Speakers.

                As a high school student, it was a great opportunities to see what the elders got. I am still surprised with how all the people who presented have complete different ideas but come down to a slightly similar solution. There are varieties of project ideas that I can take to establish in my own environment back at home. For example, Sharon’s project about fishing line will be a perfect project for my hometown. I live in a coastal area in Burma where fishing is a very popular activity. Since my hometown is very small, and there are only some popular areas for fishing. So the idea of recycling fishing line will be a very good project to run. It will be efficient and effective.

Reflection of the course.

                This course had done nothing but given me a great experience for my life. It gave me so much knowledge about leadership and environment. It was a perfect journey for my future project for my high school. The five most important things that I learn in this course are,

·         Tools that we can use toward behavior change.

·         Ways to remove road blocks/barriers.

·         Organizational levels.

·         Top demands within the change agent.

·         Three types of relationship models in organization

Tools that we can use toward behavior change.

·         Get commitment

·         Use prompt (Reminders)

·         Use social norms.

·         Use incentives.

·         Make it convenient.

·         Persuasive communication strategies.

Ways to remove road blocks/barriers.

·         Pay conscious attention. (Effective listener)

·         Respect other status.

·         Creating a culture that is safe and supportive

·         Be flexible and receptive to ideas.

·         Test assumptions

·         Take others a experts, partners, and equals

·         Foster confidence.

·         Offer incentive.

·         Give encouragements and feedbacks.

·         Small scale pilot projects.

·         Peer to peer interactions.

Organizational Levels.

                There are three levels in every organization such as Top level management, Middle management and Grass roots. Top level management takes a big role in decision making process and creating tasks for people in lower management levels. Middle management will take the role of fostering those tasks to the grass roots in order achieve the goals that were set by the top level management. Grass roots management takes the role of carrying out projects to successfully achieve the goals.

Top demands within the world of a change agent.

·         Sustaining the clarity and power of your ethnics, beliefs, and commitments. Valuing the quality of your own energy.

·         Understanding social change and your role in it.

·         Deriving self worth, security and status. Building capabilities as a strategic follower, listener, facilitator, supporter or leaders.

·         Being conscious and skillful in the turning point moments, strategic yielding and strategic risk taking.

·         The practice of learning by doing and importance of insight, resilience, renewal and self awareness.

Three types of relationship models in organization.

·         Trust

·         Transaction

·         Authority

Within trust based organization, there are five qualities that can reduce threat response.

·         Status

·         Certainty

·         Autonomy

·         Relatedness

·         Fairness

·         Creativity.

Suggestions for the course.

                One main suggestion that I got for this class is to teach us how we can use the knowledge about leadership in environment matters. Otherwise, the course is perfect.

Decision Making Process.

First, I come up with some ideas and plans that I think will benefit both restaurant and the environment. Then I will have to talk with the restaurant manager or the stakeholders to make a decision on what type of project they want to take in for their organization. I've came up with different project ideas such as finding clients for the Green Restaurant Association which is an non-profit organization who helps restaurants to become environmental friendly. Even though I have all the idea on a paper, it is not yet enough because I need confirmation from my partners. The managers are the main decision makers. I am the change agent who will lead my partner with ideas. 

Before getting to the end, we have to start first. I've been doing research on the Green Restaurant Associations and other ways to green a restaurant. I am doing as much research as I can because it is best to know more than little. From this, I can answer the questions from my partners. After that, I will set up meetings with the managers to present my ideas on my project.

In order to make a final decision for the project, my partner and i will have to agree on the same decision. Even though I will taking some part on decision making process, my partner will be taking a bigger role because my partner knows the restaurant organization better and knows what is the best thing to do. However, I will be taking the role to lead to the right place with the right idea. I made my ideas as flexible as possible so that my partner doesn't feel suffocated.

After all the plannings and researching, I still have blind spots that i still have to overcome. I lack in background information of the organizations that I want to work with. to over come that, I have to talk to a lot of employees to learn about the organization. That will help me bond and build relationships with the employees. Bonding with employees and knowing the organization will help me to make right decisions with benefits for both sides.

