Who do I admire as a leader?
Never in a million years did I think I would write a blog. Yet, here I am, writing my first entry. I'll admit it isn't my idea to be doing this. It is actually part of an assignment. You see, I am looking at switching gears in my career as an educator. This switch would involve leadership, which is something I have always feared, being the person in charge.
I have always been somewhat fearful of authority figures. Chalk it up to bad experiences and anxiety (as well as the tendency to not want to disappoint others), but I have always been nervous when talking with my principals and teachers over the years, as a child and as an adult. Now I am looking at being one of those leaders!
There are a few leaders I have admired in my career as a teacher and as a student. I can't say with certainty that there is one particular leader that I admire most. Instead, it is more of a compilation of the traits that different leaders have demonstrated that stand out. The leaders who stand out have been approachable. My anxiety and nervousness were put at ease (at least lessened somewhat). They lead by modeling and demonstrating the traits they wished to see in others. These leaders were also empathetic, they remembered the joys and difficulties of being a student or a teacher. They used that understanding to not pass judgment, but to guide me as I navigated life and work. These are the traits that stand out and the ones I hope to demonstrate.
I have always been somewhat fearful of authority figures. Chalk it up to bad experiences and anxiety (as well as the tendency to not want to disappoint others), but I have always been nervous when talking with my principals and teachers over the years, as a child and as an adult. Now I am looking at being one of those leaders!
There are a few leaders I have admired in my career as a teacher and as a student. I can't say with certainty that there is one particular leader that I admire most. Instead, it is more of a compilation of the traits that different leaders have demonstrated that stand out. The leaders who stand out have been approachable. My anxiety and nervousness were put at ease (at least lessened somewhat). They lead by modeling and demonstrating the traits they wished to see in others. These leaders were also empathetic, they remembered the joys and difficulties of being a student or a teacher. They used that understanding to not pass judgment, but to guide me as I navigated life and work. These are the traits that stand out and the ones I hope to demonstrate.
Congrats on your first blog post....you did it! Once upon a time, I think the character traits of a "leader" seemed to be authoritative and a bit bossy. Through experiences and reading about new leadership models, I think it means so much more and include all of the qualities you mentioned in your post. One of my favorite sayings is, "fake it till you make it!" and I think that helped me facilitate meetings for the whole staff a time or two. I wasn't sure if I was ready, but I needed to be, so I pretended I knew what I was doing until it started to feel more comfortable. "Lead by example" is another tidbit that comes to mind. Thanks for your thoughtful post!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have had to lead activities and present information for the full staff and it was definitely a "fake it till you make it" type of feeling.
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