Controversy and Decision Making

The past week has been a dandy when it comes to working in my two groups. I have seen some breakthroughs followed by some breakdowns. Both groups are still swinging through the journey of the semester pretty well. The molding process has been a great one, and I am excited that both groups are running pretty smoothly. This week our reading was based on controversy. Controversy is simply when two people just can’t reach an agreement. Surprisingly though before going to Springfield College or taking this class, I did not realize how great controversy can be for decision making. When people respond to controversy constructively and cooperatively, it can become one of your greatest assets as a group.

I feel like in my group where I am not the labeled leader there will always be some controversy between me and the leader of our group. She has done a great job so far this semester being on top of things, and taking great initiative in showing the group that she cares about this program. I sense though that my passion and dedication to youth sometimes can test her nerve.

For instance, today we traveled to Pell Farms for Hayrides, pumpkin picking and animal feeding. She needed me to be there at least ten minutes before four, but unfortunately I did not get there until four exactly. This was merely because Alfred (Brookings student) needed to have a dance audition for a contest at his school. I am just such an emotional leader that I decided that to take time to wait for Alfred, so that he did not have to miss the Partners Program. Of course this meant that we would not arrive on time, but for me there was no way I could not have this boy come to the program. I worked too hard during the week in finding him a new college partner, that there was no way that he did not show up today. A similar situation occurred last week when we dropped off Alisha’s little sister because their mother forgot to pick her up. I was once again late to Partners and there was less time for interaction between the Brookings students and the college partners.

So of course as a result, we were late again and I could tell that my leader was flustered due to my tardiness. We ended up leaving a little late for the farms and the pre-departure logistics were shaky due to my tardiness. We still had a great time at Pell Farms with all the animals and running around the hay maze. The most significant part of this controversy though came in our weekly Site Coordinator meeting tonight.

I was really impressed that she brought this situation up to the table and openly apologized for not being able to control her emotions in front of the children. I just respected the fact that she was able to be so open about the issue, and put herself in a vulnerable position. She did not care about who was right or wrong, but she took responsibility for her actions. This has inspired me to apologize for my actions today, and to let her know that my tardiness was a consequence of my emotional side of leading. I really feel like this will be a great breakthrough for our working relationship.

I am just overall really enjoying these weekly discussions that have helped me break down everything in my work setting. I was extremely impressed when I was challenged during the week by my advisor. She asked me to use our discussions and reading in this book to determine my next move for the group. I know for this entry I did not grasp much on my other group, but don't worry there is always more things to be heard next time! I do not want to lose your attention!