PART ONE

This paper will focus on two aspects of my life that I am very passionate about - my ongoing pursuit of higher education and my work in the humanitarian sector. I have focused on these two areas because becoming a superstar takes more than a diploma (White, 21). It requires the merger of knowledge and action. Abu Bakr, the first Muslim Caliph, is credited with saying “without knowledge, action is useless and knowledge without action is futile”. I believe that combining knowledge and action is a key element in achieving ‘Superstar’ status as described in Professor White’s book, The Superstar Roadmap: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Careers. In the following pages, I will relate personal experiences with Dr. White’s Superstar Roadmap and explore personal mastery of the nine steps.

Deep inside, I have always felt an insatiable need for education. I have recognized its importance and have spent considerable time reading from the best books, attending formal courses, and informally seeking out dynamic authors and lecturers. In addition, I have always know that someday I would like to start a family and that I will need to be a good example to my children. One of many ways that I can demonstrate the importance of education to them is to be a living example of the principles I hope to teach them. The pursuance of education has not been easy for me and has often been inconvenient but when I listen to my heart and try to act on those feelings, I know that pursuing a Master’s degree part-time is absolutely the right thing for me to do at this stage in my life. It also shows my commitment to be true to my core principles, and myself, which is what initially prompted my entrance back into academia.

An obvious weakness I have is indecision about which program to pursue. The subjects have ranged from documentary film production to communication & PR to management. It would appear that after withdrawing from each graduate program, I decided on a new subject to pursue. The result of this is the loss of one of my most valuable assets – time. Dr. White asserts that “by seeing our weaknesses clearly, and by honestly acknowledging them, we can minimize their potentially damaging effects on our ability to become a superstar.” (35)

The outcome I am seeking is the attainment of an advanced degree yet the core underlying reason for doing so is to gain knowledge that will make me a valuable member of my community, a competitive choice for potential employers and an asset to any team I join or decide to form. I also hope that any additional education I attain will serve to strengthen my ability to perform my work in the humanitarian sector. My experience in searching for the right graduate program has demonstrated that tenacity and diligence are also part of my core mini-strengths. In addition, I have learned that I possess excellent organizational and planning skills. I am also passionate, dedicated and not afraid of failure.

From a young age, I have been interested in filmmaking. I recall as an eleven-year-old boy, borrowing an old VHS Camcorder to create and edit short movies with my brothers. In high school, when I took an interest in social issues and activism, the two worlds naturally combined. It created what would become a winning combination where my mini strengths and what speaks to my heart merged (White, 2012). Over the past twenty years I have produced films on a wide range of social issues ranging from living with disabilities, substance abuse, politics, poverty, and reconciliation. In pursuit this interest, I was able to develop additional mini-strengths of both storytelling and filmmaking.

Combining my mini-strengths and what speaks to my heart gives me an edge. It is only when I operate from a combination of my strengths and self-knowledge that I can achieve true - and lasting – excellence (Drucker, 1999). It is an ongoing process and I will continue to make tweaks and revisions for my entire life. I believe that one of the keys to finding my winning combination is to remain focused on who I am and what is special about me (White, 2012). Mastering Step One - Know Yourself is an ongoing process because we, as humans, are not static beings. We are constantly learning and growing. As I progress in life, I will always strive to remain true to my core principles yet, at the same time, I hope to grow and develop new mini strengths and consistently create a new and improved me.

I have not mastered the step of ‘Know Yourself’ but I am constantly working towards mastery. Decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability may be wrong and that abilities of all types are malleable (Halvorson, 15). By embracing the fact that I can change, learn, and grow will allow me to make better choices and reach my fullest potential. By focusing on goals that allow for constant improvement, rather than reaching a plateau, will allow me to appreciate the journey as much as the destination (Halvorson, 15). In Managing Oneself, Drucker (1999) encourages the cultivation of a deep understanding of oneself. Identifying our values along with our most valuable strengths and most dangerous weaknesses does this. Equally important is how we learn to work with others (Drucker, 1999).

