OGL 481: Pro-Seminar I

Core Assignment 1: Sarah Brasher

Table 1: Organizing and Reflecting on Key Learnings – and Collecting Key Artifacts
COURSE Key content – textbook / articles / Professional (or personal) Possible artifacts to include in
multimedia presentations / videos application. As a result of professional e-portfolio / website –
your academics: how do you that illustrates tangible connections to
Key learning – concepts, theories, skills, think differently? How do you personal and professional
best practices, applications, cases, behave differently? What can transformation. You will describe the
assignments, discussions, simulations / you do more effectively? How artifacts with your explanation, not
activities, teamwork initiatives, readings, have you changed as a attach them in this space. Make sure to
analysis, other projects, etc. person? save them for Core #2.
OGL 200:  Gained knowledge in  Paper 5: which talks about my
Introduction to  Northouse textbook the difference findings in the Crowne Journal
Organizational  Video about cultural clash in a between a manager Article
Leadership meeting and a leader
 Overview of leadership theories  Learned of servant
and skills leadership, which
 Crowne Journal Article influenced me later
 Learned about
emotional intelligence
from the Crowne
Journal Article and
was able to apply
more empathy to my
leadership role

OGL 220: Behavioral During this point in my time (none)

Dynamics in (Missing Docs, unable to access at school, I was being
Organizations blackboard, too) irresponsible and didn’t save
 Group work a lot of my work. I didn’t have
 Teamwork a lot of motivation to be going
 Managers vs. leaders to school for a long time until
after I had started. All my
 missing work from this
course demonstrates to me
how I let a lot of life problems
get in the way of school
during this time.
OGL 260: Resource  Foundations of Finance  This helped me feel
Allocation in  Risk and reward more confident in
Organizations /  Stakeholder value knowing how
Foundations of  Loans and business types companies make
Finance  Stock markets money and how to
 Critical and analytical review of contribute
resource allocations  I feel more confident
about loans and doing
things like buying a
house in the future
OGL 300: Theory and  Northouse Textbook  Behavioral and
Practice of  Blake and Mouton’s leadership Situational Leadership
Leadership OR PAF grid were new concepts to
410: Building  Blanchard’s Situational me. I implement
Leadership Skills Leadership combination of these
 Leader Behavior Questionnaire approaches still,
especially if I’m in a
new environment in a
leadership role.
OGL 320: Project  Analyzing the ASU helpdesk  Began critical self-
Management project reflection of
 Steps in project management assumptions and
 Scrum biases around other
people
 How to plan a project-
did plan and
implement a project
that failed and learned
a lot from that failure.
 I wrote a very interesting and
critical review of Johnson and
Johnson (this is Nov 2018). I
find it interesting because I
deem their business model
“successful, though volatile” and
that their success lies in their
crisis management. This
affected my view of them when
they launched their vaccine.
 Paper 3 is very good because it
shows me when I began to
understand that leadership isn’t
just one specific thing, but that
there should be a dialectical
approach.
 Paper 7 demonstrates every
leadership concept I learned in
this course that I consider often
in both my professional life and
in other OGL courses
 My project plan shows my plans
for the project that failed
 The module 7 paper shows my
ability to analyze projects for
the ASU helpdesk project
OGL 321: Project  Harvard simulation
Leadership, Strategy  Problem Solving Strategies for
and Scope Managing Uncertainty
 How to start a project
 How to handle failure in a project
OGL 340: The Aikido  Resolving Conflicts at Work
Way  Aikido videos
 How to use the practice of the
passive martial art of Aikido and
apply it to solving conflict
 Consider different points of view
when attempting conflict
OGL 340: Dialogue in  Peter Senge’s the Fifth Discipline
the Workplace  David Bohm: Thoughts as a
System
 David Bohm: On Dialogue
 Suspending assumptions
 Problem resolution
 Thinking ‘outside the box’
OGL 345:  Ethics, Theory, and Business
The Harvard simulation was  In my Disc. 1 Doc you can see
incredibly difficult. Scenarios that I’m beginning to learn that
always changed and you pressure to make quick
needed to adapt. It seemed I decisions causes me anxiety that
always needed to sacrifice I need to control to make good
something to meet goals. I decisions
learned that I did the best  Ethics, Interpersonal Skills, and
when I kept a level head Project Management is a paper I
instead of panicking. wrote in response to prompts. It
shows the ethical element I saw
in the temptation to overwork
or cut out your employees and
sacrifice morale to meet sales
goals.
 I used this course to  Mindfulness prompt
help me resolve a real
conflict at work using
the Aikido steps. In the
end it worked out.
 Allowed me to look at
problems objectively
 I began going to AA  My Thoughts on Humanity final
during this time and paper allows me to discuss
was able to apply philosophical ideas in a practical
these theories to the way through conversation.
concept of a 12-step
group. To get anything
out of it, you must be
open and suspend all
assumptions.
 Peter Senge’s applied
knowledge to business
gave a ton of good
knowledge that I still
use.
The planet jockey game was a The final paper I wrote for this course
Organizational Ethics Practice
 Planet Jockey games/simulation
 Practical approach to ethics
 Analyzing ethical blunders of
organizations
OGL 343: Social  Making the Team: A Guide to
Processes in Managers
Organizations  Virtual teamwork
 Social processes of nonprofits
 Create a business plan
 How to collaborate on ideas
OGL 350: Diversity  Cultural awareness
and Organizations  Organizational implications
 Cultural definitions and models
 Cross-cultural differences in
conflict management
fun way to learn the practical reinforces the ideas presented in the
side to business ethics. former column, as I express that the
Sometimes I was wrong in games were a practical approach to
ethically ambiguous applying ethics in the business world.
situations, and I learned a lot
about why it’s important to
always consider ethics, and to
question things if they don’t
seem right.
 First team project  The presentation we
during school, first collaborated on
time using Zoom, was  Mod 4 prompts on patience and
when COVID began leadership experience during
 Bad team experience the pandemic
with everyone
seeming
uncoordinated and
incohesive. This bad
experience shaped my
team projects going
forward
 We made a
presentation that was
full of great ideas, but
that we executed
poorly.
 Learned how to adapt
to virtual
environments
 Learned more about  Interview with Karin
my best friend and her  Final Paper (about conflict) and
experiences as a first- how I can lead diverse teams
generation immigrant.
 How to handle
interpersonal conflict
while considering the
context of cultural
diversity in the
 workplace
OGL 355: Leading  Strategic Management in Action  During the beginning  The terrible paper that we
Organizational  SWOT analysis of the pandemic, I had wrote in the end. All the papers
Innovation and  Competitive advantages been the only student were graded poorly, and I was
Change  Types of organizations (especially in my group to know fortunate they weren’t a huge
nonprofit) how to use zoom, and part of my personal grade,
 Analysis of the Wounded Warrior so I taught my group overall.
Project to use zoom. From  Team feedback on Teammates
 Heavy group-aspect to course here, they looked to (screenshots)
 Exploitation as a positive me to lead and
organize our projects
 We had a loafer in the
group, and I learned a
lot about how to
handle conflict in a
group and how to
confront issues.
Usually I’ve always
been very avoidant, so
this was out of my
comfort zone.

