Reflections on Motivation & Drive

In what ways might Dr. V. and the TA’s for the course motivate and drive students to more visibly demonstrate interest, be more engaged, and participate more actively in the live lectures and in-class exercises, in the online educational modules, the Discussion Forums, and in the individual, team, and special assignments?

I think that to motivate students more, there should be less thrown at them right off the bat. I think that the syllabus could be cut down to three pages maximum, the amount and size of assignments should be drastically decreased, especially because they are due every week, and they groups should be made up of people who are compatible, determined by a personality test at the beginning of the semester, rather than just a random grouping of different majors. I think that this will increase motivation and drive in all aspects of the class as morale will not be affected by huge amounts of busy work and teams that do not get along.

Reflections on the Future

How might your field or domain change, morph, or disappear with the advent of the singularity?

I feel that the field I want to go into after graduation, business consulting, will completely be eliminated with the advent of singularity. Advancing technology means advancing the quest for perfection and elimination of human error. Without human error, there will never be a business problem and therefore there will be no need for the help of consultants to solve these problems. The entire industry depends on the need for problems to solve and areas to improve on, but if a machine can accomplish this from the beginning, eventually the entire business sector could be potentially completely computer operated. However, with the advancement of singularity, we may not ever need to work again or worry about having a job. We can simply relax and enjoy the technological toys that are available to everyone.

Based on your answer to this question, what would, could, should, or might you do to prepare for it?

To prepare for the advent of singularity, I do not think there is anything we can do. Technology will continue to advance, and jobs will continue to be eliminated. But once total singularity is achieved, there should be no reason for anyone to lack anything they need or want, so why should we do anything now to prepare for it, if we know we will receive the same benefits at the end?

Reflections on Suggested Readings

Creativity At Work – The Alchemy of Leadership

I found this article particularly interesting, especially the part about creating the conditions for transformation. I feel that is was very correct in stating that you cannot transform others without first transforming yourself. Inner work has to do with transforming leaden thinking into the malleable gold of wisdom; knowing who you are and what you stand for, and striving toward excellence based on your talents and potential. Transformation also requires humility, deep listening, creative expression, the willingness to step into the unknown and risk failure, all things we have learned over the course of the semester in ENDS 101.

American Creativity Association – RSA Animate – The Divided Brain

This post of a video of the division of a brain affected me by dispelling the notion I had previously that one side of the brain is more creative and the other is more analytical. In fact, different parts of the brain affect different cognitive abilities, but it is not an even split down the middle.

Entrepreneur – Steve Jobs’ 13 Most Inspiring Quotes

I loved the quote that Steve Jobs said that was, “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” I liked this because it made me understand that creativity does not rely solely on the creator, it depends on their perceptions of the environment they are confronted with. Thus, creativity partially stems from a more conducive environment. 

Reflections on Assignments

Individual Assignment 3: 5 Individual Soft Innovations

I really enjoyed creating the 5 soft innovations because it gave me a chance to act creatively, but also in a direction that related certain innovations to each other and gave a lot of range that could be applied not only to a business perspective but also to other fields of interest. I found the challenge, to stretch my thinking from the norm, exciting and refreshing. My takeaway from this assignment is that even the most strange or odd-seeming things could one day become reality and just might change the world. I feel more encouraged to trust my ideas and creativity after this assignment.

Team Assignment 2: Team Branding Profile

This project was probably the best one for our team, not from a grade measurement but by a teamwork measurement. When working on teams in school (versus in the business world) the main goal is to allow the students to have a successful,  or failing, experience working as a team, regardless of the outcome. During this project, our entire team contributed in ways that brought each person out of their comfort zone and promoted outside-of-the-box thinking. My main takeaway is that when a team is not focused on individual goals, they are more able to contribute freely and without fear of retaliation.

Online Educational Modules Reflections

Week 3

The weekly online educational module over Intuition and Flow stood out to me because I am one of the 10% of people who has remained intuitive after finishing the twelfth grade. I really liked learning about how intuition can be used along with facts to make groundbreaking discoveries, and correlating the sub-consciousness of intuition with the conscious alertness of flow. I feel that, even though I am not a tremendous athlete, performer, or creator, I have had experiences with the “white moment” or “flow” in which my entire focus is on the task at hand, almost as if I am in a trance.

Week 6

During this week’s educational module, I found the section about Entrepreneurship especially interesting and relevant to my life and future career path. I liked learning about the differences between entrepreneurship and starting a small business, particularly the measure of wealth creation. As a Finance major, I view things from a point of view of, “how will an investment affect the bottom line?” Because entrepreneurship seeks to create substantial and growing wealth, whereas operating a small business seeks to generate an income that replaces traditional employment, entrepreneurship is more development focused. An entrepreneur takes more risks, is more innovative and open-minded, and goes beyond his individual need to achieve a goal that benefits the world and makes a difference. This lecture really affected me and will stay with me professionally because of the emphasis creativity, innovation, and design have on entrepreneurs, especially if I decide at some point in the future that I want to start my own company.