Know Where You Are Going
I have not yet mastered the step, ‘Know Where You Are Going’ but I am confident that I’m headed in the right direction in terms of education and career. My mission is to acquire a useful graduate degree that will make me more attractive to potential employers and also provide entrepreneurial and leadership skills, which will serve as an asset to my work in the field of humanitarianism. Pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts in Management from Harvard University is the way to achieve that goal.

In order to accomplish this, I have had to set up a number of short-tem challenges. Attainment of a part-time degree is a five-year plan but I try to focus more on short-term challenges. More specifically, I approach the completion of each class as a short-term goal and each assignment within that class as a short-term challenge. At this stage in my life I am balancing a full time job, part-time education, and several ongoing film projects in my spare time. Approaching life with mini-tasks has made it easier to tackle but I am in need of constant reminders that I need to focus on the small tasks, which contribute to accomplishing the larger goal. There is a powerful link between being challenged and performing at our highest level because we put in more effort when we are challenged (White, 2012).

My ability to recognize that the degrees I started from the University of London, Ryerson University, and Columbia University were not the right fit resulting in a subsequent withdrawal from each program in order to start a new one has demonstrated my flexibility. I have learned to fail and that failure is part of the process. White states that, “the flexibility we need to become superstars also requires that we be ready to take alternate routes when our way is blocked” (60). One thought that keeps occurring to me is that it is not be a failure if I’m able to learn and grow from the experience. The speed bumps of starting and not completing several graduate level programs has been disheartening but I have usually been able to keep my eye on the horizon. I do however, need to be conscious of one of the hidden traps of decision making which states that we tend to subconsciously decide to do before figuring out why we want to do it (Hammond et al, 1998). I am focused and dedicated to completing a graduate degree and am excited that my current program at Harvard University fits my needs and allows me to achieve my long-term goals. I am optimistic at the positive impact my education will have on my career though I need to remain flexible in order to accomplish this.

Know How To Get There
I have been involved in social causes since I was a teenager. Now, at thirty-four years old the foundational principles of what encouraged me to get involved and take action have not changed. I want to be a contributing member of society and make an impact. I want to build greater human connections with those in my own community and in other parts of the world. I recognize that through no fault of my own, I have been born into a privileged society with incredible differences in wealth, social class, power, opportunity, and status than our brothers and sisters who live in the developing world. I recognize that with this privilege comes a responsibility to acknowledge that there is a world that lives and breathes outside my own community and to make the world a better place to the best of my ability.

On January 12, 2010, I was in a pre-production meeting for a film about acid-throwing and gender violence with my producing partner, Greg, in his Seattle, Washington home. In an instant, the mood and focus changed when we found out that Port-Au-Prince, Haiti had just been struck with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The graphic images in the news media shook my world. I had a decision to make. I could continue on with the meeting about my current film project and do nothing, or I could remain true to my core values and pool my resources to send help to Haiti. My conscience would only allow me to do one thing – recognize that this was a pivotal moment and take immediate and decisive action to help. Thankfully, I was sitting in the same room as Greg – the best person I can think of to partner with and strategize with in order to take action and somehow deliver relief aid to Haiti. Our production meeting almost instantly turned into a strategy meeting.

Over the next few weeks, Greg and I pooled resources that resulted in the donation, transport, and delivery by sea of thirty-five thousand pounds of food, tents and medical supplies from the United States to Carrefour, Haiti. We were able to help secure a massive donation of rice that was sent from Little Rock Arkansas to Florida, where it sailed for 10 days to Haiti aboard a schooner. Upon arrival, we navigated the necessary customs/import legalities through a newly developed network of in-person relationships with customs officers, government officials, and port authorities. Without the face-to-face meetings, we never would have been able to form strategic alliances that require the ‘high touch’ as expressed in The Human Moment at Work (Hallowell, 7). These connections allowed for the supplies to make it safely through customs and into the country where they were then distributed to people in need. This was made possible through teamwork. Both Greg and I were more effective and powerful when we worked together to achieve the common goal of utilizing our pooled resources to send relief assistance to Haiti in the wake of one of the most devastating natural disasters of the century.

