Leadership Summit

Today, I met with a couple of my classmates about our group protocols for our groups we are leading next week.  We shared our group topics, explained the theories we are using, and talked about our activities that we have planned.  I asked for and shared feedback.  I gave feedback on theories as well as activity ideas to my classmates.  When I bounced my ideas off of them, they gave great feedback that further shaped my group protocol.  I was surprised to see how my protocol changed when I relayed my ideas off of my classmates.  They seemed appreciative of my input as well.  The most useful feedback I received was related to my activities as they are going to be below the cognitive level of my group.  Having talked to my classmates about my own protocol, I feel more confident for my upcoming group.  I have some changes to make to my protocol and I am excited that it will be better than how it began.

"Just For Today" - Attending a 12-step NA Meeting

I attended a 12-step, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting with my classmate, Rachel W.  The group was titled "You + Me = We" and meets every morning at 8 am for an hour.  The group was held in the Cooper-Young area of Memphis is an upstairs room in an historical building.  The room was plain, with the exception of NA material, with a table in the middle of the room.  Some of the group members sat around the table, other sat in chairs on the edge of the room.  In this meeting there were only 6 members and the leader.  This is a small group that meets, but I felt this led to better discussion because each person had an opportunity to talk.  The meeting environment was simple and unassuming, and the members seemed to feel at ease to share and discuss.  The group leader was a fellow recovering addict and used a facilitative leadership style.  He started the meeting by directing everyone in the introduction readings and he also took the lead in the closing statements.  Throughout the main part of the group session, the leader allowed the group members decide what the topic would be and allowed them to discuss at random.  He invited the group members to share but did not force anyone to share.  Everything each group member said was heard with respect from the group leader and other group members. The group leader also personally shared along with the rest of the group members, role-modeling the desired behavior.  I believe the group was a behavioral cognitive group because of the focus on changing your habits and mindset in order to change behavior.  

I thought the group was very therapeutic.  Each time the group meets, they have a set reading and routine for the beginning and end of the session.  I think the consistent routine is helpful and therapeutic for the group members, and serves to remind them of their commitment each day.  The group members are allowed to share what is on their hearts as well as listen to what the other members have to say.  I think being able to share and relate to others is therapeutic and motivating for the group members.

Previously, I would have thought that this type of laid back leadership would cause the group to stray from the topic but I found that this group was very self-disciplined and followed the rules preset for NA.  I was glad that I got to experience the benefits of a largely self-directed but structured group process.  I think this structure allowed the group members to be themselves and share what they determined important to share.  After this group, I feel like I have a greater understanding for how groups really function and how they can function to promote change.  Several members of the group shared the impact of this group for their recovery.  I thought it was neat that the group members recognized the importance of the group process.  It is amazing how a group of people can get together and achieve what they failed to do individually.  What I loved the most was the sharing and relating that occurred in the group between members.

I hope that in the future I have an opportunity like this again, to attend a 12-step meeting for those in recovery.  Yes, I learned about groups, but I also learned more about the people attending recovery groups like NA.  I walked away with a new understanding of addiction and the struggle that is faced by these brave people each day.

Post-Group Facilitation Reflection #1

Yesterday, I co-facilitated a group session with my classmate, Rachel. The group's title was "Active Listening: Learning to Listen Better."  Seven of my other classmates where the group members.  The session lasted just under 40 minutes.

A couple of weeks before the session, Rachel and I began to plan what we would like to do during this group session.  We decided together on group activities and discussion points, and with the approval of the teachers, we felt secure in our preparedness for the session.  I felt the group protocol was mutually agreed upon and that it was laid out clearly and orderly.

During the group session, we aimed to walk through Cole's seven steps, which are: introduction, activity, sharing, processing, generalizing, application, and summary. 

Introduction: I felt that our performance was excellent in explaining the purpose of the group, in communicating expectations of the group members, and in giving a brief outline of the session.  The warm-up went smoothly as well. 

