I have uploaded the syllabus so you can get an overview of the class:
Ignatian pedagogy posts – Week 2 (1st post due 5/24; 2 responses by 5/29)Write 2-3 paragraphs
Between weeks 2 and 8, you will make 3 posts each week: One original post by Sunday night (before that week’s class session) in one of the Ignatian categories below; and two responses to classmate posts by no later than Friday of that week. By the end of the course, you should have posted at least once in each of the Ignatian Pedagocy topics below.
- context – your personal background, goals, skills, etc.
- experience – a current experience at work, in class, in life.
- reflection – an introspective personal reflection.
- action – something you did during the term.
- evaluation your opinion on something in the class, or an evaluation of a peer presentation.
Reflection – an introspective personal reflection
Write about your personal experiences of growth or change, something that reflects on an experience or idea in a personal way. A possible starting point for those with writer’s block is to complete the following thought: “I used to think X, but now I think Y.”
I had chat gpt write me the answer based on myself. please rephrase it. it cannot be written by AI and has to be used in my own words. you can add information to it too if needed here it is:
“I used to think leadership was mostly about being confident, outspoken, and naturally good at managing people. Over time, Ive realized that effective leadership is much more about emotional intelligence, communication, and understanding the people you work with. Working in restaurant marketing and customer service has shown me how differently people respond to pressure, feedback, and motivation. Some employees work best with encouragement and collaboration, while others value independence and clear structure. Seeing these differences firsthand has changed the way I view teamwork and management.
One experience that really changed my perspective was stepping into more responsibility at work and realizing how much influence workplace culture has on motivation. I noticed that employees are more productive and positive when they feel respected and included, even during stressful situations. On the other hand, poor communication or lack of appreciation can quickly lower morale. This connects to our class because managing people is not just about assigning tasks or enforcing rulesits about understanding human behavior and creating an environment where people feel valued. I think this course will help me continue developing the communication and leadership skills needed to manage people effectively in diverse workplaces.”
Now here are two classmates answers that you need to respond to:
Andrew:
I think that the class topic on considering other perspectives is an important lesson, not only for the workplace, but for life in general. In the presentation, Professor Diaz touched on considering other perspectives for those in the HR roles of companies. This is very important so that everyone is given the ability to voice their opinions or have their perspective matter in workplace situations.
I have seen this in a number of situations in my career. One example that comes to mind is the going through a round of restructuring in my previous company. It was important to recognize all perspectives and how this ultimately affected each person differently. For one, the CEO and higher-ranking people, especially HR, in the company were put in a very difficult situation to have to inform people they were let go from the company and be seen as the bad guy, while they were simply trying to keep the company afloat. The people who were let go had to deal with the change and impending career change based on this restructure. Additionally, the people who were left on teams had to deal with those friends being laid off and then having to pick up more work from the lost people. Also, the client was affected because they would need to deal with a different person at the company and a different way of communicating and working together.
Tristan:
I was working as a commissions analyst when, out of nowhere, I was told to handle unemployment claims for the entire company. At first, I was terrified, considering I had next to no training. Immediately, my mind raced to the worst-case scenarios. I kept thinking about the legal and professional risks if I pushed back and asked why I was responsible for this, but didn’t want to rock the boat. Messing up a claim or responding incorrectly felt like a massive liability, and the sheer weight of that responsibility was paralyzing. It didn’t take long to realize that this was the job nobody else wanted. It felt like it got dumped on me simply because I was the most junior person on the team. That was pretty discouraging. It became a huge distraction from my actual job, and I felt stuck dealing with a burden everyone else had passed completely down the line.
After the initial shock wore off, I knew I had to shift my mindset. I stopped looking at it as a chore and started viewing it as a chance to grow. I dug into the rules, figured out the processes, and just pushed through. In the end, it actually opened doors for me. It forced me out of my narrow lane and allowed me to see parts of the business I never would have encountered otherwise. It was a stressful trial by fire, but it gave me a massive, newfound appreciation for the people who handle unemployment every day. It is a tough, thankless job, and I respect it immensely now.