We knew that if we wanted to expand the work, secure donors, and for our work to have longevity, then we needed take what we were doing to the next level. In essence, we needed to ‘get on the playing field’ (White, 67). We couldn’t just be two guys with good intentions. We wanted to be official. Over the following weeks and months, we gave ourselves a name, recruited some friends and formed a small organization of committed individuals (our power base) – One Hundred For Haiti. Within the following year, we were able to gain 501(c)3 non-profit status in the United States, create some press, and produce several short films in Haiti to bring awareness to our cause. This got us on the playing field.

Over the past three years, I have been able to build credibility and demonstrate expertise by securing donors and executing successful initiatives in reconstruction, medical care, sponsorship of a home for children living with HIV/AIDS, providing bicycles to former child slaves, and creating a no-interest loan program for rural health workers to purchase moto-ambulances in rural Haiti. Having the 501(c)3 designation and a strong web presence has legitimized us and helped us build credibility and a positive reputation. In The Necessary Art of Persuasion, Jay A. Conger (1998) argues that in order to persuade people to act (or donate in my case), one must establish credibility. I created a website which details our initiatives and made it easy for people learn more about us and to donate. For many people, the website is their only source to learn about the projects we had been involved in in Haiti. It is a great resource for people to see the work that we have done and it allows us to become more visible and showcase our track record. The well-produced videos of my team and I engaging in humanitarian work in Haiti combined with the sharp appearance of the website contributes to our positive reputation and credibility. The Powers that allowed us to get on the playing field were effort, expertise, and attractiveness – all sources of personal power (Hill, Power Dynamics, 1995).

In order to get noticed and to demonstrate relevance, I leveraged my talents and resources. I have a background in filmmaking and I have a personal YouTube Channel with over 100 videos and thousands of subscribers. In the social media realm, I also have thousands of followers on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. With a direct link to each of my followers and subscribers, I was able to send them videos and educate them about the important work in Haiti that I have been involved in, how they can get involved, and what needs to happen in order for Haiti to rebuild. In Power Dynamics in Organizations, L.A. Hill (1995) argues that engaging in activities that are closely aligned with organizational priorities are more powerful than those whose activities are not. By creating strong video content, I was able to demonstrate relevance and motivate others to develop a social conscience, get involved, raise awareness, and donate to our ongoing work. This was also a very effective way for me to connect with thousands of people instantaneously and it contributed to building a strong power base. The powers that got my organization noticed were visibility, relevance, and track record (Hill, Power Dynamics, 1995).

Also, by creating consistently strong video content about the work that I was personally involved in in Haiti, I was able to position myself as an expert. I have long recognized what Conger (1998) believes in that numbers do not make an emotional impact, but stories and vivid language do. I became the go-to resource on Haiti for many people in my personal and professional networks. I had developed the positional power of centrality and because One Hundred For Haiti was my organization (in partnership with a few colleagues), I have the autonomy to make decisions and execute projects. L.A. Hill (Power Dynamics, 9) has stated that “with autonomy comes the latitude to demonstrate initiative and to innovate – in short, to lead and shape the direction in which an organization (or a particular unit) will head.”

I have done well at mastering the step ‘Know How To Get There’ but it is not yet mastered. I believe that it will have to constantly be tweaked as I learn and progress through life. “To get where we are going, we need to think strategically, build a strong power base, and learn to motivate others” (White, 64). I would like to think I can still improve this principle.

Know How To Create Your Personal Success Syndrome
Just like Margaret Thatcher, Bill Gallagher, and Dr. Ben Carson, effort has been one of the key ingredients to my success so far. I believe that more effort is required if I want to achieve ‘superstar’ status. What has kept me motivated to put so much effort into both education and my role in humanitarian initiatives is passion. I echo the ideas of Dr. White in that effort is like an old steam engine slowly climbing a hill. It moves slowly – one chug at a time. Without passion, it is hard to keep this effort up long enough to get up the hill. When we use effort strategically and align it with our strengths and passion, we can create a powerful ‘personal success syndrome’ (White, 103) because those who “devote higher than expected effort to their work obtain more power than those who do not” (Hill, Power Dynamics, 11). I will speak more about the steps I will take to create my personal success syndrome at the end of this paper.

