Ethics

Working where I work, I often get into situations where I have to make ethical and moral decisions.  I often get pressured to drink and do drugs but I don't partake in it because I know that they are wrong. Doing it would be against my morals and it would be against the law which would make it ethically wrong.

Time management

In class, we have been learning about time management and I have realized that I am not the best manager of my time.  I often waste many hours on my phone or even watching netflix.  I constantly get distracted and don't benefit at all from it.  I have been working on managing my time better and I have slightly done better. I try to spend less time on my phone and other electronic devices. Let's see what the rest of the week brings!

Time management

What is time management? Time management is when you schedule your time sparingly to make sure your not wasting your days away. I am not very good at time management and often find myself wasting my days away watching movies and surfing on my phone.  By managing time think about all of the extra time you could save! You might even be able to go to bed early! I am going to start planning out my time more precisily and I challenge you to do so too!! (:

- I used to have a planner to plan my time but that didn't work very well for me.  Right now I am just relying heavily on my memory and try to plan in my head the things I need to do.  Everyday during school I usually get out a piece of paper and write down all the things I need to get done.  I do this especially when I have a long week or weekend ahead of me. Writing things down really helps me stay on task and accomplish what needs to be done.

Today in my leadership class we talked about the "rocks" and "sand" we have in our lives.  Below I have listed some of those things that apply in my life. 

Rocks-

Work

Shopping

School

Family time

Homework 

Sand-

Hanging out with my friends

Mini vacations

Sports

Distractions-

Cell phone

Instagram

Netflix

Facebook

I am going to start using a planner to plan out my events and use my time more wisely.  I have tried using a planner in the past and it has worked before so I need to get back on it! 

Group Working

Working in a group requires many group decisions.  A personal experience that I have with working in a group is our parlimentary procedure team had to decide how important competition was and how many days a week we would practice to prepare. We all thought about this decision and how it would affect us as a team. We had decided to practice two times a week and we ended up placing very well.

This means war!

This lady decided to take a work to make a decision and try it out. Something making a decision takes time and you don't have to do it right then on the spot.

Making a decision

I made the decision on whether I wanted to try to attend Girls State or not.  I first identified the situation and what it would take for me to be able to go.  Girls State took place during the summer and an alternative I had was to go to Costa Rica and do a humanitarian project instead.  I selected a solution and decided to try for Girls State.  I had to write a letter expressing my desire to attend.  I wrote the best letter I could write and did the best job I could have done.  The decision I made achieved my desired result.  I wanted to attend Girls State and it just so happened that I was one of the four that was chosen and I will be attending!!! (: YAY!! (:

Final thoughts about coaching

When we first started this coaching section, I didn't realize the different types of coaching and the different ways you can coach.  Now that we have finished the section, I now know about the different kinds and how different people coach.  There are two types of coaching styles, facilitative and knowledge-based coaching. Everybody coaches differently and everyone has their own techniques.  

My coaches

Everybody has coaches in their life right? Some leave positive marks and some leave negative.  There are two types of coaches, knowledged based and facilitative based. My freshman year in volleyball, I had one of the best coaches I had ever seen.  She truly knew the game and how to put a team together.  She never let a problem go, instead she always confronted it straight up.  Lani in my opinion was very knowledged based and educated on the game of volleyball.  She was truly a remarkable woman and one I won't forget.  An example of a facilitative coach is the coach from the movie One Tree Hill.  His name was coach Derwin and he was a boys basketball coach.  The thing is, he wasn't just a coach, he was a teacher and an inspiration to the team.  He knew the game perfectly but always did what he thought was best for the boys personally and for the team.  These are two examples of coaches in my life, comment some of yours down below! (:

Coaching

1) What is coaching to you?
2) What does it take to be a great coach?
3) How does it differ from other helping professions?

1- Coaching to me means helping someone or something reach the highest possible level.  Helping the situation or person better themselves and be the best they can be.
2- To be a great coach you have to have patience and kindness.  They need to be able to connect with the people their coaching. They need to have sympathy and be able to relate.  Coaching can be a positive or negative experience and it's up to you to decide which it will be.
3- In my opinion, coaching differs from other helping professions because it's more personal.  Coaches help people grow and are there every step of the way.

In my life, I have dealt with various coaches.  Some of these coaches I cherished and loved and some I didn't. A coach is more than just a title, a coach is a person willing to give up and sacrifice time to help you improve and succeed in life.  

The last five steps to team building!!

Fact #6- problem solving! 

Make sure that everyone understands the problem and the solution. 

Fact #7- Build trust!

Be the person in the group that others would want to work with. Remember, be yourself.  

This also goes hand in hand with being the solution not the problem.  

Fact #8- Commit to excellence

Without the drive to do it it's not going to turn out well.  If you are not committed to being there then why show up? 

Fact #9- Promote interpemdent thinking!

Everyone builds on eachother so provide a strong base. 

Fact #10- Pull the weeds! 

Cultivate the team and help the team grow! Take out the things you don't need like stress, drama, and negative attitudes. 

Solutions!

So obviously when I damaged my car I was apart of the problem, not solution.  When I realized this,I did my best to come up with solutions to make the situation better! As a team, don't be the "problem maker!"  Be known as the "solution-maker!" 

Another story!

This is my officer team!! As a team we use the 5 rules all the time! We always try to communicate, be apart of the solution not the problem, deal with eachothers diversities and so on! We always have a great time together and work well as a team! 

