WAKONSE
What is Wakonse?
May 2017
"Wakonse is a word from the Lakota Indian language meaning to teach, to inspire. The Wakonse Foundation brings together people who find inspiring and influencing others is what they do for a living. We create a climate where it is important and appropriate to display and discuss teaching talents, where colleagues learn about themselves as teachers, where they see and consider the tasks and issues of creative teaching in a manner characterized as enjoyable, where providing feedback to one another is a norm and where that feedback is outside of any institutional mandate to improve or to evaluate teaching... That means, in the simplest of terms, to support, promote and share the excitement and satisfaction of teaching - to inspire others and ourselves."
Last April, Dr. Nancy Simpson asked me if I would like to represent Texas A&M University at the Wakonse Leadership Conference. The Wakonse Foundation is a group that puts on a conference at Camp Miniwanca on Lake Michigan for professors across the country to network and learn more about teaching. There is a smaller student conference that runs concurrently that allows undergraduate students to develop leadership skills and
reflection 01
Independence and Objectivity
June 2017
“The purpose of the Audit Services department is to enable [mission] accomplishment by providing independent, objective assurance and advisory services designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of [enterprise processes]; in so doing, Audit Services will act as a trusted business advisor to the [enterprise].”
- Audit Services Purpose Statement
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At USAA, before fieldwork for an audit begins, it must be approved by the Chief Audit Executive (CAE). In the checkpoint meeting for my audit, my Auditor-in-Charge (AIC) and I met to brief our CAE, Kirk Haggard, about our engagement. At the beginning of the internship, Kirk announced that he would be transitioning to a leadership position in the Property and Casualty (P&C) area of USAA at the end of the summer. Our audit, National Catastrophe Operations, falls under P&C. When we went in to our checkpoint meeting with Kirk, Frank introduced the audit and its theme song (Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra). But Lorie, the P&C team’s VP, posed a question that changed the course of the meeting. “Kirk, are you able to remain independent and objective for this audit?” After considering this for a minute, Kirk replied that he had been in communication with P&C leadership as they have been briefing him for his on-boarding in the next few months. Though he has not communicated with them directly about the National Catastrophe Audit, he replied he should not be the one to approve the audit because of the perception that could arise from doing so. While he could remain independent and objective in fact, the perception of his involvement in the audit could bring into question the independence and objectivity of Audit Services as a whole. When Kirk came to this conclusion, he stepped back from all P&C audits for the remainder of his tenure in Audit Services, and instructed us to report to the previous interim CAE, Jeff Rowland.
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I realized ethics is not only about what you do, it can also be related to what people believe about your actions. The perception of unethical or unfair behavior alone can lead to lower employee morale or even regulatory scrutiny. Kirk anticipated how his actions, while ethical in fact, could compromise the integrity of the department. I learned the importance of being aware of the message you communicate through your actions; each speaks volumes to your personal brand as well as the brand of your organization.
Reflection 02
Reflection 03
Patio Chats
August 2017
- It's only a failure if you don't learn from it.
- Leadership is not a position; it's an action.
- Completion is better than perfection.
- Don't be afraid to identify areas for improvement.
- Sometimes when you cannot change your situation, you can only change your response to it.
Kirk Haggard:
Culture Training:
- Be Here Now
- Before looking to critique, first look to understand. Question your approach before questioning others.
Special Operations Forces Truths:
- Humans are more important than hardware.
- Quality is better than quantity.
- SOF cannot be mass produced.
- Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur.
- Most Special Ops requires non-SOF support.
Meriah Garrett:
- Look for the root cause of a problem. Ask the right questions to identify the unmet needs of the user and develop a solution for those needs.
- Good ideas are useless unless they are re-framed in light of the user.
-"If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said 'a faster horse.'" - Henry Ford
Heather Cox:
- What value do you give back to the world?
Ky Osborn:
- Good marketing is about communicating messages that connect with people's souls.
- Be confident in the value you add.
- Be a difference maker! It doesn't cost money to be extraordinary. You don't always get thanks for everything you do - but that's part of it. We never know how much our encouragement impacted another person.
