Independent Component 1

Leadership has different characteristics that makes it strong. 

Content:
LITERAL

• (a) Write: "I, Jennifer Aguilera, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 40.5 hours of work."
• (b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component. 
• "What Is Leadership?" - Leadership Skills Training from MindTools.com Mind Tools, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.<http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_41.htm>.
• Bradberry, Travis. "10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders." Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media, 27 July 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.<http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248742>. 
• "What Great Leaders Do Differently - Supervisory Leadership Article." What Great Leaders Do Differently - Supervisory Leadership Article. Wally Bock, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015 <http://agreatsupervisor.com/articles/great_leaders.htm>. 
• Biro, Meghan M. "Leadership is About Emotion." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/12/15/leadership-is-about-emotion/#2715e4857a0b6c854171269d>. 
• Jones, Tegan. "10 Impressive Characteristics Great Leaders Have." Lifehacks RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-impressive-characteristics-great-leaders-have.html.>.
• Brydson, David. "Strategic and Tactical Planning: Understanding the Difference" - SmallBizLink. SmallBiz Link, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015. <http://smallbizlink.monster.com/training/articles/855-strategic-and-tactical-planning-understanding-the-difference>.
• "Handgun Safety Rules and Procedure." PoliceOne. PoliceOne.com, 16 Feb. 2003. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. <http://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/articles/59674-Handgun-safety-rules-and-procedures/>.
• Olson, Jason. "Lead By Example: 10 Ways to Be a Successful Team Leader." Protent. Protent, Inc., 24 July 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2016. <http://www.protent,com/blog/project-management/lead-example-guide-successful-team-leader.htm>.
• (c) Update your hours in your Senior Project Hours link. Make sure it is clearly labeled with hours for individual sessions as well as total hours. 
• Done 
• (d) Explain what you have completed.
• For my Independent Component One, a group of classmates and I came up with the excellent idea of establishing a club here at IPoly. The club names, "Leadership Club" has a mission which is to teach individuals about leadership and how one can become and excel at their characteristics. The club is open to anyone who wants to join. We had the opportunity to help those individuals in becoming better leaders as well as improving on other skills that we need in our daily lives. We held several meetings during and outside of school. Our weekly meeting where held during lunch every Thursday. The Club leaders who are: Jessica, Isaiah, Amir, and I would meet on the weekend to discuss further goals and activities. We would also prepare for the upcoming meeting. During the lunch meetings, the club members would participate in several scenarios that would put their skills to the test as well as those skills that they have been slowly learning. We want incorporated military and law enforcement skills and techniques into the club because we believe that both make a great impact on leadership and they both have great examples of well known leaders. Our club members so far have learned grown in their leadership side but they still need to improve on other things such as in order to be a leader one must be a follower, how to think under high pressure situations, how to demand without asking for too much, and how to solve certain scenarios. In the future we want our members to continue the growth of the club because after all this is the club leaders and I last year. We hope that one day when we come back the club has a strong foundation and is being lead by great leaders of IPoly. 

INTERPRETIVE

• Defend your work and explain its significance to your project and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc.) of the 30 hours of work. 
• The club plays a significance role to my project because my essential question has to do with making safe and ethical calls in high pressure situations. Even though, it is not from the perspective of a Police Officer it is always good to see how individuals perform in high pressure scenarios. The club gave me a better understanding of how the minds of club members would work as they performed as leaders during the different scenarios we gave them. Just like Police Officers one must be able to know how to lead under high pressure and with training comes excellence. Every week the members would learn something new that they would be able to take home and also it would benefit them when it came to working in group projects at IPoly. Through all the research I have done about my project I learned more about how it is used in the real world and how it is put to the test when it comes to actually putting skills into work. Our club was not all about learning leadership skills and how to better improve on oneself but rather how leaderships skills can be used and a little bit of Physical Training. The President of the club which is Jessica organized a group run where it was sort of physical training but also bonding time with the club leaders and its members.

The email that all club members and leaders received for the "Group Run".

One of the groups leading the way as my partner and I stayed behind. 

The beautiful trail that was ran/hiked by the club members and leaders. 

APPLIED

• How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better? Please include specific examples to illustrate this. 
• The club allowed me to understand the foundation of my topic better because it came from a different perspective. The members made it all possible by showing up to every meeting and other outside events when we had some. Their participation made the meetings fun and exciting. The way they solved the different scenarios, which were smaller and easier simulations of what Law Enforcement do, was more understandable than what Police Officers do. The way teenagers think does compare to the way Police Officers think. Even though police officers think more tactical than teenagers it does have its similarities. Both parties show nervousness at the beginning but as they continue a burst of confidence appears and that is what makes the execution 100 times better and safe. When it comes to solving something there is always a person who stands up and leads the team to success or failure. In the club, members were highly successful when it came to solving puzzles or leading a team. Progress has been made since the first meeting and as each week goes by they seem to learn something and improve on their skills. Training is necessary in order to have a successful outcome and whenever we train with the members they seem to grasp every piece of information. Nervousness can be a con when it comes to putting skills to the test because after they seem to forget some key points. Repetition is what helps them remember what they are being taught.  

All leaders start as followers in order to understand the ones they are leading.