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Week One Theme Seize the Initiative, Forge Ahead

What this week is all about:This week is all about getting started. There are tons of sayings that relate to this topic, for example, “just put one foot in front of the other”; “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, “Shosholoza” which means “go forward, make your road, forge ahead” (Kouzes, Posner, 128), etc. In order to start something you need to go for it. It only makes sense to me that this should be the first step. Getting things started can be very difficult if you do not know where you are intending to go. “Meeting new challenges always requires things to be different than they already are” (Kouzes, Posner, 159). To me, seizing the initiative means to look ahead and find out what is or could be on the horizon. In this twelve week plan, I will be focusing on getting my coffee master certification. It is something that I have always wanted to get ever since I started working at Starbucks, and as I am nearing the end of my college career and most likely, my Starbucks career as well, it is something I would like to earn before I go and this twelve week plan is a great opportunity to kick-start the drive and initiative to do so.

Seizing the initiative does not only mean seizing it for myself. I am also going to be bringing other people along with me on this journey, and I would like to inspire others to follow my footsteps or walk in this journey alongside me. Virginia Woolf wrote, “… the other difficulty which faced them (I was still considering those early nineteenth-century novelists) when they came to set their thoughts on paper--that is that they had no tradition behind them, or one so short and partial that it was of little help. For we think back through our mothers if we are women” (Woolf). Unlike her, I have a team behind me who has gone through this before, and as soon as I identify them, they will help me seize the initiative and forge ahead.

Illustrating the Topic:

To Do:- Find out the steps I need to take to initiate Coffee Master Certification- Talk to at least 3 coworkers to see if anyone else is interested in becoming a Coffee

Master and list who I talked to here:o _____________________ ____________________ _____________________

Week Two Theme Clarify Values

What this week is all about:Week two is all about clarifying values. Now that there is a concrete and measurable goal in place, it is time to identify the values to which I will hold myself accountable. Personal values are the motivation behind goals, the reason that you get-up-and-go. While thinking about values, I look to Captain James Cook. One of his driving values was ambition. Ambition was so important to him in fact, that he mused, “Ambition leads me not only further than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for a man to go” (Horowitz, 2002, p. 219). Captain Cook held strong to this value, and I hope to do the same with mine.

Clarifying my values is not only a practice that is beneficial to me, but to the whole group that I am affecting. “However, leaders aren’t just speaking for themselves when they talk about the values that should guide decisions and actions. When leaders passionately express a commitment to quality or innovation or service or some other core value, those leaders aren’t just saying, ‘I believe in this.’ They’re also making a commitment for an entire organization. They’re saying, ‘we all believe in this’”(Kouzes, Posner, 45). Leaders often speak for an entire organization, both literally and figuratively, so it is important for the values that the organization are built upon to be recognized and present in the leader’s own values.

Illustrating the Topic: (see venn diagram Below)

To Do:Brainstorm which values are important to me, and which values are important to my organization. Create a venn diagram with the similarities and differences I find.

Week Three Theme Foster Collaboration

What this week is all about:Now that I have clarified my values, it is a good time to begin to build the relationships with the people that will help my during my journey. There are people in many places who will be able to become a part of my team. People who are my superior with more knowledge than I have, people who are already coffee masters, and people who I am training and becoming a leader for. “A grand dream doesn’t become a significant reality through the actions of a single person. It requires a team effort. It requires solid trust and strong relationships. It requires deep competence and cool confidence. It requires group collaboration and individual accountability (Kouzes and Posner, 22).” I really like how this quote points out several important traits that both the leaders and the followers should possess and strive for to gain success in their endeavors.

‘There is no ‘I’ in team’ rings true this week, as it is time to build a team and I cannot do it alone. In Boyd Varty’s TED talk, he explains, “we get to experience the deepest parts of our own humanity through our interactions with others” (Varty, 3:43). By building my relationships and figuring out who I want in my network, I will be able to experience the ‘deepest parts’ of myself. To inspire others, we need to make a meaningful connection with others. When you can show people the things that they could accomplish by pairing their efforts with yours, they can do great things. During these twelve weeks, I hope to do great things, and this is the week I really solidify those foundations I began to build last week.


To Do:

Approach 3 people who are in higher positions (Aspire) than you to be a part of your team, then approach 3 people who are in lower positions than you (Inspire) who you would like to include. Write their names in the spaces above.

