As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Nancy Sibo (Rwanda)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author was talking about how a man can be good with himself, his environment. By creating a best humor from him and affecting his surroundings. To be patient with all, learn to find good in all as nothing come in corn but corn and nothing can come in nettles but nettles.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation as to why it is important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. We are makers of ourselves:
Here I encounter that by making our mind bright as it is the generator of our behavior, we can be good
B. By the right choice and true application of thought man ascends to the divine protection.
We have to control our thoughts. They are the powerful cosmic of our everyday life circumstances as they build our work, achievement and make our history.
C. Know how to use our thoughts.
The more they are used in a proper manner the more they bring more blessings and powerful degrees in life. But by the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below the level of the beast. This is what I learned:
Watch your thoughts they become words.
Watch your words they become actions.
Watch your actions they become habits.
Watch your habits they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
D. Every man is where he is by the law of his being: the thoughts which he has built into his character have brought him there.
I choose to think as an optimist and have a positive view on life. When gifted with the power of thought. It is among the best thing in a way that can put you to another stage of life. But it can also create problems if your thoughts tend to go astray.
The power of though brings to light. The power of thinking is incredible. This pushes me to do things as I think and believe it will work.
E. Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results, bad thoughts can never produce results.
This gives me the power to do good things and fights for a better. As nothing comes from corn but corn and nothing can come from nettles but nettles.
F. The body is the servant of the mind.
I learned to use it in a better way as it governs all our body.
G. It affects our character, our behalf and our environment and shape our future which opens the door to our destiny.
Strong, pure and happy thoughts build up the body in vigor and grace.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
By organizing myself to have a fresh and good thinking mind as the mind is the governor of the body. Having the ability of good thoughts, it is in this way that I will use to build my career by having the right choice and true application of
thoughts which lead to a divine protection.
A happy mind has an impact on a happy and healthier body.
I forge myself ahead if something doesn’t come up the way I want.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Dream High, Dream better it is important and an interesting thing ever in life because the greatest achievement at first and for a time is a dream.”
“You can not change your thoughts without changing your life in process: immerse ourselves in the rights thoughts and this helps to be the rights person we desire to be.”
“It is important as the inner part (thoughts) of ourselves makes the outer parts and affect our circumstances.”
“What is a plan?”
A plan can simply be defined as a scheme, program, or method worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of an objective.
A plan can also be defined as a drawing or diagram made to scale showing the structure or arrangement of something.
Planning is traditionally considered to be one of the four major functions of management, along with organizing, leading and coordinating/controlling.
Simply put, planning is identifying where you want to go, why you want to go there, how you will get there, what you need in order to get there and how you will know if you’re there or not! The planning process
Identifies the goals or objectives to be achieved
Formulates strategies to achieve them
Arranges or creates the means required, and
Implements, directs, and monitors all steps in their proper sequence.
Usage Example
If management fails to follow through with the early stages of planning and strategic decision making, it is very possible the merger will fail.
“Planning is setting the direction for something – some system – and then guiding the system to follow that direction.”
The importance of planning
An organization that moves into the future without proper plans is like a blind person walking along the road!
Planning is essential in the following ways:
Putting in order and into decisions now what an organization or group believe they can do in the future; is a series of decisions taken now for future actions of an organization, a group or an individual;thinking and deciding on what to do before it is done is planning even though it may not be written down.
“Different Methods of Planning.”
By “Seizing opportunities as they come,” assessing the risks involved and take decisions based on certain criteria and values;
Planning on an “Ad hoc basis” without clearly defined vision and mission statements;. When poverty is very prevalent, people tend to plan on a short term basis. This tendency has been carried on to organizational settings;
Adopting the “Fire brigade” approach ,waiting until problems occur or there is a crisis before taking any far reaching decisions concerning their organizations;
“Strategic planning” that enables organizations to be responsive to the changing environments.
“Regional planning” that deals with designing and placing infrastructure and other elements across a larger area.