Week 8

During the module on Creativity and Innovation Practices and Resources, I most enjoyed learning about the laws of Simplicity, and in particular, considering how technology has in one sense made our lives much simpler but, at the same time, much less sane. Technology gives us more organized information, faster. We have more information which allows us to have more reactions, and therefore feel more emotions at once. We trust our technology because it makes things simpler for us, and we are able to subtract the obvious and focus more on the meaningful. However good all of these things seem, the way that technology has overcome our lives to the point that we are dependent on it is overwhelming and uncomfortable, but many, including myself, feel trapped in the new tech-savvy world. I feel that this affects my personal life because nowadays, as people are permanently glued to their phones, it is common to expect an immediate response from someone and to feel anxious if the response is not immediately received. This puts a lot of strain on relationships, especially if they are in stages of formation, conflict, or transition.

Week 13

During the module on Accelerating Technologies, when Dr. V asked us to keep in mind two questions: What could be invented today that could change your life forever? And, What could be invented today that could put you out of business tomorrow? I really began thinking and wondering what these things would be. Something that I think could change my life forever and the lives of others forever would be a machine that, once used, cures any mental illness of the user. I think that this would eliminate any depression, bipolar disorder, etc. and then all of humanity could be happy for their entire lives. Considering something that may put me out of business, if I do go into consulting in the future, would be a computer program that is able to solve any business problem presented, given all relevant information. If a program like this were created, the human consulting industry would be finished.

Live Lecture Reflections

Over the course of the semester, as uncomfortable as it was to discover that I might not always be correct in my way of thinking, I learned many things and had some takeaways that I hope will stay with me throughout my life.

Week 2

During the Speed Innovation Workout, I felt silly during the sessions in which we met with our neighbors to determine a new product, process, and service. However, as I pondered my experience in the class later on, I realized what effect the workout had on me. I had to think. I had to get out of my comfort zone and forget the way we usually do things. I had to force myself to think “outside the box” and come up with something totally original, rather than just sticking with the status quo. I feel that a lot of the time, it is just easier to adopt the mentality, “Why fix what isn’t broken?” Adopting this will only keep us stagnant, and eventually, will result in our way of doing things being outdated. Someone else will be the superpower that came up with the new, innovate thing that makes so much more sense than the old thing, our thing. This can be applied in any area of my life, from my sorority to the company I join after graduation, and I found it to be one of the golden nuggets to keep from this course.

Week 5

During the lecture on Developing High Performance Creative Teams, I really enjoyed learning about the team roles within the stages of team development. My main takeaway from this lecture allowed me to internally reflect on what kind of role I take within a team. I am a Leader, Creator, Organizer, and Finisher- a profile that parallels my Myers-Briggs type, INTJ.

Week 7

In the lecture over Managing Creativity and Innovation, I especially liked the principle of Segmentation. Although the examples were mainly about products and new ways of considering how to construct things, I found that this principle can be well applied to many situations and problems. For example, when evaluating a business model or a consulting case study (I want to go into business consulting after graduation), the very first step in evaluating what the problem is and then beginning to solve it is to break the situation up into individual parts or pieces. This makes it easier to see how each part relates to the other, even if they seem unrelated when the story is told as a whole. Segmentation when problem solving also allows for one to ensure that he or she is seeing every possible aspect of the scenario, allowing them to have more creative range when brainstorming viable solutions.

Week 10

My biggest takeaway from the lecture on Communication and Creativity is from Dr. V’s discussion of how to listen. One of the primary factors in communication is listening and if we do not seek to understand what we are hearing, then we are not in communication with the other person. To truly listen to someone, we must have the intent to understand what they are saying, rather than worrying about or being distracted by what we will say in response or our reactions. I feel that too often, we get distracted by our reactions to what a person is saying, before they are even able to finish saying it, and our opinions of their words prohibit us from truly listening to them and understanding what they are saying. This makes it impossible for them to communicate with us, and if it becomes a pattern they will probably stop trying to communicate with us. I believe that communication is the fundamental glue of any relationship, and therefore if people do not feel comfortable communicating with me, because they think I am not understanding them or listening to them, then that communication will not occur any longer and our relationship will suffer. This has been the most influential lecture on me, personally, as I am very opinionated and quick to jump to conclusions. I will need to remember, as I grow, that my relationships depend on communication which is not possible without listening, and therefore I must listen to the whole story before worrying about how to respond.