Aspire

Inspire

Week Four Theme Create a Spirit of Community

What this week is all about:This week is all about bringing other people into this journey. Unlike last week, this does not only involve people I already know. This week is about inviting others around me to help me in ways that I might not yet anticipate. This draws on the thoughts of Ubuntu, “without you, I am nothing” It is important to make sure that you are doing the action of leading, instead of just taking the title of leader, and leading often involves the community. I am donating my time and effort to this journey, and as Mauss says, “The individual has sort of a proprietary right over everything which belongs to the donor” (Mauss, 11). In this case, the ‘individual’ is my community.

“Exemplary leaders don’t impose their visions of the future on people; they liberate the vision that’s already stirring in their constituents” (Kouzes and Posner, 131). By allowing my community into my project, I will gain the insight and find out if there is any outside interest in what I am doing. I do not want to do something that is purely interesting to me, I want to be able to share the knowledge I gain with my community, and by reaching out and nursing an interest in the community, I will also be helping myself towards my goals. We will pull each other up as we go along, but this can only be done if there is already an interest, I will figure that out this week.


Make sure you are being a leader like “U” and not like “A”

To Do:This week, involve the community around you, include those who are not in your team as well. “It takes a village”.

Find a way to involve the community around you in your coffee master journey and write it down here:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Week Five Theme Teach Others to Model the Values

What this week is all about:Now that I have figured out the level of interest in the community around me, it is time to turn back to the team I have assembled. By this point, I have already gotten my team together and clarified my values, now I need to teach my team how to model the values that are important to myself, this company, and this journey. The comic that I have included as an illustration for this week really spoke to me, it plays off the saying, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I thought that this was very clever. To me it shows that the older and “wiser” (as evidenced by the glasses) horse-leader is telling the younger one how to follow in his footsteps. The younger horse-leader looks a little bit unsure but is willing to learn. The older horse is saying that as a good leader, not only will your team get where they need to go, but they will also go above and beyond in their results. By teaching my team to model the values that I exemplify, I will be able to create a leadership mirror.

“What people most look for in a leader (a person whom they would be willing to follow) has been constant over time....For people to follow someone willingly, the majority of constituents believe the leader must be honest, forward looking, competent, inspiring” (Kouzes and Posner, 35). If I can teach my team to model the same leadership values, we will be working together not only to make great coffee, but we will be making great leaders as well. I want to leave a legacy when approaching the Coffee Master certification through a lens of leadership where it has always been a sole activity in the past.

Illustrating the Topic:Monday Tuesday Wednesda

yThursday Friday

Value Value Value Value Value

Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?

To Do:Pick 5 values from week 2’s completed list and teach/talk about one value each weekday. Check off the day of the week above and fill in which value was highlighted and with whom.

Week Six Theme Adjust and Grow

What this week is all about:This is the halfway point! Congratulations for making it here. The focus of this week is to review and look back on what you have behind you and what lies ahead, and adjust accordingly. I know that sometimes things don’t always go as planned, so this week is a time to reflect, adjust and plan for the future. Even if it feels like you are on top or everything, it is important to take a step back sometimes. “This brief exchange typified Cook’s style of command. He led from the front, laying down his arms as the warrior had done, and going to meet him in the river rather than putting one of his men at risk. Nor did he flinch when the warrior pressed noses in a hongi, the Maori equivalent of a handshake or kiss” (Horwitz, 2002, p. 109). In this passage, Captain Cook gets down and literally goes into the river to forge a bond. In a similar way, you need to step back and forge a bond with the future of your project.

It is also important, in this time of reflection to make sure that your team is still on the same page and as inspired as they were at the beginning. It may help to write down a list of people who will be affected by the outcome of this project, and have your team do the same. “What truly pulls people forward, especially in more difficult and volatile times, is the exciting possibility that what they are doing can make a profound difference in the lives of their families, friends, colleagues, customers, and communities. They want to know that what they do matters” (Kouzes and Posner, 2012, p. 131). A leader is like a rudder rather than a sail. They help push the team towards a goal and inspire them to move as one, instead of just taking an idea and running with it and hoping others will follow. As you grow and adjust this week, keep this thought in mind. Make sure you get ready to start next week refreshed and ready, this is where it really begins!


Caption: “He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him, is only taking a walk” Remember this thought this week. Don’t just take a walk.

To Do: On separate pieces of paper, have each team member write down the name or a description of someone who will be positively affected by the outcome of this project. Do not only list names, also write a short description of how they will be affected. Compare and contrast the answers of the group and create a ‘Master List’ to refer to later. Attach the master list to this paper, or put it somewhere where it can be accessed.