Business and Finance.

For finance, it really depend on what the project is based on. All my project ideas are based on saving energy, water or controlling waste. Another option will be working with Green Restaurant Association. The association will help the restaurant to be environmentally friendly with a small amount of cost. If the restaurants are willing to do this, then I have another plan to help the restaurant. I have an idea to give them something in return such as free marketing of their name. 

By doing that, it can benefit both sides. The organization will be advertised, benefit the environment and also make more money. It will attract customers who cares about the environment or a customer who is casually just looking for a quick meal. Most of the decision will have to come from the manager which is single unit.

Thank you.

My goal toward my semester project is to create an sustainale evironment within my chosen retaurant. Even though I set up plans to achieve my goals, there are obstacles that I have to face with msyself and with the partners. One of the major compliant I face is ignorance from my partners. They tend to ignore the fact that these matters of sustaining the environment is important. So when I call several restaurants, they don't have the interest to talk to me. That is when I came up with a new idea of having a new approach. My big assumption for my obstacle is to talk to whoever I may concern with a benefit that they will have in the future.
By being conscious about my obstacles or complaints and big assumptions, it helps me to focus more on the problem which will lead me to come up with an effective solution. Focusing on problems and my assumptions can reduce social risks. It also make me notice about small factors. It also lead to empowerment because when I think about solutions on my own, it make confident about them.
I am aware of the fact that I can't have everyone to be on my way. They have their own assumption toward different things. I have to learn how to adapt to diversity of opinions. Sometimes, those assumptions can be the reasons which can tear down the aims. In this case, I will have to compromise with the partners. It is best to agree on something together rather than complaining. I think active listening and talking will be the best approach for resolving semi-conscious or subconscious assumptions that other people may be holding. Even if their assumptions are semi-conscious or subconscious, talking and listening can make a clearer pictures of what they really are. It can also help to make those assumptions come true or understand them better.
Active listening can lead to thought partnership because when a person listen to another person and show that they understand by rephrasing can create a strong relationship between the two. It creates a bond between the two people. the other people feels involved and important. Once you built that trust worthy relationship with a partner and that partner knows that you care, then your partner will listen too and the relationship will become a treasure and nobody throw away a treasure. It will be kept and worth more later on. If a relationship is built strong, then the partners can work on long term project. More sustainable projects can be established throughout longer time period.
Being able to get involved in this structured active listening activity helped me throughout my project plan. I come up with different ideas on how to approach them and how I can built a strong relationship with the key players. By involving in this activity, I am more trained to do better in the outside world. This also trained me well to get involved other key players in future projects too. The activity makes it more efficient and effective.

Everyone needs food to survive. People make food in their own very convenient ways. Some cook for themselves, some eats at restaurants and some have to eat ready-made packed food from local groceries stores. Unfortunately, college students like some of us don’t have the time or the opportunity to eat home cooked meals every day. Majority of us survive on those high in sodium packed microwavable food or in local restaurants. That is why I've decided for my final project to focus on restaurants within the area of Harvard square.

I've came up with an idea as a change agent, to make a difference in local restaurants to reduce their energy use or to get involved in the concept of “Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle”. This project is not just planned to help the environment but also the people. I want to give people the opportunities to be apart to doing something amazing for the environment or the earth.

 Due to the time given to finish this project, I planned to get involved with at least two local restaurants. 

I’ve written down the steps that I have to take in order to be successful in this project. (Please add any comments or advice down below.)

#1) Research. 

 Research on ways to lead restaurants to make green decisions.

 Research on global environment crisis caused mainly by restaurants.

#2) Gather information.

 Interview customers, waiters/waitress, and managers.

 Survey.

 Real life Research.

#3) Negotiate.

 Get approvals.

 Plan on the changes to be made.

#4) Decision.

 Reach to a decision made which benefits both restaurant and environment.

#5) Maintain Progress.

 Collect Data.

 Overcome obstacles.

 Come up with more plans for the future.

#6) Reflect.

 Reflect on the progress that I've made throughout the project.

 Learn from the mistakes made.

 Cherish the experience that you gained.