What's a great Leader?
Is he that kind of Ruler
Who inspires others to conquer empires
Such as was The Great Alexander
Or is it that kind of ruler
Selfish, narcissistic and hungry for Power
Such was the cruel Adolph Hitler
Two great historical characters whose definition of leadership differs
I now ask you, what's a great leader
Often referred to as conductor, manager, director, supervisor
Or as Bush so eloquently called himself "the Decider"
If you ask me what he or she should offer
Well here's my answer,
Judgment explained by reason should define what's a great leader
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Communicating via Blog
The blog assignments during this semester have not had the intended impact for me. The main reason for this is the fact that I have never made a blog before. I have never been the type of individual to post my thoughts online for everyone to see. I have always found it hard expressing my thoughts to strangers simply because I am always weiry of people before I get to know their intension. This being a fact, I found it difficult to remember to report my opinions and thoughts on a blog. I would rather share my thoughts inside a classroom because it is much more private and personal to me.
After reading the intended goal of the blog assignment, I realize the missed opportunities. It was supposed to be a platform where I can post my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. The concept is especially appealing when we consider the size of the classroom and the amount of valuable informations and insightful opinions the members of my class have to offer.
This assignment to some extent mirrors the ideas of social websites such as Facebook and Myspace, and likewise it limits the control of the creator of these posts. The web is a limitless space that provides little to no peace of mind regarding the possible misuse or misinterpretation of these thoughts.
In future class, I think the Blog would be a good idea but the grade allocation should not be so skewed. It should at best be 5% of the final grade or should even be an extra credit assignment.
I find it a bit unfair to those who have a hard time expressing themselves online for the world to see.
After reading the intended goal of the blog assignment, I realize the missed opportunities. It was supposed to be a platform where I can post my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. The concept is especially appealing when we consider the size of the classroom and the amount of valuable informations and insightful opinions the members of my class have to offer.
This assignment to some extent mirrors the ideas of social websites such as Facebook and Myspace, and likewise it limits the control of the creator of these posts. The web is a limitless space that provides little to no peace of mind regarding the possible misuse or misinterpretation of these thoughts.
In future class, I think the Blog would be a good idea but the grade allocation should not be so skewed. It should at best be 5% of the final grade or should even be an extra credit assignment.
I find it a bit unfair to those who have a hard time expressing themselves online for the world to see.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
5X Pickles
The Process:
The process was unusual and fairly quick for me. I placed the order around 11pm, so there weren't many customers there. Since the place was nearing closing time, there was only two registers open, two cooks in the kitchen and a manager on duty. One the cashier was taking orders and the other was restocking supplies such as ketchup and sugar probably for the morning shift.
Before I placed my order, I first stated that it was a unique order and that I needed a printed receipt containing exactly all the items I order. The lady took my order without a problem and only ready back the bigmac sauce to me, as I'm sure she wasn't use that request. I stressed again that the receipt had to show 5X extra pickles, mac sauce and well done fries. After finishing the order, she walked back toward the kitchen and told the cook the wanted 5 pickles on the hamburger and the bigmac sauce on the side. Then she walked over to the fry station and took already fried French fries and placed them in the deep Fryer. She then walked back to ring me up. After paying with my card, she gave the receipt. I automatically noticed the missing 5X pickles and asked her to reprint the order. She then talk me there was no way to have it appear 5 times in the receipt for just one hamburger. I ask her to try and charge it if necessary and that I would need to have 5X pickles on the receipt. At that moment she looked over to the other cashier for help but she too was clueless. She contacted the manager who was roaming around the kitchen for help. When he came to me he stated that the hamburger would have exactly five pickles but the receipt would not be able to display it. I told him that this particular order had been placed in the past at different locations without a problem with the receipt. He then stated that the software system at that McDonald was new and it was for that reason they were not able to print the 5X pickles on the receipt. I pleaded once more the importance of the receipt and he volunteered to write an explanation on the receipt. I thought about just cancelling the order and going to a different location but he seemed very convinced that most McDonald in the area would not be able to satisfy my request on the receipt. So I took his word and written explanation and waited for my order. Less than a minute later, my order was presented to me with exactly 5 pickles on the hamburger, well done (almost burnt) fries and chicken nugget box containing bigmac sauce in it. I quickly took a picture of the food at the counter with the receipt next to it then disposed of it (since I do not eat McDonald and could eyeball anyone there who would take food from a stranger at 11pm).
