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Table of Contents

Introductions…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

Leadership Story…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

Resume………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Code of Ethics………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Self-Improvement Checklist……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Weekly Ascent Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8

Consulting Paper…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Adversity Quotient………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10

The Real Deal………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Speaker Review……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12

Mission Statement…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13

Learned Lesson………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………14

Thank You………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage

to press on to your destination.”

-Earl Nightingale

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“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

-Dr. Seuss

Introduction

I am Cameron Fasola. I am a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I am a musician, I am an

athlete, I am friend, a son, a brother, I am simply me.

Every person is different, and it is impossible to put all of a person onto a piece of paper. That

however, is not the goal of this portfolio. The purpose is to show that I am a leader. There will be

instances of self-expression woven into a diary of Leadership in my life throughout the Winter of 2013.

Through this portfolio I hope to convey a clear idea of who I am as a leader. I will show progress that I

have mapped, tests that I have taken to reveal both my strengths and weaknesses, and even

information on speakers that made a large difference on how I view the concept of leadership.

Throughout the quarter I worked with a team of talented individuals known as my climbing

team to introduce speakers into the class and establish their credibility amongst classmates as well as

acting as a liaison between these guest lecturers and the rest of the class. Through this I have been able

to speak with many well-educated professionals and learned a lot about how to act as a true leader.

Hopefully the contents of this portfolio will show the kind of leader I have become thanks to my

growth which was nurtured by this class.

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“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

-John C. Maxwell

My Leadership Story

Leadership takes all different forms and everyone, whether they know it or not, is presented

with opportunities to be a leader. As someone who always steps up to a leadership position whenever I

am given the chance, when I found out about being a Week of Welcome Leader at Cal Poly, I jumped at

the chance.

To prepare us, the school put us through over 50 hours of mandatory training time during the

spring of 2012. We were taught to be precise speakers, fun leaders, expert planners, and excellent

mentors. With a group of friends, I put in extra time every week to make elaborate costumes and win

the weekly contest and the bragging rights that went with it.

After Spring Training came summer planning. I worked with my co-leader to make a daily

schedule for the Week. This sounds like a simple task, but we were required to fill in every minute of

every day. We had to call every company we ate at and every location we visited. On top of all of this we

were given an incredibly limited budget per person but we did not know how many freshman or

“WOWies” we would receive.

When the week finally rolled around, all of this work became worth it. Our WOWies became

very close friends and enjoyed all the activities that we planned for them. There certainly were some

unplanned errors in our schedules, but in the end we made it all work and enjoyed every minute of it.

Even though I have stepped up to higher positions, this was by far the most rewarding thing I have done

with my time in college. Seeing my WOWies grow together and become fellow Mustangs made me feel

like a proud parent. I like to think that part of that was because of the fun week I planned with my co-

leader.

Because I stepped up to be a Week of Welcome Leader, I started trying to participate in

everything I can through Cal Poly’s Orientation Program. My co-leader and I are now both on

Orientation Board. We have grown as leaders because of the work we put into our Week of Welcome,

and we have grown as individuals because of what our WOWies taught us.

I can safely say that if I had not been a Leader through Cal Poly Orientation, I certainly would not

have learned to be a skilled leader, I would not have found such an appreciation for my school, and I

would not have turned into the person I am now.

Through this I have realized that a leader not only brings out the best in their team, but a team

brings out the best in their leader. It is a symbiotic relationship; both parties working together towards a

common goal and finding themselves along the way.

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PURPOSE______________________________________________________________________

To secure a job that will both utilize my skills education to its full potential, and to expand my technical knowledge of the field that I will enter as a future career. As well as to provide assistances that can further company productivity.

WORK EXPERIENCE______________________________________________________________

Sabatino Italian Restaurant (23032 Alicia Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692) May 2010-September 2011

Position: Delivery boy Worked with cash register, bussed tables, waited tables

Cross Country Summer Camp Coach Summer 2011 and 2012

Position: Assistant Coach

Winspire (Creates travel packages for non-profit auctions) Summer 2012

Position: Organizational Assistant Used the Companies online database to keep track of all incoming and outgoing packages

EXTRA CURRICULARS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS______________________________________

Graduated Valedictorian High School

Cal Poly Dean’s List Held Honor Roll for every quarter at Cal Poly

Week of Welcome Leader Created an orientation week on a limited budget for 12 incoming freshmen

Orientation Team Board Currently hold position as Board member on the Training Committee

AIESEC (Global Talent Sourcing) Worked on Finance board, went on sales meetings, and organized retreats

EDUCATION____________________________________________________________________

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo 2011- present

Cumulative GPA: 3.7 Expected graduation: 2015

Relative Course Work: Argument & Advocacy Accounting Physics I Calculus II Calculus III Linear Analysis Statistics Microeconomics Macroeconomics Principles of Marketing Leadrship Summit

-My marketing project involved working alongside the Kiona Wine Company to create a detailed year-long marketing plan involving magazine adds, bottle labels, and wine show booths.

