Senate presents leadership skills learned at conference

The CSC Student Senate hosted a conference Tuesday and Wednesday in the Student Center Ponderosa Room. The first presentation by Senate Vice President Taylor Strong covered conflict resolution, communication, and personal leadership.

Student Trustee Jacob Rissler presented next, and covered publicity, public speaking, and public relations, mediated communication, and Disney’s leadership model.

Senate President Dillon Spies’ presented, “More Action Less Title.” He talked about empowerment, motivation, and being appreciative.

Student-at-Large Representative Coy Clark, who travelled with Student Senate to Orlando, Florida, for the Leadership Conference, presented three topics including conflict mediation, public relations, and managing a professional life.

Student-at-large representative Coy Clark, who travelled with Student Senate to Orlando, Florida, for the Leadership Conference, presented three topics Tuesday including conflict mediation, public relations, and managing a professional life.

Conflict mediation, the first point, focused on the importance of a person’s purpose and not a person’s leadership position. Clark said it’s important for leaders to remember, “We lead human beings.” He said that was the theme of one of the presentations at the conference.

The second point was public relations. He said it’s important for a person to know themselves in order to know others. He said people also need to know how to network. An important part of networking is for a person to be able to sell themselves. Marketing is also expected.

Clark says people have to know his or her audience in order to get them to do what he or she wants them to do, and to serve them in the best way possible.

Managing a professional life was the final point. Clark says people have to know their goals and push themselves to reach those goals. He suggested leaders create a digital profile because it’s better than a simple resume.

Leaders need to know how to maximize strengths and manage weaknesses, and shouldn’t be looking for pats on the backs, he said. It’s important for leaders to explain their decisions to avoid having to back track if they make a mistake, Clark said.

Wednesday’s presentations began with Vice Chair Kirby Krogman, who spoke about Conflict Resolution: “The Fight Club.”

He discussed three items including “Talk about Fight Club;” “Fight with Style;” and “Create a no Fight Club.”

The first item, “Talk about Fight Club,” had people focusing on the purpose and not the person’s position. The second item, “Fight with Style,” focused on how much a person care’s about a relationship with others, and how much a person care’s about his or her goals.

The final item Krogman discussed was “Create a no Fight Club,” which focused on gradually ridding all of the tension between people. He said people need to paraphrase when listening to someone, and to treat others how they want to be treated, as not everyone wants to be treated the same.

Chief Justice Jon Lordino’s presentation focused on the last keynote speaker at the NCSL conference, who outlined how to deal with problems and manage conflict. This speaker mainly focused on how to deal with problems and manage conflict. Lordino related the story of the boy and the eagle. There was a boy who was 5 years old, and he had never seen an eagle fly but had always wanted to. The boy’s father told him where he could go to see an eagle. Eagerly, the boy grabs a pair of binoculars and goes to the location. He does indeed see an eagle soaring through the sky, but his excitement is rather short-lived as the eagle plummets toward Earth in a tail-spin. The boy goes over to examine the fallen bird, only to discover there is a weasel clamped on to the eagle’s throat. The moral of the story is the eagle is us, and the weasel is the problems we face every day. Problems are inevitable and come to all of us; the key is how we deal with and overcome them.

Lordino outlined several concepts presented at the conference, including the four P’s of great leaders—permission, participation, practice, and play. Conference attendees were encouraged to stretch themselves, co-create, and lead by example.  It is not enough to simply tell others what to do; we must do those things ourselves.

Public speaking is the number one fear in America. Knowing and understanding our audience is a good step toward overcoming this fear. Monroe’s Motivated Sequence was outlined, which includes getting people’s attention, understanding the need, finding satisfaction, visualizing what needs to be done, and finally, taking action.

Improvising and exhibiting a sense of humor in the workplace helps keep employees engaged, hardworking, and light-hearted. It was noted that as adults, we only laugh 13 times a day, whereas children laugh over 300 times a day, which proves this point. Fifteen-50 percent of the time, we daydream. Taking 20-30 minute breaks allows for problems to be solved more efficiently because the mind has had time to clear.

How to plan a successful meeting was also one of the points made. Knowing the room’s size helps to know how loud we must project our voices. Knowledge of the crowd helps make the points we want to get across clear and precise. Finally, knowing ourselves will allow us to excel in our strengths and improve our weaknesses.

Especially in a leadership position, it is crucial to view people as beings with thoughts, ideas, and opinions rather than simply seeing them as objects that have no feelings. It is important to avoid the pitfalls of regarding ourselves as superior, having an “I deserve it” attitude, seeing others as judgmental, or having a pity party because we see others as privileged.

The Iceberg Theory was also incorporated to illustrate how valuable social skills are to the workforce. Only 15 percent of work situations involve technical skills, whereas 85 percent of work situations involve social skills.

Finally, if we see a problem, it is not enough to just complain or present the problem. We should come up with a solution and present it right alongside the problem! Lordino of Chadron, said, “As a leader, that’s something I can work with!”

Senate Secretary Nathaniel Brown focused on Disney’s style of leadership. He presented the effects that personal values, motivation, and involvement can have on goals and dreams.

The final presentation by Senator-at-Large Marci Luton and Senator of Liberal Arts Courtney Bustillos, focused on how four colors—blue, orange, gold, and green—relate to a person’s leadership characteristics.

From what they learned, people who have blue characteristics have warm personalities, they are compassionate, romantic, spiritual, idealistic, and are unselfish. As leaders, people with blue characteristics generate energy, nurture, motivate, empathize, and acknowledge good work.

People with gold characteristics are stable, provide security, follow the rules, are efficient and realistic, and are decisive and honest. As leaders, people with gold characteristics tend to stay on task and keep other focused, and also tend to micro-manage.

People with green characteristics are always right, have superior intellect, are logical, analytical, creative, rational, and seek justice. As leaders, people with green characteristics often create a vision, like control, look for high-tech solutions, and have an understanding for the value of a team.

People who have orange characteristics are fun-loving, flexible, carefree, spontaneous, are great problem solvers, and are risk-takers. As leaders, people with orange characteristics are great trouble shooters, are great at building teams and motivating others, and create loyalty.

The colors affects how people lead others and how they receive leadership from others.