all roads lead here
jaci sayen
Friday, May 8th, 2015 marks a pivotal moment in my life. I will soon don the ceremonial master’s regalia as I anxiously await my chance to cross the graduation stage at Michigan State University’s (MSU) Breslin Center and be recognized for the relentless dedication and commitment invested in the last two-and-a-half years. What a humbling experience it has been to look back and realize all that has been accomplished and how I was ever in doubt of my skills and abilities.
Reveling in this moment I now begin to see how the events in my life and experiences throughout my program shaped me and provided me with the tools necessary to fulfill my long-term goals. Although all my course work in this program has been impactful, there have been a few that have stood out that were particularly unique in developing the views I had of myself and how I can better the field I am working in. I find that I do not want this experience to come to a close but am eager to explore the new avenues that come with holding an advanced degree.
evolution of thinking and practice
To kick off my master’s coursework I chose EAD 801 Leadership and Organizational Development as my introductory course and I knew I was in the presence of someone special with Dr. Debbie McFalone. McFalone was a wonderful role model for a course about leadership; she brought professionalism, enthusiasm, honesty, and clarity to the classroom. The impact was profound on me as a new student venturing into my graduate work and did not know what to expect or how it would differ from my undergraduate experience.
McFalone exemplified everything we were studying on the topic of the exemplary leader and our class discovered a variety of ways to apply those ideals personally and professionally. At first my thinking was I had no business being in a program that was geared toward educators and therefore downplayed my talents and abilities, but McFalone showed me that I was a high level writer and instilled a confidence in me that I have carried as I’ve progressed through my degree completion. Having purpose, believing in it and then acting on it are all ways in which a leader can create buy in. These virtues were part of a perspective of Simon Sinek in his Ted Talk titled, How Great Leaders Inspire Action.
In order to be a great leader Sinek advises to being with the why because it’s not about what you do but why you do it that is most important. The leader of the division of Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS) is an advocate for starting with a purpose and I had the opportunity to explore this with him as well as learn from a former coach of mine who is the principal at Okemos High School. This was for the exploration project on the fundamentals of leadership which provided me with a multitude of resources that I have implemented in my
role such as the, “I do, you do, we do” concept of distributing knowledge and also helped me instill a connection with two wonderful people.
A course that provided me with a glimpse in the life of an athletic administrator and instructor was my KIN 890 Independent Study in Kinesiology with Assistant Athletic Director, the Director of Facilities & Event Management, Rick Atkinson. Through this experience I got to explore what it was like to review and develop content for a graduate level course. I was tasked with combing through each lesson and provided feedback and ways to enhance the content for KIN 854 Legal and Administrative Issues for Administrators and Coaches. Because I do not have teaching experience I learned that it takes a great deal of meticulous planning in order to pull off a well-organized and fluid course. Additionally, as a wallflower sitting in on various meetings I viewed the business side of administration and learned how to conduct myself amongst contractors and third party vendors. This was particularly helpful as my role with the health and safety office requires that I work with multiple vendors during our annual life safety inspections. I left the experience open-ended and encouraged Atkinson to keep me as a resource should he need support in the future and have received from him the offer to volunteer with him any time I am available and willing.
As a health and safety professional training and re-training are the way of life. Occupational health and safety requirements may not always be the most exciting of topics and often carry a stigma of being mundane and/or forced upon the trainee. In order to combat the monotony I decided to take Dr. William Arnold’s EAD 863 Training and Professional Development where I was thinking I knew enough going into the course but needed to refine my skills for the benefit of the employees in RHS. One of the books that was most influential in this revelation was Silberman and Auerbach’s Active training: A handbook of techniques, designs, case examples, and tips. When it came time to develop a training and development program I utilized a variety of training techniques pulled from that book including adding more activities that generate class participation such as action learning that asks participants for creative ways to teach others about what they are learning. It involves stating the information in their own terms, provide examples, build connections, and apply to it to certain situations. Since implementing the knowledge gained into the program we offer I have seen an improvement in participation in the classes I lead including first aid and CPR as well as training for supervisors who use the learning management system (LMS) to track progress of their employees.
