DES7062: Leadership and Entrepreneurship Log

 As we close the group work and focus on our individual submissions, Hannah asked the group to answer questions on experience of the project. This was great to see how others felt.  Question 1) Name one thing that went well? Question 2) One thing you have learnt from this project is... Question 3) One thing you think could be improved? Question 4) Name something / one skill you learnt about yourself that you would like to improve? Hannah:   Q1) the final presentation  Q2) not to presume everyone knows what’s happening, even when they say it’s ok Q3) group to me management - the next proj I would start out by doing ‘minI team interviews’ to identify strengths and weaknesses and create proj mgt task lists Q4) my communication skills, I’ve read and practice some of the jo Owen skills and they had a better response in my WBL learner but need more practice in proj groups Tanisha: Ans 1- apart from the final presentation, I believe we all have had a number of personal learnings. This pro

Today the group work came to an end, we presented our final ideas, strategies and presentation to the class and experts. There was five groups all together, each with their own specialisms for CPDs. There was BIM, Sensory Design, Sensory Design for UX in Retail, Design Management and Conversation.  Due to protection, only authorised users are able to view the stream of the session. Click here to view the stream, BCU students and staff should be able to view this. Our presentation is at 1hr 9min, followed by feedback from experts. I usually prefer to volunteer to go first for presentations, as I prefer the over and done. Otherwise I tend to get more nervous, compare the work more and overthink. However, as each group approached the group different with different specialisms, I felt more relaxed.  I was really pleased with the outcome, I was proud of the group, our work and myself! Presentations are not usually a struggle for me, I can channel my nervous well and as we had prepared what

2 days until our final pitch. We had a morning meeting with Nick, an expert for our CPD specialism. We presented what we had, the original powerpoint but there were no further adjustments. Nick, gave plenty of useful feedback and commented on the presentation. He stated how we should focus on being hard hitting, communicate visually and bring design management to the CPD. This then lead back to our previous discussion. I could see frustration and impatience on Hannahs face and tone. There was length debates, discussions and wasted time. Reflecting on Jo Owens (2018) How to Manage, she writes on using EQ, PQ and IQ to resolve conflict.  EQ: empathise, remove the emotional heat of the moment. PQ: agree the common problem, align agendas.  IQ: solve the problem and agree the way forward. By using this method, I was able to move the group forward and get going with the task at hand. I empathised with Hannah's frustration, she later mentioned she is not used to working last minute, usual

Ron Carucci, a expert in leadership, wrote this article for the HBR. This article was extremely eye opening for me, showcasing that EQ needs to remain authentic. Whilst EQ has been used in a manipulative way, "the more common misuses of emotional intelligence are subconscious". Carucci breaks down 3 common counterfeits of leaders using EQ: * A need to be the hero disguised as empathy * A need too be right masquerading as active listening * A need for approval dressed up as self-awareness Carucci highlights whilst why these factors mean well, they are subconsciously acting for themselves. Upon reflection, the first counterfeit resonates with me. Carucci writes "Keenly self-aware leaders detect how others experience them, actively solicit critical feedback from others, and accurately acknowledge their strength and shortfalls. But when fuelled by an unquenched desire for approval, self-awareness can warp into self-involvement".  The author finishes on "Genuinely s

 So, late last night Tanisha created a whole new presentation on Canva. I saw this on the night and replied. I really liked it. There were a few things missing but I just thought we will address it tomorrow. However, at this point I had not worked on my slides on the original presentation (or even looked if I'm honest haha).  In the morning, Hannah made a very valid point. "Just to clarify before I write this I’m not having a go or trying to start an argument, it may come across that way as a message, but i will be writing about it in my reflection log - following the numerous discussions over the last few weeks where its been said that decisions are made without group consensus and it causes a problem with communication, even though those actions/tasks have been completed following meetings where decisions where made openly through the conversation. Our learning from that was the communication was important and we needed to be better at it and that it would be much better onc

Before messaging the team member and my tutor, I conferred with Hannah to see what she thought. I knew I was going to message but I was interested in a second opinion. Hannah agreed I should messaged and offered wording, a way to approach this and then message the tutor. However, I felt like I was just going to message anyway and I did. I messaged my team member at the same time.  After exchanging a few messages, the team assured me the topic is not the same. Saying, "I am certainly inspired by yours but never in my life would I do the same topic". She also said "I know you have worked hard and you deserve all the credits for that. I am glad you directly asked me and clarified. It's better that way than keep misunderstanding". After talking, I was unsure if I should have messaged our tutor, was it too rash? However, I am basing this on trust that my team member is speaking the truth, which I think she is. Our tutor being aware was a safety measure at the least.

