So I may take the
roundabout way of answering these questions, using stories and assignments from
other classes to reveal pieces of my learning… but don’t worry, it makes for a
fun ride! Let’s go.
What is your own philosophy of leadership?
As far back as I can remember I have had the urge to lead. I’m really not
sure why this is the case or what causes it, but there is no doubt that my
natural tendency is to step up and take charge. This is true for my experiences
in athletics, student organizations, class projects, and much more. I feel most
comfortable and at ease when I am leading, most likely because I have control
over the decisions and outcomes that impact my life. Maybe this is related to
my “significance” strength, which says that I am comfortable having titles and
control, that I value recognition for myself and others, and that I want people
to see me as influential and important. This may sound a bit conceited or
self-centered, and I’m sure it has rubbed people the wrong way from time to
time, but I think it generally results in a positive outcome for not only
myself, but for those I am leading as well.
How I lead varies greatly depending on the situation. Different people,
groups, and environments require different styles and techniques of leadership.
There are, however, a few principles that I try to follow in all of my
leadership roles. In general, I attempt to lead by example, setting the
standard through my daily actions. I realize that if I do not live up to
the expectations that I have set for the group, I cannot expect my followers to
do so either. Because I know I cannot accomplish everything on my own and
oftentimes need to rely on the contributions of others, I also work hard to
empower my fellow group members. I do this by seeking group input, working
together to establish common goals, and engaging in group discussion rather
than individual decision-making.
While I certainly enjoy taking the lead in group situations, I obviously
cannot always assume that role. Luckily, since my days as an over-involved high
school student, I have understood the importance of knowing when to be a
follower. The word “follower” may sound like a passive function, but this could
not be farther from the truth. Having active and committed followership is
essential to the effectiveness of a leader and the success of the group. I
think I am still working on my ability to take the back seat and assume the
role of the follower, finding it easier to do in some cases than others. I
struggle most when I feel that I can be more effective than the person
currently in charge, but my experiences with the OSU Women’s Basketball Team
certainly proved to be a valuable learning experience in this area.
Having played the role
of both leader and follower, I have had the opportunity to develop my own style
of leadership based on passion, people, responsibility, and diversity. The most
important aspect of my leadership philosophy is passion. It is the driving
force behind my daily interactions, providing motivation to succeed at
everything I do, and is reflected in my constant desire to obtain new knowledge
and experiences. This passion allows me to bring a positive attitude and
optimism to any group or situation.
This picture of my TKE brothers relates to both my passion and my love for people
My leadership style is
very people-oriented. I enjoy interacting, communicating, and working with
others at every opportunity. My ability to communicate includes the willingness
to give and receive constructive criticism and praise; both are essential
elements to the facilitation of positive change. I have a genuine interest in
getting to know people and establishing personal relationships with them. These
relationships allow for mutual trust, respect, and a readiness to challenge one
another. This relates to another fundamental aspect of my philosophy,
responsibility. I hold myself to extremely high standards and take pride in my
dependability. I enjoy challenging myself and refuse to settle for the bare
minimum. I understand that with leadership positions, come duties and
responsibilities. I know that my actions, decisions, and effort will impact not
only myself, but my peers as well.
I have had the
opportunity to practice the final leadership aspect that is critical to my
philosophy—the incorporation of diverse perspectives—many times throughout my
life. This aspect was certainly discussed in the “Engaged, Empowered, Included”
post from earlier in the semester, but has truly been present in all of my Ohio
State classes, experiences, and student organizations. There is no doubt that
my perspective as a Jew (living in a Christian-based society) has contributed
greatly to my acceptance of all types of diversity.
How have you been able to apply what you have
learned about leadership?
A night of procrastinating with some of my pals :)
Anyway, back to procrastination. Because of the understanding I gained from working with strengths and the information from chapter 4 ("Understanding Yourself"), I think I have finally just accepted the fact that I procrastinate and have given up on trying to solve it. I see this as a good move because I have recognized my weakness and, rather than trying to change who I am, I have started catering to my working style. Instead of trying to sit down a couple weeks/days/hours before something is due and end up wasting time doing nothing, I have simply been waiting until I feel the pressure to start my work. This has allowed me to use my newfound free time to relax, get other things done, etc. While part of me still wants to avoid the dreadful feeling of sitting down to write an 8-page paper at 2 AM (and the sleepy misery that accompanies that act during the following days), I have enjoyed the general peace of mind that has come with my new method.
How are you more aware of yourself?
There are three
activities from my various classes this semester that significantly contributed
to my self awareness:
1.While analyzing the “lifelines” activity that I discussed
in an earlier post, I found a few recurring themes in my life. Some of these
common threads include sports, travel, culture, community, coaches, service,
and leadership. Initially, this list seemed too lengthy and diverse to be
indicative of a true calling. As I contemplated these items further, however, I
realized that as I have grown older, many of these themes have morphed, changed
categories, and even combined with each other. I will now attempt to guide you
through the winding path of connections that I have found between these life
themes. Please, try to stick with me.