OGL 357: Assessment  Organizational assessment: A  I designed a pamphlet  Final design for Shingo Prize for
in Organizations framework for improving to explain and a Coffee Company
performance coordinate  Game project paper where I
 Good to Great Quicky book implementing an relate assessments to my
summary assessment into personal experience in self-
 Shingo prize organizational assessment.
 Baldridge award practice
 LESAT  I learned how to
 Harvard Business Publishing Case assess businesses
Study: Southwest Airlines objectively to improve
 Harvard Business Publishing Case performance
Study: Berkshire Hathaway
 Harvard Business Publishing Case
Study: IBM
 Game Project designed for course
OGL 360: Assessment  Van Gennep & Maus: gift giving
of Leadership  Leadership Challenge, Kouzes &
Effectiveness Posner
 Cook, James: Blue Latitudes
 Virtual group work
 Collaborative support
 Application of theory to characters
in books, film, and historical
figures
OGL 365: Leadership,  Integrating models of innovation
Technological of diffusion
Innovation and  I studied a ton about India and
Development their farming protests
 Video: KM Knowledge
Management
 Fighting corruption with ICT:
Strengthening Civil Society’s Role
 I loved this class. My PowerPoint presentation is the star
During it, I began of the show when it comes to this
going to AA and was in course. It’s a culmination of everything
a very vulnerable and I learned and my deep personal
fragile state while still experiences during that time.
trying to balance
school, work, and life;
all while maintaining
my high GPA. I made
an amazing project,
read a lot of good
examples of
leadership, and
connected to my
assigned team.
 The burden of gift
giving was interesting
to me in Van Gennep &
Maus’ article
 Leadership challenge
was a very actionable
book that helped me
practice leadership in
my current role
 I was proud about the  Paper: Agricultural and
complexities I studied Technological Adoption in India
around agricultural and the United States
innovation. I did not  Prompt response: Experience as
know that when I a hairdresser and ICT’s
chose to use India as
an example of how
America’s agricultural
system differs, they
would be protesting
their government over
agriculture. Around

