SAIL

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. —Douglas MacArthur Read the rest of this entry »

What are some random important skills in the world? Here I’m going to list some random important skills. I’m really weak at these skills at the moment, so I am not the person to come up to for training. Anyway, here we go !

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From day one we’re asked the familiar question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. It’s almost ingrained into our brains, and for most of us, it’s the reason we’re here. Although the answer differs from individual to individual, the ‘American dream’ follows a formulaic pattern for the most part. As we’ve talked about in class, most of us have been involved in several organizations for the majority of high school careers and the trend has only progressed since arriving at Mason. Yet, seldom asked is the question of WHO you want to be. I find this question much more challenging, yet, also, all the more significant.

We’ve talked about how figuring out our personal strengths and weaknesses in leadership are key catalysts for growing into the leaders we hope to become. However, in addition to these questions, in order to grow into the leaders that we each hope to be, I feel it’s of even greater importance to decipher who we are in terms of what we stand for, how we want the world to look, and how we hope to achieve it. As I’ve previously mentioned, being at Mason, away from all of my friends and family, has challenged me in ways that I have never been challenged before. With this being said, I feel that it’s important for each of us to consider these difficult questions and attempt to grasp at what they mean for each of us. Granted, some of you may have it all figured out. But for those of us who are just as conflicted as I am, I challenge you as I challenge myself to struggle through these difficult questions.

Although all of this is a process, and it may even be endless, through truly taking the time to reflect on one self and to determine one’s values, perceptions, and to formulate each of our own individual identities should hold precedence before we are immersing ourselves in the world in front of us.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

This past weekend, I went to Environmental Studies on the Piedmont. And while I was only there for 2 hours, I worked alongside more than a dozen others. And when I truly took a second to look at the progress we’d made, I was duly impressed with the scene before me.

We weren’t loud and overzealous with advertising our work (though I can’t say the same for the way we interacted with each other!), but focused on the task at hand. Not one of us could singularly move a mountain of dead branches and vines, but together we moved everything into place. Everyone fell into an efficient rhythm and had their own mini-task to complete so the overall scene improved.

Gandhi says you can make a nice change by going after something quietly. I love this idea of humility, because it puts a greater focus on the work being done and not praising the people who do it. Service work is about helping people, not about telling everyone how great you are for doing it.

What do you interpret Gandhi’s quote to mean?

Some of you might think, “How do they relate?” However, both go hand in hand. When a group of people is exposed to a leader and asked to follow him/her trust is the key to success. Most of the failures of leadership goals is led to corruption, lack of loyalty and the fear of the unknown. These are barriers, which can be read about in David’s Horsager’s book titled The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results . It explains the eight pillars of trust (Leadership blog), which are:

1. Clarity: People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.
2. Compassion: People put faith in those who care beyond themselves.
3. Character: People notice those who do what is right over what is easy.
4. Competency: People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable.
5. Commitment: People believe in those who stand through adversity.
6. Connection: People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends.
7. Contribution: People immediately respond to results.
8. Consistency: People love to see the little things done consistently.

Do you believe that all eight parts are required for leadership to be successful or are certain steps more vital than others? Give me your input (:

This month I’ve been posting as my Facebook status one thing I’m thankful for every day. Last night I was zoned out thinking about what to post when my roommate asked me what was wrong. I responded, “I just don’t know which thing to pick for my thankfulness status!” I’m thankful that some days I have that problem.
When I chose to do this, I decided right off the bat that I didn’t want my statuses to be broad and generic (“I’m thankful for my friends and family”), because I think it’s often the littlest things that we forget to be thankful for. We forget to be thankful for gorgeous weather, laughter, chocolate chip cookies, and simple phone calls.

Here’s a quick sample of some things I’m thankful for this month:

I’m thankful for the right to vote, the many men and women who have fought to give us that right, and the knowledge that God’s got it all in under His control.

I am thankful for police officers who do their job even when they’re not on duty and an awesome roommate who helped me survive the weekend.

I am thankful for this period of life where it is acceptable to race around the 3rd floor of the JC in rolly chairs…in 4 years I don’t think I’ll be able to get away with that!

In leadership, it’s important that those you lead understand that you are thankful and grateful for their help. Taking simple moments to thank others for what they do empowers them and helps them understand that they truly are making a difference.

Take a moment today to consider your many blessings and be thankful for the big, and the small things.

by Lori Lawson

As leaders, many of us tend to focus more on what is said rather than how it is said. What my goal here is today is to have you reevaluate one of the most prevalent tools that leaders use to present information: the PowerPoint. Recently my History 390 course brought up how slideware programs are the latest craze in information sharing, yet they are often severely detrimental to the information being presented. Need proof? Here is my personal blog entry on the topic.

Slide from “The Gettysburg Address PowerPoint.”

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