-In Leadership Summit, I worked with a manager at Accensure to help fix the company’s internal issues and hierarchical instability and take the company out of its recent decline.

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“If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious

values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has

spiritual control.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Code of Ethics

I. Take Action

o The only way to solve a problem is to do something about it. If I see an injustice, I will do

what it takes to fix the problem to the best of my abilities

II. Think Selflessly

o I am not my top priority and I want those around me to know that. I owe myself to

others and would like to demonstrate my gratitude as much as possible.

III. Include Everyone

o Everyone has talents, though some may be clearer than others. I always want to give

everyone the same chances to show what they can do, and take advantages of

everyone’s strengths as well as I possibly can.

IV. Be Open

o I always want everyone to know why I do what I do. If I am clear, there will be no

miscommunications or false accusations. I think with companies transparency and

honesty is the best policy, and with people it is the same way.

V. Encourage Respect

o Diversity breeds success. I want differences to be celebrated so that people see me as a

part of a welcoming environment. I want everyone to feel comfortable around me.

VI. Consider Impact

o Thinking before acting is what I struggle with the most. I always try to hold myself to it

for that exact reason. Actions have consequences and it is good to make no decisions

without considering this.

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Self-Improvement Checklist

When I came to Cal Poly, I met a very close and very driven group of fellow students. We decided that we wanted to get as much out of our college experience as we possibly could. We decided that we did not want to merely let things pass us by and go through the motions like every other college student. We decided that the best way to keep ourselves motivated to squeeze every last bit of enjoyment out of college was to make a list of things that we together wanted to complete before college ended. Below are a few of the things on that list that were very important to me personally. Those that are checked I have completed, and those that are not, I cannot wait to get started on.

o Bike trip from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara

o Hike the 7 sister mountains all in one day

o Hangout with a homeless person and buy them dinner

o Sky Diving

o Fast for 2 days and donate my meals to someone in need

Become a Week of Welcome Leader

o Technology Free Weekend

Make frequent exercise part of a weekly regiment

Make Something in the Cal Poly wood shop

Build a Snowman

o Learn to do a Backflip

Spend a day without shoes

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

-Frederick Douglass

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Weekly Ascent Plan

I made it part of my schedule to get up and go to the gym at 6 a.m. two days a week. It was hard

at first, but as weeks went on it got easier and eventually became a pattern that I could not live without.

It has made me a much more efficient manager of time for the quarter and a much happier person

overall. My roommates even decided to join in and are now on the same workout schedule making mine

even more enjoyable.

“Take care of your body. It's the only place you have

to live.”

-Jim Rohn

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I have never believed in the Wizard of Oz theory of consulting, that I am

all-knowing and all-seeing, and that everyone around me is kind of a

backbencher.

-David Axelrod

Introduction Team Consulting

The Challenge

Sam Aborne is working for Accenture, which is a company that has just undertaken new management and a new hierarchy layout. Accenture is performing under previously demonstrated potential and Sam’s position went from Manager to a vaguely defined new position that is not mentioned on the hierarchical chain. Sam seems to be capable of bringing the company out of the pit it is in according to his previous achievements with the company, but his old boss has no accountability over his performance, and his new boss seems to not enjoy the idea of someone beneath him giving advice on how to do his job.

Action Plan

First Mr. Aborne should ask his superior about his current job description and applications jointly define such. Encourage idea about being a future vision consultant for Accenture, which gives him the ability to work laterally with all facets of company. This would make him secure in suggesting courses of actions to superiors whilst remaining in sync with the hierarchy. His job description’s free-form nature allows him to assume these responsibilities without overstepping.

Suggest to superior a more open communication style for intra-company channels and 360 degree thinking, whilst maintaining hierarchy structure. Feedback from superiors and inferiors will increase transparency of the company and new management and make the employees more trustful of new management while facilitating better organization.

Result

By asking for a definition of his job applications Mr. Aborne is creating a responsibility that could very easily fit into his job description, he is giving himself much more ability to exhibit influence on the company. He is also not overstepping his boundaries assuming that his boss allows him this responsibility. Sam will not be risking his position because whatever he does he is asking permission to do. He now has the freedom to help the company almost directly as a future consultant who has previous knowledge of how to make this company thrive. By staying within his boundaries, he leaves doors open to still move up in the company as well as still providing as much assistance as possible to his new superiors who may not be as experienced as he is in the inner workings of the company.

