While reading the article “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making”, it became clear that I think about all of these ethical lenses when making a decision without even noticing. I believe that I most closely relate to the Virtue lens. Over the past two years, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and figuring out who I want to be in this world. By doing this, I have found a core set of values that make up who I am and I use these morals and values to make decisions based on my life. I truly believe that who you are as a person should be a reflection of how you make decisions. 

After reading the article, it made me think about another article that I analyzed in my outdoor pedagogy course this semester. During this semester, we spent a class period talking about ethical decision making whenever it came to outdoor adventure education. Being an outdoor leader comes with a ton of ethical responsibilities. During the class period we examined the different types of leadership and how each leadership style has their ethical decision-making requirements. For example, a designated leader has a responsibility to protect and make decisions for the safety and well being of their participants or students. These connections can be made with every other leadership style and courses in the outdoor leadership minor program.

In the modern age, ethical decision making is present in every aspect of life. The main example that I think of when it comes to ethics is politics. For example, just in the past week a lot has happened with the Charlie Kirk tragedy and TurningPointUSA. I’ve already talked about how people have reacted to Charlie Kirk, but now I want to analyze how TuringPointUSA is moving forward after his death. The political organization is making ethical decisions on what they think the right way forward is. In my opinion, they are trying to honor Charlie Kirk’s death as a way to promote their cause and beliefs. 

University, Santa Clara. “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2021, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/

After reading the article “Thinking Ethically”, I can make connections that relate to my everyday life. There have been a few times when I have to make my own decisions that have heavy consequences. As I have matured over time and developed my own set of morals, these instances have become more prominent in my everyday life. As a fairly new Christian, who has given my life to Jesus Christ, I try to make decisions that reflect both my faith and my moral principles. The article showed me that even thought there are different approaches to every decision in this world, it’s ultimately the values and beliefs that need to guide the choices we make.

While reading the article “Thinking Ethically”, I couldn’t help but think about the Bible and how they both show the importance of morals and values whenever making decisions. The article spends a lot of time outlining different options to deciding right and wrong, similarly, Scripture discusses the foundation for ethical living through God’s commandments and teachings. For example, Micah 6:8 says “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” which compares the article’s focus on fairness and respect.

The article “Thinking Ethically” relates to many world events that have occurred recently. For example, the Charlie Kirk tragedy has many ethical decisions that went along with it. On a surface level, the shooter made an ethical decision to kill Charlie Kirk from whatever his beliefs were. Additionally, most people all over the world had the make ethical decisions on how they were going to react to such an event. All over social media, I saw people reacting to this tragedy in many different ways. Some people chose to cheer and celebrate while others began to mourn. Overall, issues like fairness, justice, human rights and debates are all over the world that deal with politics, healthcare, and education. Finally, the article shows that ethical decision making is not 100% personal but also has effects on the world and communities.

Velasquez, Manuel, et al. “Thinking Ethically.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, 1 Aug. 2015, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/thinking-ethically/

40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development

After reading about Tuckman’s model, I immediately saw a strong connection to my own experience. As part of my Parks and Recreation degree, I am also minoring in Outdoor Leadership, where we study Tuckman’s model as a key framework for understanding team development. Just this past week we learned about Tuckman’s model and how each team goes through the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. It really stood out to me because I’ve seen these stages play out firsthand during group projects and outdoor leadership exercises, especially how initial tension and conflict (storming) can eventually lead to stronger trust and cooperation (norming and performing) once everyone learns to work together.

This text made me think about the NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) books about outdoor leadership and how they discuss the same teamwork and development. They emphasize how groups naturally progress through stages of building trust, managing conflict, and establishing roles, just like Tuckman’s model outlines. Reading about Tuckman’s work helped me connect what I’ve been learning from NOLS to a broader theory, showing how these group dynamics apply not just in outdoor settings but in any team environment.

This model has stood the test of time and is still being used to this day in formal organizations and outdoor recreation settings. In today’s world, many companies and leadership programs continue to rely on Tuckman’s model to guide team building and collaboration. For example, corporate workplaces use it to improve group dynamics during training sessions, while outdoor programs like NOLS use it to help student groups work through challenges and develop strong, cohesive teams in high-stress environments.

Bonebright, D. A. (2010). 40 years of storming: A historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development. Human Resource Development International, 13(1), 111–120

How to link personal values with team values.

While reading through this text, I made strong connections to my internship experience this past summer. I was an intern for Mount Airy Parks and Recreation and a lot of the topics discussed by Dennis Jaffe and Cynthia Scott I saw throughout this organization for better or worse. Something that was very clear at Mount Airy was their desire to connect their personal values to their companies values. I found it very important that Mount Airy really cared about the people in the community almost to a fault. This desire almost came at the expense of the employees who worked there. 

