Blog Feedback for Kelly Hicks By: Jaclyn Jamison CSR 309 April 2, 2007 Kelly HicksJaclyn Jamison

Kelly Says… "Tell them what you EXPECT" "Tell them what you EXPECT" After sitting through yesterday's lecture, it became evident to me why my old manager didn't succeed. In order for the store to be successful, the employees have to be knowledgeable on being a good salesperson. The manager at the time would never clearly explain to the new employees how to sell. She would just always say, "SELL, SELL, SELL." Everyone was clueless on how to be successful at this. Obviously, we would all try our best, but with no clear direction, we weren't successful. Needless to say, this manager didn't last long. We recently got a new manager, and the store grew significantly. She took the time to explain to everyone what "SELL" actually meant. Once we all knew exactly how to do this, we all became successful salespeople. This has taught me to make sure my followers know what to do when asked to peform certain tasks.

Jaclyn Says… Kelly, This class was also very eye opening to me. I feel that so many times in life we are given a task and required to create results without any instructions. I also was faced with a very similar situation last summer as an employee. My manager would ask us to perform certain jobs without instruction. I asked many questions to make sure that what I was doing would be acceptable, but in the end there was usually something still wrong. If only he would have been more willing to teach and explain exactly what he wanted, I would have been able to perform better. At least now we both know the importance of being great at communication. These experiences will help us as we lead in the future.

What Happens When Your Not Taught…. EM EM

Kelly Says… Attitude is Behavior... Attitude is Behavior... Who would have ever thought I would use something I learned in class during a week of non-stop partying & laying on the beach, also known as Spring Break? Last week I went to Florida with a group of friends, which turned into complete chaos and stress. The hotel reservations were completely messed up and we were without a room for a day. Everyone was completely stressed out and not enjoying themselves. I must admit, I was a bit frustrated myself. However, I began thinking about what Feinburg always says in class about making the most of every situation. Sure, we didn’t have a room to keep our stuff in, but we were 10 steps away from the beach with sunny, 80 degree weather. What isn't to love about a place like this? Since one of my goals from this course is to become more optimistic, I thought this was a great opportunity to start working on this goal. I convinced the other 20 people we were with that the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed; tomorrow would be a new day and we would have our rooms. I am so glad we all ended up changing into our swimsuits and heading down to the beach. Looking back, this was probably one of the best days of the trip. We won't forget this trip forever considering we slept in our cars that first night until our rooms were ready. I guarantee that in 15 years when we look back at this trip, we will look back and laugh.

Jaclyn Says… Kelly, I think this is great that you could apply the leadership strategies learned in CSR 309 to something as simple as frustrations on Spring Break. It is so easy to become distracted and selfish, especially during a time that is supposed to be fun and relaxing. I am sure that by having a positive attitude throughout the entire situation helped others to stay positive too. It is very important to have people like you to keep the group optimistic and fun.