Our group worked together to come up with this idea. It was a fantastic learning experience to see everybody’s different views on how to solve a problem, but beyond that, it was great experience to work as a team on fixing a problem that seemed so far beyond us. Mr. Aborne actually emailed us back and told us that he really liked our idea and our “out of the box methods.” I learned that being a leader may not always work in your favor (like in Sam’s case), but it is in those times that people show their true leadership abilities and demonstrate their value.

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“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for

themselves.”

-Ray Kroc

CONTROL: 48

This score is above average. It shows that in many situations, I can see that what I do will affect the

situation positively. At some points situations get to the point where I see them as beyond my control. I

am proud of this score, but I am also aware that there is always space to improve and I will strive to

improve that constantly.

OWNERSHIP: 48

In ownership I was still above average, but this time, 48 was in the bottom end of that spectrum.

Ownership shows one’s ability to take responsibility for actions and consequences as well as taking on

the responsibility to fix the issue if something needs to be done. I think that when I or others I work with

I am rather upright and willing to take blame for mistakes. This helps me to learn

never to make the mistakes again unlike running away or blaming someone else.

I have space to grow, but this is a section that I feel pretty strong in.

REACH: 42

Reach is about how you let one problem affect other aspects of your life. For

instance if you are having trouble at work it makes you do worse in school or causes you to be harsh

towards your friends in a social situation. I fit into the high range. I used to be really bad at this, but I

have found that keeping a planner helps me to put issues into perspective and keep issues only in the

realm that they directly affect. I was told that this is what leaders tend to struggle with, and I am very

pleased to see that I am fairly strong in this aspect

ENDURANCE: 46

Endurance reflects how long a person is able to fight through adversity and even more how long they let

troubling events affect them. I do not feel that I do not care after a troubling event, but if it has passed, I

learn from it without dwelling on it. This allows me to not let it arise again to the best of my abilities as

well as to not let it ruin future situations.

My combined total AQ score was a 184. This is in the top 6% of people

that are in the workforce. I am very excited to see that I stand out this

much and that I am above average. This encouragement will help me to

continue to work hard and be the best leader that I can possibly be. It also

helped me to see what things I can work on.

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“Life is a journey, not a destination.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Real Deal

Love -

Any group of people working together to achieve the same goal, I perceive to be a family. It is incredibly

important that in the long term if I am to work for or with someone, there has to be some level of love

in that relationship. On top of that, as I learned from Dr. Beaman in this class, if you want to lead

someone you have to love them first. I always love those whom I lead, and I expect the same out of

anyone who leads me.

Teamwork -

There are very few projects that work better when only one person does all of the

work. It is simple economics that specialization breeds true efficiency. On top of

this, I enjoy being a team player. I think my best results come out when I want to

impress and represent others and not just myself. With teamwork we can get

different opinions and outlooks. As James Reed taught us in class, everyone is

different and embracing these dissimilarities breeds success.

Risk Taking -

I like to think of myself as an adventurer. I do not want to be betting on the lottery or putting everything

on red at a roulette table, but I also am not looking to be an accountant. I want a job that involves taking

risks. A risk could be reaching out to people you have not met before, or perhaps investing on a product

that I believe in before I know it will be successful, but whatever it may entail, I want to chase it and

conquer the challenge of the unknown.

Health -

I Corinthians 6:19 says “Do you not know that your bodies are temples…”. I want to strive in all that I do

to keep myself healthy both mentally and physically. Many people say that part of growing older is

slowing down, but I see that as admitting defeat. I am not striving to be the CrossFit Champion of the

world, but I want to strive to be healthy for myself, my family, and my faith.

Excitement -

Life is an adventure. I want to look forward to everyday because it will be better than the last and I think

that the entirety of that is up to me. Through good health, love, teamwork, and a fair amount of risk

taking, excitement is what I intend to find. I want to always say yes to the possibility of adventure and

growth, and I never want a day of my life to be boring.

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“It is time for parents to teach young people early on

that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

-Maya Angelou

Guest Speaker James Reed

James Reed was a guest speaker in our Business Leadership class. He is the founder and CEO of Reed company, one of the largest employment finding agencies in all of the United Kingdom. He is a graduate student of the Harvard School of Business and from listening to him I learned to embrace diversity. He said that at his time at Harvard he truly learned how to accept everyone because nobody has the exact same ideas and all of these different ways to look at something are the key to success. The following is an evaluation form that I used when reviewing his lecture to our class.

How did the speaker discover his/her leadership potential?

The speaker seemed to discover his potential when he went to Graduate school at Harvard’s School of Business. He said that the idea of other people having such different opinions of how things would work caused him to want to gather plenty of different minds that worked in all different ways.

What inspires him/her?

As I said before, the idea of all these different types of minds going into the workforce caused him to want to expand and encourage this diversity in the workforce. This drove him to creating his job finder site that has placed millions of Europeans into fitting jobs over the last few years.