Evaluation:
Assuming I knew enough to be consultant for McDonald, I would give the overall team an A grade for communication, organization, training and leadership. The communication deserves an A because the cook and the cashier were in sync with one another. After taking my order, the cashier walked to the kitchen twice to emphasize the 5 pickles and mac sauce. The first was right after taking my order and the second time was during my conversation with the manager regarding the receipt. The second communication to the cook was necessary because my conversation with the manager drew the cook’s attention to the front of the restaurant and he needed reassurance that the order was still the same. This additional level of communication was needed to keep things running and clear any misunderstandings that the cook or the kitchen may have regarding the order.
The Organization was thin in terms of layers of management probably because it was so late at night, but it was none the less very efficient. There were two cooks in the kitchen to satisfy order and prep the kitchen for the next morning. There were two cashiers in the front to take order, assemble and restock supplies for the next morning as well. There was a manager on duty to assist the staff with any questions they may have. This organization structure deserves an A because it was efficient and very effective considering I received my order in less than 5 minutes. I was also able to speak to a manager which reassured me that my request was fully addressed.
The training is also deserving of an A because the cashier and the cook knew how to perform their functions. The cashier took my order to her best ability and capability, and the cook make the order exactly the way it was placed. Both employees handled their responsibilities well and in the event there is an issue, the manager on duty was trained well enough to take care of the issue. I thought it was impressive of the manager to be knowledgeable of the software used and its limitations.
The leadership was as expected given the structure of the organization, so the expected leader was clearly the manager. This is also a good thing which proves the leadership to be be deserving of an A because the manager was able to rise to the occasion and handle the situation. Lack of leadership can prove to be disastrous in an organization, therefor the fact that no one unusual or outside of the manager was forced to rise to the situation proves that there was an affective and reliable leader on duty. The cook and cashier are not require to think critically outside of their direct responsibilities and training so therefor they are not expected to display leadership qualities.
The process was unusual and fairly quick for me. I placed the order around 11pm, so there weren't many customers there. Since the place was nearing closing time, there was only two registers open, two cooks in the kitchen and a manager on duty. One the cashier was taking orders and the other was restocking supplies such as ketchup and sugar probably for the morning shift.
Before I placed my order, I first stated that it was a unique order and that I needed a printed receipt containing exactly all the items I order. The lady took my order without a problem and only ready back the bigmac sauce to me, as I'm sure she wasn't use that request. I stressed again that the receipt had to show 5X extra pickles, mac sauce and well done fries. After finishing the order, she walked back toward the kitchen and told the cook the wanted 5 pickles on the hamburger and the bigmac sauce on the side. Then she walked over to the fry station and took already fried French fries and placed them in the deep Fryer. She then walked back to ring me up. After paying with my card, she gave the receipt. I automatically noticed the missing 5X pickles and asked her to reprint the order. She then talk me there was no way to have it appear 5 times in the receipt for just one hamburger. I ask her to try and charge it if necessary and that I would need to have 5X pickles on the receipt. At that moment she looked over to the other cashier for help but she too was clueless. She contacted the manager who was roaming around the kitchen for help. When he came to me he stated that the hamburger would have exactly five pickles but the receipt would not be able to display it. I told him that this particular order had been placed in the past at different locations without a problem with the receipt. He then stated that the software system at that McDonald was new and it was for that reason they were not able to print the 5X pickles on the receipt. I pleaded once more the importance of the receipt and he volunteered to write an explanation on the receipt. I thought about just cancelling the order and going to a different location but he seemed very convinced that most McDonald in the area would not be able to satisfy my request on the receipt. So I took his word and written explanation and waited for my order. Less than a minute later, my order was presented to me with exactly 5 pickles on the hamburger, well done (almost burnt) fries and chicken nugget box containing bigmac sauce in it. I quickly took a picture of the food at the counter with the receipt next to it then disposed of it (since I do not eat McDonald and could eyeball anyone there who would take food from a stranger at 11pm).
