinking about how to improve your not-so-good qualities. I found myself nodding my head at one point during this chapter because I could completely relate to it. When discussing how we can reframe our weaknesses to think of them as strengths, Komives, Lucas, and McMahon said, "you may have felt bad when thinking of your personality as shy and quiet, but you might feel empowered to frame those same characteristics as thoughtful and reflective…" (128). Up until a few months ago, I viewed my shyness as a big problem. You never hear people say positive things about being shy so I had fallen into the mindset that being quiet is a negative thing. When I took my first leadership class last fall though and learned how being quiet can be an advantage (listening to and observing the situation before taking action), I have found myself not focusing on it as much. I know that there are times when it is better to listen and observe and I also know that there are times when I have to speak up, even if I really don’t want to. I don’t dwell on my quietness as much anymore (I still do...just not as much...), which in a strange way has actually made it easier to do things like speak up in class.

I also enjoyed the section in chapter five that talked about how we can understand others when it comes to differences in gender. The chapter explained that women "tend to credit their successes to external factors like luck and being in the right place at the right time...[and] they credit their failures to internal factors like not being prepared or not having the right skills or not having enough time" (KLM 156). Men are completely the opposite--crediting successes to internal factors and failures to external factors. This reminded me of when Laura Liswood said that "women are heat-seeking missiles for the negative" and how we will focus on the one negative comment that we received on an assignment rather than realizing that all of the good things we did outweigh that one negative.

I found chapter six to be the most interesting chapter from this section because it raises a lot of questions about the ethics of leadership. In my other leadership classes, I have seen that ethics forms the core of leadership and that ethics are one of the factors that can really make or break a leader. I thought it was interesting to think about the questions that were posed in the "Practical Applications" section about ethical dilemmas--when right-versus-right collide. Truth versus loyalty is one that I could see coming into play quite frequently in situations where you know it is right to tell the truth, but in telling the truth, you might be betraying someone close to you. "Would you turn one of your siblings or your best friend in to the FBI if you thought he or she was the Unabomber?" (KLM 205). I would like to think that I would...

Jerri Bird (Katie L.N.)

While she was not the most outgoing speaker we've had in this class, I think she might be my favorite. I loved hearing about her experiences! I think her attitude on life is just what the world needs - if you see a problem fix it, don't complain. For instance, when she was abroad she had to home school her children; to change that she started a school. This not only allowed her children to have more interaction with other children who had fathers (and maybe mothers) in the Foreign Service, but brought awareness to the problem.
I think the group she formed in Saudi Arabia (I thought that's where she formed this group, but it's not in my notes) is a great example of reaching out and learning about others. The sole purpose of the group was to learn about others so the two cultures would understand each other better. Furthermore, I thought it was great that in forming this group, they didn't take the "little things" for granted. They had groups that talked about parties & politics! Because that's what life's about - not just politics (as important as it may be to know what's going on).
I also thought the quote from the women she interviewed was very interesting and astute: "...American women allow themselves to be sex objects..." It's so true! Things can sell without the gorgeous woman - if someone wants something, they'll but it despite the advertisement not because of it. I understand that advertisers want to entice people to buy things they don't need, but they must not be creative at all if that's the only way they can think to do it. However, that woman is right, shame on women for allowing this to occur. It wouldn't happen if we didn't participate in it.
One of the questions Ms. Bird asked at the beginning of her presentation was, "does success equal leadership?" While I think that her life is an example of why this question could be a resounding "yes!" I don't necessarily think so. There are so many people that are "successful," but what about being successful makes a person a leader. For instance, a person who has earned a lot of money is perhaps successful in their career. But how does that equate them to being a leader? Why should I follow that person just because they make a lot of money. I think too often people do follow the rich, they confuse the idea of success with good leadership, which is likely part of the reason for the many problems our country has.