Done with presentation and research paper!

I've finished my research paper and presentation on Friday! In retrospect I think it was a long but dense process of reading articles and analyses of Jeffrey Bezos and the route he took in conducting Amazon. Other than learning about Bezos and Amazon, it taught me a lot about the most up-to-date business management methods he put into practice. I personally admire Bezos’ avant garde and unconventional approach to his businesses which were very distinctive from other leaders of enormous corporations. Perhaps his pro-innovation and optimistic character has made him a huge figure in the field of business management. I've always thought that as a leader with heavy responsibility and authority, being too optimistic may deprive his/her trust from the entire group. But apparently, Bezos has proved that relentless optimism also has positive effects by making it act as a prompter of motivation within his organization. Moving back to the presentation, I was really nervous because it was first presentation this term and I forgot to mention a couple of important information that I was initially planning to share. However, while presenting I decided to rather appear like I’m enjoying and forget about the mistakes I made. I wasn't really confident throughout the presentation but my friends told me I didn't look like I was anxious so maybe having a smile is vital to have a positive feedback from the audience. I think it makes people appear more passionate about their presentation as well.

Before the whole RW course started I had some interests in business management so I am sure the contents we learned in class and the new facts I learned through my research paper would be very helpful in my ensuing studies. We all have different topics but they all have the common theme of leadership, which is a big concern of business management, so I’m looking forward to the coming presentations!

Response to Hibiya sensei's presentation

It was a special experience to have ICU’s current president Ms. Hibiya in our class! Her presentation was far from what I imagined it to be. First of all, I was expecting her to be in a formal attire, which she rather betrayed by wearing a casual khaki t-shirt. Her appearance made it easier for me to sympathize with her as she did not express herself as a special authority. Moreover, she also created a frank and comfortable atmosphere by using humor and jokes which is especially untypical in a Japanese leader. What really amazed me is the fact of her sounding very trustworthy and powerful however casual she dressed and presented. I think that represents her mental and cognitive strength which directed her to become a leader of a huge community in a country where women face hardships in gathering trust and presenting herself in front of other authorities.

              I was particularly moved by her message to find and believe our calling. I’ve always been thinking that life will bring us to the best destination if we just do what we are supposed to do. But after coming to Japan, my view of life started to change as people strive to portray their ideal life with their maximum effort under intense competition. Listening to Ms. Hibiya’s presentation, I thought that the best outlook of life would be in-between, trying our best to achieve our goals and believing that our current endeavors are going to lead us to the best result. We cannot predict what our efforts are going to lead us to, but I believe that if we continue to do what we think is the best decision, or in Ms. Hibiya’s words, believe in our calling; it will lead us to our ideal goal in the end. 

Response to class of October 18

　Today we discussed and shared our ideas of the contents of our essay. We got ready with our extended outline and I think so far I’m working on it in a fine pace. Luckily, the person which I’m doing a research on is a renowned CEO so I’ve got several sources to rely on. In contrast, my group mate who was conducting a research on a Japanese leader had a difficult time looking for quality analysis about his expertise in leadership, although he is a famous businessman as well. Megumi is working on the success of Walt Disney which I thought is a topic that really suits her delightful character. I’m also a big fan of Disney so I’m looking forward to the background stories of its rise in the world of entertainment. I particularly found Yusuke’s topic very intriguing, which is an analysis of dominant dictators in the past. Typical Yusuke, I think his passion on history has leaded him to such an interesting topic. Of course orchestrating a company takes a lot of effort, but leading a country is undoubtedly more demanding. The scale of the population one must lead is just incomparable. Especially, to those dictators who had lead their people under the pressure of an opposing political system, the democratic nations, which were the majority.

　The presentations about the speech contest coming up provoked my interests to take part in it. I might give it a try to test my English speech skills and the trip to Hong Kong is also highly motivating!

Some interesting facts of Amazon!

