Chapter 42- Postive Reaction

          I am a believer of positive environment promoting positive personalities. I think that in any environment, whether it is working, volunteering, or learning, if the environment is healthy, safe, and positive atmosphere, the results would be outstanding. Good mood creates good results. Bad mood creates poor results. It is the simple action reaction cycle.

            Positive environment promotes efficiency because the person is feeling good. A good example would be my work. My boss who likes to pick on me would say that I did something wrong or inefficient and continue it non-stop. The more he picks on me, the less morale I have because simple because the environment was so hostile. Occasionally at work, my boss would be replaced by a female supervisor and my daily potential would remain at a high. Reason? This supervisor gives encouragement, praise, and constructive feedback to me when she’s in charge of the day. As a result, my morale is high and I become error-free during work. This becomes a positive cycle because she created a positive environment, I was able to reach my potential and get more positive encouragement back.

            From this experience, I implement this cycle when I take on a leadership role. In my gaming group, I create a positive and friendly environment so that all the members would be happy and more productive within the group. As a leader, I rarely have members that disobey and cause problems mainly because I give them a lot of free space and cut them some slack. We are all there to socialize and to have fun. Occasionally I would have to remind others of their tasks and responsibilities and there would be no problem as we know each other’s limits, capabilities, and norms.

            In my opinion, I think everyone should do the positive cycle because morale is high, efficiency is high, and satisfaction with work would be high. It is like the term said to leaders that they lead by example. Like attracts like, period.

Chapter 41- Adapt to Change

             In the world that we live in, change is constantly occurring. Most of the changes affects our daily norms or just push us out of the comfort zone. Most of the times, we just have to adapt to survive in this harsh environment.

            One example would be my work environment. It is a fast-paced and hostile environment. Going to work without my body armor proved to be deadly for me. After a few weeks, I had to adapt to the environment to survive. I would put on my body armor before work and take it off after work. The first few days were hard to adjust, but after a continuous pattern, I’ve established it as a norm. I think this adaptation is good for my own mental and physical health as well as having a job. It may not seem like a good job, but it’s a stepping stone to my career.

            Another change that I had to adapt was the time when I resumed leadership position in my gaming group. There was a new chatting system and a new website for doing our business. Although I was unfamiliar with the system for the chat and the website, I adapted to the change and went along with it. This change allowed our gaming group to be more active, social, and more fun. The easy accessibility of that chat allowed us to know more about the other members and establish friendships.

            From my experience, change is constant. In order to thrive in this world, one must adapt and establish new norms. If we continue to stay within our comfort zone and don’t step out of it, we are behind and missing out of the potential opportunities. Take a leap of faith and walk forward to adapt to new changes as they occur in your life. It may seem like a bad choice in the beginning, but it’s worth it.

Chapter 38- Holding the Line

             Every once in a while in a leadership position, there will be an uprising, a rebellion, or a storm before a calm. In order to maintain leadership in a certain group, one will have to face it sooner or later. It is considered to be a test of your skills. If you manage it well, all is well and you are still a respected leader. If you fail, you lose respect from the people and perhaps your leadership role as well.

            Back in my high school when I ran a club, I brought forward the motion of doing a carnival for fundraiser. Till this day, some members considered it as a big fail, while others could see the financial success. Truthfully, not many people attended the carnival, but on the profits side, we generated lots of revenue. Members who felt that it was a fail, organized a small group and pulled the vote for non-confidence card on me. How did I react? I rallied my support and wrote an essay speech to justify that even though it was first school carnival and little people showed up, it was a financial success. We were not in the red, but rather in the green zone. After a few days of explaining while rallying support, the vote for non-confidence was dropped. The following weeks were calm and enjoyable as we built up our norms.

            Another incident was during my gaming group. Since I had not been on for months during my crisis, a member stepped up to the plate and took my roles. However, when I got back, he had made so many changes that the group was an elite community. In my values, everyone should be equal and I had to scrap some of the changes. Since the member had been in leadership for a while, he had amassed a significant amount of support. So when I brought forth new changes, almost everyone was against me. I felt I had lost control of my group, but I did not lose hope. I called on veteran members who I’ve worked with long enough to trust them to assist me. After a month of discussions and negotiations, I was able to obtain my leadership once again whilst bringing new changes to the group to make it better and more fun. Till now, we have established a fun and friendly gaming group where you can socialize and meet new people.

