Greg Funk

BM 301

Week 5 – Final Paper

Personal Reflection of Managing, Learning and Liberal Arts

When examining the foundations of my management style as I end my first term at Marylhurst

University, I find them composed of several elements. The primarily element is my experiences of being a

manager and an employee, these experiences have given me a solid base to begin formalizing my education

in the area of business management. In addition, my current management style has been effected by the

fact that have three nearly gown boys and many management skills have been honed over the years dealing

with them. Finally my management skills have been and are being tuned by my education before MU and

especially now as I embark on an 18 month adventure to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Business

Management. Management skills are not just a book you read or a class you take, management skills come

from all the portions of your life and receiving a liberal arts education helps you utilize them effectively in

the world as a whole.

Before I write about my experiences in management, I also have many experiences in

management in my personal life. With three boys now ranging from 20 years to 16 years, I have had to

manage many activities over the last 20 years. We have been involved in scouts since the oldest boy was in

first grade and in Tiger Cubs. I quickly became active as a leader and began to learn many of the dos and

don’ts of managing and working with people. Many activities required Favol’s elements of management as

sited by Marino (2009). One of the first major activities young scouts do is the Pinewood Derby, which is

where the scouts build cars made from wood and race them. The derby requires planning such as setting

timelines and assigning responsibilities, and planning the budget. Then you must tackle the organization of

the event, reserving the space and locating a equipment such as the track. Directing the event involves

several tasks, including managing the kids and making sure they get where they are suppose to be at the

correct times the race. Because these events happen every year there is a control phase of evaluating what

worked and what did not so next year’s derby would is better. The scout events got more advanced each

year and the people along the way including the boys got harder to manage. Campouts and similar
activities involved issues of safety, so to be a successful leader I had to bring many aspects of what I use

today in management of employees to my leadership position in scouts including many of the directing

elements listed by Erven (2009). I had to motivate the boys by mentorship and performance reviews much

like one might have in a business environment. I had to earn the boys respect and trust much like a

successful manger in an office would. I had an open door policy and the boys were able to communicate

issues and concerns as needed. There were times when there was a need for discipline and this discipline

was always delivered in a way that taught lessons about life and leadership. Sometimes it would include

being a mediator between several boys or groups of boys, allowing them to determine the results of a

conflict. There was also directing to do with the parents of the boys, several of them would have

responsibilities that needed to be completed for the success of the troop, and as the leader, I had to motivate

them to get their tasks completed per the planning. After each event, we entered a controlling phase as

described by Erven in his Controlling web article (2009), evaluating successes and determining needed

adjustments for the activity. Scouts is only one example of the type of activities that I have dealt with as an

adult outside my professional life, these activities have helped me form the management styles, I use these

experiences daily in my current job and they will have an effect on what I will take from my education at

Marylhurst University.

My professional experience in management comes from two major sections of my life, the first

being my time in the military and the second being the years since I left the military. When I joined the

military I had already attended college for a couple years and was immediately promoted to what the army

called E-3, this meant that I was expected to be a leader from day one since everyone else was an E-1. I

quickly started learning effective leadership and ineffective leadership skills, even as I was quite low on the

totem pole. I quickly understood even in the military being assigned the leadership role did not make you a

leader, that if I were hoping to be successful I would need to earn the respect from those assigned me, and

then they would allow me to lead. Through out my military career I had many positions, but the one I

enjoyed the most was being assigned as the State Systems Support Officer. In this position, I had a team of

four individuals and I directed them in the technical support of computers. In this position I found that

there are many different types of employees and that especially technical people are very “my way”

orientated. I had to encourage them to innovate but at the same time make sure they completed the task on
hand within military standards. Another valuable aspect of this position was teaching users on different

systems, this was an interesting management task since most of those I was teaching out ranked me. I

again had to use all of Favol’s management functions (Marino); planning, organizing, directing and control

to be successful. I also represented the State of Oregon in the role of liaison (Mintzberg) at the national

level, establishing contacts, gathering information, and disseminating that information (Mintzberg) back at

the state level. The position was also responsible for monitoring (Mintzberg), gathering data and reporting

it to leadership. Of course I also managed resources (Mintzberg), determining computer needs and

managing the systems to fulfill those needs. While in the military, I attended several schools for leadership

and even though they were based on a military environment, they were helpful in forming the management

style I use to this day. These military schools taught me how important the team is compared to the

individual and how to get individuals to focus on the team and its success.