Know How To Get And Give Help
Each time I started a new educational track or initiated a development project in Haiti, I accepted risks. For example, just within the past two weeks, I enlisted the help of two very talented people (Holli Griffiths and Greg Bennick) to assist me as I launched a crowdsourcing campaign. We wanted to purchase bicycles for fourteen young boys who are former child slaves now living in Les Cayes, Haiti. These boys have been rescued from abuse, slavery, homelessness and severe neglect. They currently live in a transitional safe house and everyday, these boys walk five hours to and from school. They often have to walk home in the dark and face the danger of being hit by a car or getting mugged. It takes additional time out of their day - valuable time that should be spent studying, working, or playing. We called the fundraising campaign, ‘Bikes For Boys’.

We leveraged our personal and professional connections and encouraged people to donate money to purchase the bicycles. Upon launching the campaign, we made a commitment to our potential donors that if we did not raise the entire amount to purchase fourteen bicycles, we would return everyone’s money. It was an all-or-nothing initiative. We accepted that risk. Surprisingly, within the first twenty-four hours, we secured enough funds to purchase the bicycles and locks for the boys. It took less than a day to raise what we thought could take up to two weeks. Holli, Greg, and I were very surprised at the results. The success of this small project was possible because we were willing to take a risk and we invested the right amount of effort. .

Another contributing factor to the success of this project was that I chose a great advisor. I had a good friend, McKay Wood, who had raised twelve thousand dollars for an orphanage in Kenya the week before who I was able to use as a mentor for this project. Using him as a mentor helped increase my credibility and helped transform me from an outsider to an insider (White, 2012). His organization, Lift The Children, oversees a collective of dozens of children’s homes and orphanages throughout Kenya. He had been successful in his most recent online fundraising initiative and possesses incredible knowledge in terms of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to fundraising. Knowing his talents in that area, I enlisted him to act as a ‘mentor’ for the ‘Bikes For Boys’ fundraising project.

The campaign was a success because I enlisted the right people to join me. My partner, Holli, provided the connection to the boys in need and Greg provided access to some generous donors. My strengths came in through copywriting, acquiring effective imagery, and creating an inspirational video. Dr. White (2012) believes that superstars not only seek talent in others but they also aren’t intimidated by people who are smarter and more capable than they are. Holli and Greg both had strengths that I did not possess and knowing about McKay’s recent successes, I found the most talented person I knew to act as my mentor and I accepted the fact that I lacked important knowledge in several areas. I did not know everything about executing a successful crowdsourcing campaign so I would also use this a learning opportunity to listen and absorb all the information from my mentor that I could. By pinpointing areas that I knew I lacked knowledge and expertise such as timing and psychological cues, I was able to ask effective questions and acquire valuable knowledge. Superstars acknowledge that other people have valuable information that can help us reach our destinations more easily and quickly (White, 2012).

I knew that if we wanted our donors to feel as though their efforts were valued, they would need acknowledgement. Superstars acknowledge others by recognizing their importance (White, 2012). I proposed that all donors who wished to be acknowledged for their generosity would have their name and image appear on our website. We were also able to arrange that the boys who would be receiving the bicycles to write a hand-written thank you letter. This was made available to all donors who gave over fifty dollars. It also served as an incentive to persuade people to give generously.

Through the ‘Bikes For Boys’ campaign, I was able to persuade partners to join me, and donors to open their hearts and wallets. Effective persuasion can pull people together, move ideas forward, galvanize change, and forge constructive solutions (Conger, 1998).

Although at times I feel as though my pride gets in the way of asking for help, I still feel as though I have not yet mastered the step ‘Know How To Get and Give Help’ but I am on my way. It is critical to becoming a superstar (White, 2012). Through this experience, I learned more effectively how to get and give needed help and psychological triggers used in persuasion.

Know How To Use The Power Of Your Emotions
I have been able to master the ability to use my emotions to achieve positive outcomes. In August of this year, I was invited to speak at a Labor Day event about the ongoing work in Haiti I have been involved in. There would be about 50 people in attendance from a variety of professional backgrounds. I was asked by the organizer to be one of several people with interesting careers to speak about what they do in a TED-style format over breakfast. There would be a paranormal investigator, military drone pilot, and former undercover CIA operative among others. I was asked to speak about the development work I have been involved with in Haiti over the past few years and about my organization – One Hundred For Haiti.

