Optic Observations of an Observer Observing

You're tickets have been upgraded.  No longer in the front row in the pit section for the performance tonight, but due to an  administrative error you are now placed into the prime box-seat of the theatre.  Giddy with joy, you make your way up to the golden doors which lead you to the heaven of all seats.

To set the mood as the accent begins:

The butler opens the door and enter into the Press-Box.  It is everything you ever imagined it would be and more.  You are soaking in everything that you can to always remember this experience.  Then, the lights begin to dim and you quickly take your seat in a rather large, comfortable, red-velvet chair.  You look down and understand that you are the only person in the entire theatre who will be able to see EVERYTHING that is going to take place in the show. Realizing this win, you smile and quickly gasp. The show is about to start.

Ok, enough with the corny scenario, but I believe it correlates exactly to what we are trying to accomplish for this project.  So used are we to actually being the star performers in the show or watching from the sidelines in student organizations; very rarely are we given the opportunity in being that "fly on the wall." At first I was a bit apprehensive about being the "fly" in a student organization that I am not apart of, but without a doubt, I have already grown to appreciate this experience and pumped for the final presentation. I have the pleasure and opportunity in getting to work with the ________ Society for this project.

To get things started, I found Scott Allen's direct quote from the Kansas Leadership Society to be really interesting regarding what it means to be in the balcony.  What does it mean for us to be on the balcony when observing another student organization?

BALCONY – metaphor for expanding our view when we are too close to a situation. The balcony allows us to see beyond the dance floor, which represents just our place in that situation. Actively working toward this broader context can be especially helpful when diagnosing the situation. (Kansas Leadership Center, 2010)

As a result, this provides the necessary skills to analyze context in any given situation.  In the "Press-Box," I am able to actually observe how the ________ Society operates as a whole without any participation.  This allows for all of the low and high level inferences to be made solely upon observations with blocking out personal bias.

Which leads me into my experiences over the last week meeting with the  ______ Society.  I attended an exec board meeting and a general on two separate days this week to aid in my environmental awareness. Please take note that I have removed any information that is identifiable to a group/individual until the final project. Melissa will receive a copy of all of this information with all of the real names.  Here are my responses to the questions from page 15 & 16 from EIL:

1.  Leader of the Organization: Margaret Thatcher (thatcher.1@osu.edu) {NOT REAL}
2.  As a new organization, there have been no previous leaders as this is the first full year of its existence on Ohio State campus. However, the President is currently viewed very favorably by all of the members in the _______ Society including the exec board.
3.  The organization values the pay it forward strategy with all of its motives. As a result, some of the implicit values in this group include positive reinforcement, optimism and and a willingness to work with others.  I have been nothing short of impressed with such a large group of a new organization that is willing/able to exude these values the way it currently does. One of its most stand out explicit values is the ability to collaborate with others. As a member of this organization, there is no a no "I in team," mentality going on here. As a result, there is a push that to be successful in this group, one must work as a team.
4. There are a total of 85 general members within the ______ Society with 9 people on the exec board including the President.  These members are high-energy, extremely positive people who share a common bond of optimism for their lives.  As a member of the organization, there get the experiences of completing random acts of kindness across the Ohio State campus. Their passion behind doing so is almost relatable to an addictive drug use. It seems to be a high for them with each week seeming to be able to build off what was completed recently and how to go a step farther the next time.  It is quite impressive.  With the general members, I find a strong sense of apathy towards one another.  There are opportunities for reflection of individual members in front of the group and regardless of what has been discussed, there is always a positive reinforcement response for the group letting that individual know that their reflection was heard.  However, it is worth noting that this apathy with general members may be a bit higher than what is exuded from the exec board as a whole. I am looking forward to researching this more.
5. Based off of my exec board meeting, there is one individual who does readily point out flaws or problems within the organization, but offers little insight on how to move forward. The same individual was often disengaged at the meeting and easily distracted while the other members were coming up with solutions to the at hand problem.  I think it is always great to come together an exec board and work together to solve problems that one feels needs to be addressed. However, when there is no input or engagement from the individual who continues to address problems, it leaves the remaining exec board members to spend time on an issue that they may or may not want to address at that point. Like any organization or business, it is important to consider the weaknesses that need to be addressed, but it is also worth spending time focusing on the strengths of the institution as a whole.
6. For such a young organization, the _______ Society is doing a phenomenal job of doing what it is intended to do.  They provide ice breakers at the start of every meeting to get members engaged and get to know one another, provide many opportunities every week for random acts of kindness to take place, provide reflection for its members, team work for social functions in the forms of a family style, and the chance to come together as an entire group at the end to provide any necessary feedback.
7. Based off of my observations and I am not joking when I say this...but the members of this organization are some of the happiest, nicest people I have ever met here at Ohio State.  I personally know only just a few people of this organization, but I was even welcomed by everyone when I introduced myself to this group a few weeks ago and was invited to lead an ice-breaker to get to know the group better.  I have noticed that even in team settings, no one has been left out in any activity.  It seems to be a drive to engage everyone in some form of dialogue at each meeting/activity. I also believe the ice breakers/team building activities are helping as well which is great.  On the other hand, I believe most of the leaders are truly happy just like its members, but I sense of disconnect from a few of the exec board members. A few seem disengaged at times and not as approachable as the rest of the group. It will be interesting to understand if this is a regular behavior by these exec board members.  
8.   The organization as a whole has bought into its meaning of taking part of random acts of kindness.  As the _____ Society, they have even bought into its mascot of ___ to be relatable in most of the names used for their activities.  With those who were just recently accepted into the organization, they have already completed several activities as a group and continue to move forward each week.  At this point, I believe the members sense the organization is doing very well in their eyes.  From most of the exec board, I believe they are pumped about how well _____ Society is doing at this point.  From a few of the exec board members, I am not convinced this is the case for them as much as they seem to checked out from what is going on sometimes.
9. A fresh organization to the campus, they are just beginning to become known in the campus community.  The group is in the making of several major activities to reach out to the campus community with random acts of kindness to hopefully gain that support in the future.  One of their activities they have completed so far is by doing "High-Five-Fridays." This is where members of the organization are out on the oval for a few hours on fridays and give people who pass by high-fives just to celebrate the fact that its the weekend.  As the group is expanding its reach, it is now being asked to collaborate with other organizations across the campus with their events. This will allow the ____ Society to continue with spreading its message across campus and continue building that community support.

In conclusion, my observations for the _____ Society are a great starting point as I move forward with this project and I look forward to addressing the needs of this unique organization.  

And now Act 1 of the show is completed. The curtain closes. You stand up from your velvet chair and stretch.  As you look down at the empty stage, you are able to reflect about what you just observed.  You are hooked into the show and can't wait to see what happens next.  Act 2-9 will only build off of the Act 1. 

Intermission has begun.