What Leadership means to me...

This week has been the week of checking off....checking off to dos, checking off courses/exams/projects.

The fact that i'm now +25% done with the LGO program is a sad thought. It's also sad to think about how our Leadership class with the legendary Don Davis has also come to an end.

During our last class today, each class member was asked to prepare a 2-3 minute speech on what "leadership meant to them" - there were lots of interesting stories/poems/mantras, but my favorites by far were those by Kacey and Steve. Kacey, in proud motherhood, brought in a children's book and appropriated the kid's story into a story about LGO "kittens" and read it to the class. It was an awesome idea and i'm bitter that I didn't come up with it.  :-)    Steve put on a skit that replayed a key moment in his life that made him think about leadership.

My thoughts?  I picked some pictures/images that really personify leadership in my mind. I'll outline them below:

1. A Foundation

Caption: Family photo following my sister Jasmine's portrayal of the Virgin Mary in a church play

A leader must be grounded, have the ability to create and maintain relationships, and care about something or someone (or multiples of either or both).

2. Characteristics

Caption: Me as an undergrad at MIT "finding a way" to get things done!

A leader must have a sense of purpose, must have drive/motivation, and must be RESILIENT!

3. Uncertainty

Caption: " "

A leader must have awareness - awareness that she/he sees only part of the picture and that there are a lot of TBD factors.  A leader must have courage to face the unknown.  And finally, a leader must be flexible - must be able to wake up each day, evaluate what the light reveals, and adjust accordingly.

I pity the foo'

I'm feeling the guilt of a long absence from this blog, but hope to begin writing again more frequently once the term is over.  The last few months have been amazing - classes, workshops, trips, case competitions, the internship whirlwind, and now finals!

I've been whining for several days about how much work I have over the next 2 weeks, so I thought i'd take this week (the week after Thanksgiving break) and outline deliverables so that those close to me can shoot me an understanding glance (not pity, just some love!).

Allow me to reiterate the fact that us LGOs are taking 7 courses, plus a seminar totaling 67 MIT units.

It sounds crazy, right? It totally is. Above is a legit snapshot of my current registration for the fall semester and it's not much different than the schedule of my 46 LGO classmates.

On to the good stuff - deliverables:

Mon 11/30

• 15.810: Team case analysis & write-up due
• ESD.61: Individual assignment #3 due
• ESD.61: "Actionable projects" due in support of semester-long project

Tue 12/01

• 15.010: HW#6 due
• 15.515: Case discussion
• 15.280: Presentation on semester-long project

Wed 12/02

• ESD.61: Presentation on semester-long project due
• 15.665: Journal due

Fri 12/04

• 15.515: HW#8 due

Having written all of this out, it suddenly doesn't look too bad....deceiving!

Let's not forget committees and committee work, part time jobs, family, organizations, etc.

How do we do it? By working together, by adding sanity-enabling activities to our schedule, and by taking it one day at a time.

I love this place.