Just over ten years ago, I decided to leave the military and move in to the commercial world. The

first job I got I learned a very valuable lesson about ethics of business and about my own ethics. Working

for a technical services company and assigned a large non-profit, it was not long before I realized that the

owner of the company was not only ripping off the non-profit but was breaking several copyright laws. I

quickly lost respect for the owner and my immediate supervisor that was ordering me to deliver used

equipment as if it was new to my client. I decided the job was not worth it and blew the whistle and was

therefore asked to leave which I was happy to do even if it was going to be tough on my family. I had

never worked for this kind of people before, it had a lasting effect on my ethics, and how I treat employees

and how I allow supervisors to treat me.

My reward for turning in my old company was I given the opportunity to open my own business

and my first client was the same non-profit that was being ripped off by my old employer. I had a crash

course on all aspects of management when I opened my own company. I had to hire and train staff, manage

costs and deliver a service. I set out with very high expectations of being the best boss ever. I offered good

pay and very good benefits, this served me well at getting good employees but put a strain on the pocket

book. After I mastered the budget and resources my business did very well but we stayed small and did not

expand. I had a fear of over extending and how that could cause me to lose my biggest and first client the

large non-profit. I think my limited wiliness to expand was influenced by my childhood and my dad who
also had a small construction business that he kept small and focused on high quality and like him I felt that

the best way to ensure quality was to be personally involved. This is one of my biggest weaknesses to this

day when it comes to management; I do not want to stop being a doer.

After a couple of years of having my own business, the non-profit came to me with the request I

become an employee. I decided to take them up on their offer and my employees and I moved over. Upon

becoming the IT Manager, I set out to establish the department. I developed a budget and hired staff within

that budget. By creating procedures and policies, which brought the non-profit in to the 21st century. Over

the last ten years, the number of direct reports I have has grown from one to fourteen. One of the tools I

have used during this process is the SWOT, so it was interesting to go through the process again this last

term, but this time on my own skills and not a department or agency. I find it a very good tool to get people

thinking since it starts with strengths, as often people focus on only the negatives. My current position

fulfills several of the roles Mintzberg defined (Mintzberg). Obviously since I run the IT department, I

fulfill the leader role by “motivating subordinates, interacting with subordinates, selecting and training

them” as defined Mintzberg. I serve, as liaison (Mintzberg) between the many departments of agency,

ensuring there needs in the area of IT supplements each other. This role has been very stressful at times,

but often gets me involved in the business of all the departments, which helps me fulfill the role of initiator

of change (Mintzberg). When initiating change I look for opportunities for my department and my

employees, these opportunities allow us to shine for the entire agency, and helps motivate my staff in the

area of performance and self worth.

I think the role is one of my strengths in the area of management; I am successful at motivating

my staff, and they are in turn loyal to me because they know they can trust me because the examples of

ethics I show on a daily basis. My staff receive not only timely job performance but also open

communication at all times. I am constantly talking to them and encouraging positive behaviors and

recommending changes in negative behaviors. I am also able to perform the functions of information

disseminator very well through use of technology. I do most of the reporting information to the government

and other large funders. Eight of my direct reports work in a relatively small room and tensions can easy

rise up and that is when another one of my strengths presents its self, which is the role of disturbance

handler (Mintzberg). I am very strong at getting to the root of an issue and getting different parties to see
both sides of the conflict and help them come to an agreement they both live with. “Often, though certainly

not always, workers with strong technical skills have weaker people skills. Conversely, their strong

technical skills make it possible for them to find solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems”

(Rapoza). I think I have met the extra challenge and have managed to keep the same staff working in

harmony for many years. When someone has left, I have made wise decisions in the interview process,

matching the team with a person that would fit in even if the person had more need to grow in the technical

area. I think with right leadership a team member can be guided toward the technical trainings needed, but

if the new employee does not gel with the existing team, the employee will usually fail.

