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.