For this free write I wanted to share my experience about my participation on President Obama's immigration policy. Through my work with some community organizations, last year I had the opportunity to participate on one of the many advisory boards put together by the White House regarding immigration reform. I had the opportunity to travel to DC and share my story with those that were putting together the policy that President Obama was to announce later.
I specifically advocated for the immigration rights of veterans and their families. Many people do not know that not all veterans are citizens and that many of them have family members such as spouses, parent, and siblings go through deportation proceedings. Even less know is the fact that since 1996 many legal resident veterans are themselves getting deported. Due to our advocacy effort President Obama added his "parole in place" policy for veterans and their families to the immigration executive order.
However, what I really want to focus on for this post is the subject of opportunities. More specifically not being afraid to take on opportunities when they present themselves to you. I first met the organization I traveled to DC with at an event our organization hosted at ASU Downtown Campus. When the director of the organization approached me to tell me that he had enjoyed our event we struck up a conversation. He knew I was a veteran and said he was planning a trip to DC in two days to do an advocacy event on behalf of veterans and asked if I was interested in going. Looking back on it now, I really think he was expecting me to say no because of the short notice. However, much to his surprise I said yes. I did my best in two days to prepare for the event because I knew we were going to be talking to various Congressmen and their staff. On a side note, I have also for years been taking advantage out of every opportunity I have had to do public speaking, for those that have had me in class you know that I am always the one to speak up. Well, I do this not because I am a great orator but because I know that public speaking is a valued skill set and one that I need practice in. Fortunately, the director thought I did a good job and we have collaborated on several different projects.
As I look back on this experience now I realize that had I not taken advantage of the first opportunity when it presented itself to me, I would not have had the other opportunities that have presented themselves to me. Due to my work with this organization I have been able to meet various civil rights leaders, high ranking public officials, and leaders of industry, which has lead to my participation in truly historic events in Arizona and nationwide. So please do not be afraid to take on new opportunities because they often lead to bigger and greater things, but do prepare yourself as best you can for them to ensure that you make a good impression.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
A witness to history (free write)
For this free write I just wanted to continue on my experience with President Obama's immigration policy. On November 21st President Obama gave a speech at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas Nevada about his immigration policy. I had the opportunity to attend this event as a special guest and must say it was quite the experience. Although I must admit that on both occasions I did not vote for President Obama, I have always been an admirer of his orating skills. I know some say that without his teleprompters he would not be able to speak as eloquently, but I can tell you he has a certain magnetism about him when he speaks that cannot be conveyed by teleprompters. Anyways, at a certain point during his speech I came to the sudden realization that I was witnessing history.
After the event some of my colleagues and I spoke about immigration and President Obama's policy, the good and the bad. What we wished he would have added and taken away. During our conversation I pointed out that our children would someday read about and view this speech just like we read and viewed the speeches of President Kennedy and other great presidents. The table was silent for a while as we all contemplated the fact that our children would ask us about this very speech, and that we would be able to tell them that we were there and witnessed this historic speech. It was truly a humbling experience to say the least.
After the event some of my colleagues and I spoke about immigration and President Obama's policy, the good and the bad. What we wished he would have added and taken away. During our conversation I pointed out that our children would someday read about and view this speech just like we read and viewed the speeches of President Kennedy and other great presidents. The table was silent for a while as we all contemplated the fact that our children would ask us about this very speech, and that we would be able to tell them that we were there and witnessed this historic speech. It was truly a humbling experience to say the least.
A typical day at my internship
A typical day at my internship consist of me learning the various systems involved with running a successful business and learning best practices in the private sector. Learning systems such as: QuickBooks, Saleforce, Nexonia, as well as some databases built by the company to provide analytic services takes up a good part of my day. This has given me hands on experience utilizing the systems that are being used in the workforce today, regardless of whether it is a nonprofit or a for profit entity. Although I am not the best numbers person out there, these systems are simple enough that with enough practice anyone can learn how to use these.
When I am not learning these systems I am discussing best practices in regards to how the private sector works. Thus far I have learned of the importance of providing value to people. Although having a good product is important, value does not necessarily mean your product needs to be the best in the market, it can also include customer service and time. I have come to realize that time is a commodity in the private sector that has a lot of value. The more time you are able to save your client the more time they have to provide better services to their clients, so anything you can do to save people time is of extreme value.
Furthermore, because this is a smaller entity, I have had a lot of time to discuss other important matters with the director. Another big part of my internship has been identifying problems in the community and coming up with solutions that the company can help lead. This includes things such as financial literacy in low income communities, political advocacy for legislation that helps improve the lives of Arizonans, as well as a plethora of different problems plaguing the veteran community. Being able to look at these issues from the private sector perspective has taught me think of efficient and practical solutions to these problems.
When I am not learning these systems I am discussing best practices in regards to how the private sector works. Thus far I have learned of the importance of providing value to people. Although having a good product is important, value does not necessarily mean your product needs to be the best in the market, it can also include customer service and time. I have come to realize that time is a commodity in the private sector that has a lot of value. The more time you are able to save your client the more time they have to provide better services to their clients, so anything you can do to save people time is of extreme value.
Furthermore, because this is a smaller entity, I have had a lot of time to discuss other important matters with the director. Another big part of my internship has been identifying problems in the community and coming up with solutions that the company can help lead. This includes things such as financial literacy in low income communities, political advocacy for legislation that helps improve the lives of Arizonans, as well as a plethora of different problems plaguing the veteran community. Being able to look at these issues from the private sector perspective has taught me think of efficient and practical solutions to these problems.