OGL 365: Leaders in  How leadership is portrayed in
Film film
 How the media influences how we
view leadership
 Lessons we can learn about
practical leadership through film
story
 Analyzing film objectively
 Think creatively about leadership
OGL 481: Pro-  Analyzed my academic experience
Seminar I (what have  Reflected on the last four years
you learned so far) and my leadership journey
 Reframing Organizations
OGL 482: Pro- Next term, this summer 2021
Seminar II (when will
you be taking it)
Table 2: Plus / Delta – Significant Learning Experiences – Structure and Transfer
the same time, Bill
Gates bought so much
farmland. It was
interesting to
experience these
events while studying
this topic.
 Learned a lot about  Brain sketches for films
media and its  PowerPoint presentation
influence on society.  Professor feedback
 Reinforced why
leadership is an ethical
burden that should be
taken responsibly
I’ve realized that I had a huge  This core assignment 1
personal journey while going
through school. I did a lot to
balance work, home life, and
school and made a ton of
changes. Covid happened and
I can see how school was
affected and what I did to
cope through it. I threw
myself into school and
learning while things were so
chaotic otherwise. It shows in
my work and what I
remember as I write through
it.
Pick one of your most significant learning experiences from Table 1. Take some time to deeply reflect on the experience. Respond to the
following questions / sub-questions as explicitly as possible. Use your imagination and creativity here – this is really all about making
connections and seeing what you can learn about your learning style (and yourself) from the experience!
Describe the task / assignment? What, specifically, did you
learn?
Be sure to address both declarative forms of knowledge
(things you learned – concepts, theories, ideas, models) as
well as procedural forms of knowledge (things you
learned how to do – skills).
The most significant learning experience I had during school was in OGL 355:
Leading Organizational Leadership and Change. Throughout the term we were
instructed to meet weekly (or more if needed) and perform a series of
analyses on a non-profit organization of our choosing. Honestly, it was super
intense and primarily frustrating. I didn’t get along with the instructor, who
seemed pretentious through email when you’d ask him a question.
As far as declarative forms of knowledge, I learned about conducting a SWOT
analysis, environmental analysis, competitive advantage, and how to expand a
business. I studied, learned, and now understand many facets of what happens
in the nonprofit organizational sector as far as structure, hierarchy, and goals.
I also briefly learned about public and private sector organizations.
Procedural forms of knowledge were my biggest takeaway from this course.
The team-based course was intense and occurred as the pandemic was
underway, and many people were getting sick, and life was, basically, canceled.
In the beginning, I offered to create Zoom meetings, as nobody else in my team
was familiar yet with the platform. Because of my previous team experience, I
went in knowing that I didn’t want the passive participation that I’d
experienced last time, so I initiated conversation, helped to lead in choosing
our name, and facilitated our meetings and agendas. I offered help and tried to
follow the Servant Leadership model. Upon request, I agreed to be the leader
of the group the first three weeks, and the others would take turns the last few.
The leader’s job was to create the agenda and collaborative paper, and to
assign tasks and coordinate meetings.
I did well in this role, even talking to a team member who was struggling with
their participation and effecting the team. I created a culture of understanding
amongst the team as the pandemic was affecting everyone. After week three,
when I was to give my position over, the team expressed their disappointment
because I was an enthusiastic and supportive leader.
With the same team member, we quickly noticed that his quality of work
didn’t match the rest. I offered writing help and editing assistance and this
worked well, and this person thanked me for all the help. However, after a
while it seemed that he was taking advantage of the support, continuing to
miss meeting, or not doing his work at all. We became frustrated and I called a