I was a little intimidated by the assignment. It actually caused me quite a bit of anxiety. Dr. White states that, “the root of anxiety is fear that we will suffer some type of harm or be able to do what is needed or expected of us” (White, pp. 125). Public speaking has never been one of my strongest talents and I thought, how could I sum up the work that I have done over the past few years in just 5 Minutes? I would be in a room of people that were far brighter, more interesting, with better stories and more compelling lives than I. Part of me felt intimidated, inadequate and unqualified. Another part of me was excited to be able to share with a large group of people stories that illustrate the work that I’m involved in and the people that have touched my life. I knew that I needed to manage my in-the-moment anxiety in order to successfully execute my speech. I wanted to be able to tell stories about Dr. Jacques Denis who runs the medical clinic that we sponsor, Jean Baptiste who taught me important lessons about sustainability and the need for job creation instead of handouts, as well as the twelve children who are living with HIV/AIDS in a children’s home that we support.

I agreed to give the talk even with my hesitation and anxiety about speaking in front of people. I knew that in the end it would be good on many levels. It would help me confront my fear of public speaking, allow me to share stories and gain support for the organization I work for, and would be a great way to meet people by introducing many acquaintances to an interesting and defining part of my life. I wanted to communicate effectively and tell stories about people that really resonated with my audience, which would ultimately prompt them to take an interest in social issues and activism.

Trying to decide on which stories to tell was difficult. I knew that in order to have the most impact I should focus on a single specific message with a few anecdotal stories from Haiti to explain what I mean. One of my partners at One Hundred For Haiti, Greg, had recently gave a thirty-minute presentation to over 90 people about our involvement in development work. I called Greg to ask what stories resonated best with the audience that he spoke to. We had been on three trips to Haiti and he is a phenomenal story teller so I enlisted him as my mentor and asked for help. I wanted to know what key points people connected with, stirred emotion, and prompted them to take action. Seeking the right assistance and getting the most talented people to help is a quality of a superstar (White, 2012)

Greg gave me some incredible advice. He said that I shouldn’t ‘give a presentation’ but that I should have a conversation and tell a story to the large group like I was telling it to a friend. He said that I shouldn’t worry about numbers and statistics but that I should focus on bringing my audience into our world and through storytelling, help them connect on a deeper level with the characters I would speak about. I immediately knew that this was good advice.

I narrowed down the stories and decided to speak about personal transitions. I chose a number of experiences from my time in Haiti which supported my theme and over the course of the next few weeks leading up to Labor Day, I would tell some of my friends these stories until they just flowed off my tongue and I was able to gain confidence. I solicited feedback and asked friends which points resonated with them. I really wanted to do a good job and have the maximum amount of effectiveness when I gave my presentation over Labor Day weekend. Unrelenting effort became the source of my power (Power Dynamics, 1995) as it had a direct impact on the outcome.

When Labor Day finally arrived, a quote came to mind - ‘When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation has past’. I was confident and excited because I took the advice from Greg and used the input from my friends to whom I had told the stories to in order to create a focused and engaging presentation. Although I still believe that public speaking is not one of my mini-strengths and that I have much room to grow when it comes to public speaking, I would consider my talk a great success. I prepared well. I was focused. I knew the stories well and had received feedback on how I told them.

Due to the preparation that had taken place in the few weeks prior, I only experienced a small amount of nervousness and anxiety when it cam time to deliver my speech. This experience helped me become a better public speaker, a more succinct communicator, and a better storyteller. I really gained an appreciation for constructive input and criticism and well as the importance of preparation. I feel elated about how the talk was received.

My anxiety related to public speaking acted as a first alert system by identifying the problem before it was able to derail me (White, 2012). It prompted me to solicit help and to practice until I was confident in my abilities as a speaker and storyteller. By managing my in-the-moment anxiety and surrounding myself with positive, helpful people, I was able to successfully deliver the speech. By acknowledging and listening to my underlying anxiety, I was able to identify my weakness of public speaking and take the necessary steps to prepare and deliver a coherent speech. Dr. White (2012) argues that this type of anxiety doesn’t paralyze us, but it produces a nagging sense of unease that something is wrong. I can certainly identify with her hypothesis that superstars welcome this type of anxiety because it alerts them that they have a problem and pushes them to address it (White, 2012). To the best of my ability, I have mastered the step, ‘Know how to use the power of your emotions’. I believe I can still improve the principles in this step as I know what signs to look for when I encounter another opportunity.