Week Seven Theme Generate Small Wins

What this week is all about:This week is all about making ways for small wins to happen. We are starting this week fresh and new, it is the first week of the second half of this journey. Come up with creative ways to generate small wins for the team. Consider this example, “To change the paradigm of the police always catching kids breaking the law, Ward introduced a program called Positive Tickets. Police officers proactively went out on a patrol to catch kids doing things right and reward them with a voucher or coupon to some fun free activity. More than forty thousand Positive Tickets were given out per year, a three-to-one ratio of Positive Tickets to the traditional negative police ticket” (Kouzes and Posner, 2012, p. 187). I like this example because it shows a positive payoff to thinking differently. The police chief took a risk in implementing this new program, but it did very well and made a positive difference in his community. This shows creative thinking and problem solving.

If you begin to generate small wins, you are working towards creating a culture where this is the norm. “There is a popular saying that only the first-time counts; it is an interesting fact that this idea is truly universal and that it is everywhere expressed to some extent through special rites. That the rites of passage do not appear in their complete form, are not greatly emphasized, or do not even exist except at the time of the first transition from one social category or one situation to another has been shown repeatedly” (Rites of Passage, Van Gennep). Whether or not you believe this to be true, you need to create this reality at least ‘one time’ in order to create a repetitive action, so what’s the harm in trying? Go get those wins.


To Do:

Think of five ways to generate small wins in the next week and list them above.

Now act! Follow through on one of these five ideas and record the outcome here:

Week Eight Theme Failure

What this week is all about:This week is about failure. Because failure is an important part of every project and an important part of life as well. “Leaders know they have to break down big problems into small, doable actions. They also know that when initiating something new, they have to try a lot of little things before they get it right” (Kouzes and Posner, 2012, p. 195). I think we all know the adage, “if at first you don’t succeed, try again” and this is very important to know as a leader. There will be many things that you fail at, but each failure is an opportunity to learn and do better the next time. We will be touching more on learning opportunities next week however, this week is really only focusing on the failures that have happened. Evidence of failure is all around us if we open our eyes, and this can show us that we are not alone.

Here is a very famous instance of failure: “With Ithaca in sight, however, Odysseus falls asleep and his crew begin grumbling--- imagining that the bag is full of treasure. They are jealous that Odysseus would keep so much treasure for himself when they are returning home with comparatively little. They cut open the bag and let out all the winds at once. Of course, the ship is blown far off course and away from Ithaca again” (Odyssey Synopsis, 7). Odysseus failed to explain to his crew why it was important to keep the bag closed, and the crew failed to listen to their leader. Even though failure is inevitable, it is not guaranteed. Even though you have a chance to fail, there is a bigger chance to succeed, either now or in the future. This week, embrace failure! Take the chance and see how it feels. It is okay to not be perfect, you are only human after all.

Bigger Wins

Small Win

Small Win

Small Win


To Do:On the back of this page, write several things that have failed during this project and leave space below each one. (You’ll find out why next week).

Week Nine Theme Learn From Experience

What this week is all about:This week, we reflect on the beautiful failures of last week. But we will not wallow in them. The most important thing about failure as a leader is the ability to learn from it! “Failure is never the object of any endeavor. The objective is to succeed, and success always requires some amount of learning. And learning always involves mistakes, errors, miscalculations, and the like along the way” (Kouzes and Posner, 2012, p. 201). Learning is so important, I try to learn something new every day and reflect on what I have learned in order to make myself into a stronger and more mindful person. By trying new things and failing, we are inviting learning opportunities into our lives, as the diagram below illustrates.

“Leaders are constantly learning from their errors and failures as they experiment, try new things, and incrementally move projects forward. The best leaders are the simply the best learners, and life is their laboratory” (Kouzes, Posner, 21). Last week we spent a lot of time looking at our own failures. This week spend time and talk to the people in your team and community about their failures and see if you can learn anything from what they went through. This will also present an opportunity to continue to foster collaboration with your community and team. This week’s theme is learn from experience, but remember that it is not limited to your experience!


To Do:

Interview five people on your team about their biggest failures and what they learned from them. Now go back to last week’s notes and look at the failures you listed. Write something that you already have learned from them. If you have not yet learned anything, write what you might be able to learn, and then try to learn it!

