Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

Reflection Paper
Over the course of this semester I have experienced and learned many things about myself, the unique people around me and I can become a leader in the near future. At first, I was unsure about taking this course, but I have realized that I have always been a leader, whether I was captain of the basketball team, boss of the business stock portfolio team or a role model to my younger sister and brother, I loved it. I was always good at working in teams and due to my artisan personality, I found a way to make my group members enjoy working with me and extract the unique set of skills and from each one of them because I made them feel comfortable and was flexible to all opinions.

Moreover, this class was the perfect opportunity for me to build up on my confidence and refine my skills by actually studying the science behind leadership. I thought the

leadership theory was at times was common sense and

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

nothing alien, but moving on through the course I was asked to take a series of personality tests which seemed similar at the time, and I was shocked at how all the results were rather accurate. Unlike any other class I have taken at Penn State, this class questioned my beliefs and explored my personality (Artisan). I always thought otherwise about myself, but it was very interesting to finally know my strengths and weaknesses so I can work with them to become a better leader, because I have learned and heard from our guest speakers that everyone leads in their own unique style, and all are effective depending on the people you are leading, because they are all different and I was able to understand that by learning about the various generation traits and characteristics.

This course has also forced me to really understand what is going on in the world by checking the news on a daily basis to find an interesting article I can read in depth and present

to my class, which I believe is the best way to truly

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

understand something and found it very rewarding and beneficial because I have always been nervous about standing in front of a crowd but its part of what makes me a better speaker and the feedback helped me feel good and confident about myself but also work on certain areas that required improvement. But I believe we can only become better leader by listening to other leaders share their experiences and challenges with us. I found the guest speakers a bonus to this class, and probably the most interesting and rewarding aspect of this course. I learned from Ms. Paula Eckert the tasks we were assigned that being in an alien environment can really be difficult and by working with different genders, we all had unique and valuable ideas to bring to the table. A leader faces these challenges constantly and I learned that sometimes you have to make hard decisions and be flexible to change and the key is being able to rapidly adapt to your new environment. I am certain that when I work for my government in the future; I will be in

an alien environment and will have to work and travel

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

frequently in random destinations. I learned that one has to be open to change by being curious, enthusiastic and listening to the experienced I can become a leader soon enough, and fortunately, my generation is resilient to change. Culture shock can simply be avoided through research, keeping in touch with family, having a mentor, and keeping active.

I was also lucky enough to listen to Admiral Mike Giorgione share his experiences and show me from a military officials perspective a different form and style of leadership. He seemed very diplomatic and approachable, even though I always had this image of leaders in the army being strict. But I was influenced by his powerful presence in the room and could really see how he had grasped our attention for 3 hours. I liked how he said that his three inflection points were knowing who you are, living your mission and thinking ahead in your professional career. He also mentioned that

being a leader involves connecting with peoples heads and hearts. I learned that a leader manages complexity and a manger resources HR. But the main message I will

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

remember was that leaders develop other leaders and I have to find the right people to invest my time in them in order to avoid setting them up for failure.

Mr. Brian Bielecki showed me the real life complexities and issues that occur within many companies and specifically engineering. We were given a crash course on the Challenger mission failure and the multiple steps and precautions that were taken before and after the incident. It was mind boggling how thorough NASA was with their safety measures and that everyone had to make decisions on the day of the launch whether they were ethical or not, I learned that at the end of the day everyone is held accountable for their actions and as an engineer I need to back up my decisions with solid technical data as evidence.

I may be biased, but I believe I was most influenced by

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

coach Washington and her integrity and constant proof of being a strong leader by educating herself so that she does not lose her credibility and has the full trust of her team. I have always been a basketball fan and enjoyed playing the game and therefore was able to relate to what she spoke about, but from a coachs point of view it was intriguing to see the different leadership styles and how each leader had a unique set of priorities.

Our professor, Mr. Andrew Erdman, taught me all the theory behind leadership, which I can list and talk about for hours but I really learned from him something that was personally really beneficial to me, and probably everyone in the class. He had a standard Q&A of issues that we are all inexperienced in, such as learning about promotion within your company and getting on a new curve. Stress is something that can put down or demotivate any leader, and listening to everyone talk about relieving stress was great.

Ethics and Generation gaps apply to any company and

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

thanks to the presentation about motivating generations I am aware of the unique factors that help shape a generation and as I enter the professional workforce I will need to put these insights to work. I took from this that I have to be aware of major events, observant to reactions, recognize the differences and read consistently. I also know now that you certainly cant get too friendly with anyone during work, but also if I happen to know that person out of work I cant let my emotions interfere with my work because I will be held responsible for the consequences because I am representing the company and shaping its reputation, and by looking the other way I will change the values of the company and question my integrity.

Furthermore being on the Solar Water Pump team was a great learning experience building upon my participation in the Ecocar team. This was the first real engineering project I was assigned where little or no guidance was given.

Therefore it was challenging at the beginning, but using our skills in team communication and looking further into our

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

personality profiles we were able to discover our weaknesses and strengths and work more efficiently. It was also a great opportunity to work on group dynamics and time management, and I learned to produce a higher quality of work as the semester went by. We took a completely new project and through research and planning we were able to come up with a database, design and alternative methods to improve efficiency. Our judgment presentation allowed me to break complex decisions into smaller processes and I can apply this in the future to my job where I might have to weigh the risks and benefits and make a smart decision.

I regret not being able to travel to Senegal to actually see the final outcome of our project and to get some field training, but I will definitely be part of this unique experience in the future. Ultimately, our guest speakers have influenced me and by sharing their insights on leadership I have been

truly motivated to continue my study of Engineering Leadership Development throughout college. I was

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

influenced by Mr. Andrew Erdmans stories of failure and success and how he was challenged many times throughout his career but it was a learning experience and only made him a better leader, and now I see that maybe I could also be a leader one day, or I could educate about leadership in my home town in the Middle East. I have also taken a diplomatic mindset after taking this class, and constantly act as an ambassador representing the ELS society and Penn State and recommend taking this course to friends and family. The Solar Water Pump project has raised my awareness concerning global issues that people face everyday and how I can use my engineering skills to benefit their community. I can proudly say that I am now a more open, confident, diplomatic individual who is always keeping up with the current global news and looking into the future. I aspire to be a strong leader in the future and I will continue to learn and listen to the people around me and invest in

myself and ultimately become a better leader.

Ahmed Al Haddad Paper VI ENGR 408 12/10/12

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