When looking ahead to the kind of manager I want to be, I know there are several functions

described by Henry Mintzberg that I need to add to my style. One function I need work on is that of

figurehead. Due to my current and past positions, I have not had near the experience I need to master this

function. This role is very important to me because if I was promoted tomorrow the next level of my

position will no doubt require I take on a more public role. In addition to figurehead, the function of

spokesperson has been limited for me and I need more experience. I have been looking for ways to gain

these to skills by volunteering with other organizations and performing these kinds of functions. I have

also thought of joining Toastmasters for experience on being up in front of people. I now like change and

look forward to change, but when I was in the military, I played it very safe and was afraid of change.

Then one spring day I woke up, looked in the want ads, and decide to change and since then I have changed

a lot and look forward to more change. Attending Marylhurst is my next change, ad so far it is going and I

am sure it will help me prepare for even more change.

As I went through this term I developed a better understanding of my learning style, both in

weaknesses and strengths. Now I have take my weaknesses and build on them then combine with my

strengths and make the best out of not only Marylhurst but also all future training opportunities. This terms

strict schedule of discussion group helped my evaluate my current time management and identify how I

needed to change and how to be successful I must the dedicate appropriate amount of time to school. I

thought I was only a verbal learner before starting this class, and now I know I can be successful at non-

verbal. I still have the weakness in opening up to others without fear of being shot down, so often I do not
get my point of view in to discussions. I think after 18 months of this type of class I should have a much

better grip on this skill.

I really enjoyed the assignment around the article Qualities of the Liberally Educated Person

(Cronon); it allowed me to have a good look at myself. I was relieved to see this addressed in the class,

when I read the article and then did some extra research about Marylhurst, I felt much more comfortable as

a firm believer in liberal arts education. Effectively manage people and resources means one must be able

to understand the world we live in. Of the qualities presented in the class, I value the ability to connect to

others the most. Connecting as described by Cronon, involves using all of other equalities listed. I think

my strongest quality is my ability to listen and hear people. Through the years, I have had to work with

many different types of people; they have been from different cultures, different genders and different

backgrounds. To be successful I have had to take the time to listen and hear them from their point of view.

I think that when one shows an attempt to communicate past barriers they open doors to opportunities. I

have never been afraid to hire someone with a heavy accent or other possible barriers to success, and often

I have been rewarded with an employee that exceeds all expectations. One area of a liberal education that I

feel weak is that of the ability to speak, write and read a foreign language. I feel that I am missing a big part

of understanding other people not having this skill. Especially in the agency I currently work in, the ability

to speak Spanish would open many opportunities and expand my ability to lead. When I walk away from

Marylhurst I hope that I have a stronger understanding of both the business world and world as a whole. I

hope I am able to have a greater impact in my current job or in a future position.

Even writing this paper has been a great tool to self examine my management style, as I end of my first

term at Marylhurst University I find of several elements that I am strong on and others I need to work on.

My experiences, both personal and professional allow me to continue my education with a good basic

understanding of management. My management skills have been challenged by this class and will be

further expanded by the next 18 months at Marylhurst as I obtain my Bachelor of Science in Business

Management. The aspects of Marylhurst liberal arts education will help expand my understanding of the

world and allow me to better use my experience and my education.

 References

Marino, Vincent. (2009). 14 Principles of Management (Henry Fayol). 12MANAGE The Executive Fast

Track. Retrieved 2/6/2009,

http://www.12manage.com/methods_fayol_14_principles_of_management.html

Erven, Bernard L. (2009). Directing. The Directing Function. Retrieved 2/6/2009, http://www.ag.ohio-

state.edu/~mgtexcel/Direct.html

Erven, Bernard L. (2009). Controlling. The Controlling Function. Retrieved 2/6/2009, http://www.ag.ohio-

state.edu/~mgtexcel/Control.html

Mintzberg, Henry. (date unknown). Managerial Roles According To Henry Mintzberg. Mintzberg.

Retrieved 2/6/2007,

https://online.marylhurst.edu/AngelUploads/Content/BM301A_200902/Week_3_Mintzberg_Reading.doc

Rapoza, Jim. (2006). The Challenge of Managing Tech Workers. eWeek.com. Retrieved 2/6/2009,

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Management/The-Challenge-of-Managing-Tech-Workers

Cronon, William. (1999). Qualities of the Liberally Educated Person. Association of American Colleges

and Universities. Retrieved 2/6/2007, http://www.aacu.org/resources/liberaleducation/cronon.cfm