Growing Leaders

1.  A summary of the article

           In this article, Tim Elmore writes about how interns are misunderstanding their purpose and expectations they are being held to during and after their internship. Elmore says that "the adults in [the student/intern's] lives have failed to prepare them for [the real] world". He goes on to explain the true expectations and qualities of what an internship really is... "a 12 week interview" and a "simulation of the job you'll have one day". He ends with his idea of the values an intern or worker should posses to be desired by future employers: teachability, initiative, responsibility, energy, giftedness, work ethic, and passion.

You can find the original article on this blog by Tim Elmore: http://growingleaders.com/blog/

2.  How do you imagine this applying to you and your mentorship? What are some concrete things you can do to make sure you are making a good impression during your year-long interview?

          I know that the idea discussed in this article will come into play at some point in my mentorship. That is why I am venturing into the professional working world so early; I get more chances to explore. I believe that I possess the qualities stated above, and if I do not, that is why I am mentoring, to learn. I learn best when I am given goals just beyond my current abilities, because it helps my talents grow and tests my dedication to my choices. In my current mentorship, I will make sure to not only do what my mentor tells me, but to try to surpass expectations. A good thought to have in mind is that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. If you are not doing something correctly (like if your mentor asks you to do something), and you do not fix it, you will not go to the bigger and better places that you want to go.

3.  Discuss, again for your readers, what you found most relevant to you regarding this article.

           In this article I found the beginning part, where the unprepared interns fail on the job, the most relevant to my life. This is not what I think of myself, but it is something I see all too much in today's working society. People with college degrees but lack experience and true knowledge of their profession. Degrees and titles mean nothing if you can't to the job right. As a driving force to motivate me to succeed, I remind myself to always strive to be better than what is expected of me (with respect to boundaries), and to not be someone that someone regrets knowing.

Importance of Money

"We do not break the bad habit of debt through earning more money, but rather we break any habit by replacing it with a better one."

What do you think this means? 

          This quote is addressing the psychology behind money management. It is saying that no matter how much money you earn, you will still be in debt if you do not understand how to manage the money you earn. I like this quote because it makes me question not only my money choices, but also America's idea of money management. I am not extensively knowledgable on our country's financial state, but I do know that we owe a lot of money to a lot of people/countries. America represents freedom, especially the freedom to choose how to earn and what to do with your money. Two years ago, I was friends with a student fom Hong Kong who was fascinated by America's way of spending. She said that in China, you work and save your entire life in order to spend and enjoy when you get old, whereas in America you spend and enjoy now, and pay later. If she was to study the relationship the US has with money a little further, I think that student from Hong Kong would understand the US differently. With a "buy now and pay later" mindset, the debt of individual people and the US will only grow more and more, and the consequences will eventually catch up to the spend-and-pay-later-ers. Making more money will not fix any debt problem. Learning how to manage money will. 

Are you worried about getting into financial trouble as you get older?

          I know that at some point I may have financial trouble, but I will get through. Unlike many people my age, I watch what I spend and earn and I enjoy working the money system. I make surenever go below a certain amount in my banking account, to put a percentage of my earnings into savings, and to keep only a small amount in my wallet for a random emergency. In times where I have extra money, I invest it in high school ways, such as baking cookies and selling them at school.  This is only a high schooler's budget, so I expect my flow of money to be more complicated when I get older. I know that I may not always be at the top of my game on the income-outcome ratio, so that is why back ups are important. "If it weren't for the last moment, nothing would get done around here" is a quote I saw on an office desk once, and I believe that to true, especially in financial situations. Sometimes the stress of the last moment, or even when your time is up, is what it takes for someone to learn how to use their money wisely. If they truely choose to, a person can understand that money is a game that you can win or lose. With a positive vision in mind and strong effort to support that vision, I believe I will always be smart with my choices and will work my way through any obstacle. 

Does money factor in to your culminating project/or career path you have chosen? If so, how? Should money be a major consideration in choosing your life’s path?

