For the past six weeks, I have been enrolled in an online college course, Principles of Leadership. Each week I learned a principle or two that impacted me. I’ve discussed many of these principles and their influence on me in previous blogs. But, this course has done so much more than teach me principles, it has brought changes in me and shaped the way I looked at leading. To sum it up, this course has shown me what it truly looks like to be a good leader, helped me to discover and understand more about myself, and equipped me with many tools to aid me in leadership.
Prior to this class, I thought I knew exactly what a good leader was supposed to look like. I had loose ideas of a good leader being someone who is responsible, respectable, and trustworthy. With the knowledge I now have, I realize that these characteristics simply make someone a good person, not necessarily a good leader. While it is definitely beneficial for a leader to be responsible, respectable, and trustworthy, I’ve learned that these aren’t the defining characteristics of a good leader. So, I asked myself, in light of all that I have learned through this course, what qualities truly make someone a good leader? I came up with these five things…
A Good Leader:
1) Self-Aware
2) Focused and Goal Oriented
3) Motivated and Determined
4) Positive and Encouraging
5) Humble and Open to Feedback
Each week of this course I learned a new principle and with each principle I discovered a different characteristic that principle presents itself as. I found the necessities of each of these attributes through each of the principles of leadership that I learned throughout this course. This is where I learned so much about myself. The principles I learned required me to to take a good, deep look at myself. I questioned if I possessed these qualities and how I could grow in each of them. I could easily see the characteristics where I was lacking and how that was affecting my leadership abilities.
The first two weeks, I learned about principles that led me to discover the importance self-awareness in a leader. Looking back now, this quality is almost obvious. How could someone lead others without knowing who they are first? However, at the beginning of this course I would have never thought it necessary. Therefore, when my first assignment asked me to look into my own life and think about how my family, experiences, and mentors have shaped me, I was confused and slightly annoyed. I didn’t understand how this could help me in leadership whatsoever. The next week I found my assignment asking me to list my values and write a vision for my life. I did not understand, but I did them anyways. At the end of the second week, I sat down to write my blog and it all made sense; something clicked. I finally comprehended that in order to lead others well, it is vital for me to understand how I operate. It is vital for me to know where I am going and why if I want others to do the same. To lead without self-awareness would be complete hypocrisy. I had come to understand myself better throughout the activities I completed, I discovered the reasons I value certain things and how those relate to my vision. I implemented this knowledge into my daily life and found that I was able to function much more effectively because I had a better understanding of my own how and why. This made me a better leader because I am now able to conduct myself in the most efficient ways. I will use this principle to continue growing in leadership by making time to reevaluate myself and ensure that I still understand myself before I attempt to understand others.
The third week I found that a leader needs to be extremely focused and goal oriented. The two principles I learned that week were about goals and the best ways to achieve them. This was a concept I understood well. As I completed the assignments that asked me to create goals for myself, I immediately connected the necessity for these qualities in a leader. As a leader, there are many things to deal with and overcome. The best way to do this is to always know where you’re going and ensure that the goal is always the focal point. With this concept fresh on my mind, I applied it to my own life and created some tangible goals for myself that I still look at each day. The things I learned about goals and leadership really pushed me to pay attention to my goals and how I am working towards them. I plan to continue keeping my goals at the center of my attention and taking small steps toward them every day. I hope the people around me will notice this and I will be able to lead by example in this way.
Similarly, the fourth week’s principles taught me that leaders must be motivated and determined. Motivation and determination are vital in a leader because people need to be pushed towards their common goal and if their leader is motivated and determined, it is easy for them to be as well. The principles in the fourth week focused on taking what you have, making it your own and using it. I believe this is the key to motivation and determination and a major role of a leader. By doing this, it is clear to see how the goal will be achieved therefore making it easy to want to accomplish it. In my own life, this concept immediately renewed my own motivation and determination to reach the goals I have set for myself by the end of The World Race. I plan to remember the impact this renewed motivation had on me and allow that to push me to be more determined in going above and beyond my goals in this last month of The World Race.
The fifth week showed me that it is necessary for leaders to be positive and encouraging. The principles taught centered on taking control of your own attitude and the power that has in your life. Personally, I was convicted by these concepts. I realized how easy it is for me to fall into feeling like I am not in control of anything, therefore, I can’t always be positive and encouraging. However, the principles I learned taught me that I am always in control of my attitude and my perspective. That gave me the power to change my outlook on life and I did it! My teammates noticed the new positivity in me and were truly encouraged by it. That is when I discovered how positivity is essential to leadership. Positivity is contagious; if your leader is joyful, it’s easier for you to be too. I plan to bring this positivity with me for the rest of The Race and allow it to spread to every aspect of my life and the lives of the people around me.
Finally, the sixth week I learned how important it is for a leader to humble themselves and always be open to feedback. The principles I learned this week tied back to the very first week of the course. Feedback, in a way, is the second step to being self-aware. There are only so many things we can see about ourselves and sometimes it is necessary for us to take a look at ourselves from another person’s point of view, especially a leader. I learned that I never would have recognized some of the areas that were holding me back and I definitely would not have experienced such tremendous amounts of growth if I hadn’t humbled myself and asked my team for honest feedback like this course required me to do. I plan to always seek out feedback from the people around me and to know that it is not only necessary, but also beneficial.
All in all, this course has given me a desire to be the best leader that I can be. I long for the next time I find myself in a leadership position so that I may use the tools and knowledge I am now armed with.
