Leadership Initiative #2

Marisol Magana
Mayra Villarreal & Elizabeth Velasquez
September 20, 2014
Ethic Studies 21: Freshmen Seminal MW: 3:00-4:15

Today we had workshop number 5. Workshop number 5 is one of the

workshops that are required to attend in order to receive a Gold Certificate.
Throughout the workshops they have been identifying the 7Cs and the purpose of
them, and todays workshop talked about common purpose. In todays presentation
we talked about what common purpose meant and how to adapt to having a
common purpose with different types of people. Another thing we did today was to
build a paper airplane together through a group activity. I really enjoyed todays
workshop and everything it taught me.
This workshop taught me that in order to find ones common purpose we
need to talk to each other and highlight our ideas. People that have a common
purpose work with shared aims and values in order to facilitate the groups ability
to engage in collective analysis of the problems that the group is encountering.
Having a common can be easy; typically because our professors or someone of
higher rank gives us a task and a group our common purpose is to complete that
task. Whats not easy is to actually complete and get a common purpose done
because usually there are so many different ideas and ways to solve problems. In
order to facilitate a common purpose you need to communicate and listen to each
other. You need to collaborate to get a common purpose done. Collaboration is also
one of the 7Cs, which means to work with someone to create something and that
something is a common purpose.

I really enjoyed todays presentation because it showed me how to work with

people to get a common purpose done. The reason why I really enjoyed it was
because they didnt just worry about explaining it to us thoroughly; they created an
activity that helped us get a better understanding. Todays activity consisted of
instructions and paper. We were divided into groups of about 10 and each of us got
instructions or a purpose weather it was creativity, making it fly far, or making it
symmetrical our common purpose was creating a paper airplane. It was our job to
work together to complete this assignment. At first it was a bit frustrating because
we all had different duties and we all had different ways of completing them but we
all collaborated together talking and listening to others ideas in order to make the
best paper airplane.
I believe that establishing a common purpose will contribute on my success
in college because of many reasons. In college we have to understand that
professors can put us in groups with people we did not choose to be with. As
explained in our last workshop people have different styles of leadership, and when
we are put in groups with those with different styles, in can be very hard to get
work done because we do not have the same types of skills. Establishing a common
purpose will help us know exactly what to aim for, in order to do that I learned that
we have to talk and listen to others. Getting work done can facilitate by having a

common purpose because that way everyone is working to achieve the same
outcome.