I have a burning passion for
helping make the world a better place and inspiring others to want to do the
same. It must first start within. First and foremost, we must arise awareness
in ourselves, to better understand our sense of purpose, values, and mission. Once a person better understands themselves,
they must then seek to understand others while accepting each person
as a unique individual, and never judging, while also helping them
evolve into the best possible version of themselves that they are able to
be.
When I first began my journey, a few years back, I had
all the core characteristics of a leader including honesty, integrity, drive,
and passion, but not a lot of sense of direction. As I began my work with at risk youth, I
began doing a lot of self reflecting on my own life. I did not want these kids to make the same
mistakes that I had, and at the same time, some mistakes that I was continuing
to make. As I found myself confronting
inappropriate actions or behaviors of these youth, I was able to reflect on my
own actions as to see if I was making the same mistakes. If I was, I dedicated myself to making
changes in my own life, so that I could be a positive role model and mentor for
these youth. At this time in my life,
their wellbeing was more important than my own.
I knew at this point, that if I wanted to help them, I must first help
myself. I began a sort of role reversal,
giving thought to my actions as if I were one of my children taking the same
course of action in order to determine if my strategies were ones to be proud
of.
Once I was able to make the necessary changes within
myself, I was able to share how liberating change could be, and the many ways
that life could become better because of it.
Having an optimistic attitude towards the future, and the belief that
love and courage would bring me through these difficult times, along with
educating myself, helped me to overcome any obstacles that stood in my
way. With each obstacle, my self
confidence rose, which gave me confidence that I could help others in the same
way that I was able to help myself. I
have decided to dedicate my life to helping people gain empowerment and
enlightment over their own lives so that they are able to bestow the same
knowledge upon others. As the
enlightment grows, with each individual, so will it’s energy. As each person becomes healed, through
learning, the energy and inspiration that comes with it will turn all of the
learners into leaders who will lead others on the path to self discovery and
inner peace.
Before this assignment, I had never considered myself a
leader in any sense. I always thought
that leadership was some sort of word relating to the control of others. Now that I have a clear understanding, I am
able to realize that I am a leader mainly because I have control over my own
life. This control that I have found, in
my own life, as sent me on a mission to help others gain self control because I
believe that as this happens, and people are able to take accountability for
their own actions, the world is one person closer to creating my ultimate goal
of world peace! We all have unique
talents and ways of contributing positively to our world and each community and
culture within it, and it is up to us, to seek that talent and to make a
positive contribution to our society.
Each person is a leader in their own sense and we need to appreciate
each individuals leadership abilities and help improve confidence in these
abilities. This brings true light and
meaning to the saying “we are all teachers, and we are all learners.”
I believe that I fall into two specific leadership
categories: Transformational leadership,
as well as Servant leadership. Within my
work environment, I am a transformational leader. I have a marked passion for the work that I
do, I help the group to become understanding of one another’s needs and
contributions to the organization, I enjoy helping others to understand the
operations and theories within the organization and to add their own personal
touches and creative ideas to the mix, help them to lift their spirits and
morale as well as feel energized and enthusiastic about our mission, and I am
quick to show my appreciation for each unique attribute they each bring to the
team (not only to themselves, but pointing out for others who may not realize
how another is contributing to the group).
I am also very optimistic and help people to see the good in difficult
situations or point out personal successes.
I am also not afraid to confront unethical behaviors, but try to do it
in ways that will not insult or make the contributor feel bad, but rather to
set a good example and encourage/inspire better behaviors. When a mistake is made, I view it as a
learning experience, and try to get others to view their mistakes in the same
light. I see my team as an
orchestra. Our music would not sound the
same without each individual instrument (in this case each person’s unique
attribute), and together we make the most beautiful music.
In general, within all areas of my life, I am a Servant
leader. I feel that I have a mission in
my life, and in this world to contribute to the well being of humanity and our
communities. I am always seeking ways to
help resolve conflict, both personal and environmental, and promote personal
development, and ways that we can share it with others. My main purpose in life is to help others to
achieve personal enlightment while encouraging and supporting them along the
way. I believe that I encompass all of
the characteristics of a servant leader, which include: Listening, empathy, Healing, awareness,
persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth
of people, and commitment to building great relationships, community, states,
nations, and ultimately the world.
Although I am a follower in many circumstances, I now
realize that I, too, am a leader. It is
my motivation, courage, and determination to change for the better and to work
towards self improvement, while not allowing failures to stand in my way that has
made me into a leader. My journey into
the self, with each up and down, has made me into the type of leader that I am
today. Without the obstacles that I had
to overcome, I cannot say that I would be as resilient as I am, and we all know
that this is a great characteristic of a good leader. Now it is my turn to help others grow into
their full potential and spread the love, not only for themselves, but also for
others. Although I am still learning,
and always will be, through my research, I am finding that just by following my
heart and intuition, I have become a leader, in some sense. I will continue to gain knowledge and
contemplate new ways of doing things and accomplishing my goals so that I am
able to continue to inspire others, keep things interesting, keep my team
engaged, create new methods and models, and work together to overcome any/all
hurdles so that we can say, “It is the input, desire, and motivation from all
of us, together, that has led us to seek new and creative ways of doing things
in the hopes of creating harmony, not only in our own lives, but also the lives
of others so that we can overcome all barriers and create a peaceful and
compassionate society for all of mankind.
People say that words are just words, and actions speak louder
than words. I had never gave much
thought to this saying, until now. First
came my actions, now I am putting them into words!
Here are two of my favorite
leadership quotes:
I am free, no matter what
rules surround me. If I find them
tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, then I break
them. I am free because I know that I,
alone, am morally responsible in everything I do! Robert E. Heinlein
True leaders, and
idealistic individuals embrace others methods and test different ways to
combine, compare, and evaluate…all the while testing limits, and embracing new
ways of doing things, without having to knock others points of view, yet
feeling comfortable enough in their own character to stand by their values, all
the while collaborating, not competing, to come up with the best possible
solution! Kelli Patterson
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