Happy Mid-Autumn Festival


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中秋节快乐!-Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Continue reading “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival”

Wednesday Morning


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It rained hard last night which was something that hadn’t happen in over three months. Continue reading “Wednesday Morning”

The Waiting Game


As I told my curious reader in the comments of Is the Universe Working Against Me?, I am going to see a dermatologist today. Well, I went. Continue reading “The Waiting Game”

Is the Universe Working Against Me?


Why do I feel like a part of the universe is working against me here? Continue reading “Is the Universe Working Against Me?”

What a day!


I was shivering with anger by the time I arrived home today. You would too if you had spent the day stuck in traffic and playing detour. Continue reading “What a day!”

41st First Day


carlos-boozer-quote-i-felt-like-the-first-day-of-school-or-somethingYou would think that after 40 first days of school, I would be some sort of expert by the 41st first day of school. Still, the fear continued.  Continue reading “41st First Day”

Cheating


wpid-cheating-on-test-raw-multimediaIn 6th grade, I thought I was wrongly accused of cheating on a spelling test. Continue reading “Cheating”

A Quiet Exit


hqdefaultMost people would consider me a tolerant person because I don’t get angry easily, because no matter how much I hurt, I hold it in, and because I never unleash my anger on anyone. Continue reading “A Quiet Exit”

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Chairs


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I’ve been poking around my archives and found this strange thing. Continue reading “Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Chairs”

Typical Morning View


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It’s not a pretty picture, I know but this is the typical first thing I see in the morning for at least four out of the twelve months in the years. Continue reading “Typical Morning View”

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Things with Engines or Motors


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So I have done trains and cars but I have never done planes for any challenges before, at least not that I can remember. Continue reading “Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge – Things with Engines or Motors”

Dramatic Dream


I woke up this morning with a blast of sunshine in my eyes after forgetting to close the blinds before heading to bed last night. Continue reading “Dramatic Dream”

What Made My Day


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I have been having a miserable time at my bookkeeping job lately. It’s so miserable that I no longer want to go to it unless it’s necessary. Continue reading “What Made My Day”

Ramble about Being Smart


How would you respond when someone tell you, “You’re very smart”? Continue reading “Ramble about Being Smart”

Second Time is Easier?


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Have you ever hear of the phrase, the second time will be easier than the first time? This saying did not hold true for me yesterday. Continue reading “Second Time is Easier?”

What’s in a Name?


Did I tell you about the time when I had to make the decision of whether to keep my Chinese name or take an English name? Continue reading “What’s in a Name?”

Essay: Why isolate between two poles? Hire Ambiverts!


Here is the third speech I wrote for my public speaking and please note that this is a counter-persuasive speech in which I am against managers hiring introverts (no offense to all introverts out there, I’m one myself but that’s the assignment). Continue reading “Essay: Why isolate between two poles? Hire Ambiverts!”

Essay: Why Introverts Make Great Leaders?


My public speaking class officially came to an end this morning, after I turned in all the research I conducted for my speeches and receive the grade from my final speech along with a great big donut. My finance class will end tomorrow and then I hope I can finally take a breath before my corporate tax class starts next Monday. In the least to say, I’m happy with the grade I got for my public speaking class because who wouldn’t be happy with an A? 🙂 Anyway, here is my second speech and please note this is a persuasive speech.


Why Introverts Make Great Leaders?

If I were to ask you to picture a stereotypical leader, what qualities would immediately spark in your head? According to an article in the ASCA Newsletter, most people would immediately picture someone confident, brash, and outgoing. Were those the qualities you thought of? If yes, then you’ve pictured a classic extrovert. From my last speech, I talked about an experiment done to compare the effectiveness of an introverted vs extroverted leader. The results were that the stores with an extroverted leader earned a higher profit than the stores with an introverted leader. So does this mean a company shouldn’t hire introverts for leadership positions? In my opinion, as an introvert, I think companies should hire introverts for upper management positions and in the next 4 minutes or so, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of introverted leaderships as well as what can the companies do to close the gap between introverted and extroverted leadership.

The ASCA Newsletter article, 7 reasons Introverts Make Great Leaders, says that introverts make great leaders because they are great listeners and are usually calmer and better prepared than extroverts. They often prefer to collaborate rather than telling others what to do, unlike extroverts who prefer to lead. Also introverts don’t typically settle on a single idea. They like to explore deeper for alternatives and will explore until they are satisfied. In addition, introverts prefer solitude to reflect and theorize on ideas and if they’re not doing those things, they’d write.

However, everything always comes with a downside. For introverted leaders, it is that they prefer to be alone and they prefer not to be the initiator of conversations and social interactions. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to brainstorm with an introvert. Also introverts prefer one-on-one conversations rather than speaking to a group. Lastly, according to an article by J.G. Skakoon, a consequence with having an introverted leader is that the introvert’s performance can be impaired by distractions whereas distractions would go unnoticed for an extrovert.

So what can a company do to close the gap between introverted and extroverted leaders? To cancel out the cons I just spoke of? Well, a company can rethink open-plan offices despite many studies suggest that open-plan offices tend to lead to counterproductive behavior. Or a company can provide separate meeting rooms to reduce distraction as well as allow employees ample time to prepare for presentations. Secondly, companies should encourage employees to think like an introvert, allow them quiet to reflect on ideas. Finally, companies should allow introverts to shine! Companies should allow introverts to perform tasks normally done by an extrovert. Employees should encourage to show patience when introverts speak, to allow them the time to think before speaking. Lastly, leaders should be allowed to choose their team members.

