Post by Leslie on May 26, 2021 15:57:27 GMT
C. Post: Reflect on what you have learned to date. How did General Marshall, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King, Jr. draw upon their strengths to overcome adversity?
My learning to date has been a mix of exposure to brand new information, AHA moments – the things I thought I knew (that were confirmed by other leaders I respect) and the realization that leaders, good leaders - great leaders are sculpted and crafted. I have attempted to scaffold and build the leadership qualities that others identified in me, taking that trusted insight, and growing into the leadership roles I have found myself in. I have had success and many opportunities for growth. My gut instincts have served me well, but I have discovered there is a way to approach leadership in a strategic manner that does not mean a loss of authenticity.
I have learned that I have a good command of critical thinking; what I previously interpreted as not letting go of a task or situation until I had clearly thought through all of the possibilities and consequences is really an important skill. I have faced that fear plays a role in how I approach innovation in myself but, that it does not hamper my ability to coach others through their own creative processes and, I have accepted that being willing to stretch myself forces me to confront all my “what-ifs”, but that my confrontation of those fears leaves me feeling refreshingly fierce and free and willing to do it again.
I believe General Marshall, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Dr. Martin L. King Jr. used their powerful voices that as Gardner states “had not found a home or an audience” to blast away perceptions and ways of being and knowing to change the world. It appears to me they did not wait to be invited into the fold; they did not wait for permission to tell the truth about how their lived experiences could add value to the world. Leaders seize the moment, not always knowing the outcome or even believing others would get it. But, even in the face of adversity they keep moving.
My learning to date has been a mix of exposure to brand new information, AHA moments – the things I thought I knew (that were confirmed by other leaders I respect) and the realization that leaders, good leaders - great leaders are sculpted and crafted. I have attempted to scaffold and build the leadership qualities that others identified in me, taking that trusted insight, and growing into the leadership roles I have found myself in. I have had success and many opportunities for growth. My gut instincts have served me well, but I have discovered there is a way to approach leadership in a strategic manner that does not mean a loss of authenticity.
I have learned that I have a good command of critical thinking; what I previously interpreted as not letting go of a task or situation until I had clearly thought through all of the possibilities and consequences is really an important skill. I have faced that fear plays a role in how I approach innovation in myself but, that it does not hamper my ability to coach others through their own creative processes and, I have accepted that being willing to stretch myself forces me to confront all my “what-ifs”, but that my confrontation of those fears leaves me feeling refreshingly fierce and free and willing to do it again.
I believe General Marshall, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Dr. Martin L. King Jr. used their powerful voices that as Gardner states “had not found a home or an audience” to blast away perceptions and ways of being and knowing to change the world. It appears to me they did not wait to be invited into the fold; they did not wait for permission to tell the truth about how their lived experiences could add value to the world. Leaders seize the moment, not always knowing the outcome or even believing others would get it. But, even in the face of adversity they keep moving.