Why do we need planning in my organization:
Need for planning envisaged in 5 different ways: Scarcity of resources; eliminate unnecessary competition; correct the defects of the price mechanism; check on unemployment; reduce income inequalities guide private interests; classification of plans; Classification of plans by the time element; Classification of plans by coverage; Classification of plans according to socioeconomic systems; Classification of plans according to the hierarchy of planning.
“Stages in the Planning Process: Identification of goals and objectives; Plan formulation; Plan implementation and Plan evaluation.”
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No, there isn’t anything.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful?
They are much helpful, and it is not easy to complete them one a time but requires a time to be applicable.
7. Was there anything in the book that you would like to comment on that was in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
To Desire is to obtain and to aspire is to achieve.
This means that we people we have to take actions to obtain our goals, and strive to end up with good results.
Roles and Relationships in the organization: Roles are the positions that are defined by a set of expectations about behavior of any job incumbent. Each role has a set of tasks and responsibilities that may or may not be spelled out. Roles have a powerful effect on behavior for several reasons, to include money being paid for the performance of the role, there is prestige attached to a role, and a sense of accomplishment or challenge.
Relationships are determined by a role’s tasks. While some tasks are performed alone, most are carried out in relationship with others. The tasks will determine who the role-holder is required to interact with, how often, and towards what end. Normally the greater the interaction, the greater the liking. This in turn leads to more frequent interactions. In human behavior, it’s hard to like someone whom we have no contact with, and we tend to seek out those we like. People tend to do what they are rewarded for, and friendship is a powerful reward. Many tasks and behaviors that are associated with a role are brought about by these relationships. That is, new task and behaviors are expected of the present role-holder because a strong relationship was developed in the past, either by that role-holder or a prior role-holder.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful where the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 9
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Nancy Sibo (Rwanda)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea is having the ability of leadership to achieve certain goals within the group you lead.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation as to why it is important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
A. Be aware of what you need: set what you need in life; give importance to what uplift you and get values according to priorities. Goals, Values, and Concepts.
Here are some examples I have been a precious, focused young Girl. Who always sees possibilities regardless of all the odds. My interest in leadership and entrepreneurship sparked up a passion within and leads to Be a core head leader of Hands Up for her Campaign Nigeria in Rwanda nominated as Country Focal Point (CFP).
I am passionate about social media, gender and building capacity of communities in my country for climate change awareness and adaptation. I have also the passion for traveling and meeting with other like-minded youths from around the world to share best practices and develop common global strategies for our local problems. With my other colleagues in Rwanda, I co-founded in 2011 the Rwanda #YACA – Youth Alliance for Climate Actions which the biggest network of youth in Rwanda working to create awareness and address the negative effects of Climate change (Keep Green, Sharing best practice on environment).
In other to attend and be able to coordinate all of the responsibilities I had. Here cite are some of the key major concepts I used:
To be a Leader, three some influences that you exert on the environment via three types of actions: The goals and performance standards they establish. The values they establish for the organization. The business and people concepts they establish.
Successful organizations have leaders who set high standards and goals across the entire spectrum, such as strategies, market leadership, plans, meetings and presentations, productivity, quality, and reliability.
Values reflect the concern the organization has for its employees, customers, investors, vendors, and surrounding community.
These values define the manner in how business will be conducted.
Conceptsdefine what products or services the organization will offer and the methods and processes for conducting business.
These goals, values, and concepts make up the organization’s personality or how the organization is observed by both outsiders and insiders. This personality defines the roles, relationships, rewards, and rites that take place.
B. Priority of what you need: make choice and arrange your need from the most important.
C. Take Initiative: get specific response to certain circumstances, activate yourself.
D. Get in touch with systems in which you can use to achieve your goals
E. Ask for help, get good mentors, learn from their experience.
F. Do not fly in the dark: be free to work properly.
G. Be happy of your achievement: celebrate, enjoy the results of your work.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
To make a calendar to keep organized, to have goals in life, pushing to attain more, accomplish them better and achieve them faster. Access yourself so as people may merely following your example. Slow down in your availability and approaching, hear people around you. Because business is a barrier to communication and relationship to create a better world. By this all work hard, but make sure you are available and approachable for the people on your team.
