Blog 9

In the leadership class, I have had a lot of opportunities to think my leadership and characteristics. Also, I could apply the leadership tips outside of the class. 

First, StrengthsQuest was one of the good opportunity to be aware of my characteristics. My strengths were restorative, input, learner, achiever and intellection. At first, I did not feel strongly that input was my strength although I totally understood I was a learner. I thought that I was a not well-prepared person. I mean that I sometimes do something without information.

However, it was figured out through the activities. Every activity, I could not do something for the activities even though other members started. I suffered a lot of pressure each time, and I blamed myself. However, I understood that "this is my strength" because I cannot take an action without information. Before I do something, I should know what kinds of things should do. There was a language problem for me not to do anything promptly, but I regretted that I could not nothing in the class. Nevertheless, I do not blame so much because this is my characteristic. I input the information first, so I can do correctly. Certainly, there are many situations I have to do something without enough information, but I do not need to be embarrassed because I know that this is me. 

Second, positiveness also gave me a piece of advice being positive. I am not a positive person, so I am afraid of assignments and midterms. Even though I got good grades, I could not be satisfied with my results. I worried everything in my life, so I did not enjoy every day. Yet, positiveness and the class activities change my minds that "I should improve myself". The random act of kindness was the big difference for me. I decorated my dorm's bathroom with positive words, " Smile!", "You are Awesome!"  and " Say "Hi!" to your Floormates!". I noticed that positive words make me so happy, and happiness makes me productive. I believed that I need some pressure to do something, but it always is big stress to me. Furthermore, these messages did not change floormates' behaviors so much, but some people thanked me a lot. More than that, I was so happy to contribute somebody else. 

All in all, I know I would confront the many difficulties in the future, but I am sure I could make them challenges with positiveness through class activities. At least, I was aware that I could improve my strengths and positiveness from now. 

Leadership blog8

The theory indicates the core problems of the group development, but there might be cultural differences in it.

My club activity group, which is for running club in my Japanese university, might be in the first stage of Peck's community development theory. It has aa feature of the first stage, which is a tendency to avoid conflicts. 

My group is not a competitive club, and member's purposes of participation in the organization are so different each other. Someone is running for making friends, but others join the club for losing her weights. The club welcomes all people even though they cannot continually participate the meetings. At a glance, the organization runs well because everyone follow the rules and their responsibilities. We talk each other friendly. However, it just "looks like". These good points are not results of the authentic teamwork because we do not relate each other so deeply. 

The group has a big difficult point, which is " the difference in purposes" between members, so it shows up in the attitudes of members toward the activities. The club can go on because members do not need to be in conflicts, so it does not develop.

The circumstance has been structured by a Japanese cultural feature, which is to outweigh of harmony among people. We are likely to identify that a group is good if it is harmonized. Japanese people dislike conflicts and arguments, so we would be satisfied with harmonized atmosphere though there is no progress. 

Thus, we should disclose what we think to grow our community. I believe that Japanese groups might try to go back the first stage if it steps into the second one; the chaotic stage. 

Nevertheless, we should not be afraid speaking up our opinions because we have different views and feelings under harmonized communities. It would cause critical conflicts in the future such like the destructions of the group in the worst case. Therefore, it is necessary for my club team's development is have shared purpose and encourage members to show up the meetings regularly. in the situation, consensus would work for member's participations. I think the group should not be strict, so it is better to have rules, which every member should follow it at least.

Blog 7 target identities and non-target identities in my life

This blog title has made me worry what to write for a whole week because I have not experienced it strongly-- even though I am in different county from I was born. However, I have noticed there are everywhere, but I did not recognize them as targeted or privileged.