Although nothing interferes with performance quite like anxiety does (Halvorson, 2011), it is the ability to harness those feelings and leverage them in order to improve which puts us on the road to becoming a superstar. Halvorson (2011) believes that setting goals based on improvement is a recipe for success. It is “when we think about what we are doing in terms of learning and mastering, accepting that we may make some mistakes along the way, we stay motivated despite the setbacks that might occur” (Halvorson, 2011).

Know How To Manage Your Performance
I related a story earlier in this paper about the pivotal moment on January 12, 2010 when the seeds were planted which allowed One Hundred For Haiti to be born weeks later. Learning about the devastating earthquake during my production meeting was that pivotal moment. Dr. White (142) has stated, “Superstars recognize pivotal moments when their actions have a heightened level of importance. At such times they spring into action and perform at their highest levels”. This was certainly my experience. Over the following weeks I was able to focus intensely on taking direct action. The ability to focus is one of the cornerstones of great performances (White, 2012).

Fortunately, I was able to surround myself with positive people from whom I could solicit feedback. Actively seeking feedback is a characteristic of superstars (White, 2012) and in the wake of such devastation, failure was simply not an option for us. We had to win. Our beliefs directly impact our ability to perform at our highest levels. If we believe we can win, we place our full attention on our performance (White, 2012). I believe I have mastered this step but I have not plateaued. I will continue to work towards improving the principles regarding effective performance management.

Know How To Manage Risk and Adversity
During our recent ‘Bikes For Boys’ campaign, we accepted the risk of failure, which could have possibly resulted in loss of credibility. My speech about my experiences doing humanitarian work in Haiti also posed a risk of failure, embarrassment, lost time due to preparation, and being judged by my peers. Risk and uncertainty are part of every superstar’s journey (White, 2012) but failure is part of the process.

In my quest to find a graduate program that is the right fit, I have failed three times. Dr. White has observed that superstars recognize that their failures help them become more successful. They provide valuable information that allows them make adjustments that improve their performance and ultimately lead to their success (White, 2012). My mentor, McKay Wood has helped me learn that its not a failure if I am able to learn from the experience.

On the road to becoming a superstar, there are always dark sections of the road where our attempts to make progress appear futile (White, 2012). I have sunk thousands of dollars into tuition, invested hundreds of hours of my time, and relocated to new and strange cities in pursuit of a higher education but as my track record shows – I will never give up. Dr. White (175) states that “in addition to maintaining a positive and hopeful attitude, superstars survive these difficult and challenging periods by just keeping moving.” It is not important how fast we move forward but simply that we keep moving. At times, I have been discouraged, felt weak, and wanted to give up but there is always a little voice that tells me that it’s just not an option. Learning how to believe in ourselves is key to becoming a superstar (White, 2012). It involves accepting what we can do today and making a commitment to constantly improve as time passes. Believing in ourselves opens up new worlds. I don’t know what is around the next corner in life but I do know that by following The Superstar Roadmap, I can be better prepared to tackle what the universe throws at me. Although I constantly try to improve, I believe I have been able to master the step ‘Know how to manage risk and adversity’.

Know How To Have Fun
I have mastered the ability to have fun in nearly everything I do. It is passion that fuels my lust for education. It is also passion, which drives my creativity in filmmaking and my involvement in humanitarian work. It is when we are having fun that we often produce our best work. I echo Dr. White’s thoughts that “the journey itself is the source of enjoyment” (186). I have seen this in my life in my approach to both education and humanitarian work. Fun provides the energy and passion fuels the vehicle. Success lies in expressing what is best in us in a way that we enjoy and that enhances the lives of others (White, 2012).