          I would be silly to say that money doesn't factor into my career path, or anyone's career path for that matter. I'm going to need money to pay for gas and business-professional clothes for this mentorship. I'm going to need a heap of money in order to go to college and pay for food and housing and live on my own. On the flip side, money is the driving force to even pursue a career. If we already had everything we wanted, we would have no need to work a day in our lives. However, since that is not the case, I'm going to need money in order to make money. That's what my aunt says, and she built a multi-million dollar business from nothing. Well, near nothing ($360.82 to be exact, and part of it was borrowed from a friend). To some people, money may not make the world go 'round, but it sure does help. I believe that money should be a considered in any choice, but it should not be the deciding factor. If someone loves something enough, they will find a way. If they don't, they will find an excuse. I aspire to follow in the footsteps of my aunt by becoming my own boss and someday I will make enough money where I can make choices based on what I want, not what my bank account tells me. Money, whether being earned or spent, should always be considered but it should never limit anyone's choices. If there's a will, there's away.

Ethics

-Where do people learn about ethics? From family, school, religious leaders, television, friends, etc.?

      As children, we learn about ethics from our parents, school, church, or anything that has more knowledge than us. That is because they have lived longer and children understand that they need someone to learn from. Yet, children steal, cheat, and disobey their elders anyway, despite being taught what is "right and wrong". This shows that children have a mind of their own and can create their own idea of morals and ethics. 

-What is the difference between ethics and morality?

      Morals are things taught directly by families, friends, and anything that has direct influence on a single person. Each person can have different morals, even a married couple. Morals plays a large part in defining who we are as a person and also defines differences between us and other people, kind of like personalities and character. Ethics is considered a more worldly idea of accepted morals. A whole nation can have a general form of accepted ethics, and when another country does something outside of those ethical standards, then it is a big deal. For example, it is generally accepted worldwide that murdering is wrong. That is ethics. So when a country is found murdering people, it is "unethical" and "wrong" and many other countries may step in to stop the one area from doing such a thing. (But what do you do when the country that is stopping the murdering, is found killing the people? [topic for debate]). Ethics is a broader more widely accepted idea of morals, often can be applied worldwide, whereas morals are on a much smaller scale and can be applied to one specific person.

-What makes some people more ethical than others?

      Some people can be more ethical than others because they choose to follow the ethics they know. These are most likely the rule followers and try to be correct. Some people who are considered "not ethical" actually do know that is ethically accepted, but they chose to go against it. These people are often law breakers. Rules and laws are not what create ethics, but they often reflect the ethics of a state or country. That is why third world countries are CONSIDERED less ethical (whether or not they are actually), because other countries do not know the standards that they live by (shown by laws and governments). 

-Can people follow different codes of ethics?

     Yes, people can follow different codes of ethics, but it often causes great debate and is often put down, depending on how outrageous the ethics are from what is accepted. Take religious sacrifices for example. Some religions, especially older and smaller ones, believe in religious sacrifices to "the gods" for prosperity and for forgiveness. Sacrifices could be human or animal, but either one is frowned upon and illegal in the United States. Codes of ethics held by people who believe sacrifice is okay are different than the people who created the laws of the US (which laws are believed in by the majority of US citizens).

-Discuss an ethical dilemma you might face in the area of study you have chosen for your mentorship? How will you handle the situation?

     At the moment, I am in the middle of a mentorship change, but in the field I plan on entering there could be many ethical issues. I plan on doing something along the lines of broadcasting or journalism, where the opinions and ethics of the viewers matter substantially. People that are creating the broadcasts or writing the newspapers must take the ethics of the region into consideration if they want to be accepted. If I say something ethically unaccepted to either the viewers or my coworkers, people may not trust me to do a good story and could stop watching or reading the program. I must make sure I stay in coordinance with the morals and ethics of the region of Hall County. If I ever step out of line in this way, I will do my best to either explain my point of view kindly or correct myself, depending on how severe what I did was.