This text really reminded me of the TV Show Ted Lasso and his commitment to being the best leader and connecting his personal values to the football club. Ted consistently encourages players to embrace their own identities while creating a shared culture of respect, belief, and teamwork. Just like the article suggests, Ted doesn’t impose values, he facilitates open discussions so everyone feels ownership of the team’s values, which ultimately strengthens the team’s performance and cohesion.

This text can apply to many situations in today’s world where companies are working to create stronger workplace cultures. For example, as more organizations focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, they are holding value workshops similar to those described in the article helping employees connect their personal values with shared team values to build trust, collaboration, and commitment. I can see this specifically in some of the businesses I see my family starting or operating.

Jaffe, D. T., & Scott, C. D. (1998, March). How to link personal values with team values. Training & Development, 52(3), 24–30

After reading the article titled “How to Live With Purpose, Identify Your Values and Improve Your Leadership”, I can think of a few instances that reflect my own life. I have been fortunate enough to take a field ecology course with the same instructor (Grayson Patton) for the past three summers. During these experiences, I often felt completely aligned with what mattered to me, being outdoors, learning in nature, and growing alongside others who shared the same passion. As Loehr describes, these “peak moments” reveal our core values and act like a compass pointing us toward our “true north.” Looking back, I can see that adventure, curiosity, and connection to the environment are values that energize me and give me a sense of purpose, both personally and professionally.

This article is very similar to the material we have begun reading in my Organizational Leadership in Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Event Management (PRT-359) course. So far, we have only covered Chapter 1 of Leadership and Management in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Services by Hurd et al. (2024), which explains the distinction between leadership and management. The chapter emphasizes that leadership is about setting direction, inspiring others, and staying grounded in vision and values, while management focuses on structure, organization, and achieving results. Loehr’s article “How to Live With Purpose, Identify Your Values and Improve Your Leadership” builds on this by stressing that effective leadership starts with knowing and living by one’s personal values, which serve as a compass for authentic decision-making. Taken together, both the chapter and the article highlight that while management ensures efficiency and order, leadership rooted in values fosters meaning, authenticity, and stronger organizational cultures.

With a topic like leadership, there are hundreds of connections that can be made in the real world. Every day, all around the globe, sports are being played, and leadership within sports is pivotal. Loehr’s article connects directly to this idea because great coaches and team captains lead not just through strategy, but by staying true to their values. For example, a captain who values respect and integrity will model those behaviors on and off the field, inspiring teammates to do the same. Just as Loehr describes, when leaders align their actions with their values, they create an environment that motivates others and strengthens the overall culture of the team. For instance, as of now, Ohio State is preparing to face Texas, and both teams must embody these values to succeed and achieve victory. 

Hurd, A. R., Barcelona, R. J., & Zimmerman, J. M. (2024). Leisure Services Management (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Loehr, Anne. “How to Live with Purpose, Identify Your Values and Improve Your Leadership.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-live-with-purpose_b_5187572.

After analyzing the article “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices”, I noticed many of the scenarios Carucci describes reflected my own experiences. This past summer, during my internship at Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, I observed that my supervisor, the department director, often faced excessive pressure to meet ambitious goals. While many of his objectives were realistic, at times the pressure to achieve results overshadowed his attention to his employees. As Carucci notes, excessive focus on performance targets can create “tunnel vision,” causing leaders to prioritize outcomes over people. I saw this firsthand, as my supervisor’s drive to serve the community and achieve goals sometimes came at the expense of listening to and supporting his team. 

This article really reminded me of our Hot Topic Headline for this module. Both Ron Carucci’s “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices” and the Titan submersible tragedy highlight how good intentions can be brought down by the pressures of the job and questionable leadership choices. Carucci emphasizes that excessive pressure to meet unrealistic goals, lack of psychological safety, and leaders’ subtle signals can push otherwise ethical people into making harmful choices. Similarly, in the Titan incident, the ambition of the leaders may have created an environment where safety concerns were overlooked or even disregarded. Both cases illustrate that ethical lapses are rarely the result of personal flaws alone, but they often stem from organizational conditions that incentivize risky or unethical behavior.

Everything discussed in this article reflects patterns I see happening in everyday life. Around the world, individuals and organizations continue to struggle with unethical behavior and decision-making. Despite the creation of policies, codes of conduct, and ethics programs intended to guide leaders, human nature and free will still play a major role in how decisions are made. Carucci’s point that systemic pressures such as unrealistic goals, conflicting priorities, and lack of psychological safety can push even well-intentioned people toward unethical choices is evident in many current events, from corporate scandals to public sector failures.

Carucci, Ron. “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, 16 Dec. 2016, hbr.org/2016/12/why-ethical-people-make-unethical-choices. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.