WHAT IS YOUR PASSION? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

1.     Who are you? Describe what you like to do. What are you interested in? What are you passionate about? (or, what are you ‘obsessed’ with doing?) How do you like to spend your time?

a.    I enjoy physical activities such a wrestling and hockey in addition to a variety of other sports. I have a large fondness for the outdoors and enjoy things such as firearms and camping. Conversely I do enjoy relaxing indoors and watching movies around the fireplace. I am a very goal oriented person and tend to take pursue my goals by any means necessary. I am very passionate about law enforcement and the preservation and enforcement of justice. 

2.     Why do you like these things? What do you like about that? And what do you like about that? What is it – at the most basic level – that attracts you to these activities and interests? Take time to figure this out.

a.    I am a very physical person by nature and like participating in activities that force me to push my physical and mental abilities. My strong gravitation towards law enforcement is a result of my family’s dedication to the occupation.

3.     Write a mission statement.

a.    To pursue my goal of employment in Federal Law Enforcement

WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN TO ACHIEVE YOUR MISSION?

1.     Refine your mission statement according to time (next 5 years).

a.    To preserve the order of society and enforcement of law as a Federal Agent in the United States Government.

2.     Develop a vision statement. This is broader, longer-term (next 20 years).

a.    To devote my career to the enforcement of criminal law on a federal level in addition to the protection of individuals who are unable to protect themselves.

3.     What are your core values? (deep, critical to your identity, internally held)

a.    Integrity

b.    Loyalty

c.     Justice

d.    Duty

e.    Courage

4.     What are your goals?

a.    To achieve the position of Special Agent with a Federal Law Enforcement Agency.

b.    To continue my career development until I have reached the ability to transfer to a leadership position within the agency, such as Special Agent In Charge or Section Chief.

5.     For each goal, what action steps are needed?

a.    To achieve the position of Special Agent I must continue with the hiring process that I am currently involved in. Steps in this process include, interviews, physical exams, polygraph, background investigation, and numerous training programs.

b.    To achieve a leadership position within Federal Law Enforcement an individual must make him or herself as competitive as possible and demonstrate that they have leadership abilities. Steps include demonstrating successful casework, leadership abilities, and oral and written communication skills.  

6.     For each goal, how will you know that you have achieved it?

a.    Each of my goals is quantifiable and is signified by promotion within my employer.

United States Secret Service Strategic Plan

WORKING THROUGH NORTHOUSE READING (CHAPTERS 1-2)

Chapter 1

1.     Complete the conceptualizing leadership questionnaire. List from largest to smallest, your scores and corresponding categories.

a.    Trait emphasis-17

b.    Relationship emphasis-16

c.     Skill emphasis-16

d.    Process emphasis-15

e.    Behavior emphasis-14

f.      Ability emphasis-13

2.     Answer the three reflection questions on page 14.

a.    I have a great variety of leaders, some excellent some mediocre, over the course of my lifetime. Leaders can be found in every aspect of society, from football coaches to employment supervisors. Leaders can also be found when one is not expected, such as the case of a student stepping up to ensure the completion of a group assignment. My personal view is that leadership entails the management, guidance, inspiration, and assistance to a group of individuals in pursuit of individual or collective goals. 

b.    The scores of the leadership questionnaire suggest that I emphasize the role of the leader while additionally placing importance on the communication between leaders and subordinates. I would tend to agree with the trait emphasis and relationship emphasis and most dissent from the skill and process emphasis.

c.     I believe that leadership is an inherent ability and cannot be learned or taught. I have worked along alongside individuals who have had natural leadership abilities as well as reported to individuals who lacked any leadership qualities and instead were placed in supervisory positions based on performance or seniority.   

Chapter 2

1.     Complete 2.2 Observational Exercise.

a.    George Washington-integrity, determination, charisma 

b.    Harriet Tubman-determination, charisma, confidence

c.     Eleanor Roosevelt-integrity, intelligence, sociability

d.    Winston Churchill-charisma, intelligence, sociability

e.    Mother Teresa-determined, integrity, confidence

f.      Nelson Mandela-integrity, determined, charisma

g.     Bill Gates-intelligence, confidence, integrity

h.    Oprah Winfrey-charisma, confidence, sociability

2.     List the six key traits discussed in this chapter. Which 2 do you feel you are strong in? Why? Which 2 do you feel you are weak in? Why?

a.    Charisma

b.    Confidence

c.     Determination

d.    Integrity

e.    Intelligence

f.      Sociability

g.     I feel that I am the strongest in Determination and Integrity, while weakest in charisma and confidence. I demonstrate determination constantly by always working to achieve my goals, whether they are career, academic or personal focused. I have learned over the years that honesty and trustworthiness are two critical traits that are required in order to enter my chosen career field of law enforcement. Once again exemplifying determination I have worked to make sure that I do not damage my integrity in anyway. While I am determined in achieving my goals, my confidence in doing so is not always at its highest level. Sometimes I feel as though I am not able to overcome a particular situation resulting from placing doubt in my skills and abilities. I have been informed over the years that I am not an exciting or cheerful person to be around and therefore lack charisma. I often am told that I appear to be in a bad mood or appear as something is bothering me even when that is not the case.