One example of targeted identity in my life is being female. Especially in my country, Japan, young people are seriously conscious how they look like. Young women in Japan should being beautiful with makeups, nice clothes and beautiful behaviors. "Being famine" is a social duty in Japan. The reason why I strongly feel like that came from my experiences.
When I worked at Japanese restaurant in Japan, I served foods to the table, where some young Japanese males sit. They asked me bring seasoning, and I smiled to say yes. After I left the table for bringing what they asked to bring, I heard that one of the guy said, "please change from you to another beautiful woman to serve!" They laughed because they would think I did not hear what they said, but I did. I did not why I had to being criticized because of my face. I understood that people would be glad to meet and talk with beautiful women, but it was not a big problem for serving foods at the restaurant. I thought if I were a man, I would not be blamed like this. Sadly, I had been said and cheated in same ways in my past, so I had think that they had been due to my faults. I had thought that I had been targeted because I was ugly. However, I noticed that it would be targeted identity of being female in Japan. (especially, for young females.) I do not want to being privileged because I understand my looking and my face, but at least I would like to be treated rudely. 

Non-target identity is more difficult for me to remember, but I would like to point out being Japanese.
In the United States, I am foreigner and Asian woman, but I have not felt that I have been targeted or privileged because of my identities. My identities would be targeted usually, but I have been privileged in a certain way.
I am allowed that I cannot understand English perfectly. Even though I cannot catch every words when native English speakers talk, they understand and talk to me in different speeds and words for my understanding. Although they are irritated that I ask many times, they repeat same things again and again because I am non-native speaker of English. I feel so sorry to them and I am guilty that I cannot understand what people say, but I know it is helpful to me in my U.S. days. Also, they talk to me some Japanese words when they notice I am Japanese such like "Konichiwa(hello)." In most cases, people treat me as a visitor, so they are so kind to me. It is just I am happy that I have not been treated badly as a foreigner, but I would think that I have been allowed because of my nationality.


Concerned both identities, I would like to say that I am happy because I could say, "I have not experienced being targeted or non-targeted due to my identities." It means that I have been treated properly in U.S., so I should be conscious that there are many people, who are suffered because of their identities.

Blog 6 LPI

The result of my Leadership Performance Inventory did not show surprising things to me because it had been based on my personal characteristics, which provided by StrengthQuest and other situations. However, my lowest principles in the result was new to me a little bit.

My highest principles are inspire a shared vision and challenge the process. They are exactly what I pursue in  my personal leadership plans. Especially, challenging principle is my philosophy. I believe that people can grow through the challenges, so I would prioritize to encourage members to challenges when I am working with group.

On the other hand, my lowest is model the way. It is reasonable because I prefer to challenge the process rather than just to follow the examples and steps. Thus, I might not want to make members to follow my examples---I would like to encourage them to perform their ability as much as they can. Therefore, I would prefer challenges rather than following and setting success ways in my team working. 

5th Post Random Act of Kindness

This assignment is my biggest worry for last two weeks because I do not have any ideas about random act of kindness. Eventually, I decide to do make some sticky notes to put in my dorm's bath room.
I am so pleased to live my floor because I came here as an exchange student, so I worried so much and felt nervous when I came here. However, my floor mates are really nice, and they talked me when I met them at the hall. I also appreciate their patients because I cannot either speak or listen English, but they try to talk with me.
When I was thinking about this assignment, these gratitude feelings came to my mind, and I thought I would like to be closer with them because I would go back my country after the semester.
Then, I just chose the way to encourage people with some good words and lovely decorations.
Also, I just put the sentence, "Say "Hi!" to Floormates" because I feel awkward sometimes when I go to the crowded silent bathroom in the morning. Though it is full of people, they do not talk.
When I put the staffs on the wall, one of my floor mates came there, and she praised me and my work. I was so glad because she agrees my feeling in the morning silent bathroom.
Through the assignment, I just feel something positive. It is really great because I was stressed out for midterms recently. Moreover, I noticed that it was part of my short-term leadership plan; make others positive. I had thought encouragement could have been done through face-to-face communication, but I could do it in such like a way, which was putting messages in the common place.

Blog 4 Moral Muteness

The readings and class discussions reminded me some experiences I had in the past, and I was not sure how did I make decisions--what were my principles to decide my behaviors when I confronted the ethical dilemmas.
Thus, I analyze myself using these things and criteria.