The last class in my first concentration that will
have a lasting impact on my career is KIN 855
Psychosocial Bases of Coaching Athletes taught
by Dr. Andy Driska. The subject that stood out
the most was motivation. As a coach and
manager it is a job of mine to find out what
motivates each one of the individuals that I am
responsible for. This can be one of the most
challenging and rewarding things that a leader
can do, the ability to motivate those they lead
to action. An interesting paradox that occurs
often with motivation is that there are times
when play can feel like work or work can feel
like play, this is what Daniel Pink describes as
“The Sawyer Effect.”
In order to combat this phenomenon I have to implement ways that make mundane tasks more challenging to foster a more autonomous experience for the individual. A simple example of this is when I have my three student employees create their own work schedules by taking all time off and class commitments into consideration when developing it. As I closed out this course I realized that in order to generate motivation in others it starts with making your goals known and then start generating ideas, implement them, and most importantly follow-through on the progress.
Closing out my master’s program I have one final course that has enhanced my abilities to not only understand the biology and physiology behind the cognitive learning processes but has also introduced me to technology platforms that I had not experienced prior to taking this class. EAD 861 Adult Learning taught by Dr. Ginny Jones has incorporated various theories of teaching and learning that aligned with the ideas I first learned in my EAD 863 course especially the idea of creating a collaborate learning environment. Both courses have revealed that learning by doing something through interactive exercises are some of the best practices that have a retention rate of 90%. The new forms of technology that I have been exposed to that I have used in my course thus far include creating two blog postings and an infographic. After utilizing these forms of presenting information I took those newly found skills back to my job and developed an appealing way to present information that was not as beautiful as the infographic itself. I presented our divisions not so pleasant compliance records so that they would be easily understood and hopefully will create a call to action for those who view it.
an experience of a lifetime
The culmination of experiences over the past two-and-a-half years have left me with great lessons learned, new connections made, and a vigor for continued development once my degree is held firmly in my hands. Overall objectives and themes that have impacted me over the course of my degree completion revolved around what it took to become a good leader, uncovering ways to motivate effectively, developing training and course materials, and to confidently go forward knowing I have what it takes to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. Key take away messages that I have carried with me and will keep with me beyond the close of this experience are as follows:
take care of yourself first
Leadership begins with taking care of the one who is responsible for others. When I reflected on how I could always work on bettering myself McFalone encouraged me to look into a book called The Art of Extreme Self-care, by Cheryl Richardson as well as creating an “absolute no list,” which are tasks that I have to admit that I still need to develop but these are resources that I can call upon whenever necessary.
train your brain and body
As any athlete will tell you fitness is key to performance, and the same is true with cognitive ability. I have learned various ways to enhance athletic performance through proper use of the glycemic index in nutrition and exercise for injury prevention and the effects that heat and altitude have on an athlete. I have learned that exercising the brain, much like the body, requires a variety of workouts so that the brain has the ability to develop through creating collaborative and creative environments.
details matter
Staying consistent and using every opportunity to impact those around you and improve the situation you are in is a concept revealed in Drew Dudley’s Ted Talk Everyday Leadership. The interactions that I have may turn out to be extremely impactful, so I must make every moment count and be aware of my actions knowing that someone may be watching.
“you are enough. you have what it takes. you are appreciated. continue to ROAR!”
This was something that a fellow classmate told me at the end of my EAD 867 Case Studies in Educational Leadership course and it has been a motivating reminder and gift given to me by a peer. At the beginning of the course we were asked to identify an animal that reflected how you viewed your leadership style, I identified myself as a lion and others who had the same were in a group with me throughout the semester. The individual whose words were listed is a new connection that has made himself available as a future resource which is a wonderful take away I am grateful to have.
In closing, I know that I have received a great deal more than just a wealth of knowledge – I have gained a new confidence within. And although I would have never thought that I could be a 4.0 student, here I am a member of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, a nominee for the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award, and I have been able to build connections and new opportunities for myself that would never existed had I not applied in the summer of 2012. I owe a lot to those who have been by my side encouraging me and challenging me along the way. I am humbled and honored to call myself a Spartan for life!