            Those were the storms I encountered during each leadership role I took. Everyone is unsure and strangers at the beginning. Over time, people will say their differences and similarities. This is a clash between the groups. If it is resolved correctly, we all know how each other performs, likes, or dislikes. As a result, we have established understanding for each and everyone’s limits. Peace and normality would follow after the clash if it is done properly.

Chapter 29- The Golden Crown

             I’m sure that at one point we’ve taken on a position of power or leadership. With reality always acting so strange and unpredictable, we want some sense of control. There will always be some who are power hungry and refuse to step down or perhaps there are people who have the power, but do nothing. Power is earned by trust and respect and not by showing who has the strength or the brains. When one is in a position of power, there are followers underneath them. The people beneath them are not slaves and they are no different than you. We are all the same; we are humans.

            A powerful leader is respected and trusted within the community. When I run my gaming group, I make sure everyone is equal. I treat them like a family; provide help and services when need. A lot of my members said that I was a great leader and that my group was a great group to join. Others said I didn’t need to change my leadership styles because it works. Hearing that from my members gave me a boost of morale and enthusiasm as I try to make it an even better gaming group.

            A leader must know that with power, there is responsibility. Power is earned and not given. Abuse of power may result in consequences that may leave a bad imprint in people. In my gaming group, a chain of command is established not because I want to obtain more power, but actually give power to people to assist me with my responsibilities. It may be also known as the delegation of tasks since there are certain tasks doable without requiring my presence.

            I personally believe that one should not have a dictatorship role. The spreading of power is the diplomatic way where everyone benefits. I would like to known as a good leader. Someone that can be trusted and relied upon. In return, I would do the same and uphold my golden crown and be a good king. A king who treats all equal and wears no signs of royalty to differentiate from others.

Chapter 25- The Clock

             Time, our enemy and our ally, can we control it? People say time flies when you are having fun, which is very true. Time seems to be longer when you are in stress and pain. From my experience, I never have enough time to do the things I want and spend on the things I care about. We all get twenty hour hours in a day to do our things. How much you do in that twenty four hours is determined by your sense of responsibilities, motivation, and determination.

            You can’t control time by extending it, slowing it, freezing it, or speeding it. You can only manage your time so you can do things more efficiently. How do you manage? One must have a list of things that need to be done per day. Then you need to prioritize which ones are most important to you first, followed by the next one on your list and so on. Your goal is to complete all the tasks set out per day in order to manage time efficiently. If you missed out one task, do not procrastinate it or keep it the same priority the next day. You have to make the incomplete task a higher priority the next day in order to complete it or else too much tasks are left incomplete and things start piling up. At that point, you lose controlling time efficiently and make time control what you do. If it’s tasks involving other people, don’t take forever to complete it. People will lose trust, reliability, and respect for you. Do what you say and what you are doing and do it. This rule applies strongly to people in leadership roles. A good leader gets the job done like he or she said will do. A bad leader will only talk the talk, but not walk the walk.

            For example, I had work every night and I want to chat with my friends on my gaming group. Since I’m the group leader, I also have duties associated with it. One day I decided that I want to call up my friends to hang out, but I have a member in my gaming group who had issues with another member and wants to leave because he feels unwanted. That same day, I also wanted to write another chapter for this memoir because I want to. What should I do? Don’t panic because it’s a mess, but think out each task. I’ve got work, hang out with friends, member who wants to leave due to issues, and my memoirs. Let me prioritize now after seeing each task and evaluating based on my values and responsibilities. First, I will go to my gaming group and find the member and help him out. Resolve issues with the member and convince him to stay. Second, I will take time to write my memoirs because I hold it dearly to my heart. Third, I want to hang out with my friends, but not that long as I hoped for. As long as I get to hang out, the task will count as completed. Lastly, I go to work at night. A smooth transition after all the tasks directly into work. So, what was the result of that day? I followed each task sequentially based on my priorities and completed them. Because of that, I got all the tasks needed to be done, done. I also had some extra time left over, so I did some more chatting with my gaming group. If I missed one task, it would be my first or second task the next day so that I accomplish my goals of time management each day.