- Legacy is about relationships and empowering people to find the potential within themselves so they can continue to make the world a better place. It's about believing in people and helping them see themselves differently. When they accomplish great things, reminding them, 'It was always in you.'
-(On speaking/presenting) "Nobody in the room knows what you are going to say."
Sean Burgess:
- The newest person in the room is always the smartest. Never underestimate the value of a fresh perspective.
- Members first; Employees always.
- Have a bias for action: It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
- Diversity and inclusion don't just happen.
- Lead from the front.
- Keep calm.
- Take risks.
- Attitude trumps knowledge.
Reflection 04
Contributing to the Culture
July 2017
- It's only a failure if you don't learn from it.
- Leadership is not a position; it's an action.
- Completion is better than perfection.
- Don't be afraid to identify areas for improvement.
- Sometimes when you cannot change your situation, you can only change your response to it.
Kirk Haggard:
Culture Training:
- Be Here Now
- Before looking to critique, first look to understand. Question your approach before questioning others.
Special Operations Forces Truths:
- Humans are more important than hardware.
- Quality is better than quantity.
- SOF cannot be mass produced.
- Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur.
- Most Special Ops requires non-SOF support.
Meriah Garrett:
- Look for the root cause of a problem. Ask the right questions to identify the unmet needs of the user and develop a solution for those needs.
- Good ideas are useless unless they are re-framed in light of the user.
-"If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said 'a faster horse.'" - Henry Ford
Heather Cox:
- What value do you give back to the world?
Ky Osborn:
- Good marketing is about communicating messages that connect with people's souls.
- Be confident in the value you add.
- Be a difference maker! It doesn't cost money to be extraordinary. You don't always get thanks for everything you do - but that's part of it. We never know how much our encouragement impacted another person.
- Legacy is about relationships and empowering people to find the potential within themselves so they can continue to make the world a better place. It's about believing in people and helping them see themselves differently. When they accomplish great things, reminding them, 'It was always in you.'
-(On speaking/presenting) "Nobody in the room knows what you are going to say."
Sean Burgess:
- The newest person in the room is always the smartest. Never underestimate the value of a fresh perspective.
- Members first; Employees always.
- Have a bias for action: It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
- Diversity and inclusion don't just happen.
- Lead from the front.
- Keep calm.
- Take risks.
- Attitude trumps knowledge.
Reflection 05
Crafting a Tagline
July 2017
- It's only a failure if you don't learn from it.
- Leadership is not a position; it's an action.
- Completion is better than perfection.
- Don't be afraid to identify areas for improvement.
- Sometimes when you cannot change your situation, you can only change your response to it.
Kirk Haggard:
Culture Training:
- Be Here Now
- Before looking to critique, first look to understand. Question your approach before questioning others.
Special Operations Forces Truths:
- Humans are more important than hardware.
- Quality is better than quantity.
- SOF cannot be mass produced.
- Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur.
- Most Special Ops requires non-SOF support.
Meriah Garrett:
- Look for the root cause of a problem. Ask the right questions to identify the unmet needs of the user and develop a solution for those needs.
- Good ideas are useless unless they are re-framed in light of the user.
-"If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said 'a faster horse.'" - Henry Ford
Heather Cox:
- What value do you give back to the world?
Ky Osborn:
- Good marketing is about communicating messages that connect with people's souls.
- Be confident in the value you add.
- Be a difference maker! It doesn't cost money to be extraordinary. You don't always get thanks for everything you do - but that's part of it. We never know how much our encouragement impacted another person.
- Legacy is about relationships and empowering people to find the potential within themselves so they can continue to make the world a better place. It's about believing in people and helping them see themselves differently. When they accomplish great things, reminding them, 'It was always in you.'
-(On speaking/presenting) "Nobody in the room knows what you are going to say."
Sean Burgess:
- The newest person in the room is always the smartest. Never underestimate the value of a fresh perspective.
- Members first; Employees always.
- Have a bias for action: It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
- Diversity and inclusion don't just happen.
- Lead from the front.
- Keep calm.
- Take risks.
- Attitude trumps knowledge.