Evaluation:
Assuming I knew enough to be consultant for McDonald, I would give the overall team an A grade for communication, organization, training and leadership. The communication deserves an A because the cook and the cashier were in sync with one another. After taking my order, the cashier walked to the kitchen twice to emphasize the 5 pickles and mac sauce. The first was right after taking my order and the second time was during my conversation with the manager regarding the receipt. The second communication to the cook was necessary because my conversation with the manager drew the cook’s attention to the front of the restaurant and he needed reassurance that the order was still the same. This additional level of communication was needed to keep things running and clear any misunderstandings that the cook or the kitchen may have regarding the order.
The Organization was thin in terms of layers of management probably because it was so late at night, but it was none the less very efficient. There were two cooks in the kitchen to satisfy order and prep the kitchen for the next morning. There were two cashiers in the front to take order, assemble and restock supplies for the next morning as well. There was a manager on duty to assist the staff with any questions they may have. This organization structure deserves an A because it was efficient and very effective considering I received my order in less than 5 minutes. I was also able to speak to a manager which reassured me that my request was fully addressed.
The training is also deserving of an A because the cashier and the cook knew how to perform their functions. The cashier took my order to her best ability and capability, and the cook make the order exactly the way it was placed. Both employees handled their responsibilities well and in the event there is an issue, the manager on duty was trained well enough to take care of the issue. I thought it was impressive of the manager to be knowledgeable of the software used and its limitations.
The leadership was as expected given the structure of the organization, so the expected leader was clearly the manager. This is also a good thing which proves the leadership to be be deserving of an A because the manager was able to rise to the occasion and handle the situation. Lack of leadership can prove to be disastrous in an organization, therefor the fact that no one unusual or outside of the manager was forced to rise to the situation proves that there was an affective and reliable leader on duty. The cook and cashier are not require to think critically outside of their direct responsibilities and training so therefor they are not expected to display leadership qualities.
My Goals
First I have to say that I have never though of any distant goals outside of the next 10 years. By this I mean that any goals after the next 10 years are heavily depend of my success in executing my relatively short term goals.
One personal goal of mine is to work abroad within a local government of a western African country. This is something I want to do as a learning experience because I ultimately would like to retire in west Africa. My goal is to either inter or volunteer and live in the country for at least a year to fully understand the social and political problems beyond what is published to the world. I plan on first attaining some work experience before looking for internship opportunities in west Africa.
Another goal of mine is to own a gym. I am not exactly sure when i intend on doing this, but I would like to have ownership of the local gym in my neighborhood. This more of a personal goal then a business goal because I do not intend to expand my ownership to other clubs, but rather to realize resonable profits while I enjoy the gym. Since I intend to spend the rest of my life being active and fit, I see owning a gym as both a pleasurable and profitable goal. For this goal, I intend on partnering with my friend and workout partner since he's a dedicated personal trainer and much more knowledgeable on how to run a gym.
One other personal goal of mine is to run a marathon. I have always hated running and have already made excuses to keep from staying committed to running long distance, so I would ideally want to reach this personal achievement by running the NYC marathon before i'm thirty. I saw before thirty because i want to give myself a due date to further force me to commit to it. I plan on taking three months to train by first running 2 miles every morning on the treadmill for about a month before dedication every weekend to running at least 10 miles. Then for the 2 weeks prior to the marathon, I will run every 2 miles every night to make me more conditioned for the marathon.
One personal goal of mine is to work abroad within a local government of a western African country. This is something I want to do as a learning experience because I ultimately would like to retire in west Africa. My goal is to either inter or volunteer and live in the country for at least a year to fully understand the social and political problems beyond what is published to the world. I plan on first attaining some work experience before looking for internship opportunities in west Africa.
