Giving Back

In winners never cheat chapter ten talks about giving back, I feel that personally i can do a better job of this, I passed a sign in the TSC that stated of you want good Karma give back, It made me think of this chapter, there are not very many people that are as rich and succesful as Jon Huntsman, that there favorite topic is giving, There are alot of celiberties that give but i doubt highly they do it out of sheer joy, Giving a skill that takes true humility and kindness things which you must be able to obtian to become your very best, these atributes help build your charecter to the best that you can be, not to mention a little bit of Karma doesnt hurt, but being happy from giving as dicribed by Huntsman, gives him goose bumps, I am not even close to that but striving to get there.

Group 5

For our blog post we would like to explore the boundaries of the issue discussed in class two weeks ago. This issue being that there needs to be both love for the hobby, and also some amount of skill in it. Otherwise these two things, there really is not a point in participating in this event anyway. We, as a group, would like to pose the question; to what extent is this true? Is mediocre skill and passion enough to flourish? In our book, Positive Thinking, one of the themes associated with it is that without positive attitude, there can really be no success. After reading our novel, we tend to veer to the side of the passion is the most important aspect to be effective in any area.

Jerika Barnes
Cameron White
Hannah Heninger
Dylan Lewis

Kids Know

(photo is obviously me as a kid haha I was all ready to go dance!)

I read all of the book "Winners never Cheat" by Huntsman over the break and absolutely loved it! I also spent time with family and babysat for my sister and her friends kids so there were three children all together around the ages of two and three. It was so fun to watch them play with one another and it made me think even more about this book. He said powerful things in every chapter that motivated me to be a better person. Sometimes it does seem impossible to be a perfectly honest and upright person since you think that will just make it so people will walk all over you. Was wonderful to hear specifics about a man that never seemed to change his values no matter what the cost. One of my favorite parts was when he made a deal with a man to buy part of his company and it didn't process for six months. By that time his company had doubled or something in what it was worth so the man offered to pay more but he said that he had made a deal already and would honor it even though it cost him millions of dollars! That is true dedication to keep you word! I thought about all of the things mentioned in the book a lot and talked to people about it. Then I thought back to how the children acted. Funny how everything we were taught as kids is the basis of happiness in life. All they seemed to care about was sharing and really justed wanted to have fun and help the other kids to have fun too. They told on each other when someone wasn't being nice and forgave instantly. Could tell that their greatest desire was for someone big to tell them good job or complement them. Amazing how our deepest desires really are to simply be a good person and wonderful how you are happy if you do so no matter what your life situation but usually have good come along when you live this way. So lets all be a little more like who we were as kids.

Karen Ungricht

Group 4 Blog Postage

We wanted to share this video because it is a really good example of a sticky idea, which we all had a chance to read about for in our group.

One way to make an idea stick is to do something unexpected. Here is an example of an unexpected car safety commercial that is unexpected, but it illustrates the core message really clearly.

"The enclave ad is unexpected because it violates our schema for car commercials. We know how car commercials are supposed to behave. Pickups climb mountains of boulders. Sports cars zip along vacant curvy roads. SUVs carry yuppies through forests to waterfalls. And minivans deliver kids to soccer practice. No one ever dies, ever.... The commercial reminds us that accidents are inherently unexpected - we ought to buckle up, just in case." (Made to Stick)

Back to the basics- and the 7 Habits.

I know it has been a while since we finished reading Covey's book, but over Spring Break I went to the dentist and while there I saw a children's book of The 7 Habits. I was really interested what the children's version would be and so I read through most of it. Interestingly enough it simplified them to stories, and these basic sayings: 1.) You're in charge 2.) Have a Plan 3.) Work first, then play 4.) Everyone can win 5.) Listen before you talk 6.) Together is best 7.) Balance feels best. I know we've all read the book and this is a review but I thought the author (not Covey himself, but someone who works for his company) had a great way of rephrasing the habits to get a little different perspective. The book also categorized the habits into three steps. First, start with you and then play well with others, lastly never forget to take care of yourself. It was also a fantastic reminder to make sure that I was applying what we've learned in class.

The Most Inspiring Thing ever said...

DON’T BE AN IDIOT!!!

In the dictionary it defines Idiot as a senseless person. In this class one of our main topics that we have covered is finding our sense of direction. This is done by having goals and aspirations. Without this, in a word, you are senseless. So to avoid being an idiot, and take Michael Scott's advice, its important to do some things such as making a blueprint, to use our education to prepare ourselves now. This will help us to get where we want to be in our career and we wont end up at Dunder Mifflin. Below are a few links that we have selected to help you research our blue printing assignment. We hope these help!

Internships help you to actually apply what you learn at school into the real world, which is great since it is the main reason we are actually here. Plus you get college credit too!

(link for business majors) http://www.huntsman.usu.edu/internships/

(link for any major) http://usu.edu/career/internships/ (they say you get paid too)

Career and Academic Support Services currently on the USU homepage http://www.usu.edu/academics/academic-support/

Career Acceleration Center
http://huntsman.usu.edu/career/htm/services/

Now we have some questions for all ya’ll so that we can help one another to make the best of this assignment and plan for the future! So if anyone first of all finds any other awesome websites for research it would be great if you post them.

Has anyone been on an internship that you could tell us a little about and how you got it?

What other creative things can we do during our college time to get real work skills?

Do you ever ask yourself, would an idiot do this? (Hahaha let’s just say we have Brady in our group, enough said.)

Please share anything you have found to be or think would be helpful so that we can all succeed together so that we don’t all end up like the people from the office!