 I’ve been researching about Amazon.com lately to unravel the source of their great success in the online industry and I get to know more and more about the company, I’m just impressed on how they run a under a simple corporate culture but generate elaborate and creative ideas simultaneously. But most of the brilliant strategies they took may not relate to the topic of my essay I am getting ready to write, which is more concentrated on the expertise of CEO Jeff Bezos as a leader, so I would like to share some of them here. They only have one fundamental corporate culture that runs through the whole organization which is to always think on behalf of the customer. This notion has stimulated Amazon’s amazingly customer-friendly features such as its low-priced product line-up and its convenient functions like the customer review and recommendations. I was especially found the customer review function interesting, as it prevents us from having limited access to information which was biased, one-sided explanations given from the manufacturer. Instead, it allows us consumers to transmit information and impressions about a product to each other which made it easier for us to access more accurate and specific information thus increasing the credibility of the products, which was an issue that remained unsolved in online business.
 I was also astounded with the strategy taken with the kindle. Many of the e-books, including brand new best-sellers, sold on the kindle are remarkably cheap and kept in a fixed price. I wondered how they can earn profit from selling books with such high discounts. Other than these best-sellers there are several other books antiquated books that are cheap but are sold in the same fixed price, which creates profit. It was a smart strategy taken by Amazon to galvanize customers with cheap best-sellers approving the losses but by selling other cheaper books in the same price, they make a profit over all.

Response to what he have done during class!

 I liked the picture printed in one of the hand-outs we were given which draws two horses initially moving to the opposite directions came to cooperate to achieve what they want. It illustrated how solutions to conflicts may be found easily with calm thinking. Personally, I think I belong to the conflict-negative group as I normally tend to avoid conflict and feel uncomfortable being involved in one. So I was surprised with my results of the “how you act in conflicts” questionnaire because my dominant strategy was problem solving. I might use problem solving strategies towards people in intimate terms but definitely would rather compromise with new faces to build a positive relationship. But that does not mean I would completely withdraw my interests but rather desire for a solution that both sides sacrifices a portion of their goal. Of course a win-win situation will be ideal but in cases which may be difficult to realize one, I think a compromise after a negotiation would be the best strategy as either side would be partially satisfied considering each other’s reasons.

However discomforted I am facing conflicts; I also believe that progress can be achieved when we face demanding conflicts and strive to solve them by giving our utmost endeavor. I think efforts done to face conflicts contributed to the development of the human race in many terms such as technology, science, or relating to our topic, leadership methods. If people were satisfied with what they have, no progress or improvement would have been made. Other than conflict, competition may also be a big factor that pushes us to crave for elaboration. After all, as Shackleton’s crew faced in the Elephant Island, matters do not change unless we take action regardless of how uncomfortable or painstaking it may be. 

Response to chapter 8

 Through experience, I can totally relate to Perkins’ 8^th strategy which is to use celebrations or humor to create an invigorating atmosphere. I think in meetings or in scenes when opinions are needed to face a conflict, more ideas are stimulated in a comfortable atmosphere where people feel free to speak up their thoughts rather than being in a serious mood that cause stress and require people to be responsible for every proposal. Meetings would not move on without having anyone voicing out their thoughts after all. A simple proposal that may seem inadequate to solve conflicts can be discussed and developed to be profound ones later. Humor plays a big role to consulate people from nervousness and triggers them to speak up more often. Reflecting on what we learned from Rab, laughter activates our brains to exert dopamine which boosts our concentration. So it seems like science also proves the benefits of involving laughter when facing difficulties. Moreover, as Perkins states in the beginning of the chapter, laughter “can break a spiral of depression and stimulate creativity.” However, taking Perkins’ advice may also be a hindrance if leaders encourage people to adopt a playful manner too often. Leaders must not forget the ultimate goal to achieve a solution to the problem their facing while thriving to lighten up the team. When serious talks are needed, there should be a balance kept between humor and intentness to prevent adherents from slacking off. 

Response to Chapter 6

 I think in this chapter Perkins, although stating his consideration for Scott’s qualities as a leader displayed him unfairly to glorify Shackleton. Perkins mainly introduced Scott’s deficiencies as a leader to emphasize Shackleton’s unique-ness and rather did not mention any of Scott’s endeavors or characteristics as a leader. However harsh he may be when facing with people with lower social classes, there should be reason for him to be praised.

