Wednesday, December 9, 2009

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.



1 comment:

  1. You have a great and inspiring story. I will always remember what you said about leadership and will do my best for my education. Thanks for sharing.

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