Another goal of mine is to own a gym. I am not exactly sure when i intend on doing this, but I would like to have ownership of the local gym in my neighborhood. This more of a personal goal then a business goal because I do not intend to expand my ownership to other clubs, but rather to realize resonable profits while I enjoy the gym. Since I intend to spend the rest of my life being active and fit, I see owning a gym as both a pleasurable and profitable goal. For this goal, I intend on partnering with my friend and workout partner since he's a dedicated personal trainer and much more knowledgeable on how to run a gym.
One other personal goal of mine is to run a marathon. I have always hated running and have already made excuses to keep from staying committed to running long distance, so I would ideally want to reach this personal achievement by running the NYC marathon before i'm thirty. I saw before thirty because i want to give myself a due date to further force me to commit to it. I plan on taking three months to train by first running 2 miles every morning on the treadmill for about a month before dedication every weekend to running at least 10 miles. Then for the 2 weeks prior to the marathon, I will run every 2 miles every night to make me more conditioned for the marathon.
Monday, September 27, 2010
First Day of School
My first memory of culture shock was my first day of school in the US. I was 11 years old and had only two weeks worth of English under my belt before the first day in the seventh grade. To make matter even worth, my mother took me to a barbershop school in lower Manhattan to get a haircut at a discount. Things got progressively worst as the language barrier between my mom and the amateur barber led to him completely messing up my haircut. As a result, my hair was completely shaved off. The night before was unforgettable because I spent the entire night looking into the mirror trying to convince myself the haircut was as bad as looked and reminding myself that my favorite basketball player, Micheal Jordan, also had a bold haircut.
The following morning, I woke up early anticipating my first anticipating a good first day of school. I finished putting on my favorite shirt and sneakers (which were dirty from playing at the park the day before) and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Not long into my favorite bold of cereal did my mother enter the kitchen with a disapproving looking. She complained about my clothe and demanded I change into an outfit she handpicked herself. That was last day I would take fashion advice from my mom.
I was taken to school to school by my mom and my uncle who had been here long enough to be considered to speak English fluently. As I walked to school, I could only think about how ridiculous i looked and how shinny my bold head looked under the sun. The experience was as I expected. I was stared at by everyone who came into contact with me. I would hear students and adults speak among themselves wherever I walked. They may not have been talking about my ridiculous outfit and unusually shinny head but my inability to speak English made me suspicious of everyone who laid eyes on me.
What surprise me even more then the looks and reactions I received was the unruliness of the student of the classroom. I was amazed at the behavior of my peers in the presence of the teacher. Conversations were being carried by students while the teacher spoke and all the teacher would say was "quiet ...". I heard the word so much throughout the day that I was sure of the meaning by the end of the day.
In the school attended in north Africa, Algeria, prior to the US, the teacher would never ask the class to be quiet because students were punished for misbehaviors. And if the student continued to misbehave, the teacher would contact the parents of the student. The embarrassing call to the parents would cause the student to be further disciplined once he or she arrived at home.
I sat mute and deaf staring in amazement at the new culture that I was now a part of throughout the day. I would later realize the reasons for the students behavior in school and understand the affect the american culture had on the educational system.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Intro
My name is Hady Jalloh and I am a finance and investment major with a math minor. I am a personal trainer and enjoy working out and playing basketball and football.
I hope this management class is more hands on and interactive because I believe management is simple but not easy. Therefor it should be practiced through more interactive learning such as role playing, demonstrations or even video clips from well known movies such as Wall St. My hope is to leave this classroom with more then a grade and genuinely have a deeper understanding of what management is in order to be able to manage my bosses and someday be an effective manager.
I hope this management class is more hands on and interactive because I believe management is simple but not easy. Therefor it should be practiced through more interactive learning such as role playing, demonstrations or even video clips from well known movies such as Wall St. My hope is to leave this classroom with more then a grade and genuinely have a deeper understanding of what management is in order to be able to manage my bosses and someday be an effective manager.
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