Simplicity: instead of encouraging people to take on one more thing, you might lighten them do one less thing.
Have conversation: this give a lesson of being in connection with the people to a plan. As when things get busy, we tend to talk less.
Clarify: I learned from the author, to define reality, list out your vision, mission and values.
Prioritize: make choice to what comes first. Leadership starts with you.
This book will help me in a practical way both in my daily personal life and in helping me to create a better future career of leadership.
This is my three way verbs to express what I have learned about the book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Be Know Do
BE a professional. Examples: this is will help me to be loyal to the organization, perform selfless service and take personal responsibility.
BE a professional who possess good character traits. Examples: honesty, competence, candor, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforwardness, imagination.
KNOW the four factors of leadership which will lead me to be the best governor of my future follower, leader, communication and situation.
KNOW myself. Examples: to take strengths and weakness of my character, knowledge, and skills.
KNOW human nature. Examples: To be aware of what human being is surrounded with : Human needs, human emotions, and how people respond to stress.
KNOW your job. Examples: this book teaches me how to be proficient and be able to train others in their tasks.
KNOW your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and culture, who the unofficial leaders are.
DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision making, planning.
DO implement. Examples: communicating, coordinating, supervising, evaluating.
DO motivate. Examples: develop morale and body spirit in the organization, hoe to train people and how to get trained, how to coach and how to get coached and finally counsel.
Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee does. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. You must know your people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. You must come to know your employees’ be, know, and do attributes.
In my own experiments, I have brought forth an endless dedication to empowering people when I lead, a deep commitment to transparency in my leadership style, and enormous willingness to work with what ensues when people wake up to their power. The results have often been bewildering. More often than not, it seems that the more explicitly I invite people to self-responsibility and participation, the more effortful I find the process of facilitating and the more I hear disappointment and even criticism and judgment of my choices. At other times, when I present and follow a clear structure with limited participation in shaping the content or outcome of the event and whether it be a training or a staff retreat I facilitate – people appear to be much more satisfied and my work appears dramatically easier.
This is also what happens, regularly, when I invite people, especially in the multi-day retreats that I lead, to risk their power and participate in shaping what happens. Instead of being joined in holding responsibility for the whole and in the art of balancing everyone’s needs, I am handed a larger and more charged piece to balance. Instead of appreciation for the invitation to empowerment, I encounter a criticism and disappointment when I fail, by necessity, in my attempts to balance and include everyone’s needs to their satisfaction in all moments.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Stand to center for honor: perform well in life get contribution toward the best.”
“Lift ourselves out ignorance: we are creatures of excellence and skills, get well to fight ignorance.”
“Don’t care what people say, don’t care what people think, but prove them what you are able to say. Don’t harsh on them forgive them and help them to understand and one day they will see what you see.”
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there which you disagree with and, if so, why?
No.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and did you find them helpful?
Yes they are helpful and applicable.
7. Was there anything in the book that you would like to comment on that was in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
Convince ourselves that we are free; don’t fly in the dark do things as you are free don’t hide yourself.
Gain the truth in ourselves; take care of chores without being asked.
Be mature: freedom is about being mature and responsible enough to take care of ourselves.
Connect to yourself let you what going on in your life.
Prepare your statement if you want to be free, you will need to broach subject in a mature and calm manner.
The Process of Great Leadership:
Challenge the process – First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most.
Inspire a shared vision – Next, share your vision in words that can be understood by your followers.
Enable others to act – Give them the tools and methods to solve the problem.
Model the way – When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do; a leader shows that it can be done.
Encourage the heart – Share the glory with your followers’ hearts, while keeping the pains within your own.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful where the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8