3.     Complete 2.3 Action Question 1.

a.    If I were to incorporate traits of leadership from a historical figure into my style of leadership I would choose to model myself after Bill Gates. I feel as though his high degree of intelligence helps to elevate his own self-confidence, promoting confidence throughout his organization.

WORKING THROUGH GOLEMAN READING

1.     Explain and discuss what is meant by each component of EI: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills

a.    Self-awareness-knowing one’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and goals- and their impact on others.

b.    Self-regulation-controlling or redirecting disruptive emotions, and impulses. The ability to think before acting.

c.     Motivation-being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement

d.    Empathy-considering others’ feelings, especially when making decisions; understanding the emotional makeup of others

e.    Social skills-managing relationships to move people in desired directions; being able to find a common ground and build a relationship.

2.     How would you say you are doing in each of these? List your score and corresponding components from highest mark to lowest mark

a.    Self-awareness-5

b.    Self-regulation-5

c.     Motivation-4

d.    Social skills-3

e.    Empathy-2

3.     How confident are you that the person closest to you (a friend, family member, partner) would agree that you have accurately assess yourself? 5=very confident to 1=not at all confident.

a.    I feel that individuals the individuals that are closest to me would rate me as either a 5 or a 4 in how accurately I assessed myself. 

4.     What can you do to improve in the area that you scored lowest in?

a.    I believe that my high degree of motivation leads me to utilize a “by all means necessary” approach to accomplish my goals. This ends justifying the means method however does not take into account how my actions will impact the emotion balance of others. In order to improve my empathy towards others I feel that I must carefully determine how my decisions in the pursuit of my goals will affect the emotions of other individuals involved.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL FORCES

Describe a time when you:

·      “Did evil” = joined in with a group and did something you knew was wrong

o   When I was underage I participated in underage drinking.

·       “Did inaction” = didn’t join in, but also did nothing to stop bad behavior

o   I have been witness to numerous individuals using illegal substances; while I did not participate in this behavior I did not report it to the authorities

·      “Did heroism” = went against the grain, risked your social status or safety or something else personal, to do what you knew was right

o   I have intervened in numerous physical alterations to restore order. I did so a personal risk to my safety and well being.

·      “Did I didn’t know” = did something wrong or immoral BUT at the time didn’t even know the behavior was problematic because it was “normalized” among your group.

o   At my place of employment it is commonplace to drink while on the job, I am employed at a bar. Many of the bartenders choose to openly drink beverages behind the bar. It wasn’t until the owner of the establishment informed us at a staff meeting that it is illegal to pour your own alcoholic beverage that we discovered that what we were doing was wrong.

·      How susceptible are you to the power of social forces?

o   I am not easily susceptible to the power of social forces. Even under intense social pressure from my peers I will evaluate almost every decision and its possible consequences before I act.

THE TWENTY STATEMENTS TEST (TST)

Answer this question twenty times: “Who am I?” I am…

1. Honest
2. Student
3. Loyal
4. Leader
5. Boyfriend
6. Brother
7. Son
8. Marksman
9. Intelligent
10. Introverted
11. Soft-spoken
12. Authoritative 
13. Wrestler
14. Bartender
15. Determined 
16. Deligent
17. Responsible 
18. Handy
19. Dutiful 
20. Protective

LOOKING THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

1.     Read this article http://lifehacker.com/5926309/how-the-people-around-you-affect-personal-success

2.     Complete the exercise described in the article.

a.    Brooke

b.    Doozer

c.     Glory

d.    Various Coworkers

3.     Answer this question: The people you spend the most time with make you. You are their average. Do you think that's true?

a.    I wholeheartedly believe that I am the average of the people whom I spend the most time with. I strive to meet the academic excellence of particular individuals while striving to meet the social potential that others have.

NETWORKS

1.     What is meant by “the strength of weak ties?”

a.    Weak ties often do not have a strong connection between two groups or individuals. Strength however does result from these ties because an individual or group would not have any relationship with a third party and not have access to its resources without the weak tie that connects them. 

2.     Do you have more weak or strong ties?

a.    I believe that I have more strong ties than weak ties. I attempt to establish strong connections that are more personal in nature and rarely use these ties to establish weak ties with other groups or individuals.

3.     What does your answer mean for your leadership potential?

a.    I believe that having more strong ties than weak actually limits my leadership potential. I believe that I competent leader must be able to expand his/her connections beyond his/her own realm, and be able to utilize the connections that others have.

Communities in Entrepreneurship