I will begin with sports, which have
transformed from a joyous childhood activity to a possible calling as my
college major and potential career. I associate sports with my sense of
community because of the immense camaraderie and belonging that I experienced
as a part of many different athletic teams. My community is congruent with my
culture because, as a minority, I rely heavily on the Jewish Community for
support and guidance. Community is also connected to my propensity for service
because my ultimate goal while engaging in service is to improve my community
and the lives of those who live in it. I have been able to combine this service
with my love for travel by participating in service trips abroad, traveling to
new places and learning about new cultures. My mentors bring me back to my
sports experiences. In fact, the only mentors that are listed on my lifeline,
other than my parents, are coaches. These mentors have taught me so much more
than just how to be a better player; they have taught me how to be a better
teammate, a better leader, and a better person. I learned the arts of teaching
and coaching from these mentors and have adopted them as passions of my own. I
used these new passions to teach people about my culture and diversity when I
transferred into a new school as the only practicing Jew. Today, as a coach in
my own right, I am able to teach valuable lessons about basketball and life to
the young people whom I coach.
I recently realized
that maybe it is not just sports, but aspects of competition, teamwork, and
camaraderie that are attractive to me. In the future, I could see myself
enjoying a job that allows me to conduct team building and leadership
activities for groups and organizations. Working on these types of activities
while enjoying the great outdoors, possibly with adventure trips or high-ropes
courses, sounds particularly appealing to me. (This job sounds very similar to
Tyler Young’s new position with OSU…maybe I should inquire).
There are also a few
recurring themes from my “lifeline”—such as my family, friends, and
wellness—that I am certainly passionate about, but am not sure how they fit
into my calling or future. Again, I need to be sure to expand my definition of
calling beyond a simple career, thinking more about my life actions and
purpose. Taking this broader perspective, I assume that these themes could
translate to my desire to raise a family, maintain a large network of friends,
and share my passion for and knowledge of wellness with others. On the other
hand, the common appearance of these themes throughout my life could mean
something completely different. As they say, “only time will tell.”
The "lifelines" activity
2. After listening to Drew Dudley
speak on campus, I was asked consider the question, “why do I matter?” This is the answer I conjured up:
I matter because:
·
Of the relationships I have
fostered with my family, friends, mentors, mentees, etc.
·
Of the good things I have
done (and will do) for the people, organizations, communities, etc. with which
I am associated.
·
I can make people laugh,
smile, and be happy J
·
I can contribute my thoughts,
opinions, and knowledge in a meaningful way.
During this activity, I realized that I struggle with these
types of vague, open-ended questions and assignments because I like to be
comprehensive in all of my work. That is truly hard to do with these types of
questions, especially when they are asking you to dive deep into topics such as
self-worth and self-praise. Why are we hesitant to praise ourselves or
acknowledge our mattering? In my opinion, it is because we are afraid of
sounding pompous or arrogant. These are two negative characteristics that most
people try to avoid at all costs, even if it means not giving yourself credit
when you’ve earned it. It is, however, important to acknowledge why one matters
because it fosters self-confidence, self-worth, and gives your life a mission
and purpose.
VIDEO TIME: Check out another awesome Drew Dudley talk :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_g4Ho86IiI
VIDEO TIME: Check out another awesome Drew Dudley talk :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_g4Ho86IiI
3. Finally, I completed a values
activity that I found extremely helpful. The initial part of the activity
instructed me on how to create a vision for my future life. This was the
prompt:
Thinking 10 years into the future, imagine achieving a result in your
life that you deeply desire. For example, imagine that you could live in an
ideal environment, or enjoy a desired level of personal relationships. For the
moment, gently ignore how “possible” or “impossible” the intended outcome of
your vision seems. Picture yourself
accepting the results of the full manifestation of this result into your life.
Now, write or sketch the experience you have imagined, using the present tense,
as if it is happening now.
*
What does
it look like?
*
What does
it feel like?
* What words would you use to describe it?
At first, this task was
a bit overwhelming. I struggled with determining exactly how I envisioned my
life to look in 10 years, and then with how I could best display this information
in writing. However, when I finally put the pen to the paper (or the marker to
the poster in this case), the ideas and words flowed very easily and I felt
confident in the image I created for my future. The statements I crafted
describing my future (and the order in which they came to mind) are very
telling about what aspects of my life I find most important. This is how my
life looks at the age of 32:
· I am happily married with “a bun in
the oven” and both of my parents are excited to witness the birth of their
grandson. Our family lives in a great community, with which we feel very
connected, and we have at least one dog living with us.
· I am:
o The head coach of a successful
Division-I College Basketball Program
OR
o The General Manager of an NBA
Championship Team
· I am in the best shape of my life,
regularly competing in triathlons and other challenging events. I also have
killer 6-pack abs J
· My family and I have financial
stability, including a nice house with room for kids (and pets). I have planned
ahead for our financial futures with proper savings, investments, etc.