So why should companies hire introverts for leadership positions? Because instead of jumping to conclusion and into the task, introverts are good listeners of ideas and quiet observers as well as they often go beyond a single idea. Now that you’ve heard all about the pros and cons of an introverted leadership, does it cause you to rethink the image and qualities of a stereotypical leader?

Essay: Difference between Introvert and Extrovert


As my public speaking class draws to an end, I’ve decided to share the speeches I wrote for the class. Yesterday, I shared the last speech, today, I’ll share the first speech I wrote for the class. As you read, please keep in mind that this is an informative speech.


635511481591862041-1767377861_theodysseyintroDifference between Introvert and Extrovert

True or False? Introverts are quiet and shy, extroverts are wild. False. People who prefer introversion just tend to think before they speak while extroverts tend to speak before they think. However, with these two completely polar opposite personalities, don’t you wonder how they will get along in a group? First, though we have to define what really makes an introvert and extrovert, then we’ll compare and contrast the two personalities in a group and leadership setting.

What categorizes one as an introvert or an extrovert? Well, it depends. From the research of psychiatrist Carl Jung, introversion and extroversion refers to the origin of our energy or what energizes us and what drains our energy. However, contrary to popular beliefs, introverts are not quiet or shy, they are simply those who prefer to observe before they speak rather than the other way around. For example, when socializing with strangers, introverts tend to want to get to know the person better before sharing their inner thoughts and beliefs. Extroverts are the opposite of that. They are those who have no problem speaking to a large group of strangers. Basically, extroverts get their energy from being surrounded by people while introverts get their energy by focusing internally on thoughts, ideas, and reflection. What happens in a group setting, when introverts and extroverts are forced to communicate? According to senior organizational consultant at the University of Arizona, Mark Trommer, “it can be hard for people to communicate with one another if they have different styles.”

And now, we are going to compare and contrast between those different styles. First of all, you should know that the effectiveness of introverted and extroverted leadership is dependent upon the type of work structure. Under the leadership of an introvert, team members tend to be proactive. It is the team members’ duty to take the initiative in introducing changes and new ideas to the team. Therefore, experts believe that the performance of a team led by an introvert tends to perform better. On the other hand, under the leadership of an extrovert, team members tend to be dutifully followers looking for guidance. They do what they are told and their leader tends to feel threatened when a team member attempts to introduce a new idea to the team because it would mean the team member is stealing the spotlight. Let’s apply those characteristics to a real life experiment conducted by the University of Carolina.

This experiment was conducted by Adam Grant and David Hoffman and it is an experiment to test whether higher performance would come from passive employees as when being led by an extrovert or proactive employees as when being led by an introvert. The profits of 57 different stores of a single US pizza chain were compared over 7 weeks and it is according to whether the store manager is an extrovert or an introvert. The results show that the stores with extroverted managers earned 16% more profit than the stores led by an introverted leader while stores led by an introvert earn 14% less profit.

So there you have it, the quantitative analysis between extroverted and introverted leadership in a group setting. Just to recap, introverted leaders are most effective when the team members are proactive while extroverted leaders are most effective when the team members are passive, meaning they’re followers. Based on the experiment’s results, does this mean the company should only hire extroverts for manager positions? Does this proof extroverts make the best leaders? I guess we’ll find out.

The Meaning of a Book


Religion and Politics. These are two topics you will never see me post on my blog. Why? Because those are two of the most opinionated and sensitive topics out there. Because those are two topics that essentially started wars and tore apart families, friends, and mankind. Because I dislike those two topics.sms-4381 Continue reading “The Meaning of a Book”

Marooned to Salt Lake


Have you ever been to a dog park and seen the dogs run wild and free while their owners sat on the sideline chatting? They look just so happy, don’t they? Being off the leash? Continue reading “Marooned to Salt Lake”

Nature’s Art


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This picture was taken at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada last September. I stopped there on my way home from Las Vegas. It was incredibly hot that day, almost 100°F and it was dry heat so every breath I took in burned in my lungs. I enjoyed the desert landscapes anyway.

I’ve chosen this picture to represent this week’s photo challenge and discover challenge because I believe the word, harmony, has a lot of different meanings. In my mind, harmony is a group of people, animals, and even objects come together in peace and create something amazing and to see, well, that’s invoking a sense, right?

When I look at this picture, it reminds me of this. In a way, this desert landscape is a work of art created by mother nature and this is how I see it:

Each time a gust of wind goes by, a group of sandstone particles would volunteer to surrender their place, they would choose to explore elsewhere even though they knew that once they leave, they’re never coming back. Over time, as more and more of these sandstone particles choose to move on, to travel and find a new home by means of the wind, a gaping hole would be in their places and sooner or later, the rock will look more and more like a block of Swiss cheese or it will transform into a peculiar sculpture that looks like the upper half of a man’s body.

Daily Post Photo Challenge – Harmony

Daily Post Discover Challenge – Blogging the Senses

It’s March!


It’s March and look, ding dong, the witch is dead. Continue reading “It’s March!”