In Organizational Human Resources Leadership, I had another group project that had a great learning outcome. In my group project we looked into the gender pay gap in technology.

In order to understand how women play a part in tech and the differences in pay, we explored the reasons why women were not advancing the in the STEM fields. The biggest glaring issue was that women were never encouraged to learn STEM, therefore they were not motivated to pursue a career in STEM.

There are a few women in history who were pioneers in the world of technology, and the list of women who continue to break ground in technology keeps growing. With high performing organizations being held accountable for not having a more diverse candidate pool, the days of women being assistance are soon to become a fond memory of how far they have come.

Even though the meaning of “organizational responsibility” can be broad, the bottom line defines that the actions and polices put into place holds an organization responsible for the success of the whole body by improving social, environmental, and economic performance of all individuals.

Attached is the presentation that gives insight in the gender pay gap in tech and what the suggestions we have found that can change the workforce. Along with the presentation is a paper that I wrote with my teammates on the topic. The paper explores who the women are in the workforce, and shows the salary comparison. We looked into best practices for employment in this field, and also mention that the workforce is now evolving to include more women and minorities in positions that were traditionally held by men.

Organizational Strategy is a very complex process that is heavily detail oriented activity that prioritizes the direction of your business. I have a few artifacts to share that demonstrate the learning outcome from three separate classes.

The first is from Organizational Law. Since I work in marketing, the importance of coming to an agreement needs to be documented in writing. In each agreement you protect the work and the scope of work outlines what the expectations will be in the agreement.

We studied a case about music licensing. This is a topic that is very close to me as I work with licensing houses that permits my company to use the music of many artists in a lot of our videos. Copyright infringement is term that is often brought up in discussions when we look to use the work of another artist and creator.

In Organizational Law, I have attached my brief from the case of Campbell v Acuff-Rose. This was a case that occured in the early 1990’s. This case was an example of how “fair use” under Copyright Act of 1976.

The biggest learning outcome for me was to always have every agreement in writing and have a clear understanding of what the parameters are. I also learned that before you use another persons work, that you need to practice due diligence and make sure you are not “stealing” from someone else.

The second example of Organization Strategy that I wanted to share as my learning outcome was from in Leading Teams. The presentation I worked on with my classmates demonstrates that teamwork is the backbone to an organization being successful.

We investigated professional sports, specifically professional football and basketball. These two sports demonstrate what an organization can accomplish and to use the dynamic of many people that are involved.

I was very fond of this presentation because my teammates and I are not very knowledgeable about sports. So exploring the many dynamics of how the team setting was a metaphor for an organization, and the coach represented the leader, was very compelling.

We covered: behavioral approach, emotional intelligence, the strength in diversity and the correlation between diversity and success.

The final learning outcome in Organizational Strategy was from Leading Organizational Change. While I was attending this class was during the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic effected the globe, there were many other issues that came up during that time frame that also altered the state of the world.

In Leading Organizations, I was part of a team project that looked into the learning outcome for students at Seattle University during this time. The Change Management presentation showcases how in the school of Engineering at Seattle University, the remote learning and work prepared the whole of society to start using web based programs to communicate.

We looked into the following change theories:

1. Nudge Theory – inspiring change through indirect methods
2. S7 Theory – This is McKinsy’s 7s model: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skill
3. Lewin: Unfreezing process, change process, refreezing process
4. Kotter: A theory that requires 8 steps: urgency, coalition, communication, removing obstacles, short term wins, build on change, anchor the change

The change methods that seemed to work best in in the scope of altering higher education objectives was the Lewin theory. The education process prior to the pandemic was having classes taught in person, but when no one was able to convene in one area in close proximity, the Lewin theory supported the process to change the learning and teaching process.

Financial Literacy was actually one of the classes I was the most excited about. During this time I was becoming the Finance liaison for my department. I have a strong understanding that finance is managing cash.

Most people hear the world “finance” and bristle because it entails a lot of responsibility to provide consistent results. However I approach finance as something fun to delve into. My approach to finance is to have a plan and vision.