 A week before our client pitch. Today, we had our interim show and tell presentation. A chance to receive feedback from experts on our ideas so far.  The pitches themselves went well. On the whole,  our ideas were well received, we received critical commentary from all experts that we were able to work with the improve the pitch.  When receiving the feedback, I made sure I wasn't defensive and listened to the feedback. Within the world of work it is critical to learn how to take constructive criticism. I love reassurance and positive feedback (like everyone), so when one expert only gave constructive criticism I ensured not to take it personal and use this to better our project. The session as a whole was fairly tiring, as we repeatedly went through our project, but it was great learning experience.  Following the session, we  made the decision to create a new final PowerPoint, worked out the journey  alongside  working allocated slides to the correct people. We agreed to then wor

Today, Hannah sent in a mini quiz on Harvard Business Review (HBR) - What's Your Personal Productivity Style? ( https://hbr.org/2015/01/assessment-whats-your-personal-productivity-style?utm_medium=email&utm_source=tgr_newregistrants&utm_campaign=subscribetohbr_gbb&utm_content=engagment5_suboffer_t4&utm_term=touch4&deliveryName=DM128386# ).  It was an interesting group activity. Tanisha and I both got the planner results.  You are a PLANNER. Planners prefer organized, sequential, and detailed thinking. They create to-do lists, set aside time for tasks, and prepare thorough and accurate project plans. They don’t waste time on anything unproductive or unimportant. They comply with laws, policies, regulations, and quality and safety criteria, and they frequently complete work ahead of deadline. Productivity tools that appeal to Planners include:  project management apps like Tom’s Planner and digital lists like OmniFocus, which let them track work by project, place,

Although, I do manage my workload / life well, which is said by my group too. I do feel like there is room for improvement. I have felt like the group work for the brief has taken up most of my time. As I am the only one working at this time, the group are able to work on the live brief and individual submissions throughout the day. Then because it's the only time I can meet, I come home from work and have a group meet / catch up, do what is needed by me and I am done for the day. Because this group work is more demanding, I am also taking on more work, I have started to feel the most stress I have felt in the duration of my masters. This is also due to work, life balance and learning to drive again.  One of my favourite lifestyle influencers, Grace Beverly, has published a book called 'working hard hardly working' which is her guide on 'how to achieve more, stress less and feel fulfilled'. I brought this book via Amazon which I will begin to read to help me underst

 Although the difficult discussion was kinda heated, full of disagreements and blame? We all simply moved on. Come the new week we all had fresh mindset, moved on and no grudges were held. This made progressing as a group easier as well as allowing those to rid of previous concerns.  In the beginning of 'How to Manage' Jo Owens summarises the three types of management for effective leadership which lead into the three dimensions of successful management. IQ, EQ and PQ (political savvy/quotient). The summary introduces the revolution and understanding how this came about.  Rational Management  When there was civilisation, there was management. It began to evolve within the Industrial Revolution, "large scale operations require large scale organisation". The early management style, following the army style strategy was the command and control. As theories and disciplines evolved, management followed suit looking for the key of management success.  The main theories behi

 Today was an interesting, difficult conversation within the group. Now, I cannot share the whole conversation due to privacy and the length! However, it began with a team member writing: "Guys I need to ask you something? Is there any issue that u have with me? Like am I doing something wrong or not doing something that i am expected of? If any of u have anything to share about me in that regard, please do let me know. We are all here to learn. I too want to know and change things abt me that are not right.  Currently i am feeling a certain tension in our group. I dont know if its just me or not? If anyone else is feeling the same I believe we must discuss and clear the fog.  This tension is honeslty very demotivating. I am feeling like i am unable to contribute much as I am maybe unable to think on the same page as the rest. No matter how much I try, my ideas seems to be irrelevant.  Even I am trying to rationalize your way of thinking and understand your perspectives. My w

  Working with two international students is a great opportunity to work on my patience, which has been tested a few times. Last week, there was work missed, which resulted into Hannah and I picking up the remaining topics and finalising this. This is no issue, as mentioned before I lack trust but I trust Hannah. As we wanted to move on, we both divided up the missed work and progressed forwarded. Although I am not afraid to say no or speak my feelings, I do avoid what I THINK is unnecessary conversations about work.  My Dad is a very curious person and interesting in humans, feelings, mind and body. He is currently studying a course in Humanistic Counselling Skills. He is the hoping to process into psychotherapy. He is also a qualified yoga instructor and has experience working witihn mindfulness. Having a catch up, I told him about the module and self-reflective log. We were also talking about Transactional Analysis (the ego states) and how childhood experiences can shape who you are

There is an argument if women should be allowed 'period leave'. I think this is relevant because your menstrual cycle can have a huge influence on your emotional intelligence, which then impacts your intrapersonal and interpersonal skills . Period leave is a legal entitlement in some countries mainly in the Asia continent. In the article, 'Should Women be Entitled to Menstrual Leave?' by Batar, S and Jain, V (2020), highlights the controversy around the topic as some argue this is progressive and others believe it is regressive. However, it does 'acknowledge that women are biologically different from men, and require affirmative action to accommodate a practical need during menstruation'. Although Asian countries and cultures may differ from Western cultures and the UK, the reasons women may not chose to take days off are 'complex and culturally diverse'.  Batar, S and Jain, V (2020) state that in Japan, menstrual leave is unpaid which means not all can