Activities: I felt we had all of the appropriate materials ready for the activities and that directions were given clearly.  Both activities happened as planned.  The group members seemed to understand the meaning of the activities and were able to participate in meaningful conversations about the activities.

Sharing: Discussion about the first activity was challenging because the group members were not elaborating in their discussion.  Rachel and I had to ask many deeper questions to facilitate more discussion.  I felt we did well with being adaptable and thinking on the spot.  I think if we were to do this again, I would write out more questions or topics to discuss to help the group members in warming up to deeper discussion.  The discussion after the second activity went better than planned and the group members dove into a deeper discussion of the topic.  During each discussion, we allowed each of the group members to share thoughts as they were willing.  I thought we provided appropriate verbal and nonverbal feedback to each comment said.

Processing: Along with sharing, we had the group members share their feelings about how it felt when they were actively listened to, as it lined up with the activity.  They shared many experiences and feelings as it related to active listening.  Rachel and I tried to have the group reflect on each activity as it was performed so that the group members could reflect and process their feelings as related to the activity and to real-life experiences.

Generalizing: We had the group members share an experience where there was or was not active listening occurring.  There were similarities in responses and I felt that I tried to make some connections between these responses.  I know I could have done a better job pointing out the similar and dissimilar responses.  That is something I hope to improve on in my next group facilitation.

Application: I felt Rachel and I did a good job of getting the group members to make the application connection and emphasizing the significance of each activities.  We used the personal stories of the group members to make connections to our activities.  We had them practice the skills we learned so that they could better apply the skills in real life.

Summary: I felt we summarized the group succinctly by reviewing what was covered and bringing out important points of discussion and application.  We thanked the group members for their participation and ended the session on time.

I felt the group was not as motivated to participate in the beginning of the session but by the second activity that they warmed up and provided deeper discussion.  I thought Rachel and I did a good job of letting each person speak.  We tried to encourage any active listening discussion and tried to limit side stories that occurred.  When we thought a person's story was leaving the point of discussion, we would ask a question related to their story that was applicable to active listening.  I felt inappropriate behavior was kept to a minimum.  I felt we had control of the group while still allowing active discussion.  Overall, I thought this group session went really well.  I can imagine that with more difficult group members, we might have had a different outcome.

I felt like this was a beneficial group for the members involved.  I also felt that I grew as a group leader and that I learned more about active listening just from participating in the group.  I loved this experience and I am excited to participate and facilitate in more of these group sessions!

Conflict Resolution

Within the workplace, there are several professional attributes that professionals should be striving to master.  Conflict resolution is a key characteristic that promotes success in the workplace. 

One of the main reasons that conflict occurs is because of poor communication.  Poor communication could occur because unclear directions, poor listening, or misunderstandings.  In any of these situations, proper communication could have prevented the misunderstanding that leads to conflict.  Conflict can also occur because of a difference in personalities and values (Johnson, n.d.).  Because people are unique and have a freedom to choose who they are and what they believe, there are bound to be differences between people.  These differences can get in way of working together or deciding how to proceed on a project.

Should conflict be avoided altogether?  Should we try our best to simply appease everyone around us?  Having conflict can be beneficial, I believe.  Conflict can change a person’s way of thinking and result with the best parts of multiple people’s ideas.  Conflicts can give rise to better solutions.  Conflicts, if handled appropriately, can strengthen a team as opposed to weakening one. 

Conflict resolution can occur when people respect each other and each other’s opinions.  In resolving conflict, one should separate the personal values and beliefs of a person from the problem at hand and really listen to the ideas that the other person has.  Once listening has occurred, then he or she can feel free to share ideas and facts that they feel are relevant to solving the problem.  After this, collaboration can occur where the result is an agreeable compromise or a new and better idea (Mind Tools Content Team, n.d.).  Conflict is not something to run away from, but instead, if used properly, can be a catalyst for innovation and team building.

Johnson, R. (n.d.). What causes employee conflict in the workplace? Chron. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-employee-conflict-workplace-21264.html

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Conflict resolution: Using the “interest-based relational” approach. MindTools. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm