Feedback Strategies

I think I speak for almost everyone when I say that positive feedback is extremely important, as it gives us a way to know what we are already performing well at. But constructive negative feedback is very important as well. During my internship this summer, I really dove into the problem I was after due to going into my manager's office and showing what I had found, and them guiding me. Even a simple "you're in the right direction" went a long way in helping me stay motivated, even when it was hard to stay focused towards the end.

Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?
I found it interesting that many managers struggle to give positive feedback, mostly relying on negative feedback when they do give feedback. Seeing the statistic that 37% of managers don't give positive feedback was crazy. Positive feedback can be just as big, if not bigger, than negative, as I feel like many employees are motivated by learning what they did well on, and can feel unappreciated if the only feedback they receive is what they did poorly on. These little changes can go a long way in making someone a more successful manager.

The Trouble With Amazing
I will admit, I often fall into the trap of saying good job, awesome, or something similar when reviewing people's work, as I don't want to be the one that critiques it harshly, and I simply don't always know what to change. It used to be a game in high school to see who could critique "you put the wrong date" on someone's English paper so that we could have our one correction out of the way. It's easy to be generic and simple, but you gain a lot more from being specific with feedback. I liked how it mentioned fake praise being an issue, especially when the recipient knows they didn't deserve it. It almost feels like a participation trophy when that happens, at least for me. I definitely will work on being more specific with feedback after reading this, as I know how much I dislike non-specific feedback.

Motivation to become better with feedback

Source: MaxPixel

Topic Research: Phoenix

I have always been intrigued by the phoenix, especially the way a phoenix is "reborn" in a cloud of fire and ash. I view this is a form of new beginnings, trying to become better than what you were before you were reborn, regain some of the magic you may have had before.

For the first story, I gained a little bit of inspiration from The Longest Yard. If you have not seen the movie before, it's about a former NFL Quarterback who was accused of point shaving (purposely playing poorly to affect the margin of victory), and then leads a team of prison inmates to victory after gaining their trust that he wasn't going to purposely lose a game against the prison guards. I feel like a story of a great gladiator in Ancient Rome who was purposely losing matches to gain favor, only to come back and redeem themselves would be a great story.

Colosseum in Rome, home to many gladiator battles

Source: Wikipedia

The second story idea I came up with is a world where the Greek people, annoyed with some of the Gods' actions, declare that Zeus is no longer fit to be King of the Gods, and leave him as an outcast, no longer welcome in Greece. Zeus then leaves on a journey, saving multiple people along the way and later rescuing Mount Olympus from destruction when the other gods are unable to prevent the Titans from reclaiming their previous glory without him, leading to him being given his title of King back.

The final story idea is a phoenix who appears in King Leonidas' dreams every night after he loses the trust of Greece for abandoning his men at the Battle of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian War. The army rejects him, leaving him to fend for himself, and he begins having the dreams of the phoenix. He eventually comes and saves them from annihilation, showing that he is not a coward, and helps them fend off and defeat the Persians.

Battle of Thermopylae

Source: Wikipedia

Week 3 Story: Letters to Zebedee

Dear Father,

It has been a while since I left you on that boat to follow Jesus as one of his disciples. You would not believe the places I have gone and the things that I have seen! I have seen men who were unable to walk able to rise to their feet, I have seen more men fed than should have been possible, he truly can perform miracles!

This past week, we visited the home of a family filled with sorrow, as their little girl had passed away. They were convinced that they would never see her again. Yet Jesus knew that she was not dead, and sure enough, he was able to bring her back to life. It was miraculous to see, she was lying there and looked so lifeless, as if there was no chance she was still alive. I wish I was able to show you the power this man possesses, the power God has given him. I am blessed that I was offered the chance to follow him and learn from him.

However, he worries me sometimes, father. He speaks of how he will be killed by his fellow man and resurrected a few days later. What will this mean for him, for me, for the others who follow him as I do? He has been correct so many times, his parables have been miraculous, his miracles incredible to witness. I simply do not know why he would tell us that these things are going to happen to him. I try my best to believe him, as his word is powerful, but my faith is tested by some of the events we have experienced. We went out to sea not too long ago in the middle of a massive storm, and we were afraid that the boat might sink. The way the winds and the rain rocked the boat led me to believe that we were about to perish. We were able to have him calm the winds and the rain fortunately, albeit followed by him questioning if we had faith in him, but it was still a harrowing and terrifying experience. I wish he would have kept the storms from hitting us in the first place as he has so much power.

The miracles he has performed keep me believing, father, no matter how many times my faith has been tested. I witnessed him feed 5,000 men with only five loaves of bread and two fish. It would be a miracle to feed 10 people with that amount of food, but we managed to feed 5,000! I also saw us collect many baskets full of breadcrumbs that were left behind by the crowd, many times more than we handed out. It is amazing to see what he can do when he sees his calling.

Hopefully you can meet this wonderful man sometime in the future. I would enjoy sharing with you the other stories he has given, the many parables he has shared with us, everything we have been taught. We should return near the Sea of Galilee soon, and I will try to introduce you to him then.

Your son,

James

Saint James the Greater (James, Son of Zebedee) by Guido Reni

Source: Wikipedia

Author's Note: From reading the Gospel of Mark, we know that James and his brother John left their father Zebedee to follow Jesus as two of his 12 disciples, witnessing many of the miracles he performed. After reading the passage, I felt that a letter from James to Zebedee describing many of the things that James has experienced and saw would be a fun recap of the readings.

Reading Notes: The Gospel of Mark, Part B

The Gospel of Mark, King James Version (1611)

We begin to see the prophecy from Jesus about how he will be killed and resurrected, which is met by confusion from his followers. It is a little weird when somebody tells you that they're going to be killed by somebody else. It is even weirder when it is someone with the ability to perform the miracles he has, as we see him heal a man who had lost his sight similarly to how he brought the young girl to life and cured a leper.

We also are told another parable, which appears to reference receiving the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, it directly refers to how the word of God has been received, with people believing that they shall inherit the kingdom by killing the heir to said kingdom instead of nurturing the land and giving what they were asked to give. Frustrated by this parable, knowing that it was shaming them, they proceeded to ask if they may pay tribute to others, specifically Caesar. Jesus proceeds to tell them that we should separate God and Caesar, not mixing their possessions or items with each other.

Later, we see that his prophecy does end up coming true. Jesus is arrested and sentenced to death. He had told Peter that he would deny him three times that day before the rooster crowed twice, to which Peter was stunned, believing he would never do such a thing. Despite this, we find out that Peter does in fact deny him, just as he had prophesied. Taken aback by this, Peter begins to weep, knowing what he had done was wrong. Jesus is then mocked before they lead him to be crucified. He is spit on, beaten, and made to carry his cross before being crucified next to two others. They laugh at him, as they could not believe he saved so many others, but was unable, or unwilling, to do so for himself. After many hours, Jesus dies, and the temple's veil rips into two pieces at that moment, causing the centurion to realize he was the son of God.

Jesus' body was given to Joseph, who wrapped him in linens and placed his body into a tomb, with a large stone rolled in front to seal it. However, a few short days later, they found that the stone had been moved, and his body was no longer there. Instead, an angel is inside, telling them that his prophecy has come true, that he has risen from the dead and will appear to his disciples. His disciples do not believe that he has risen initially, until he does show himself to them. He instructs them to go out into the world and spread his message, before he goes to heaven to be next to God.

Crucifixion of Jesus

Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: The Gospel of Mark, Part A

The Gospel of Mark, King James Version (1611)

Fun little sidenote: Back in 7th grade, I was part of a team where we memorized a book of the bible and competed for trivia, and that year was the Book of Mark! I did not have a good memory, however.

Jesus made sure to preach to the people who needed him the most, the ones who are sinners and have not found God yet. He chose fishermen, not the current church leaders, to be his disciples, to follow him and help him preach the word. He believed they would be a better choice and more worthy of his efforts and his support. One of the other great lessons that the book tells us is that if we are not together in our goals, we will fail. We must be united if we are to stay strong, as even the strongest of us can be tied up and robbed.

The Book of Mark is heavy in the use of parables, which are similar to fables. The one that sticks out the most is the story of a sower spreading seed, some of which ends up on ground covered in stone, some nestled into thorns, and more placed into soil that is good for growing. This parable is used to explain spreading the gospel, as some will be choked out by thorns inside someone's heart, some will be exalted by the person, though not planted as the roots cannot grow, and others still will see the roots take hold within them, and they themselves will eventually have planted many of their own seeds. He continues by talking about the mustard seed, which is unimportant when just a seed, but becomes a major and important plant once planted and grown.

Jesus also was able to raise people from what was believed to be the dead. A young girl, aged 12 years old, was lying with her family believing she was dead. Even though he was laughed at for saying that she was simply sleeping and was not dead, he was still able to go forth and cause her to rise, as if nothing was ever wrong with her.

Eventually, he places power into his disciples so that they could heal others and spread his word without him there. He also was able to feed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish, which is absolutely incredible. After he does the same for 4,000 people, his disciples still do not believe him, which frustrates him, as they were there for his miracles, yet they still have doubts.

Miracle of the Bread and Fish by Giovanni Lanfranco

Source: Wikipedia