The plan is to make sure you have enough cash, the vision is to see what you can make happen with that cash.

Working in the video production world, you have your main budget, then you have your working budget. You create a main budget to give an overview of what you expect to spend your money on. Your working budget is your actualized budget you work off of to itemize each expense to make sure you are within your financial range.

In this class I was able to understand what an audit was, how to develop a business plan, and how to read financial reports.

The best part of the class was coming up with a financial business plan. My idea was to create a digital app for devices that would help reserve parking within corporate buildings for their employees. Pre-pandemic, traffic was the bane of many commuting employees existence. Now that we are entering post-pandemic, traffic has started to pick up again.

As more employees are dreading having to eventually go back to the office, I developed this app with their needs in mind. I have attached a concept, and my working business plan. My business plan is still a work in process, however it is a building block.

I am learning what else I should factor into creating this application: how many engineers and developers it would take to design the interface, the pay for this labor, the technicians to install the many things that go into making this idea a reality, and other unknowns.

During the time period that I was attending Diversity and Inclusion we were in the beginning of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19, the death of George Floyd sparked the nations upheaval about police brutality, brought more attention to systemic racism, as well as the injustices people of color experience everyday.

As a female minority, living Seattle, I never felt that my station in life was ever a burden. I was often part of group dynamics at work where I was the only female present. The awareness of my presence as a female and as a minority was not important to me then. I often felt like I was at an advantage to be part of the group rather than the “token person” that needed to round out the situation.

To be perfectly candid, while this course was happening I was very scared to leave my home. As an Asian American woman during a pandemic that brought negative attention to my ethnicity, I became more aware of my station in life, and how that could bring me negative attention inadvertently just for existing.

This course along with the situation happening in my country made me more compassionate towards many other people who don’t get to experience privilege.

I wrote current evens paper that reflected on unconscious bias that happened at a charter school in Oklahoma last spring. This case study showcases how this is one example of how racism is taught, and how many young people are aware of the injustices that are happening amongst their peers.

One of the key areas I thought I was going to be strong in was listening to people.  However in this class I learned that I needed to work on listening to people with patience. In my daily life I have a lot of relationships. My relationships are mostly amongst family, friends and co-workers.

A key thing that holds me back is my shyness. It is still a learning process. In this class I gained the ability to present to a larger audience when I have a leader in the audience. Through the process of learning how to communicate, keeping bullet points in my head of what I need to relay helps me not go on tangents and stay on point.

Recently I had to do an introduction about myself to my whole department. I was nervous and hoping that I could just get through it quickly. But I had an idea to make a presentation that was creative and show who I am. With the skills I learned in Organizational Communications, I was able to create a power point deck to do more of the talking for me.

My digital artifact that I want to share is a presentation that I shared with the class on my decision to go back to school, after having not been a student for many years.

Becoming a student again was a daunting thought process for me. I wanted to pursue a degree that could help me become more confident in displaying my skills. What held me back for many years was I felt too old. But something inside me said that I should not feel discouraged and just try. The biggest regret was not attempting to go for what I want.

I hope to communicate the benefits of higher education at any age.

            

LOOKING BACK ON WHAT LEADERSHIP IS

            When I came into the NCS program for Organizational Leadership, I was doing it to better myself and to build confidence in my leadership skills. I felt like I was a small fish in a big pond most of my life, yet I was being put into positions where I was in charge and people relied on me, my critical thinking, and my willingness to act.  This was a very uncomfortable yet exciting position to be in, which is why I wanted to learn how to be a confident leader.

            A leader to me was a person who was great at influencing others to follow them into the trenches. I don’t think a good leader does things right the first time.  They are the type of person who goes into a situation with the information that they have and just does what they need to do.  Granted, they may not know all of the outcomes, but they are not afraid to get into the thick of things to get a result.

