# data[].attributes.body
As a 23-year-old, I am still navigating the world. Growing up as introvert, I have always felt like the networking field wasn’t built for me. Networking is all about playing the game and I struggled to play successfully. I have decided that in order to be successful in my career, I have to learn how to network effectively. Therefore, in social settings I plan on not allowing large groups to intimidate me. I will also set reasonable expectations, go into events with a plan, and prepare questions and icebreakers. Networking is a formula, and I have learned that everyone’s formula is different. Therefore, it’s important to learn what works for me and to remember patience throughout the process. "Many people take a misguided approach to networking. They go astray by building imbalanced networks, pursuing the
wrong kind of relationships, or leveraging" (Thomas et al., A Smarter Way to Think, pg.150).

As an Introvert another quality that I want to develop is speaking up for myself, and vocalizing my issues and concerns. The only way to be a successful leader is to be a forceful speaker. I have not expressed the vocal side of myself since I started my career, from now on I have the courage and confidence to now speak my mind in a professional manner. I also think if I show this side it might even improve my chances of becoming more visible to my supervisors. Lastly, I plan on setting more goals that are aligned with socializing and getting out of my comfort zone. This will help me maintain and obtain my career growth, "when people discover that they are below their goal, they typically increase their effort and/or modify their strategy" (Gary Latham, The motivational benefit of goal-setting, pg.127).

# data[].attributes.body
Another key takeaway is the idea of working in different  environments and learning how to adapt. Whether it's working in a environment where you have to collaborate or an environment where people tend to work independently. If you're an introvert like me you tend to like working alone, although that's not realistic.

Working in groups is inevitable wether it's a group project at school or having to collaborate with a team at work. When you're working in teams it's great to understand  each members different drivers.  Having like mindsets will increase the teams productivity. In order to avoid the "them versus us" mentality, “the solution to both is developing a shared mindset among team members—something team leaders can do by fostering a common identity and common understanding” (Mortensen et al., The Secrets of Great Teamwork, pg.72). Although, this may not always be the case. Therefore learning how to adapt to your environment, wether you're an employee or management is essential to any companies success.

# data[].attributes.body
As an employee, I think we sell ourselves short and don't typically think about what we deserve from our management. After taking this course, I have found that the management that I am under has failed in many ways:

Not only do they not provide their employees with adequate support but they also lack "The Go Directly To Us" mentality (Julia Kirby, Jack Griffin’s Ouster: Lessons from a Failed “Change Agent”, pg.3). Instead of working for their organization and towards the main goal of educating students, I have found that they tend to provide "quick fixes" that suit their personal gain. This in fact has caused  honest teachers with  hopes of improving the education system to become demotivated. If you don't give your employees a “reason for being there,” they will loose sight of the mission/goal of the company (Meltzer et al., Stop Demotivating Your Employees!, pg.30). Due to this behavior and lack of support, they have lost a lot of teachers over the years and the students tend to play by "their own rules." "Having the right support is the third condition that enables team effectiveness. This includes maintaining reward system that reinforces good performance, an information system that provides access to the data needed for the work, and an educational system that offers training” (Mortensen et al., The Secrets of Great Teamwork, pg.74).  So the daunting question that I have faced for the past month is do I leave with my dignity and morals like "Henry Brubaker" or do I continue to be patient and hope that the system will change.

# data[].attributes.body
In the future when I land my first management position, I plan on doing the following:

1. Defining a clear mission statement or “reason for being at work,” to discourage lazy behavior in the workplace (Meltzer et al., Stop Demotivating Your Employees!, pg.30).

2. “Coach employees for improvement," a major reason so many managers do not assist subordinates in improving their performance is, simply, that they don’t know how to do this without irritating or discouraging them" (Meltzer et al., Stop Demotivating Your Employees!, pg.2).

Therefore during staff meetings, I would ask employees what they needed from me in order to perform well. The more questions you ask your employees, the more you'll get a better sense of their needs and concerns.

3. I would also follow the Congruence Model to monitor the organizations performance. "An organizations’ performance is derived from four elements tasks, people, structure and culture” (Mind Tools, The Congruence Mode l, pg.1).  Analyze each concept to make sure they are aligned.

4. If a problem arises I would use the “go and see” approach described in the article “5 whys” by the Mind Tools Editorial Team. This article expresses the importance of seeing what the problem is and collaborating with your employees using the “5 Whys approach” before coming up with a plan, this is done through counterarguments rather than suggesting solutions.

4. Lastly, I would be open minded, optimistic, and allow my employees to make decisions for the company because they are the ones who are in the field everyday. In other words, it's important to me to value my employees and show them how much their work is appreciated “Employees are a rich source of information about how to do a job and how to do it better” (Meltzer et al., Stop Demotivating Your Employees!, pg.6).

# data[].attributes.body
In closing, I have learned so much from the business course Leading and Managing People. I also feel like this course has been the most relatable for me because I was able to view the perspective of the management side and employee side. As I navigate towards my own business, I feel like I will be well equipped and have a basic understanding on how to run a successful business from all aspects. Some key points that I learned and will practice are:

1) Find your balance as a manager
2) Understand that your employees are vital to your companies performance and make that be known. This can be done by giving your employees any type of positive reinforcement for their hard work.
3) Analyze all figures and don't look at visible figures alone.“Figures that are unknown and unknowable are even more important.”(Deming, 5 Deadly Diseases Video)
4) Lastly, "A good manager “Understands and teaches the meaning and goals of the system.” (Deming, The New Economics, pg. 4),