However, I have to wonder how on earth this person made it into my MBA program. She writes terrible, has very little common sense, is extremely biased against anyone different from her, doesn’t grasp basic business concepts, and works as an in-home child care provider and Mary Kaye salesperson. Her youngest child is in her 20’s, so this is not a young person.
Here’s the deal. We are required to post eight times per week in the online forum with posts that are at the Master’s student level. The posts should be substantive, researched, and either introduce a new line of thought or expand another student’s thoughts.
She posts about a billion random, nonsensical posts a week. I have been on her learning team in another class (after the first experience, I request to be moved to another group if we are placed together), and she posts another billion items to team forum chats---PLUS, she wants to have conference calls and IM meetings. Even when there is no team project due that week.
I will now post a portion of a thread which includes our Professor, The Dink, and me, because my own words cannot possibly explain my frustration well enough. (Please note: No spelling, grammar, punctuation, or word choices have been changed to protect the innocent.)
Dr. Lentz:
Good morning all. Please feel free to share your favorite leadership quotes as we continue throughout this course. See if we can also tie in what aspect of leadership the quote may be referring to. Happy thinking!
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” Ralph Waldo Emerson quote
The leadership theory at work here is the behavioral trait theory--where action is required to demonstrate intent. We could also think of the personality assessment possessed by this author. Thoughts?
The Dink:
Golden Rule LeadershipDo to other that you want done to you. The Golden Rule is one of the world's oldest and best-known philosophies, yet it is freqently overlooked in business circles.
Mary Kay demonstrate that this rule is still powerful in today's compicated world.
This quote applies to ethical and moral business management which we have studied in class this six weeks. (Meircee’s note: We just finished our 3rd week of class…how’d she get on week 6 already?)
Reference: Ash, M., K.,(2008). The Mary Kay way; timeless principles from America's greatest woman entrepreneur. Hoboken,New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (Meircee’s note: OK, this reference is formatted incorrectly. However, my bigger concern here is her source…MK, really?)
The real problem in society in regards to the Golden Rule is everyone is afraid the other guy will get him if he doesn't strike first and harder. We tend to assume the worst until better is proven. We don't let the other car pull in front of us because that might slow us down a tenth of a second.
On the other hand, George Bernard Shaw argued against the wisdom of always invoking the Golden Rule: "Do not do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same."
He meant that one should be aware of what others consider best for themselves; what is best for ME might not be best for someone else. There is really no such thing as one-size-fits-all, is there?
Dr. Lentz:
Excellent Meircee. There are two points to delve further on--one is the expectation of cynicism. Because of experience, some of it less than stellar, we become quite cynical don't we? There then becomes this 'eat or get eaten' mentality that simply feeds on itself and takes on a life of its own. Admittedly, I have to guard against being far more jaded than I would like to be. We remember the sting of past situations and begin to take on a more self preservation attitude.
The best defense against this is the "I am not your last boss" mentality. I like to tell my students when possible that I am not their last professor and they are not my last students. The hope is that we can start out fresh without paying for the sins of our former experiences. It is human nature however that this tends to surface.
(2) The second point is this idea of subjectivity and the fact that one size does NOT fit all. This is where the color gray fits into our schema where many things are subjective: rewards, job satisfaction, ethics, respectful behavior (or not) and the list goes on. A good technique with this is elegantly simply--to ask those that you work with. Many conflicts particularly based in misperceptions can be avoided to simply make sure that everyone is on the same page. Send out a survey, have a coffee with your staff or boss (es) and ask about these subjective areas. Most people prefer to know where they stand as there is a great deal of energy expended in trying to figure out what others want or need. Why waste so much time and energy guessing? A simple direct question can often put everyone (back?) on the same page IF someone has the courage to simply clarify.
Great points for us to ponder this Tuesday morning. Cheers!
The Dink:
George Bernard Shaw takes the meaning of the Golden Rule a along a way---away from its simple meaning. (Meircee’s note: Is she really insulting Shaw???)
Its simply mean treat people with care or be kind too people. There is no taste or judgement in just being plain-o (Meircee’s note: WTF is plain-o?!) nice to someone. There is nothing about agreement---- to being kind.
OK, so maybe I am just cranky. But I don't think so. However, I think I’ll wait a day or two before I rejoin this thread….