In the freshman year, we had a written exam for an intensive English course. We had already been given the questions, so three friends and I prepared for the exam together. It was a first time for us to take these kinds of the exam, so we did not understand the academic integrity at that time. My English teacher allowed us to work together, but we misunderstood that out ideas could be similar. Even though I was not sure, I thought it was not fair to share answers to us. However, I did not say anything or warn them to do that. Eventually, I did not want to use share answers, so I prepared them myself. After taking the exam, it became problem, and they lost scores of it because their answers were too similar.

Now, of course, I prioritize the academic conducts and integrity, so I will never do that kind of things. However,  the incident clarifies that I am likely to make a sacrifice of these things for friendship and community. It might be influenced by Japanese culture, but we tend to prioritize harmony in the community. I do not want to do against my principles or values, but sometimes I violated them because I cherish community.

Blog 3

First, my result about Sexuality IAT was "little to no automatic preference between Gay People and Straight People." I think the result came from my experience constructed after I entered university. I did not know anything about gay or homosexual people before I studied university, but I met a lot of these people, and we became good friends regardless of their sexuality.  I have not background information about that, and because of that, I do not have any bias to people, who have different sexuality from me. Also, I just learn how they are suffered in the society in the gender class, I do think that they should be equally in the society because I have homosexual friends,whom I admire so much. These less bias will help me to interact with others because I do not lose any chances because of sexuality. I think I want to catch up every opportunity to meet great people. Thus, the result might reflect my attitude to meet with others with any sexual bias. 

My second result is about Weight, and it describes that "a slight automatic preference for Thin People compared to Fat People." It is understandable for me to get the result because I have a tendency to admire people who are healthy and disciplined. I like to work out and also think how to lose weight or be healthy all the time. I am now enthusiastic to change my lifestyle to be healthier in order to be more productive person. I believe that some one who spend healthier life and control their weight and eating styles can get the higher productivity. From my experiences, people who do work out everyday have great self-confidence  rather than people who did not do that. It does not academic research, but I think it points out the truth. I am not self- confident person, so I am now trying to be. Therefore, I should prefer thiner people than fat ones because they have what I could not get. Personally, I look up people who discipline theirselves and control their lifestyles, so I am trying to utilize their good lifestyle in my life. However, I do not want to lose my chances to meet new people and perspectives I do not have, so the word " slightly" in my result might reflect that. Moreover, the result warns me because I tend to be like thiner people. It means I may be likely to have a solid ideal to be thiner. It would sometimes restrict me to do what I would like. For example, I am stuck to think that I have to be in hard diet many times in a day, so it is not healthy to my mental. It will affect my attitude when I meet people, so it reminds me that I should keep the balance; control and freedom.

My last IAT is about Asian- American, and it shows that I tend to associate European American with American strongly rather than American- Asian. I do not have negative feelings on it, but I assume it came from my backgrounds. First one is that I am Asian. I am not US citizen, so it is easy for me to connect Asian - American to US. I came here as an exchange student, so I feel be an outsider of this country. Honestly, I have never felt being included in the US since I came here although I felt to be an OSU student). I enjoy my position because I can see the things from the outside. Nevertheless, it might difficult for me to connect Asian- American to US though I completely understand there are many types of American people. Second one is my friends. Before I came here, I do not have friends who is Asian- American, so I did not know Asian-American so much. A lot of American movies I had seen before uses the European- American mainly, and these movies were only resource for me to construct the images of the "United States." After I became an OSU student ( I am not an actual OSU student, but I am now at least), I have a lot of Asian- American friends, so now my previous perspectives are gradually broken. Yet, it still remains in my views.

I think these results are reasonable and natural for me, but I can remind my self important things to interact people and broaden my perspectives. These tendency are ambiguous, so I could not conscious without these opportunities like that. I appreciate to get the chance, and I am sure that I should know what kinds of tendency to justify others to work and be in the team with others. I try not to have bias to others, but I cannot deny the impact in my perspectives. Thus, I should know at least to deal with.