 Scott’s flaws as a leader were a result from his occupancy on Britain’s Royal Navy while Shackleton’s excellence in leadership was nurtured through his life as a seaman, dealing with people from various backgrounds. In other words, although there are some qualities as a leader that may be inherent, leadership can also be cultivated through experience, or in our world education. I find it interesting that we go through these experiences without knowing what personality or character it will build among us.

 I agree with Perkins’ opinion about the importance of insisting courtesy and mutual respect within a team to create a sense of unity. Treating adherents equally is also vital to mobilize motivation as each member gets rewarded and evaluated equally with the amount of work or contribution they had brought to the team. As Perkins highlighted, “a sense of superiority conferred on a chosen few” acts as a counter-incentive towards the majority who are neglected from being the “chosen few” to perform their maximum potential. Scott’s inadequacy of respect fragmented his team’s unification which later prompted his failure.

Oct. 3 and response to chapter 5

 Today we evaluated our instincts as negotiators through answering a number of questions concerning with our preferences in times of negotiations. I found my own results interesting because I had “competing” and “collaborating” as my predominant negotiation style with the same points. These two styles share nothing in common but rather are in the opposite extreme. I agree with the results because I tend to change attitude depending on the person who I am negotiating with. In the negotiations we had in class, adding to the goal to reach a win-win relation, we are in intimate terms with whom we interacted with so I was able to collaborate with my peers, trying to build trust to achieve the most out of the negotiation. However, in real-life cases when we often have to face complete strangers, I may find it uncomfortable to disclose information I have freely before building trust. Unless my partner adopts an accommodating style or a compromising style, I might be more offensive/defensive and persisting to ensure my own profit. I think I should rework this kind of behavior to avoid conflicts in my future negotiations.

 After the questionnaire, we moved to a discussion about teamwork. In my experience, Shackleton’s strategy to constantly reinforce the bonds within the team mobilizes and enhances the team’s abilities. Each member can be more motivated as they become aware that each one of them plays an important role that cannot be substituted easily. As Perkins states, this way they can feel responsibility and a sense of contribution to the group’s success possibly in both short and long run. I think that sharing a sense of unity through creating a common identity exerts positive affects to a team; however this may also have flaws that may agonize adherents. As it came out in our discussion, sharing the idea that every individual possess a responsibility to the group’s success or failure may put pressure on them and prevent them from practicing their maximum potential. Other than sharing a common idea, we also felt that such external forces have limits on how much influence it has on keeping up motivation. To enhance motivation within an individual who composes a team, I think it is also important to nurture their interests towards their tasks, considering that a sense of cooperation has been made already.

RW response to chapter 3 and Sept. 27

 According to Perkins, leaders should instill optimism and remain self-confident while accepting their current situation. Cultivating optimism in them, leaders could expect a ripple effect to their adherents and eventually it would lead to the spread of optimism. Thus, empowered mates could exert their maximum potential. As Perkins stated the decision whether to be optimistic or not under adversity depends on the leader hence he must judge the right timing to sound optimistic. In my opinion, the extreme case of Shackleton could not be compared to cases occurring in corporations as the book introduced. In Shackleton’s case, their final destination was death or survival and the odds to incline in either side was incalculable. In his situation, spreading optimism may have worked efficiently as it helped the group to forget about the worst, and concentrate on survival, thus mobilizing their performance. However, in the cases of corporations where thorough estimations and calculations of their current situation and further risks could be made, being overconfident may cause leaders to be reflected as ignorant and fatuous.

 Moving on to the negotiation task we had on Friday, it is getting more difficult to achieve a win-win relation every class. More people and options were involved in the hotel reservation negotiation which made it more complicated. More questions were necessary to achieve the best deal and as both sides thrived to benefit more, negotiations lasted longer. I believe in real-life situations, a win-win relation is difficult to achieve and occur infrequently, thus in most of the cases either player has to compromise, just as the hotel negotiation we had. As the number of stakeholders, rivals, and decision makings increase, negotiations become more sophisticated and intense. Probably the rise of the intensity is one of the factors that separate the superior negotiators from the mediocre ones, as it is when people tend to lose their calmness and start to decide things based on their emotions.