            Managing time efficiently is achievable. One must have a sense of responsibility, personal values, and the determination to achieve all tasks per day. I’ve had some crazy days with new tasks arising in between, but all I did was reprioritize it and get the job done. It’s hard work, but it pays off to you and how others perceive you.

Chapter 12- The Alpha

             Everyone has their own leadership qualities and skills. However, some work very well and some not so much. Leading people is all about the human interaction. I’ve seen some great leaders and some really terrible ones.

            Being a leader is not by expressing one’s power and dominance over others. In my opinion, being a leader is the ability to level yourself with others and have understanding for each other. If I took on a leadership role, I prefer to be called by my first name. No boss, mister, president, etc. My name plain and simple. Trust is another factor in determining a good leader. Someone who is reliable and trustworthy will gain the loyalty and respect from the people.

            An example of a good leader would be charging into a battlefield with his men behind him. It shows that he is willing to put his life over others which increase morale and loyalty for the leader. If it was a bad leader, he would send his men out first and then follow behind. His men would think that they are expendable and thus lose morale and loyalty.

            Remember my boss at work who picked on me? He is an example of a horrible leader. Every day I get back from work, I lose respect for him. They say bad leaders bring bad followers, it is indeed true. From what I’ve seen at work, the way he makes fun of a guy of his weight like no big deal, it’s exhibited by other coworkers. I feel sorry for the guy because he is a really nice guy. You can’t judge somebody because of their size; you have to see the person inside for who they are. That’s the way of a good leader. Putting biases and first impressions aside and getting to know each and every person.

            I think every day in our lives, we have seen leadership qualities that work and those that don’t. From my experience, I make sure that whenever I take on a leading position, I do what works well and ensure that I don’t become a hated person. Truth is, there are always going to be bad leaders in our world. That’s reality. Although some may like my leadership, others may not. It’s totally your opinion.

Chapter 5- It is My Responsibility

             We all have our own standards, own ethics, and own values. So, what are my standards? I am a true believer in doing what you say you are going to do. Especially when I take on a leadership role, I have a sense of responsibility. When I say I will do something, I will do it. I’m not a person who gives false promises. Either I will tell you I will do it or I will tell you that I can’t do it. I get upset and angry if somebody can’t keep their word. If I say I will do something, no matter how hard the situation is or how busy in life I am, I will do it. I will make arrangements to ensure I have kept my word. Some people find me reliable and others find me too free with my life. I believe the human interaction is important in making good and trustworthy relationships. However, that’s not the case. I have the standards and I abide by it. I’d expect the same as well from the others, but most of the time there are excuses. Either you do it or you don’t. There’s no need for excuses. That’s my policy.

            Flashback to my high school when I was ran my school club. Every day was a fun day with lots of activities and excitement. After I graduated, I passed on the leadership to my friend. His first year with my guidance, he was able to complete most of the planned activities. I can’t tell if it was his school work and life, he became less and less involved. The club became more and more quiet. The second year for his leadership of the club, I did not give any guidance. Furthermore, it was becoming dormant and almost dead. Occasionally, I would still pop back to give support and guidance. One day I pointed out his slacking and he became angry at me. His excuse? Lots of school exams, other clubs, extracurricular activities, girlfriend, etc. On and on with the excuses. He said that I had too much time on my hands. Perhaps he was right. Because obviously being a full time student at post-secondary and having a part time job would be any way easier than his life. Wrong. Since I founded the club, it was my responsibility to oversee its legacy. Hence, I had to manage my time for my duty.

How good of a person are you when they put their trust in you and you give them excuses? Pretty much you would be considered useless. Once again, this is my thoughts about this topic although some may disagree completely. One thing I can say with confidence is when you put your trust and rely on them and they end up not doing it or make up excuses, it truly is a disappointment. Perhaps it’s just me, but I have had a lot of disappointing moments in my life. If you had a legitimate excuse, that’s fine. But when it becomes an occurrence and you either postpone or not do the task thereafter, it’s just like the story of the boy who cried wolf. Trust takes years to build and a minute to lose it.

            There are days I wonder why I get all the disappointments in life from people when all I have was made them happy by being reliable. Where is my share? You’d expect what you give is what you get. Isn’t it that the way it should be? I guess I’ll never know…