Over the years I've been in many group projects. I think its safe to assume that I have seen the good the bad and the ugly when working with a team, especially when I consider my self an individualist. While I couldn't begin to count the number of group projects that i've been FORCED to complete, one project really sticks out. Fortunately, this occurred years ago, and since then, I've found group projects more... well... tolerable.
The Bad...
&th grade life science isn't really anyone's favorite subject. Couple that with the ugliest group project of my life, and its easy to conclude that life science wasn't my favorite. It all began when we were randomly put into groups to work on our cell project. I was grouped with one of my friends and couldn't have been happier. After a few days though of doing nothing, and with only a few more days to turn in the project, I confronted my teacher and said that my "team" wasn't helping. Essentially this came down to the night before... I decided I was going to just do it by myself and I emailed the teacher to tell her what was going on. I turned in my project the next day, and my teammate tried to take credit while literally telling me she was busy whenever I tried to work with her. Doing a project for two by yourself is not fun.
It got better though. While I still often find myself dominating group projects, at least I've had the pleasure with working with people who contribute. In an ideal group project, someone would challenge me to work outside of my comfort zone and take the lead with me, equally. Strides toward success work better while coupling ideas. Whereas dragging your group behind your lead is exhausting and never fun. I look forward to working with a team, not by myself as the entire team.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
Vagueness with intention
Making a decision and solving a problem can be conducted in two major extremes. One extreme is to act rigidly according to a per-determined plan. The other extreme is to act with no plan. While it may sound absurd, I'm sure there are people who are at either extreme and solely stick to a plan, or solely act without a plan. Using the example of inventing the potato chip, you should be able to see that acting with a vague plan is the best approach.Vagueness is great because it inspires creativity and results in mutations in normal planning creating diverse outcomes. If you've never heard about how the potato chip was invented, here it is, summed up in this excerpt from the history section of wikipedia which is consistent with the story which I originally was told:
"According to a traditional story, the original potato chip recipe was created in Saratoga Springs, New York. By the late 19th century, popular version of the story attributed the dish to George Crum, a half black, half Native American cook at Moon's Lake House, who was trying to appease an unhappy customer on 24 August 1853. The customer kept sending his fried potatoes back, complaining that they were too thick. Frustrated, he sliced the potatoes razor thin, fried them until crisp and seasoned them with extra salt. To Crum's surprise, the customer loved them."
The Vague Plan:
This must include some basic, planned, information. Having spent sometime brainstorming, acting vaguely will be most productive because it will be efficient due to some basic planning but will result in something unique and possibly better with vague action.
1) Basic supplies and ideas to get started
2) Knowledge of the possible rigid per-determined plan
3) Clear range of acceptable final outcomes
Step One: Acquiring basic supplies and ideas to get started
Looking at our example of the potato chip, you must first know what kitchen staples are needed. When George Crum invented the potato chip, he did so unknowingly at first, but he had the supplies to make a french fry: oil, salt, and potatoes. He also knew how to cut potatoes thinner to appease, or get revenge on the unhappy customers. This basic starting information is vital in moving forward to solving the problem of thick french fries. Without having some of this basic knowledge, what is going to happen. Likely, the situation is to not progress because there is nothing to help drive the solution, or the end result will be chaos because there was nothing given to start. Think fires, burnt food, and an explosion in the kitchen.
Step Two: Knowledge of the rigid per-determined plan
George Crum knew a possible way to solve the problem would be to simply make the french fries again, but cut the potatoes thinner to appease the customers. First, he would cut the potatoes slightly thinner, then he would fry them, then he would serve them. BORING! What gets done is what is expected: the creation of a french fry. With the knowledge of a plan though, Crum decided to take a little detour and deviate from the plan. With his knowledge of a plan and the willingness to deviate, he is responsible for a creative and diversify the outcome. If there were no mutations in life, how boring would that be? Everyone would look the exact same, live in the same exact cookie cutter house, and have the same dang thing for dinner... Ouch.
Step Three: Clear range of acceptable final outcomes
The final step is really in the eye of the beholder and frames how devious one can be when taking a detour from the last step. Crum really wasn't THAT devious. He really only cut the potato really thin. That might have been a big deal for him, but imagine if he stepped outside his comfort zone even more. Depending on the executor, a final range of outcomes will help guide action. If crum had selected a wider range, maybe the baked potato chip would have been born. Or maybe it would have been the banana chip. The leader has to be comfortable with the outcome though. Setting this range also allows us to say, "OK, we've accomplished our goal. We are finished now." I'm not saying that further evolution couldn't take place, but it important to know when one segment of work is done.
