We all strive to see the meaning in our lives in one way or another. Dan Pink explores this topic in the Meaning chapter of A Whole New Mind. Pink makes interesting references to Victor Frankl’s perseverance through the Holocaust. His writings are described as a “a window into the human soul and a guide to a meaningful life.” I found these writings fascinating as Frankl was able to see a greater purpose in life even during his time at Auschwitz. The two main points of the chapter that center around this search for meaning include taking spirituality seriously and taking happiness seriously.

Spirituality, Pink mentioned, includes not only religious beliefs, but attempting to see the bigger picture or general purpose in life. As a Christian, I can easily connect with spirituality. This concept applies itself to businesses, individuals, and even universities. Frankl described happiness, on the other hand, as something that must “ensue.” Some factors from which happiness can ensue include: “satisfying work, avoiding negative events and emotions, being married, and having a rich social network.” Who wouldn’t want these things? Pink goes on to mention that something as simple as a labyrinth can allow for a relaxing free thought process that consumes the right side of the brain.

As I finished up reading this chapter and came to the list of exercises, I had a difficult time deciding which one to perform and blog about. After a good amount of thought, I chose to “measure my spirit.” I took the Spiritual Transcendence Scale. I chose to perform this exercise because I was interested to see how concerned I was with the material aspects of life compared to the larger plan and meaning of life. My score was 35. My Prayer Fulfillment factors were higher than the range listed in the chart for people up to age 21. My Connected-ness factors were also in the range listed in the chart. However, my Universality items were just on the edge. I wasn’t sure that I could grasp the concept of feeling an emotional bond with ALL of humanity. Being able to connect with all types of people on an emotional level is something that I could improve on. My overall score, however, means that I believe that there is a larger plan and meaning to life. I can’t disagree!

While thinking over what a helpful homework assignment would look like, I came across the idea to create an assignment designed to perfect the interview process from both sides of the table. This assignment is not only applicable to the current project as the interviewing process is one that is essential to master in order to set yourself apart from others competing for a similar position. Whether you are an engineer, computer science major, or management major, you will have to interview for a position in order to get a job. So that leads me to the next point regarding some valuable points to remember when your being asked questions or even when you are the one asking questions.

Doing the Interviewing:

- Smile and relax but make sure to make frequent eye contact at all times
- Show confidence by shaking hands firmly while also making eye contact
- Remain positive throughout the interview
- Don’t be afraid to engage and go off the rigid list of questions. It shows the person you are interviewing that you are really interested in what he or she has to say.
- Ask intricate, detailed questions rather than broad ones. In other words, do some research on who you are choosing to interview and then ask them specific questions based on their experiences
- Finally, write a thank you letter to the person you interviewed

Being Interviewed:

- Smile and relax but make sure to make frequent eye contact at all times
- Show confidence by shaking hands firmly while also making eye contact
- Give elaborate but direct answers to the questions ask. Try not to consistently deviate from topic
- Demonstrate interest in the organization or position you are being interview for by occasionally asking about something you are curious about
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Finally, follow up professionally through several steps:
- Get their business card
- Write a thank you letter
- Give them a call after five days have passed- continue to exhibit interest

To wrap up, these tips are short, simple and concise. Sure, there are more techniques and approaches. Everyone is different. However, these suggestions, when used correctly by the average person, can work to separate him or her from the other applicants. I took the time over the summer to read the book “How Did You Do it Truett?” written by Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-a. He said once in the beginning of the book that something as simple as a firm handshake with solid eye contact combined with a clean cut appearance went a long way in increasing that person’s chances of getting the job. Bottom line: act confident and exhibit enthusiasm for the position.

While choosing from a vast variety of entrepreneurs is a difficult task, I have narrowed my scope to four men who are influential to me beyond just the areas of business. I mentioned in my recent blog post that I would let the “who” factor of my aspirations be the driving force behind “what” I ultimately aspire to do. Truett Cathy did exactly this as he worked long hours to turn the once minuscule “Dwarf House” into the well known Chick-fil-a that we all know today. Besides Cathy, I also consider Warren Buffett, Arthur Blank, and Bernie Marcus to be role models in my professional discipline.

Truett Cathy began showing entrepreneurial traits at the young age of eight as he went door to door selling Coca Cola by the bottle. After Cathy and his brother were both discharged from the army, they went on to work for a franchised restaurant. After weeks of training, the owner informed them that they would not be able to share the management of a single restaurant.  Shortly thereafter, the brothers quit and eventually opened up the first Chick-fil-a in the Georgia Mall. What appeals to me so much about Cathy’s story is how he built the restaurant from the ground up. Cathy started from nothing and worked long twelve hour shifts with his brother to make his dream become a reality. Additionally, he incorporates Christian values into his business, believing that every Chick-fil-a should be closed on Sunday to give employees time to go to church or spend time with family. Finally, Truett Cathy is a role model through his actions. He treats every one of his employees with respect and has founded the WinShape organization, which has provided around $18 million to fund the expansion of summer camps and foster homes.