RW response to chapter 2

Chapter 2 dealt about the importance of leaders to share their visions and ideals to their adherents through visible gestures and symbols. Perkins also illuminated that the presence of a leader itself is “a unique source of energy” that keeps a group mobilized. I thought that in Japanese or other Asian societies where people are used to strict hierarchies, it is vital to instill this idea of a leader, as the one who provides “a unique source of energy” to the group, as people adopt the sympathetic type of leaders we had discussed so far. Particularly in Japan, being respected is an important quality of a leader as they often stand in the highest point of the hierarchy. Mike Bloomberg’s style of symbolizing sympathy with his group which was introduced in class today may not be appropriate in Japan where people value the traditional culture of hierarchy. I agree that adherents may feel more sympathy from the leader this way, however expressing the idea of equity within a group through Bloomberg’s style may cause confusion or in worst cases, leaders may be underrated as a co-worker rather than a symbol of authority. To avoid this from happening, Japanese leaders should not forget to sustain their role as “a unique source of energy” simultaneously while showing more sympathy to their adherents. 

Response to handout "Developing effective negotiation skills"

 The fact that the writer of this article, Richard Graham, finding his educational background as a Business Studies graduate to be non-practical when he actually entered the world of management, which in most cases require to interact with people, is intriguing because his experience displayed that business schools may be preaching impractical propositions. Going back to our first class, no matter how much excellence a student may show in his/her studies, the knowledge they obtained would do miniscule help unless they are able to implement those in their group through communication, which can rather be acquired through nurturing social intelligence than scholastic proficiency. However, I still think knowledge taught in business schools are meaningful because in most cases they are based on thorough examinations of case studies, which are practical things that are authentically happening. As in this article, the average negotiators have the potential to improve if they become aware of the differences between mediocre and skilled negotiators that were revealed through researches and scrutiny. In this case, we can observe the importance of scholastics in order to strengthen human relationship. When knowledge acquired through education meets with profound social skills cultivated through experience, great managers/leaders are born.

The Shackleton Saga respone

  Shackleton’s adventure was far more arduous than what I expected. We could take a glance at Shackleton’s excellence in leadership in keeping his large team of 28 people united under severe conditions. It requires great leadership to be trusted by such a big group of individuals from various backgrounds thus it displays how much Shackleton’s decision makings were trust-worthy. We can also conclude that these people who gathered up possessed tenacious endurance to keep up with the intense conditions, as they deliberately volunteered to join the adventure after looking at the job description in page 2. It feels dreadful if I were to stay in an environment marking -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit, but the landscape covered with ice described on page 3 seems really beautiful. However reckless and physically exhausting this adventure may be, I feel little sympathy with Shackleton’s attempt to challenge a frontier that remained untouched. Although Shackleton failed to accomplish this journey, we still can conclude that he exerted admirable leadership to save his crew from death or keeping them from causing chaos during the entire adventure. I’m looking forward to examine what qualities he had that made him a great leader.

RW class response 9/11

 A new semester has started and I'm all excited to work with a whole new lesson about leadership. Currently, I have plans to work as a business consultant in the future and I believe that I can apply what I learned in this leadership class to the business management field too. We started off by discussing the importance of a first impression. We then moved to lessons of doing a proper handshake (brief, firm, warm!) and exchanging cards, which are important in making a positive impression not only in business scenes but in more informal situations as well. I found the assigned reading very intriguing because considering its facts; employers may be able to motivate their employees more effectively by having more social interactions rather than increasing pay. Managers and employers often invest a great deal of money to keep their co-workers motivated but by adopting the methods introduced in the article, much of this expenses may be saved or spent for alternate usage. However, if this article goes viral and people in business scenes start to practice similar positive attitudes simultaneously to improve their social intelligence, that may prompt suspicion among people such as separating genuine positive gestures and calculated smiles, rather than fostering attunement in a particular group.