BEYOND YOUR LIMITS STORY
(inspirational)

Ocean and ocean as far as the eye can see in all directions. One crappy rowboat and an ore are your only companions beside the sun beating down upon you. You decide to paddle in one direction. After miles and miles of relentless paddling, fatigue and discouragement begin to set in. But you brush it aside and continue to paddle on. After what seems an eternity, fatigue takes over and you stop. As you lay, beaten in the boat, your mind reflects on the life you once had and that you are now letting drift away. Impressing even yourself, you somehow find the strength within to lift yourself upright to once again continue your impossible journey. Minutes turn to hours, and every paddle takes the last efforts left within you. With absolutely nothing left to give you once again collapse and accept that all is lost and the end has come. At the moment that your mind starts to fade into the background, your sight catches a glimpse of land in the edge of your fading vision.

What has changed for you now in this moment?
In this situation, imagine what would be your strategy of survival.
Have you had an experience similar? Please, share…

How does having your goals in sight give you more motivation to keep going even when you think you can’t go anymore?

Having us make a blueprint for our career future will help us to stay motivated!

Huntsman Blue Print Assignment

OVERVIEW

Consider that you are designing a company and its line of products and services. What questions would you ask? What research would you do? How would you identify your customer? What type of plan or blueprint would you create? Now consider that this “company” is you, and that the product offerings are the skills, talents, capabilities, and knowledge that you have to offer. Your customer is a group of potential employers and colleagues.

You have 4 – 5 years of undergraduate education to create an optimal offering – you – which will qualify you for a fulfilling, rewarding, and valuable career based on your passions, values, and talents.

In order to design your “company,” you will conduct a basic gap analysis and design a blueprint for the remainder of your time at USU. Your blueprint will be anchored in what you want to do and become. The gap analysis will answer the following questions:

What do my customers want?

2. What do I already have to offer?

3. How will I fill the gap?

The assignment will be broken down into two parts. Part 1: Self-SWOT Analysis will answer the first two questions and is explained in more detail on page 2. Part 2: My Blueprint will answer the last question, explanation on page 3.

Happy blueprinting!

MY HUNTSMAN BLUEPRINT
Part 1: Self SWOT Analysis
Due: February 28, 2011

In order to design a profitable company platform and suite of products and services, organizations often begin with a SWOT Analysis (SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats). Focusing on you as the company and your skills, talents, and capabilities as the products and services, brainstorm, understand, and create a substantial list for each of the following categories:

1. Passions

· What do you love?

· What energizes and empowers you? What gets you fired up?

· What do you spend your free time on?

· When are you in your “Element”?

2. Strengths

· What are you really good at? What do you feel you were “born” to do?

· What do other people say you are good at?

· What unique talents, qualities, and skills do you possess?

· What experiences have made you more valuable?

· Include talents, qualities, and skills, as well as unique experiences, credentials, etc.

· Ask someone to read your list and give feedback.

· Review your benchmark survey.

3. Weaknesses

· What skills, knowledge, or competencies do you need but don’t have?

· What do you hate doing or are not good at?

· Review your benchmark survey.

· Revisit after identifying customers and opportunities.

4. Customers

· What industries or career tracks (at least 2) play well to your passions and strengths?

· Who are your primary, secondary, & supporting customers?

· What do they value?

· What knowledge do you need to gain from your customers?

· Conduct market research.

5. Opportunities

· Based on customer analysis, what opportunities exist to capitalize on your strengths?

· How can you prepare for and take advantage of such opportunities?

· Revisit and revise strengths and weaknesses.

6. Threats

· What kinds of barriers or challenges could prevent you from opportunities?

· Consider family, economy, health, etc. (Be realistic not catastrophic)

This should be thought provoking but not time consuming. Review your Covey workbook and benchmark survey. Consider organizing your lists into an easy-to-read graphic. You can find many premade SWOT graphics online. I encourage you to find something that speaks to you, that motivates and empowers you. It doesn’t need to be complicated. We will use this to design your Blueprint.

Customer Research:
You need 6 source: (3) people (3) other- books, articles, informative websites
Include a list of
- all our sources?
- Who they are?
- What's their position in the company- what's their job?
- Why makes them a credible source?
- Questions you asked and their responses

s create an out-line that covers

MY HUNTSMAN BLUEPRINT
Part 2: My Blueprint
Due: March 23, 2011

Part 1 answered the first two questions of your gap analysis: (1) what your customers want and (2) what you currently have to offer. Inevitably there is a gap between what they want and what you can offer today. So, the next step is to design a plan to fill the gap.

The purpose of Part 2 is to create a comprehensive and concrete blueprint. Design a plan that will help you develop the right suite of “products and services” (talents, abilities, circumstances, networks, etc.) necessary to acquire a career that is fulfilling, rewarding, and valuable to society. Organize your blueprint into a graphic. Make sure the composition of the blueprint is easy to read, empowers you, and fulfills the purpose of the assignment.

The blueprint should include

· Classes (required & elective for your major, minor & USU generals/breadth/depth)

· Internships

· Mentoring relationship development

· Networking

· Personal development outside class

· Career exploration

· Certification, tests, etc.

· Extracurricular opportunities

· Fun

When choosing coursework, consider classes that will develop essential skills and capabilities, not just fulfill graduation requirements. Think about extracurricular activities that develop experiences and skills. Think comprehensively. Use this as an opportunity to design a fun, rewarding, rigorous, and preparatory experience that maximizes your time at the Huntsman School and prepares you for your ideal career.

You have a lot of resources. I encourage you to visit

· Career Accelerators

· Advising Center

· Career Services & Other Campus Resources

· Professors/Mentors

· Neighbors

· Local Business Owners (or individuals doing what you want to do)

· Peers

· Recruiting Websites (e.g. TalentMarket.org; CareerBuilder.com; etc.)

Help each other. Share your research. Be prepared to share in class.