StageberryTest

Overall:  I enjoyed this musical and thought it had many funny parts throughout; most of which mirrored the movie.  I wish it had a little more plot from the movie, but it was still good and I would recommend it.  It was a  little  long, at almost 2.5 hours, but musicals tend to be about that length so it isn't out of the ordinary.  I will say I was NOT bored at any point. Story:  This musical left out a lot of good parts from the movie and replaced them with numerous songs.  I think missing some of those parts made the show a little less entertaining; as many of the missing parts were funny. Character Development:  The main character, Cady, clearly changed throughout the show.  However, because parts of the plot were replaced with songs, her development wasn't as easy to see in the musical as it was in the play. Theme:  It's about girls being mean to each other in high-school; but done in a humorous way.  There really isn't an overarching th

I went in this course not really knowing what to expect.  I come out of it saying that I truly enjoyed it.  It was different than I expected, but more enjoyable than I anticipated.  I expected it to be more textbook based, more "this is what leaders do and how they handle situation A."  But it was not like that.  It was a real-world experience with real-world problems and solutions; both from the Professor and from the students. I enjoyed how the Ernest Duncan allowed us to interact with each other versus being the sole speaker in each lecture.  Allowing each of us to give our input really created some interesting conversations.  This class has allowed a group of strangers to become quite close, all in eight short weeks.  I find that amazing.  You cannot find that in many places. Going forward, I am looking forward to the rest of the MBA Program.  I am sure that all my classes will not be the same as this, but I still look forward to them.  Life is about challenges, and I

Chapter 11:  "...by expected the best from people, they in turn expect the best from themselves" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 279). I wrote about this in one of the papers I wrote recently.  Basically, people will go above and beyond their own expectations if they believe that their leaders believe in them.  Being a leader and telling others that they can do it, they can overcome struggles, really goes a long way at making people feel good about themselves.  And when people feel good about themselves they do what's good for themselves and for the company. "People hunger for feedback.  They really do prefer to know how they are doing, and no news generally has the same negative impact as bad news" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 290). This is so true!  I receive feedback in my job, but would like to get more of it.  I like knowing what I'm doing well, where I'm struggling, and what I totally messed up or completely exceeded expectations.  People

Chapter 9: "Collaboration is a social imperative--without it you can't get extraordinary things done in organizations" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 224). The problem with this statement is that many leaders tend to forget it.  If you think about it, no great feat was accomplished by one man and one man only.  Everything of significance requires joint efforts.  To ignore that fact is to warrant a disastrous future for yourself and your company.  To me, a good leader is one that acknowledges this statement and works to organize a team that an achieve almost anything.  There are many leaders who do that, and the book even references some.  It just involves being open-minded and realizing that you are not the almighty, despite your extreme desire to be.   "By consulting with others and getting them to share information, you make certain that people feel involved in making decisions that affect them" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 232). I WISH more leader

Chapter 7: "Sometimes leaders have to shake things up.  Other times they just have to grab hold of the adversity that surrounds them" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 164). This really goes to show you that there is NO one-size fits all approach to effective leadership.  As a leader, you really have to know when you stay the course and when to divert.  It can be a tough call at times, probably most times, but it is one that you have to be willing to make.  Because inaction is probably the worst response. "...simply saying "I know you can do it; I know you can do it" actually works" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 172). I found this interesting; that simple words of encouragement are enough to make people actually take actions that they otherwise would not take.  But after thinking about it, it really makes sense.  If you believe that someone else believes in you, wouldn't you be willing to take a chance.  If you knew that a LEADER believe

Chapter 5: "Leaders have to make sure that what they see is also something that others can see" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 105). Who is going to follow a leader who cannot set a clear path?  No one.  But even if that leader CAN set a clear path, would you follow her if it was not a path you yourself wanted to take? Of course not.  A leaders desires and end-goals have to be aligned with that of her constituents, or no one will support her. "As surprising as it might seem, in aiming for the future you need to look back into your past" (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. 107). How can you understand where you are going if you do not know where you have been?  It seems so simple, yet it is so often ignored when people try and make solutions for the future.  Historians will tell you, time and again, that you must know your past to be able to determine where you are going in your future. Your past helps you develop your limits, test them, and exceed b