Week 12

Singularity is a phenomenon that essentially assumes that the increasing artificial intelligence of technology will one day completely eliminate all human error and therefore the need for humans in general. The movement is one toward a complete eradication of disease, misinformation, et cetera that would overpower what makes humans human: their proclivity for failure. I do not think that this could ever be realistically achieved. With movies like iRobot and Eagle Eye, computers have taken over the world. However, I do not believe that mankind will ever be able to create something that is more intelligent than the whole of mankind put together, something that would be able to teach itself things we cannot comprehend.

Week 13

The lecture over Leadership and Creativity really struck me because I felt that the slide that emphasized that you should not “let the present push you, rather let the future pull you” left out a crucial detail to life that should not and cannot be forgotten if you want to live a happy life. A person cannot live by looking forward to the opportunities that he or she can realize tomorrow, without enjoying the present. Dr. V was emphasizing that we should not let present issues deter our future ideals, however, in the story Ithaca by CP Cavafy, the author comments on the value of the “going” rather than the “getting there.” The story is a commentary on Odysseus’ journey in Homer’s Odyssey, which emphasizes that if one reaches their destination and it does not prove to be all that they imagined it would, they would still benefit by getting there from the experience they had along the way. I feel that the journey, despite the ups and downs, is the most important part, because the journey can be as wonderful and fruitful as the destination, so long as the voyager purposefully seeks to enjoy it. This probably had the most impact on me in a professional sense, because in business careers it is very easy to always be seeking the next promotion, raise, or goal. As I enter my career after graduation, I will constantly need to remind myself not to forget to enjoy the “going” by focusing too much on the “getting there.”

Additional Reflection not required by FEE guidelines:

Week 14

In the second to last live lecture, Production of Knowledge, I really enjoyed the quote at the very end by Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” This quote means so much in only two short sentences. First, I find in this quote a meaning, probably the most obvious one that is to never, ever give up. Second, perseverance pays off. Third, even geniuses fail. Fourth, optimism breeds success. Fifth, and probably not the last inspiration I could find in this quote, refusal to admit defeat means that you are still in the game: you are the only one who can say when you have failed.

General Course Evaluation & Reflection

My name is Kennedy Packwood and I am a member of Team 4, otherwise known as The Elements, for the Spring 2014 semester of ENDS 101. This blog will serve as my submission for the final examination essay, which I will have backed up as a word document, in case anything should go awry.

“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” Signed, Kennedy Packwood 

If I were responsible for grading this course, I would give this course an 8.95. I really enjoyed this class because it made me consider what I believed to be true as being false, made me look at some issues with a different perspective, helped me fully form my opinions on certain topics through providing me with more information on them, and taught me about some things I had never before heard of.

I am a sophomore Business Honors and Finance major, and the curriculum for both of the degrees I am pursuing is exceptionally challenging, demanding, and time consuming. Most of the projects required by this class were overwhelmingly large and took a long time to complete, time that I do not have to spare. Currently involved in Chi Omega, the Collegiate Panhellenic Council Executive Board, David Gardner’s Student Advisory Council, and the AVID program, I am terminally occupied and did not appreciate the copious amounts of what I perceived to be “busy work” that was assigned to me. Furthermore, combining groups of students who not only have different majors, but are also involved in various organizations was a challenge that I think could have been done without. The difficulty we had trying to schedule meetings in which every member could participate was insurmountable and proved impossible, as at a majority of our meetings at least one member was absent or had to leave early or arrive late.

Furthermore, the different input and viewpoints from various members of the group was appreciated, but not fully ever accepted by other members of the work group because the team failed to establish trust and overcome the five dysfunctions of a team that Patrick Lencioni warns against. I feel that this step in team building is essential, and because our work group did not ever attempt to pursue this team building model, we were destined to be just that: a work group, but never truly a team. In addition to this, some members of our team felt a sense of superiority over other members because they perceived themselves to be in a more challenging major or college than others. I feel that this significantly affected team morale, and for me personally, as one of the members of the team who was looked at as less intelligent due to my college and major, was detrimental to my ability to feel open and trusting toward my teammates. Because our team never achieved a truly open environment of accountability and mutual respect, I felt as if they purposely scheduled meetings at times when they knew I had a prior engagement, and would not send me work to complete at other times when I was available, despite my requests. This resulted in our team submissions being less than what they could have potentially been.

All in all, the subject matter of the lectures and the thought-provoking nature of the class in general was enough to make up for the critiques I mentioned above.

My main takeaway from this course is a reminder to myself to “take time to stop and smell the roses.” As I have spent the majority of my past two years at this university, I have been focused on achieving the goals I set out before starting my adventure at Texas A&M. This semester, as I have had my first real experiences with failure, rejection, and uncertainty, I have found this class able to make me consider different focal points and a new kind of optimism. The class, along with others that I am taking now and books that I have read recently, has inspired me to focus on the main things, the important things: what my true priorities are and who I am and want to become.