The importance of self awareness and relationships (free write)
Recently it seems like I have been having this conversation with a lot of people and I'm not sure why so many people are having a problems with understanding that life is cyclical, but you can get yourself stuck in a rut if you are not actively engaging others in your growth. Self awareness, is about knowing the who, what, when, why, and where (yes physical location matters) of your life.
To be clear I do not claim to have all the answers, but being a self aware person means that I understand that not having all the answers is a big part of life. Knowing when to ask for help, who to ask, as well as in what manner you ask, are things people need to consider when they find themselves in a rut and without any idea as to how to get out.
It's important be comfortable with yourself, and know your strengths, but most importantly know and understand your weakness. It's OK to ask for help! I don't understand why people keep trying to go through life trying to do everything on their own. Personally, I think this is due to our misconception of what it is to be entrepreneur, in other words we have this erroneous idea that self-made people are really self-made. However, people don't understand that being self-made does not mean you go at it alone. If you look at the wealthiest people the Vanderbilt's, Rockefeller's, and Carnegie's they all have one thing in common. They all knew when and how to ask for help. Without the Cornelius Vanderbilt, the John Rockefeller's would have never amassed the wealth that he did. If Thomas Scott would not have mentored Andrew Carnegie, he would have never of learned the ins and outs of business that made him such a success. Even geniuses like Edison needed the help of people like JP Morgan to take his inventions to a global scale.
I guess what I am trying to say is know yourself, where you are in life and seek those that can help you advance and reach new heights. You will be surprised to see how many people are genuinely interested in watching you succeed. However, very few people have time to mentor people that are not ready to be mentored, especially if they still haven't figured out who they are or what they want to accomplish in life. So again be self-aware pay attention to your surrounding and see how you best fit into that world, and don't be afraid to ask for help, but seek those that truly help you.
To be clear I do not claim to have all the answers, but being a self aware person means that I understand that not having all the answers is a big part of life. Knowing when to ask for help, who to ask, as well as in what manner you ask, are things people need to consider when they find themselves in a rut and without any idea as to how to get out.
It's important be comfortable with yourself, and know your strengths, but most importantly know and understand your weakness. It's OK to ask for help! I don't understand why people keep trying to go through life trying to do everything on their own. Personally, I think this is due to our misconception of what it is to be entrepreneur, in other words we have this erroneous idea that self-made people are really self-made. However, people don't understand that being self-made does not mean you go at it alone. If you look at the wealthiest people the Vanderbilt's, Rockefeller's, and Carnegie's they all have one thing in common. They all knew when and how to ask for help. Without the Cornelius Vanderbilt, the John Rockefeller's would have never amassed the wealth that he did. If Thomas Scott would not have mentored Andrew Carnegie, he would have never of learned the ins and outs of business that made him such a success. Even geniuses like Edison needed the help of people like JP Morgan to take his inventions to a global scale.
I guess what I am trying to say is know yourself, where you are in life and seek those that can help you advance and reach new heights. You will be surprised to see how many people are genuinely interested in watching you succeed. However, very few people have time to mentor people that are not ready to be mentored, especially if they still haven't figured out who they are or what they want to accomplish in life. So again be self-aware pay attention to your surrounding and see how you best fit into that world, and don't be afraid to ask for help, but seek those that truly help you.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Introduction to the organization
My internship is at an analytic company named, education Leadership analytics (eLa). This company has a variety of clients across the 3 sectors (business, government, and nonprofit) and provides their expertise to empower their clients to make the correct business decisions. The reason the L in leadership is capitalized is because this company understands that without the proper leadership the education and analytics pieces fall apart and are unable to really affect the change the community needs. This company views itself as launch pad for change and progress in the community.
As I said in my previous post, with analytics you get numbers, and even though people can add whatever interpretation they want to those numbers at the end of the day those numbers will still be the same. Even though I don't have an extensive experience in analytics I consider myself a community leader and understand that having the numbers to back my statements and positions will make me a better Leader. At this internship I will have an opportunity to learn about data and how it comes together as well as learn the systems used in the for profit sector, many are these systems are the same for the nonprofit sector.
As I said in my previous post, with analytics you get numbers, and even though people can add whatever interpretation they want to those numbers at the end of the day those numbers will still be the same. Even though I don't have an extensive experience in analytics I consider myself a community leader and understand that having the numbers to back my statements and positions will make me a better Leader. At this internship I will have an opportunity to learn about data and how it comes together as well as learn the systems used in the for profit sector, many are these systems are the same for the nonprofit sector.
In leadership the when is as important as the who (free write)
Regardless of where you fall politically there is an important lesson to be learned from Mitt Romney's decision not to run for president a third time, especially for those of us seeking leadership positions in the near future. That lesson is, that when speaking of great leaders, "the when is just as important as the who". The current message coming from most Republican leaders is that Romney would have been a great president had he won in 2012, but that his time has passed. This message reinforces the concept that timing matters when speaking of leaders. This can be confusing to some and very hard to accept for others, after all none of us want to consider ourselves irrelevant. Personally I have faced this issues on several different occasions. There have been times when I wanted to step up and take the lead on the issue but I was not the best person to do so. However, what must be kept in mind is that just because it is not your time to lead in one area that does not mean you cannot lead in another.
As I continue to expand my work as a community leader I have come to realize that leadership comes in many different forms. Sometimes you are called to lead the charge other times you are meant to take a support role. Being able to identify this and not letting your ego get in the way will place you in a stronger leadership position when it comes time for you to step up and be the face of a movement.
As I continue to expand my work as a community leader I have come to realize that leadership comes in many different forms. Sometimes you are called to lead the charge other times you are meant to take a support role. Being able to identify this and not letting your ego get in the way will place you in a stronger leadership position when it comes time for you to step up and be the face of a movement.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)