JournalEntry #1
Troy Ferguson
A27904892
09/06/01
I would like to begin by saying that i'm very excited about what is going on in this class. It is very different from any other class that i have taken, but in this case different is good. I feel that this is class that i will be able to take things from and use immediately in my own life and activities. I was a little hesitant when i heard about all of the computer work, since i am far from a computer wizard, but i feel i'll be able to learn and get some valuable experience.
For this journal entry, i went to the Ford Motor Company site and found it to be very intriguing. As far as the site itself, i found it very easy to navigate and not to clustered with things that aren't necessary for the site. I am in complete agreement with them on their idea to have this site and their desire to become a better company. I took the "diagnostic tool" leadership test, which i found to be informative. The answers seemed to be fairly obvious, but they still showed an explanation of why that answer was the best fit. I enjoyed that part of the site because it was interactive and kept me from getting bored just reading the information.I also felt that it was well organized into the areas of motivation, team-building and coaching where each area wasdivided into simple steps for success. All in all, ifound this site to be very informative and even motivating.
Leadership for myself has been fairly well defined.I contribute that mostly to my involvement in sports throughout my life.I play on thehockey team here atMichigan State, and the team concept is crucial to success.The concept of team starts with the leaders of the team, whomever that may be. We have three"captains" who are the main leaders,but it isessential thatevery member of the team contribute in some way. I look at myself as a leader, but i'm not a very vocal person. Ichoose more to lead by example, by going to class, by working hard in practice, by showing up early and doing the little extra. That is my personal view on leadership but i have seen it many different forms and equallysuccessful in all of them.This is one reasonwhy i found the Ford site so interesting. For mepersonally, i have never really looked at a corporation as a team like my hockey team, when in realitythey are very similar. Bothhave goals to be successful andboth have a team of people working together to achieve a common goal. I have a whole new outlook on corporations such as Ford, and can relate them to my own experiences of working on a team.