"According to a traditional story, the original potato chip recipe was created in Saratoga Springs, New York. By the late 19th century, popular version of the story attributed the dish to George Crum, a half black, half Native American cook at Moon's Lake House, who was trying to appease an unhappy customer on 24 August 1853. The customer kept sending his fried potatoes back, complaining that they were too thick. Frustrated, he sliced the potatoes razor thin, fried them until crisp and seasoned them with extra salt. To Crum's surprise, the customer loved them."
The Vague Plan:
This must include some basic, planned, information. Having spent sometime brainstorming, acting vaguely will be most productive because it will be efficient due to some basic planning but will result in something unique and possibly better with vague action.
1) Basic supplies and ideas to get started
2) Knowledge of the possible rigid per-determined plan
3) Clear range of acceptable final outcomes
Step One: Acquiring basic supplies and ideas to get started
Looking at our example of the potato chip, you must first know what kitchen staples are needed. When George Crum invented the potato chip, he did so unknowingly at first, but he had the supplies to make a french fry: oil, salt, and potatoes. He also knew how to cut potatoes thinner to appease, or get revenge on the unhappy customers. This basic starting information is vital in moving forward to solving the problem of thick french fries. Without having some of this basic knowledge, what is going to happen. Likely, the situation is to not progress because there is nothing to help drive the solution, or the end result will be chaos because there was nothing given to start. Think fires, burnt food, and an explosion in the kitchen.
Step Two: Knowledge of the rigid per-determined plan
George Crum knew a possible way to solve the problem would be to simply make the french fries again, but cut the potatoes thinner to appease the customers. First, he would cut the potatoes slightly thinner, then he would fry them, then he would serve them. BORING! What gets done is what is expected: the creation of a french fry. With the knowledge of a plan though, Crum decided to take a little detour and deviate from the plan. With his knowledge of a plan and the willingness to deviate, he is responsible for a creative and diversify the outcome. If there were no mutations in life, how boring would that be? Everyone would look the exact same, live in the same exact cookie cutter house, and have the same dang thing for dinner... Ouch.
Step Three: Clear range of acceptable final outcomes
The final step is really in the eye of the beholder and frames how devious one can be when taking a detour from the last step. Crum really wasn't THAT devious. He really only cut the potato really thin. That might have been a big deal for him, but imagine if he stepped outside his comfort zone even more. Depending on the executor, a final range of outcomes will help guide action. If crum had selected a wider range, maybe the baked potato chip would have been born. Or maybe it would have been the banana chip. The leader has to be comfortable with the outcome though. Setting this range also allows us to say, "OK, we've accomplished our goal. We are finished now." I'm not saying that further evolution couldn't take place, but it important to know when one segment of work is done.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Spectra of Free Thinking
Alright, here we go. As you can probably see, I'm working on the whole out of the box thing with putting pictures up here instead of one page of just words. Which brings me to what I want to talk about: reflections on thinking outside the box, or gray as Sample calls it. I think there are many steps to living up to the potential of a free thinker, and the first is the most basic: black and white thought. Something is either right or it is wrong, a good idea or a bad idea, whatever, you get the point. It is easy to think like this, and I've got to admit, I was here up until college and still sort of am. I've seen this black and white thought in the science classes I'm taking where there are right and wrong answers.
The next step in free thinking is a bilateral thought process where the gray area is introduced. Still relatively easy to do as now we sort of see ourselves on a sliding scale of 1-10. Where one is wrong and 10 is right and you can be everywhere in between. I think I've been able to sort of see this area; however, I still struggle to honestly think in this area. This gray area has been talked about since I began taking leadership classes last year. I can see the maybe area, but am I able to think in it, and be comfortable yet? I'm not sure...
But honestly, why stop there. If we are going to be free thinkers, why work on a bilateral scale when we are products of a 3-dimential, time evolving universe. Throw a dart at a board and see where it lands. Does it land somewhere near the middle? The right? The lower left center? Does it even hit the dart board? There are so many places to be. Thought, I think can be much more complicated to the point to where gray doesn't cut it anymore and we need to introduce color. I still live in gray scale, but someday I would like to enter the color world. It has to be there. Have I seen it yet on campus yet? Not really, but that's probably because my thought is still too constrained in the constrictions that modern culture puts on right and wrong.
Finally, the last stage of free thinking is accessed when none of the above applies. You can be anywhere with thought. Why do planes even exist and who says we have to pick one point on that plane. Black and white? Sure, they're options still, but they're picked through laborious and unrestricted, uninfluenced thought. Theoretically, I guess this is possible. But, I don't know if it can bypass theory though, as influence is all around us. Think free, be free, be who you really are.
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