Next, Warren Buffett is often considered one of the most successful investors to ever live. He took a failed textile company called Berkshire Hathaway and turned it completely around. Buffett exhibits entrepreneurial traits through his willingness to invest in various people, ideas, and products. Although he did not start a franchise from the ground up as Cathy did, he does not just stick to buying stocks. Buffett purchased in the late 1960s the National Indemnity Company and National Fire and Marine Insurance Company. He helped to grow these companies while also investing in much more. He is willing to put his own money on the line for a risky expected return of something much more. Fortunately for Buffett, he was able to choose carefully and find the right market niches to succeed. Finally, Buffett is an active philanthropist who pledged to give away 83% of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and his business partner Arthur Blank. The company was founded on “values like respect among all people, excellent customer service, and giving back to communities and society.” Both Marcus and Blank were fired from Handy Dan after a disagreement with the owner. The two men went on the form the Home Depot with a vision in mind that included a home improvement store for the “do-it-youselfer” that was plenty large enough to accommodate almost anything that the consumer could possibly want in the home improvement/ building category. Marcus identified a need and satisfied it by co-founding a massive store that manages to include everything you could possibly need for your home- no more having to go to different stores to buy various supplies. It’s now all in one. Marcus, like Buffett and Cathy, is actively involved in philanthropy. He created and funded the Georgia Aquarium along with the Marcus Institute, which helps children and teens with developmental disabilities.

To close, I do not consider these men influential in my professional discipline solely from what they have accomplished in the business world. Strong values and character leads them to treat their employees with respect. Additionally, each of them uses his wealth to help others in different ways. Because they too realize that it’s not just about “what” they have created. It’s about “who” they wanted to become as an individual.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Truett_Cathy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Buffett

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Blank

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Marcus

As a college student, choosing a career path can seem overwhelming. Decisions are often influenced by factors such as the income a particular field will yield and various suggestions by parents. Five years ago, I aspired to become an Architect simply because design interested me. For good or bad, I was deterred from majoring in Architecture due to the condition of the economy and the fact that a business degree offers a wider range of opportunity.

Thus, in fifteen years, I see myself as a “business man.” I aspire to become an entrepreneur for several reasons. First, I am attracted by the wide range of freedom and opportunity that comes with owning a business. Additionally, I believe that job creation is essential to help stimulate the economy. It’s a great feeling to know that your company is the source of many employees’ pay checks. On that note, I am brought to my next point regarding the “who” part of my professional aspirations.

Knowing who you want to become is essential to achieving what you aspire to do in life. As an entrepreneur, I realize that I would ultimately have a significant amount of control over a large amount people. I have no interest in becoming the stereotypical boss- the man who is simply concerned with the profit margins of his company and could not careless about the well being of his employees. Developing personal relationships with employees is one of the keys to a succeeding business. The motivation that comes from working solely for a pay check is often far exceeded by the inspiration provided from working for a good cause or working to make a change.

I would now like to elaborate on my specific interests within business that will help drive me to succeed. Understanding finance is essential to running an organization. Additionally, by watching my Dad grow a company, I’ve experienced first hand the correlation between a rise in sales and strong marketing strategies. What are you going to do to make a consumer want your product over others in its category? Even the best ideas are useless without strong marketing. This is where my interest comes in- I enjoy thinking of ways to motivate a consumer want to buy a product. As Sinek stated, people don’t buy “what” you do they buy “why” you do it. Thus, figuring out strategies to get your product noticed and explaining the potential it has to improve lives is essential to succeeding in the business world.

Finally, I realize that my “professional aspirations” are currently vague. I still have a lot of figuring out to do regarding what type of company I would like to own. Until then, however, I plan to let “who” I want to become be the driving force behind “what” I ultimately aspire to do.

Outside the Box is really coming along. The glossy game board accompanies itself with an hour-glass 60 second timer, a small card box filled with a number of random objects, and a formal explanation of the game- rules in all. We tweaked the look of the board until we got the color combination just right. Something about our first board just didn’t seem right. It was boring- something had to change.

Additionally, we have finished our commercial promoting Outside the Box. The short clip features friends playing the game along with some other mixed in surprises. We’ve had a lot of fun with the game so far and look forward to presenting in the near future.

Our group met yesterday at the CommLab in the CULC. Various ways were discusses as to how to change the appearance of our game and slightly alter the rules. Additionally, we decided to make a video of people playing the game once we construct the board. We thought that the combination of the layout and colors of the game made it look childish. While Outside the Box is certainly open to 1st-5th graders, we are also trying to appeal to an older audience as well. We devised a new look for the game board, which I attempted to attach a photo of. For the new look, players are advancing out of a box on almost every turn. Straight lines and a new color scheme has satisfied our crave to appeal to an older crowd.

As far as the rules go, we made one slight alteration concerning the order in which players become the judge. We will now give the winner of the previous round the option to make another player be the judge for the next round. This way, winning one round does not inhibit a player from advancing on the next round.

Finally, we are looking to make a video of the game in action. Video makes improvement and documentation easy. We don’t want to put players on the spot for one single game, so we may end up taking clips of funny/clever moments throughout several games.