PART TWO

I will create my personal success syndrome by recognizing the powers that I currently have and leveraging them in projects which, when successful, will result in acquiring more powers. The results will be fueled by effort and passion. I want to create a cycle of success that feeds on itself. In Dr. White’s book, she explains that “each time one of our projects succeeds, we increase the powers we have. We can then use the powers to invest in more ambitious projects which, in turn will bring us even greater powers and, as a result, more success” (85).

Thus far, in my humanitarian work, I have been successful at using effort and expertise to get on the playing field and develop a solid track record. Within the next year, there are several concrete actions that I will take in order to increase my visibility to inspire more people to get involved in social causes and to make sure people notice what I have accomplished.

The concrete actions are as follows:
I will look for opportunities to achieve flow. I will achieve this by not multi-tasking. Being able to focus on a single task has proved far more effective than shifting between different ones at varying intervals. Czikszentmihalyi defines flow as a “particular kind of experience that is so engrossing and enjoyable that it becomes autotelic, that is, worth doing for its own sake even though it may have no consequence outside itself” (824). This is only possible when I can devote sufficient time to a task without any distractions. I will know whether or not I have achieved this state of flow every time because there is a common characteristic of the autotelic experience which Czikszentmihalyi describes as being an “internalized standard that makes it possible to know whether one's actions meet the standard” (825). Achieving this state of flow will assist in identifying special mini strengths and finding my winning combination – Key elements to Step One – Know Yourself.

Making decisions is the most important job of any executive (Hammond et. al., 1998) As one of my weaknesses is indecision, I will be more aware of anchors in decision making by viewing problems from different perspectives, asking friends and colleagues to help rephrase problems. I will think about problems on my own before consulting others and allowing myself to be anchored by their ideas. I will remind myself that the status quo is not the only alternative. I will set aside sunk costs and frame problems with different reference points. As Hammond et al (1998) notes, the best protection against psychological traps is awareness and taking action to avoid psychological traps can have the added benefit of increases my confidence in the choices I make. This will assist me in mastery of Step One and improve my ability to be decisive.

In order to work towards mastery of Step Three – Know How To Get There, with every new project that I begin in Haiti, I will strive for greater visibility by writing a press release for submission to local publications. I will also seek out and be available for interviews should they choose to do a story. I will utilize social media more frequently to engage with my followers, fans and subscribers to tell stories about the projects I am currently involved in. I feel as though the blog on the One Hundred For Haiti website is under utilized. Effective immediately, I will ensure that one of the members of my team, along with invited guest bloggers, posts at least once per week – a very realistic goal.

Over the next year, I will make an increasingly conscious effort to be involved in projects that are critical to the success of One Hundred For Haiti. This will serve to increase my relevance and visibility because “people engaged in activities that are closely aligned with corporate priorities will be more successful than those whose activities are not” Hill, Power Dynamics, 8). I will achieve this by participating in on-the-ground operations in Haiti, rather than being involved in the technical side of things. Over the next year, I will delegate the responsibilities of Webmaster, video editor, and social media coordinator - roles that I have done but can easily be carried out effectively by a qualified person.

In addition, I will master Step Three by consciously putting a higher level of effort into the work that I do as part of my Master’s program and with my work in Haiti because “people who devote higher than expected effort to their work obtain more power than those who do not” (Hill, Power Dynamics, 11). I currently have a B+ average but I will put in the necessary time and effort to raise my average to at least an A-.

I will also work to build, join, and grow current networks and attend more seminars and lectures on development work – especially regarding Haiti. The ability to connect with other like-minded passionate individuals will provide for very productive team building opportunities. Having face-to-face opportunities will allow me to create better networks and to form strategic alliances that require the ‘high touch’ as expressed in The Human Moment at Work (Hallowell, 7). I will seek out more opportunities for face time with partners, friends, and colleagues. One way I can do that is by asking myself each time I send an email, ‘is this better to be done in person or over the phone?’