What information they shared inspires you? Why?

The fact that Mr. Reed found all these diverse minds while at Harvard inspired me. It showed me that business does not have one right answer. By being a different thinker, I am not coming up with wrong ideas, just innovative new ones. It also inspires me to listen to and accept other’s opinions because my way is not the only way to do things.

LEARN

What mistakes did he/she make that you can learn from?

At one point Mr. Reed’s company was given the job of finding 25,000 jobs for the Royal Mail, but someone made a mistake with payroll so the company had to spend a lot of money to expedite paychecks as well as a “PITA Fee”. He said that when a company makes mistakes like that, fixing it can often create a better relationship between company and client.

LIVE

After tonight’s class, what do you plan to change or develop within yourself to become a better leader?

I want to grow to recognize the value of all different opinions and realize how important they can be in

shaping a company and nurturing growth.

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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take

your eyes off your goal."

-Henry Ford

Mission Statement

I am a human, and I do not want pride to ever tell me otherwise. I want to continue to grow as a

person and as a leader in order to bring out the best in both myself and others, but I want to stay

grounded at the same time. As I grow I want to always remind myself where I started from.

Family

I want to grow up to be a Father and a husband that my children want to emulate. I would like

to lead by example and be close my whole family. I want my kids to see love through their parents and

to have the greatest life I can possibly give but still be ready to face the challenges that life has to offer.

My end goal is that they will move on to be happy and to try to create the same life for their future

family.

Career

I want to work somewhere fulfilling. I want to be able to provide for my family when the time

comes and I want to give everything I have. I intend to appreciate what I have been blessed with and

demonstrate my appreciation to whomever I may work for. The goal is to bring everything to the best of

my abilities and chase improvement with a passion. The more I strive for this, the more valuable I can

prove myself to be and the better I can show my gratitude for the job I have been blessed with.

Faith

I want to be strong in my faith and I want it to guide all other aspects of my life. As a family man,

as an employee, as a leader, I want my faith to be clear to others and to myself. I am proud of what I

believe in as I think all people should be, and I do not want to hide such a pivotal part of my life.

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“I think I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to

authority if it's authority that I respect.”

-Tupac Shakur

Lesson Learned

Leadership is a word that cannot simply be given one definition. Leadership affects all people

differently and therefore is affected differently by all people. This class taught me that there are many ways

to be a leader. One can be a leader by position, by example, and by being a follower, all of which work

together to make an individual the best and most well-rounded leader they can possibly be.

Most likely the most commonly considered style of leader is one that is appointed to a Leadership

position. I believe this is the hardest type of leadership to obtain. This is the only way to be a leader that is

not entirely on you, it is about the way other people see you. In order to become this type of leader, you

must impress your superiors by showing that you are an expert in your field of knowledge. It must be clear

that you have enough confidence and expertise to bring other people to your level as well. As people grow

they often rise to these positions, but simply being skilled is not all that it takes. One must also possess the

confidence and knowledge of people to pass this expertise down. Truly excellent leaders are often capable of

knowing what ways everyone beneath them learns and works best. With this knowledge they can best mold

their leadership style to get the most out of everyone they oversee. Without leadership positions people as

well as establishments would not develop. Government would not be possible, and corporations would not

have an intended direction.

Often times more impactful than leading by position is leading by example. In order to rise to a

leadership position, leadership by example is often a must. People do not generally like to be told what to do

by someone who does not practice what they preach. Showing that you are morally upright, experienced in

providing guidance, and well-versed in your field makes other people feel confident in what you do and say.

A leader by example in my opinion is the hardest thing to be. It means always doing the right thing and can

even when nobody is looking. People who really live their lives leading by example are usually noticed in the

long run and seem to be those who are most likely to rise up into leadership positions simply because they

have shown that they are capable of doing son all that they do.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly is leading by following. I was recently involved in Cal Poly’s

Orientation Team Retreat 2013, a team building camp in which many games were played to bring out peoples

potentials and strengthen bonds between all team members. Some teamsters stepped up while others did

not. Often times those who step up are praised, but it takes an amazing leader to step down and listen. This

is because the people that did not start out by taking control saw that if everyone tried to do this nothing

would really get done. They knew that for the good of the team they must give up their lead role in order to

make the machine run smoothly and in doing so they really took one for the team. Many people can delegate

responsibilities, but only the best leaders can also accept them whilst letting go of their own power.

Through all of these pieces a leader truly becomes great. Stepping down shows that a leader cares

too much about the end product to let their pride get in the way of their team’s goal. Leading by example

gives a leader the authority to hold their position and encourages the team to be the best they can be as

individuals. And lastly, the official title of leader gives someone the ability to organize a team effectively and

keep it functioning efficiently.