            One thing I learned over these past two years, is that done, is better than perfect.  I get very hung up on the details of being perfect, and making things look pretty.  But when I do that, I can overwhelm myself and then I either don’t finish the task, or I make it harder for my self to maintain motivation.  I don’t know why or how I came to the conclusion that letting go of perfectionism would help me.  The result has been a shift in thinking and the actions have actually improved a lot of my relationships.

            Perhaps by just trying to not control everything, I learned that I can be an example rather than an expert.  And I feel like this has helped me become a stronger leader.  The times I’ve had a hard time building the courage to speak in front of people, and my reluctance to show examples of my finance work have now faded away and are now a memory of how far I’ve come.

REVIEWING MY LPAP PAPER FROM ORGL 3010

            In all honesty, I am not a fan of writing lengthy papers. I’m also not a fan of reading them either.  But I did look back at my previous LPAP paper from ORGL 3010.  During that time, I was undergoing a massive shift in my life.  My health became strained, and I was in a space of uncertainty about my immediate future.  To distract myself from my burdens, I decided that instead of letting go of my responsibilities, I should focus on the things that I can control, and that was my ability to live up to my responsibilities.

            “When a leader sets the tone in productive ways, he or she helps group members perform at their highest levels of excellence (Larson & LaFasto, 1989).” (Northhouse, 2009)

This quote resonated with me a lot during that time.  I found myself able to still keep up with my workload and my schoolwork.  However, I was being transparent with my colleagues at school and at work about my health situation.  I was given the option to step back.  And I know I could have taken advantage of that more than I needed to.  But it was not what I wanted to do.

            I wanted to prove to myself, that I am capable of being able to face challenges that are beyond my control.  I’m not trying to be the hero or the sympathy, but it was very important for me to not let a setback get the best of me.  My teammates in two of my classes were very cooperative and allowed me to step back when I needed to.  At work, my managers and colleagues stepped in to take a few of the daunting tasks off of my plate so that it would become a mountain of work for me to come back to.

            From this whole experience, I learned to value the importance of teamwork.  I know that teamwork is important and that the basic concept is that everyone does their part to get the job done.  But what I really learned was that you can really rely on your team, as long as you do your part if you need to step away.  

Maybe there is a theory about this.  I know that if you don’t allow people to feel empowered and like they are valuable in their work, it will lead to bad outcomes and frustrations.  The valuable lesson in the importance of teamwork is to learn to be ok with not being able to do it all.  

WHAT AM I HOPING PEOPLE CAN LEARN FROM ME? 

            This is more of a question for me than it would be for anyone else.  I learned about me.  There were times where I was doubting myself and my abilities.  I learned that I had to just keep pushing on.  It’s not easy to keep moving, but you don’t have keep making big moves.  The smallest action can have a big impact.  

            I let go of being a perfectionist a lot, however I still have my perfectionist qualities.  I think what people can learn from me is not doubt yourself, and to go easy on yourself too.  If you fail, it’s ok.  You can always try again.  And failing is a good lesson on how to do better.  There’s not needed to feel guilty or embarrassed when you don’t know something either. It’s ok to ask questions to understand what you should do.  From there you can decide how you want to move forward.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ABOUT LEADERSHIP

            I am going to go back to a metaphor that sums up a lot of what I think leadership is; being a leader is like herding kittens.  It cannot be done without a great deal of effort.  Some people may not be able to relate to this, but others definitely will.  There is no control in leadership.  You can only influence the people around you to trust in your ability to lead them.

            I go back to how you have to be able to encourage others and not be obsessed with control.  My reflection process this week has empowered me to trust in myself that I do have the tools, along with my own personal growth to lead a larger dynamic.  One of the things I hope to pass on to there’s who are looking to become an influencer is not be obsessed with getting approval.  

            Also, don’t compare yourself to others.  Comparison is the thief of joy.  The perspective I have on life is to not get upset if things don’t work out the way I want them to.  If you want to influence people to succeed on their own, show them compassion when they realize that they failed, and give them kudos when they succeed at something, even if it’s not the way you would have done things.