MSLD 521_A521.3.4.RB - Personal Reflection

I do not talk about it much (unless asked), however, I was bullied for most of my childhood and some into my teenage years. Growing up, I remember an old children's rhyme that said "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"; while this statement is noble in nature, it is not accurate. I think a more accurate take on this phrase is "sticks and stones may break my bones and words will forever impact me." I am not saying that we have to become the words that are spoken over us, I am saying it is easy to believe that you are what people call you; it is even easier to believe the negative words when you are a child.

I cannot speak for anyone else but I like to think of school as a character-defining place. As children, we tend to easily believe what we hear; we also think that bad moments will last forever. So, I was the kid who experienced a lot of negative words and physical acts that hurt me. However, if given a choice, I might have taken more of the physical bullying as most physical damage heals faster than emotional abuse.  Sometimes I wish I could tell child-Melissa "this will pass" or "don't believe what they are saying" or "they have no idea what their words are doing, in the meantime, just know that this is not who you are". I have a lot of things I would tell kid/teen Melissa so that those thoughts would not carry over into adult Melissa's thought life.

The last two years have been incredible for me as I have been seeking recovery from childhood incidences and the way I think about myself. I have learned that the way I think about myself will ultimately impact how I see and treat others. Before seeking recovery and making changes, a lot of my team-based interactions were people-pleasing centered. As a result of that kind of behavior, I said and did things to keep the peace; however, if was a faux-peace as my motivation was to maintain approval instead of offering help that may have been needed. I wasn't myself in team settings because most times, I didn't think my voice mattered.

Two years is not a lot of time to clean up the damage of years of bad thinking, still, many positive changes have happened over the years. For example, I know that my life and words have value. I no longer feel this consistent inadequacy in my interpersonal interactions; I now have a voice and opinions that are worth hearing because they matter...because I matter. Now I am able to communicate what I am feeling even if it is a criticism or thoughts that conflict with other teammates. Because of my childhood experiences and the faulty thinking that I allowed to rule my life, I have to learn how to interact with people in ways that are respectful to me. In the past, I would avoid conflict and confrontation because I associated conflict with abandonment. I thought that if I disagreed with people, they wouldn't want to be around me; that kind of thinking can negatively impact a team-based environment. Thankfully, my thinking is better as it now reflects the truth of who I am. I am now able to communicate in a way that is both honest and goodwill-based.

MSLD 521_A521.2.3.RB - Danger of Stories

Adichie's message mainly focused on listening; however, not the kind of halfway listening that we are used to; Adichie spoke about listening beyond the first listen. I think it is easy to hear, watch, or read a story and believe it without knowing that we are only hearing a single story.  After listening to the single story, we begin telling the story as if it were fact. Unfortunately, sometimes there are missing pieces and the story only has one side; we then unintentionally accept that one person's narrative...therein lies the danger of stories.

What's unique about Adichie's story is the way she voiced it. As an author I am sure Adichie knows how to create stories that invite listeners to participate. For example, in crafting her TED Talk, Adichie clearly communicated her purpose and the ideas she wanted to present (p. 64); her ideas were general enough to be understood but specific enough to personally touch the listener. Additionally, Adichie engaged the listeners by telling a true story. Denning (2011) noted that a true story is something that has already occurred and something of which the veracity can be checked (p. 67); Denning (2011) also said the truth of a story can shake the skeptics out of their complacency (p. 67). For example, as I watch the audience during Adichie's talk, I saw their engagement and non-verbal agreement (shown by way of a head nod). In telling a story that was filled with purpose and authenticity, Adichie may have moved many to think beyond the single story.

Throughout her storytelling, Adichie took us on a journey of characters which included herself. Denning (2011) stated that in preparing a springboard story, one must identify the hero or heroine; the hero or heroine is not a group, team, or company but an individual (p.68). Although Denning (2011)noted that the protagonist is an individual (p.68), Adichie's stories featured more than one protagonist. However, as a skilled storyteller, Adichie creatively told stories within stories so that listeners were able to focus on one hero/heroine at a time. In her approach to narrative,  Adichie's protagonists were very much like the audience members; her story characters' humanity enabled listeners to experience a sense of connectivity; the audience was able to identify with the hero and heroine of her story (Denning, 2011, p. 69).

I found Adichie's story powerful in that she not only focused on her flawed thinking about one-story listening but she issued a challenge to herself and listeners to consider listening beyond the single story. Adichie's extended her story so that it fully embodied the entire change idea; as a result the audience was able to embrace the larger idea in their narrative imagination (Denning, 2011, p. 71).

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story

MSLD 521_A521.1.4.RB

I am employed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). I am the Associate Campus Director at our Hunter Army Airfield Campus in Savannah, GA. Embry-Riddle's story is unique in that we not only have two large and well known residential campuses in Prescott, AZ and Daytona Beach, FL, we have over 125 satellite campuses around the world. Additionally, students are able to take all classes (if desired) Online; this unique educational model is one of the grandest stories of our organization. The other important facets of our story is that Embry-Riddle is the world's oldest and largest fully accredited aviation/aerospace university; U.S. News & World Report ranks Embry-Riddle No. 1 in Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering ; Embry-Riddle is among the Top Online Educators in the Nation; Embry-Riddle is the Best of Universities in the South; Embry-Riddle is the Best of  Colleges for Veterans in the South; Military Times, Military Advanced Education, and G.I. Jobs publications also name Embry-Riddle a top school for active-duty military and veterans; the College Choice publication ranks Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus No. 1 in the nation for online education and that campus has received Exemplary Course Awards from Blackboard; the Prescott Campus ranks in the top 1 percent of all U.S. private colleges for return on investment, according to Affordable Colleges Online.

The stories above are truths that echo our classrooms and my office as students begin making decisions about their academic futures. While the list is outstanding in length, there is one common theme that encompasses all of the praises listed above: excellence. Because our students are our first priority, providing them with the resources needed for success is our main goal. The resources needed by students include a solid curriculum, proper facilities, and advisors who guide and support them as they pursue their academic goals. 

Most students know who we are and that ERAU degrees standout on resumes. How did they come to know our story?  Yes, there are students who come to my office who know little about Embry-Riddle and to those students, I share the story. Still, what about the ones who already know?  The praises listed above are from our ERAU website; students have access and can read our story on their own. However, I don't think our story is being passed down because of website reading; our ERAU story is being told by those who've experienced the excellence of the university. We are able to tell the story of excellence because excellence is our honest pursuit in every way. Although our organization is not perfect, students know that staff will help as much as possible so that they may achieve their educational goals. 

The story of excellence impacts our ERAU culture in that "slacking off" among employees is rare; slacking off is also properly address by employers which has led to some employees being fired. Since the story of excellence permeates our university, ERAU employees are also treated well. As I stated before, ERAU is not a perfect school but it is a university that has a story of excellence that is consistently told among faculty, staff, and students.

http://catalog.erau.edu/worldwide/about-erau/