Why is it important to you?
What connections can you make between these learning
and other things you have learned (in school – and
beyond)? What connections can you make between what
you learned and your life roles and goals?
meeting. As this person tried to miss the meeting, I put my foot down, noting
that they’d missed three meetings and had completely abandoned me on the
last project. I stated that if they didn’t make the meeting, I was going to go to
the instructor, as I had felt I’d “covered” for them long enough. He agreed and
did attend the meeting. In this next meeting, I took the reins and explained the
expectations and went over our code of conduct we had all created at the
beginning. This helped us get through the last week of the term, turning in a
project that almost was a complete disaster.
I learned how to put my foot down, instead of being passive. I appropriately
confronted an issue, choosing compassion and empathy first, and then
recognized when I was being taken advantage of. I learned how to lead as a
servant leader without offering to do everything, too. I primarily coordinated
and offered ideas, assigning myself small sections. I oversaw editing to “make
it cohesive”, which my team then quoted as my catchphrase.
In the past, if my outcome was dependent on others, I’d be very controlling to
gain influence as to what happens. However, this time I led though inclusion
instead of pure delegation. While I put in a lot of effort, it was rewarding in the
end, and feedback I received from the group in writing revealed their
appreciation, describing me as “the backbone of the group”.
Because I’d been so passive, and not much was done in my first group project,
this group project demonstrated what I’d learned from that bad experience. It
gave me confidence in my ability to lead a diverse group of people during a
time of crisis and confusion.
I had a lot of personal issues during this time, too. I didn’t open about it to the
team because everyone was very focused on what they were experiencing
during the pandemic, and my goal was to get through it despite all this. While
the National Guard rolled through the streets because of protests, I was in a
Zoom meeting helping a team member understand what a SWOT analysis was.
Later that year, my personal issues increased with several deaths in the family
and my husband becoming very ill and leaving his job. We had to move out of
our apartment into his parents, and I was on an intense therapy/recovery
schedule.
The experience highlights how I handled the crisis for myself, for my family,
and in all other roles. When everything was going wrong, I was focused. Even
when it wasn’t received well, I was supportive. I tried to make the right
decisions even when circumstances made it very easy to turn away and seek
dangerous coping methods. I value this experience because it was the start of

What worked for you?
In terms of process, was there something about the
assignment structure that appealed to you? How did this
task / structure of this assignment differ from other
assignments? Was it similar to other assignments / tasks
that were meaningful to me? What strategies, skills,
procedures proved effective in the completion of this
assignment / task? Do you see any patterns or
connections in this regard to your preferred approach to
learning – such as following an outline, keeping to
deadlines, other learning or study skills?
What can you transfer?
Where can you apply / use these skills and knowledge?
How can you apply what worked for you (above) to other
learning goals or initiatives in your life? Can you connect
or adapt this knowledge / skill to other areas of your life?
What kinds of metaphorical connections can you make?
Can you connect something that was interesting or
important with respect to this knowledge / skill to
something that you are struggling with?
my leadership journey in all areas of my life. It shows that I’m diligent and
focused. In AA, we say that things “will materialize if we work for them”, and
the hard work and perseverance I undertook this year reflects the truth in
that.
Classes after the 340 course that focused on assessment and reflection aided
me in my journey of self-discovery and the type of learning material was
abstract, ironically allowing me to absorb more. I was also able to share
vulnerable aspects of myself in papers and reflections, which helped me in
connecting with the materials.
Certain class structures really worked for me, such as the Planet Jockey games
that took you through practical scenarios. Another great method for me was in
OGL 360: Assessment of Leadership and OGL 365: Leaders in Film, where I
created some amazing PowerPoints. I loved these as a creative person because
I was able to apply my skills to learning, which made it so much easier. I was
able to use a lot of personal anecdotes which was very important to me
because of what I’d been experiencing at the time in recovering from addiction
and trauma, while still upholding the demands of being a leader at work and
going to school full time.
I’ve learned that I don’t need to worry about keeping myself diligent in school.
Stressing out about a schedule is pointless when I’m so motivated to keep it as
a priority. I thought reading and taking tests was the best approach because it
was simple, and I could get it over with. However, experiencing those other
courses showed me how much I wasn’t retaining before. Methods that
simulate real-life experiences have helped me the most, so that I can learn
from experience without having to experience the great consequences of
making bad leadership choices.
The takeaway from the previous reflection shows that it’s important for me to
add creativity where I can in my work. Instead of conforming to typical
structures and only doing what I’m taught, I can take ownership and be
creative in multiple ways that help others.
This can also be applied to my personal life, as I often absorb myself into
school and bookwork and don’t give myself the space for “me” time, where I
enjoy being creative and sketching, cooking, and gardening. However, this
experience has shown me how important these things are for my overall
wellbeing, which trickles to other areas of my life such as interactions with
friends, loved ones, and others. Especially in areas where my relationships are
fragile, it’s important for me to do things for myself, so that I can be there fully.
One way I apply this knowledge currently to my workspace is through
 volunteering for creative opportunities. I create chalkboards at Starbucks,
signage for partners, and green apron boards that encourage partners to
support and appreciate each other. This allows me to connect with others in a
positive way that’s authentic to who I am and what I value.
Thinking creatively doesn’t have to mean artistically, either. I think creatively
through approaching problems through a different lens. I’ve learned that I
highly value empathy and the ability to be compassionate where others would
be annoyed or frustrated. When this is difficult to do, I can think creatively to
approach problems in a way that’s different than whichever way is blocking us
from the solution.