· My family and I are well connected
to our local Jewish community. We regularly attend synagogue, celebrate
holidays together, and are very knowledgeable about our culture/heritage (as
well as that of other religions and cultures).
· I have traveled to all 7 continents
of the world, and have been to many different countries within most of these
continents. Some of my travel has been service-related, some has been
basketball-related, and some has simply been for pleasure. I continue to travel
to new places and revisit certain places that are particularly meaningful to
me.
· I regularly give back to the people
and places that helped me along my journey to success. I have done this by
donating to schools and organizations that were influential to my development
and by regularly participating in community service and philanthropic efforts.
Following this portion of the
activity, we were asked to review or visions. We were told:
Now pause and consider your answer to the first question. Did you articulate a vision that is close to
what you authentically want? You may find yourself experiencing various levels
of resistance to achieving your vision.
There may be a variety of reasons why you found it hard to do.
*
I cannot
have what I want
*
I want
what someone else wants
*
It doesn’t
matter what I want
*
I am
afraid of what I want
*
I don’t
know what I want
*
I know
what I want, but I can’t have it at work
Surprisingly, I changed very little about my vision for the future. I was
very satisfied with my ideas and found them to be genuine, authentic, and
personal. I did experience some thoughts of “I don’t know what I want” when
considering my future career, but I am perfectly content with that. I understand
that I do not need to have my exact career plans determined at this age, and
that it is more than likely that my career path will change multiple times
throughout my lifetime. The only addition I made to my vision was adding the
following statement to the final bullet point: “I also serve as a mentor for several young people.” I
realized that I have been fortunate enough to experience meaningful mentorship
during my youth and that mentoring others is yet another way I can give back to
society.
Taking a deeper look at
my vision for the future reveals the specific values that are behind each
statement. The seven values that I find
to be most evident are: family and relationships; career achievement; health
and wellness; financial stability and success; culture and religion; travel and
extraordinary experience; service, philanthropy, and impact. As I mentioned
above, I believe the order in which I wrote these statements provides insight
into how I rank each of the supporting values—the values listed first being
most important to me.
During this activity, I
had to consider not only what values I think are important, but also what
values I can definitely say drive my actions and influence the way I make
decisions on a daily basis. This is not always easy to do, but it’s essential
to ensure that I am living in congruence with my values. One interesting
question I pondered during this activity was, “if my natural thoughts and
tendencies don’t necessarily align with a value, but I act in accordance with
that value because I know it is important to society, does that mean I have
adopted the value or am I just acting in an unauthentic matter? For example, if
I don’t personally value helping others (which is not true), but I regularly
help others because society says that is the
“right” thing to do, am I adopting helping others as a value, or am I
just being untrue to myself? I don’t think I have the answer to this question
right now, but hopefully I will gain a better understanding of the answer as I
encounter more values-based challenges in my future.
What things do you now see differently? How
are you changing?
Until very recently, I
did not understand the true meaning of vocation. To be honest, I thought my
vocation was simply a profession or career—what job I would hold for the rest
of my life. I have discovered, however, that vocation actually refers to my
“calling” in life—who I am meant to be and what I am meant to do in this world.
Telling people what career I plan to pursue or in which profession I would like
to work is easy. While it may have taken some time to discover which topics in
school interest me and which occupation I could see myself in for years to come, these discoveries pale in comparison to the reflection and
contemplation required to determine my calling from within and who I am at my
core.
I have also realized
that what I’m planning on pursuing as a career right now probably won’t be what
I do for the rest of my life. I should be considering what I want to do for the
next five years, not the next 30-40 years. However, I do think that it’s
important to have a goal or career in mind to drive your journey through life
and motivate you to strive for success. Without an idea of where you want to
go, you’re kind of just treading water.
How will you continue your learning about
leadership?
I think there are a couple ways that I will continue to
learn about leadership as I move on to the next phase of my life. Firstly, I
will learn in the classroom while pursuing a graduate degree. If everything
works out like I’m hoping it will, I will be studying Sport Leadership at
Virginia Commonwealth University next fall… If it looks like leadership and
smells like leadership, it must be leadership! This will give me an opportunity
to study leadership that is specific to the field that interests me most and
allow me to prepare for a successful career in this industry.
The second way I will continue my leadership learning is
through my future experiences…we talkin’ bout practice! (Any Allen Iverson fans
out there?) In the future, I expect to
lead and mentor in my personal and professional lives. If I continue to pursue
a career in basketball, I will likely have the opportunity to lead my fellow
students (in graduate school), the members of my coaching staff, and the players
associated with my team. Personally, I will have the opportunity to lead my
family and my children—a momentous responsibility, but certainly an honor and
privilege. Although I
will most likely be leaving all of my current mentors, mentees, and leadership
liaisons behind as I continue my education/start my career elsewhere next year,
I am not worried about what is to come. I know that wherever I go, I will find
plenty of people that are more than capable of providing positive mentorship
and spreading leadership knowledge. I truly look forward to seeing where I land
in the next phase of my life and to the never-ending pursuit of leadership
learning!
Thanks for a great semester!
