Dear Trey,
Over the last eighteen months, you have really begun
to grow as a leader. You have learned so much about leadership, teams,
organizations, and most importantly who you are and what you can accomplish.
2017 is coming to a close and with its conclusion, you are nearing the end of
another graduate course and the wealth of knowledge integrated into the class. This
is a great opportunity to discuss your personal vision, disclose several
learning goals associated with this vision, reveal three milestones for each
goal, and think about the key people in your life that can help you reach the
goals and milestones.
In the future, you envision yourself as an
individual who is able to alter the culture of leadership in organizations. You
want to become a leader that cares about your employees and leads through
resonance. The MSLD program has opened your eyes to the way that leadership can
look. Leadership does not have to be the traditional silo of a top-down hierarchy.
In fact, Obolensky (2014) stated that the traditional hierarchy is dying so
creating a new culture could generate a new movement in leadership. You hope to
create a culture where the people come before profits. This culture will be
implemented into a business in New York City that serves a need to the public.
Now that you know what you want to do, how do you make it happen? What are some
learning goals in creating your vision?
McKee, Boyatzis, & Johnston (2008), stated that
learning goals are the things you need to achieve in order to reach your
personal vision. One thing you must learn, or it will continually drag you down,
is to relinquish the self-doubt and negativity you feel for yourself. Herman, Leonardelli, & Arken (2002) stated
that individuals with self –doubt try to handicap themselves as a protection
from failure. Time and time again you have proven yourself wrong when you
thought you were going to fail. The self-doubt is a recurring worry that is
good for nobody! It does nothing for you, your friends, or your family! So, how
do we learn to relinquish this nuisance called self-doubt?
One milestone would be to begin to see you in a
positive manner by trying out for a community show. You have always been
deathly afraid of public speaking which has been an added factor in your
continuous fear of failure. There are many individuals who can help you along
the way including Casey and Dannielle. The last time you went to a show various
cast members asked when you were going to try to earn a part. Each time they
ask you, you convince yourself you cannot do it. However, it is time to get out of your
comfort zone and prove you wrong! Getting a part in a community production
would help your self-confidence and also teach you impromptu skills that are
great for leadership.
Another milestone that would help to relinquish the
self-doubt would be to create a leadership presentation and present it to your
department. The lessons of Simon Sinek
and Drew Dudley are invaluable and could be presented to the department.
Isalene would be an individual to help you develop the avenues needed to
present your thoughts on leadership. This presentation would help you not only
share your thoughts on leadership in your department but build confidence.
Another hurdle in relation to your self-doubt is the
inability to own who you really are. A milestone to help you own who you really
are is to either go on enough mock interviews to feel comfortable about
yourself or join Habitat for Humanity as a way to see yourself in a more
positive manner. Individuals like Matt and Alex can help you increase your
confidence in interviews and Roth could give you the inside track to Habitat.
Either of these activities would serve as a milestone by allowing you to do
something out of the ordinary as a method to increase self-confidence.
The second learning goal in route to your successful
personal vision is to get involved in creating a leadership of culture. How can you do this? The first milestone
would be to finish your degree. You have gained so much knowledge about the effects
of a positive culture on leadership and I know you will continue to learn more
as you progress through each class. The individuals who can help you reach this
milestone are the great professors and classmates in the program. The program
itself is a testament to the power of culture.
Another milestone that will help you to achieve the
learning goal of getting involved in creating a culture of leadership would be
to get a mentor. Meyer (2013) stated that mentors were important because they
(a) introduce us to insides we do not know, (b) reveal blind spots we do not
see, (c) help us develop strengths we
are yet to develop, (d) help us build
disciplines we could not build, and (e) help us discover potential we could not
find. There is no doubt you are passionate about creating a culture of
leadership, but finding a mentor could be a great step in helping you reach
that goal. Some potential excellent mentors are Isalene, Matt, Marty, and
Linda. Each of these individuals could help you gain more insight into culture
and the positivity a strong culture can have on the leadership of an
organization.
A final milestone in the learning goal of building
culture would be to work on a project in your current position to prove your
knowledge in leadership. This activity would help you share the knowledge you
have gained in the program while exhibiting the desire you feel for culture
changes in organizations. Hopefully, your effort on this project would help you
begin to shape the culture of your department which could lead to
organizational changes. Some of the individuals that could help you reach this
milestone are Veronica, Bob, and Marty.
Your final learning goal should be to create a
healthy work-life balance full of mindfulness. Boyatzis & McKee (2005)
argued that resonant leaders should have a means of both refreshing and create
mindfulness. One milestone needed to create a healthy work-life balance is to
have a no technology weekend. You are dependent on your phone and other
technology. After you are finished with school, you should make a point to have
at least one no technology weekend. It will be important to let anyone who may
look for you in on your plan, but it will be a great way to refresh. The time
that is usually spent on the phone or in front of the TV can now be spent walking
on the beach, playing a board game, visiting friends and family, reading a
book, or spending time with the pets outside. This is a great idea as a way to
refresh and may be able to be implemented once a month. Casey would be a key
factor in making sure you stayed on track. You have had this conversation with
her in the past, so you know she will on board with the refreshing idea.
Another milestone in the learning goal of
mindfulness is to compete in the Disney half marathon. When you were younger,
the activity of running was a great way to release the negative feelings of a
stressful day. This was your time to reflect and renew yourself. Over the last
couple of years, you have quit running. A running schedule will keep you grounded
and the joy of running will help you get over stressful days. Also, this would
be a way to prove to yourself that you can still accomplish goals. The Disney
half marathon has been a goal since you moved to Florida and training for, competing
in, and finishing the event would be a great way to promote a healthy work-life
balance.
Finally, another hobby that would promote a healthy
work-life balance would be to finally learn to play the guitar. You bought a
guitar over ten years ago and have not committed to learning how to play.
Nourfoundation (2013) stated that the human brain has the ability to learn
until death, so why not learn a skill that you have always wanted to learn. The
milestone could be to learn a couple of songs. The practice and repetition could
be a way to create mindfulness. You also have a member of the family that would
be willing to help you reach this milestone.
Trey, if you are able to begin to relinquish the
self-doubt that continuously holds you back, get involved in creating a culture
of leadership, and work to create a healthy work-life balance, I am confident
you can see your personal vision to the end. The only thing that is standing in
the way is you- so move out of your own way and watch the progress begin.
References
Boyatzis, R. & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Publishing.
Herman, A., Leonardelli, G., & Arkin, R. (2002).
Self-doubt and self-esteem: A threat from within. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/484807/Self-doubt_and_self-esteem_A_threat_from_within
McKee,
A., Boyatzis, R. & Johnston, F. ( 2008). Becoming a resonant leader. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School
Publishing.
Meyer,
D. (2013). The power of a mentor. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-meyer-phd/the-power-of-a-mentor_b_2860647.html
NourFoundation. (2013, February). Becoming
conscious: The science of mindfulness[YouTube]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TeWvf-nfpA&feature=youtu.be
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd ed.). Gower.
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