What evidence do you have?
Do you have a plan for communicating your learning to
others? Are there any tangible outcomes (and specific
artifacts, in particular) that serve as evidence of this
knowledge / skill?
I have feedback from instructors that especially appreciate when I connect
what I’m doing here to what I’ve learned in AA. Alcoholics Anonymous has a
lot to do with letting go of control and looking inward to examine the “why’s”
of a situation. I can provide artifacts in the form of feedback, AA big book
quotes, and projects that show creativity and the connection of material to
personal experience.
I also have a project that measured how my attitude as a leader positively or
negatively affected a specific outcome that was measured through drive-thru
window times. This shows my development in becoming more supportive of
others and focusing less on what I can do and more on how I can inspire
others.
The feedback from my teammates in the group project also highlights the
impact I can have in a positive way.

Assignment #1: Questions for Reflection

Prompt #1: Now that you have completed Assignment #1, what were the most important aspects of this assignment? What moved you the
most? Any surprises?

One of the most impactful aspects of this assignment was going through my educational journey and allowing myself to connect this
to my personal journey of overcoming a stubborn ego and naivety that was blocking my ability to achieve my goals. I saw when I was
goalless, what I got out of school was miniscule compared to when I was actively working towards something positive and fulfilling. Since
I’m ending my educational career just after a pandemic, I’m reflecting on an especially turbulent time where my progress is measured so
much by how I’ve grown as a person overall.
This reflection shows me that the only thing that’s been in my way is myself. I can do the work, get good grades, and do what I’m
supposed to do. All I need to do is believe that I can do it and that I deserve it. I am an adult with the freedom to make my own way.
What moved me the most was just how much my courses affected my personal life, and how much my personal life affected my school. Since
OGL 340 and onward, I finally began connecting my learning in practical ways. I became more open with others as these new ideas sparked
creativity and inspired me enough to voice my opinions. It’s also moved me to measure how I’ve changed as a person and how I’ve grown
since beginning this journey. School was a thing I decided to do on a whim because I was bored. This is how I’ve gone about so much in my
life, and I’ve seen that if I take the time and work hard at things and give them priority, purpose, and meaning, the value only increases and
my contentment and satisfaction with my life only grows.
I was surprised at how I’ve especially grown as a writer. Upon review of my papers, I see that I was trying hard to sound academic or
speak incredibly properly, even if the paper didn’t call for such formality. I’ve learned that others relate to what I say when I say what is
really on my mind (and maybe a few edits from my beloved Grammarly).
I was already aware of how much my class on organizational innovation and the team I was a part of affected my learning, but I’ve
discovered that it was an incredibly pivotal point in my leadership journey as well as a marker of when the fundamentals clicked, and all the
learning I’d done was able to come to one ultimate moment of needing to step up, be there, and support strangers through a time of crisis
and frustration.

Prompt #2: What are your ideas in terms of how to best illustrate your growth and development over the course of your education and
experiences with the Organizational Leadership program? What are your best ideas with respect to specific artifacts / evidence that you
might present (within the context of an e-portfolio) as you consider your growth and development in the Organizational Leadership
Program?

An idea I to best illustrate my growth and development over the course of my education and experiences with the OGL program is
measured in three categories:

1. When I study other leaders and organizations

2. When I analyze my own leadership strengths and opportunities, and
3. When I experience measurable, significant personal growth.

This is a model/concept that can be shown as an evolution that coincides with the program itself. There is a linear relationship to
what I learn and when I experience inward reflection and personal growth. I have several artifacts to prove these concepts:

 Analyzing other leaders and other organizations:

OGL 260 IKEA paper
OGL 260: Johnson and Johnson Paper
OGL 300: Paper 7: overall review of leadership definitions learned
OGL 320: Mod 7 Paper: Analyzing ASU Helpdesk project
OGL 365: Agriculture and Technological Adoption in India and the United States

 Analyzing my own leadership:

OGL 343: Mod 4 prompts (story of training and recognizing a change in patience. Working during the pandemic)
 OGL 321: Paper: Managing a Team Through Setbacks: The Most Vital Resource
OGL 350: Final Paper: How to lead diverse teams

 Analyzing personal growth:

OGL 340: Dialogue Final: The Future of Humanity Project- the importance of dialogue, problem solving, and how systems thinking
relates to everything we do
OGL 355: Teammates feedback screenshots
OGL 360 PowerPoint: Applied leadership in relation to readings, film, and personal experience