By thinking strategically and using networks to build a strong power base, this aspect of Step Three will overlap and allow me the opportunity to work on the principles presented in Step Five of Dr. White’s book – Know how to get and give help, which is critical to becoming a superstar (White, 2012). In Exercising Influence, Hill elaborates on this principle by noting that, “networks are mutually beneficial alliances or exchanges based on the law of reciprocity” (22). Although I can’t foresee the future and I don’t know the exact outcomes of building networks, I have learned that it takes time and energy to build and maintain a network of relationships. L.A. Hill (Exercising Influence, 23) asserts that the “best time to begin building these relationships if before you really need them”.

In order to continue my mastery of Step Five - Know How To Get and Give Help, I will continue to seek out mentors. The types of mentors that will be most beneficial will have several years of experience in humanitarian work – especially in Haiti. They have been part of many successful fundraising campaigns and have a positive reputation in the humanitarian community. I will find these mentors by attending events and lectures on humanitarian work. I will also let them notice me by making myself available for more speaking engagements. I will also consult friends and colleagues to see if they know of anyone who may fit this role. I can convince them to help me by offering help and expertise in areas that I excel in. I can do this by simply asking the question, ‘How can I assist you in getting to where you want to go?’ My skillset in visual storytelling and film production is an incredibly valuable asset that I can offer a potential mentor. I hope to achieve direction and guidance from a mentor. Someone I can call at home and ask questions of ,who is happy and excited to assist me. I concur with Dr. White’s assessment that “to be a superstar, it is essential to acknowledge that other people have valuable information that can help us reach our destinations more easily and quickly” (113).

I need to improve managing my in-the-moment anxiety. This will contribute to my mastery of Step Six – Know How to Use The Power of Your Emotions, I can do this by applying breathing techniques that Dr. White (2012) writes about in her book. Whenever I feel anxiety start to come on, I will employ the techniques of the ‘full breath’ and ‘sighing’. I feel as though I don’t instinctively breath when I’m in a stressful situation but I can learn to breath better through meditation and yoga practice. During the writing of this paper, I enrolled in Bikram Yoga Class with a one year membership. I will continue to attend at least twice a week and the breathing techniques I learn and practice will help manage my in-the-moment anxiety.

In order to master Step Eight – Know How To Manage Risk and Adversity, I will give myself permission to make mistakes, to fail, and to not do everything perfectly from the start. Superstars consider taking risks part of the essence of living (White, 2012). By acknowledging that there is a learning curve and that improvement requires time, I will be able to reduce the level of negative anxiety in a situation (Halvorson, 17).

During this past semester, one of the readings that had the most impact on me was Moments of Greatness by Robert E. Quinn (2005). In the essay, he argues that we should not rely on imitating other leaders or getting caught up in leadership manuals, but instead, enter the fundamental state of leadership. This is the way we lead when a crisis forces us to tap into our deepest values and instincts (Quinn, 2005). It is a state in which we instinctively know what to do and therefore rise to the occasion and perform at our best.

I will tap into this fundamental state of leadership by committing to have a weekly personal inventory every Monday morning. In that personal Inventory, I will ask myself the following questions from Quinn’s (2005) article; Am I results centered? Am I internally directed? Am I other focused? Am I externally open? This will give me the ability to weigh my progress in terms of self – and not in relationship to others.

Bibliography

The Superstar Roadmap: How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Careers, Myra White. Work Intelligence, Inc. 2012.

The Hidden Traps in Decision Making, John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa. The Best of HBR 1998. Harvard Business Review. January 2006.

Power Dynamics in Organizations, Linda A. Hill. Harvard Business School Press. 1995.

Exercising Influence, Linda A. Hill. Harvard Business School Press. 1994.

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, Heidi Grant Halvorson. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.

Creating and sustaining trust in virtual teams, Penelope Sue Greenberg, Ralph H. Greenberg, Yvonne Lederer Antonucci. Harvard Business School Publishing, 2007.

Moments of Greatness: Entering the Fundamental State of Leadership, Robert E. Quinn. Harvard Business Review, July-August 2005.

Managing Oneself, Peter F. Drucker. Best of HBR 1999. Harvard Business Review, 1999.

If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy?, Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. American Psychologist, v. 54, October, 1999, pp. 821-827.

The Human Moment at Work, Edward M. Hallowell. Harvard Business Review, January-February 1999.

The Necessary Art of Persuasion, Jay A. Conger. Harvard Business Review. May-June 1998.