Week Ten Theme Recognize Contributions

What this week is all about:One of the things that I struggle to remember when I am placed in a leadership position is to look around and appreciate and recognize the other people that are helping me get to where I am going, so this week is all about that. Just because you are the leader of a group, does not mean that you are the only leader within the group. It is important to look and see the leadership that emerges from the shadows, and as Bob Moses said, "The leadership is there. If you go out and work with your people, then the leadership will emerge" (Bob Moses). What Bob Moses was saying here is that if you go out and start working hard and working towards something that you believe in, the leadership that you need to develop will present itself to you to take and learn from. It can come from very surprising places. Personally, I have worked with teams that get along very well, but never really progress because of a lack of strong forward leadership. I think that in working with ‘your’ people, leadership may emerge, but maybe it takes working with other people in order to grow and emerge stronger.

This week, branch out and recognize what other people have to offer your team. They may be members of your team or members of your community, but everyone has something valuable to contribute. This quote from Blue Latitudes really encompasses the benefits of looking at other people objectively, “…people, the world over, were alike in their essential nature- even if they ate their enemies, made love in public, worshipped idols, or, like Aborigines, cared not at all for material

Trying new

things

Failing

Learning

Growth

goods. No matter how strange another society might at first appear, there were almost always grounds for mutual understanding and respect” (Horwitz, 2002, p. 430). I think that no matter how different from someone you may be, you can always find some type of common ground to level with them on and recognize what aspect of themselves they can contribute to your mission and life in general.


To Do:Like the picture above illustrates, everyone has an important piece of the puzzle to contribute. Go and get a puzzle and then sit down with your team and talk about the important ‘pieces’ each of you contributes as you solve the puzzle together.

Week Eleven Theme Celebrate the Values and Victories

What this week is all about:Congratulations! By the time this week is finished, you will have reached the finish line! I know what you’re thinking, ‘aren’t there twelve weeks in this plan?’ Yes, there are, but next week is reserved for something special. It is just as important to celebrate the big wins as it is the small ones, and that is what you will be doing this week. Celebrations are important! “Leaders understand that what makes people most miserable is being alone. Celebrations provide concrete evidence that individuals aren’t alone in their efforts, that other people care about them, and that they can count on others. People are reminded that they need each other, that their work gets done because they’re connected and caught up in each other’s lives” (Kouzes, Posner, 312).

When you are celebrating your victory and new coffee master status, you are not only celebrating your accomplishments but the accomplishments of everyone that you worked with on your journey. You can think of a celebration at the end of a long journey as a reciprocation for the hard work that others have put in, as Marcel Mauss might have. In The Gift, he says, “in the economic and legal systems that have preceded our own, one hardly ever finds a simple exchange of goods, wealth, and products in transactions concluded by individuals. First, it is not individuals but collectivities that impose obligations of exchange and contract upon one another … Moreover, what they exchange is not solely property and wealth, movable and immovable goods, and things economically useful, they

also exchange services, such as military service and acts of politeness, such as banquets, rituals, festivals, dances, etc.” (Mauss, The Gift). According to him, you are obligated to have a party now!


To Do:Celebrate a victory that you and your team have accomplished. I personally believe pizza is the best celebration food. Recognize everyone’s efforts and contributions and throw a pizza party (or similar party) for your team. You have earned it!

Week Twelve Theme Reflect and Search for Opportunities

What this week is all about:Now for the real final week. This week is the most important week of all. Just because you are done with one project does not mean you are done with projects forever! It is important to celebrate victories, but it is just as important to look to the future and seek new opportunities. In this way, the 12 week plan has come full circle and it is time to start over again. The best part about it is that this is totally cyclical, you can keep going and going as long as you have new goals in mind! “Leadership, challenge, and seizing the initiative are inextricably linked” (Kouzes, Posner, 161). Captain Cook had three journeys, he didn’t just stop at one. Malala Yousafzai has said that she will not stop until her goal of every child getting a proper education has come to fruition. Many admirable leaders have many different goals and projects under their belts.

When looking for a new challenge, it is important to look outside ourselves and our comfort zones. We must separate ourselves from what we know. This is the first step in Arnold Van Gennep’s Rite of Passage. In order to begin the process of change, we need to step outside what we know and become the separated. When we separate ourselves from what we already know, new opportunities will present themselves that will allow us to grow stronger and become more well rounded. This week, reach out and try to become an outsider. Look for new and different opportunities and see how far they can take you.


To Do:Find the ‘Master List’ you created during week six. Identify the people that have been affected by the outcome of your project and look for opportunities to further the effects of your effort. List three potential new projects and three new goals below, and then get started on your path to accomplish them! (use the back if you run out of space.)

Goal: Potential Project:

Project 1

Project 2

Project 3+

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