Team experiences

This is my Parli team and although we all had our diversities and sometimes didn't communicate the way we should have, we were a great team and worked together well.  

How can you contribute? :)

Rule #1- Put the team FIRST
* "we-opic" vision vs. "me-opic" vision
* the teams needs and interests need to come first.
Sometimes I catch myself only thinking about me and I'm here to tell you, it is a bad mind set and won't help you or the team grow.
Rule #2- communicate openly and candidly
*Information is a source of GREAT power.
* With it, people can take ownership and act responsibly, without it people are captive.
On the officer team, communication is the key. Remember, knowledge is power.
Rule #3- Be apart of the solution, not the problem
* Get involved
*Speak up
*Share ideas
*Volunteer time
Get involved and share your ideas because what you have to say is just as important as what everyone else has to say.  Don't be afraid to speak up and let yourself be heard.  Don't be the "problem-maker", be the "problem-solver."
Rule #4- Respect Diversity
*Gain insight
*Identify options
* Create alternatives
*Are you connecting with your teammates?
On my FFA officer team, there is a lot of diversity but you can overcome it by listening to others, accepting others, and help others feel important.  Use your differences to your advantage and remember, we're all humans..:)
Rule #5- Ask and encourage the right questions
*Profound questions generate profound understanding
*By asking the questions
-We identify needs and expectations
-We test ourselves
It's okay to not follow the status quo.  It's okay to do things out of order and in your own way and by asking questions we are improve ourselves and our understanding of things.
Quote~
If you take a close look at the most successful people in life, you'll find that their strength is not in having the right answers, but in asking the right questions.
                                                                                                                            -Anonymous

STAGES OF TEAM BUILDING

Hey guys it's Kenz again! Today I am going to be talking about the four stages of team building and how they apply to my life.  The first stage is forming. Forming is when the team first comes together and some are excited and some are anxious.  This is like the first gathering where not everyone really knows eachother.  The example I am going to be using today is my experience on my high school volleyball team.  Each year there are always new people who try out and of course the new freshman.  At the beginning of each new season, there is a lot of forming going on.  Everyone is trying to get to know everyone and many of us feel very excited and positive.
The next stage is the storming phase.  After the first week of volleyball, storming always seems to sneak in there and take place.  Everybody seeks out eachothers strengths and weaknesses and we soon start to compare ourselves and our skill.  We all do things our own way right? Well being on a volleyball team, we needed to learn how to compromise and use everyones skill in the right manner.  There was a lot of conflict and arguing that went on during this stage that really disconnected us as a team.
The next stage I am going to discuss is norming.  The norming phase is when we start to realize that arguing and being disrespectful isn't getting us anywhere.  In volleyball, we weren't improving at all when all we did was agrue and compare and we realized that when we were on the court losing.  We decided that when we put aside our differences and came together as a team with unity we got much farther on the court.  This required all of us to gain positive attitudes and to encourage our teammates around us.
The last stage that I'm going to talk about it the performing phase.  This is definately one of the most important stages.  This stage occurs when your team has unified and you act as one.  In this stage you gain respect for your teammates and authorities.  Its much easier and more fun to be apart of a team when you have reached this stage.  When my volleyball team reached this stage after several months, we started to win games and had fun while doing it.  I love being apart of a team and feeling welcomed.  This stage is definately the key to success.
Those are the four stages of team building my friends so I hope you enjoyed!

Kenzie's SMART goals :)

I have a lot of goals and it seems like I always have a new one but one specific goal I have is to go to college out of state.  As much as I love good ole Utah, I want to get out and expand my horizons.  I want to live in a new environment, new state, new lifestyle.  I want to go to college somewhere along the East coast whether it's New York or even Virginia. I love the New York lifestyle and feel that my Prince Charming is there waiting for me.  ;) I would even consider going to school in Hawaii attending BYU.  I have been to Hawaii before and haven't stopped thinking about it since I have been home.  That place was paradise and somewhere I would love to be.
My SMART goal-
Specific- I want to attend college out of state and live a different lifestyle and live in a different culture.  I want to meet new people and see what it's like to live out of Utah.
Measureable- I will be graduating in a year and a half so this goal is coming quick! My graduation date will be May 25, 2015.
Accountability- It's my job to start preparing for this goal now.  I need to keep getting good grades and take responsibility for anything that happens.  I need to better my ACT score and keep working hard in school.  I need to start applying for colleges and do my best to get scholarships.
Realistic- I believe that this goal is very realistic and many people have accomplished it.  I have the grades and dedication to make it happen.  This is something I really want in my life and won't stop working until I achieve it.
Timely- I have a year and a half to prepare and make this goal happen.

Getting to know Kenzie!

My name is Makenzie and my interest is fashion! I love clothes so so so much! I love beauty, makeup, clothing, accessories, shoes, EVERYTHING!! Let's just say I'm a girly girl! Clothing and fashion is my passion and I love to express myself and who I am through what I wear and how I look.  I love to switch up my style and try new things.  I hate it when those days come when your required to wear something because I hate being told what to wear.  I like to wear what I want and when I want.  I guess you could say that I am a shopaholic when it comes to clothing because I honestly don't ever stop buying them or spending money.  I am an addict.  I seriously need to stop before I go bank rupt but no matter how bad I want to stop...I just can't.  My top five strengths are communication, positivity, adaptability, competitive, and WOO!!! I agree with all five of those strengths and think they fit me well! Well that's a little about me! Hope you enjoyed!