Is your gas tank half full or half empty? My stand, it’s refillable!

It’s hard to believe that 5 full weeks of classes have already gone by. To sum up my feelings about this time frame I will re-quote a quote by Leo Babauta which one of my fellow MASD cohorts Whitley Mike quoted in her last blog post:

“The more you learn, the more you see there is to learn.” – Leo Barbuda

Same here, the more I know, the more I know how much I actually don’t know.  So far I’ve learned and validated that leadership takes a lot of different skills, and that those skills flux based on need or situation one finds him/ herself in. I’ve also learned that I have some of the rudimentary skills it takes to be a good and creative leader. However, I’ve learned that I either don’t posses some of the crucial skills that are needed to lead or lead with authenticity.  Lastly, I’ve come to realize this past week that there are some skills that are super important (3 in particular) that I need to work on more.  Here they are:

Empathy – While I tend to empathize with other people’s feelings and struggles I realized quickly that I did a poor job of empathizing with others’ thought process they tried to share for my consideration. My professor listed a specific leadership exercise in step by step format. I was fast to dismiss it because I didn’t find it work for me and proceeded to complete my assignment with authenticity and courage, AKA on my on terms. While the goal of the exerciser wasn’t to change my mind (after all one size doesn’t fit all), I wasn’t flexible and open minded to trying something new, even just for consideration. I lacked empathy for intent.

 

 

Flexibility – I am very comfortable being uncomfortable. I can have a tough conversation even when it can cost me because I believe it is important to be honest and transparent with oneself and others around you. Only then can everyone see where you are heading on your journey and why you are where you may be at the moment, even if it’s just stuck. However, as we use benchmarks for our personal and professional development, every journey offers milestones and landmarks we can approach from many directions. We can take the scenic road and get there slower, or we can take the highway and get there fast. Neither is right or wrong. BUT I do realize that I can be little more flexible and open minded in how I reach the distance I’m after.

 

 

Open Mindedness – you get the gist from 1 and 2.  Open mind is like an open road. Anything is possible.

 

 

 

 

Below is my newly revised 10 standard dashboard, where I see myself and what each score means.

STANDARDS	4 Exceeds Standards	3 Meets Standards	2 Approaching Standards	1 Below Standards
Accountability		x
Authenticity		x
Commitment		x
Courage		x
Empathy		x
Flexibility		x
Open Mindedness		x
Passion	x
Patience		x
Resilience		x

Accountability: An accountable leader is someone who shows liability for results of their actions. They also hold other’s accountable.

4= growth is a direct result of accountable leadership/ actions/ 1= makes excuses and points fingers.

Authenticity: One always has to stay true to his/ her core principles and live the message we preach. Authenticity in leadership also means being positive and truthful at all times.

4= leads by example, promote and foster openness/ 1= some who is a “yes” man.

Commitment: Leader’s willingness to put aside personal interests or agendas to support a greater cause.

4= truly believe in what is important (an organization or cause/ effort), show up, follow through, and stick with it/ 1= self-centered and committed to self-interest only.

Courage: an ability to offsets and overcomes setbacks and adversity.

4= being able to project courage with confidence in self and others/ 1= take a sideline when conflicts arise or when decision making is needed.

Empathy: People follow people they can believe in, who they trust to help them achieve their goals. Empathy is a skill to see and bring about potential in others.

4= shows thoughtful understanding and responsiveness to followers’ needs result in strong relationship and success/ 1= close minded approach to problem solving and limiting lackluster results.

Flexibility: when presented with new challenges a flexible leader demands and seeks workable solutions.

4= often looks for new possibilities that may not have been tried before/ 1= repeats same steps over and over but expects different results.

Open Mindedness: Leader who develops and communicates vision with input from others.

4= seeks and provides feedback, fosters inclusivity of ideas and personal beliefs/ 1= sets a vision and delegates without care for values of others.

Passion: Passionate leader exuberates excitement and belief for ideas and people, provides nurturing and inspiring environment to exceed in.

4= provides support and meaningful coaching, actions follow words/ 1= sucks life out of others and brings people down.

Patience: Exercise tolerance and self-restraint in hard situations.

4= restrains from judgment, looks for silver linings/ 1= doesn’t take time to provide nurturing and meaningful guidance.

Resilience: Doesn’t bend under pressure and continuously leads to positive outcomes with valuable lessons.

4= ability to withstand pressure and recover effectively from setbacks with minimal impact on team/ 1= projects stress onto team.