After reading "Getting personal on the topic of leadership" I could not help but get nostalgic and reflect back on some of my childhood phases. My family did not have much money growing up. My mother was a stay at home mom and my dad worked hard to provide for my three brothers and I. I thought back to how I felt when I was in 6th grade. If you didn't wear certain name brand clothes you were looked down upon. Even then there were cliques and obvious "classes" we all fell into. I didn't belong to the "popular" crowd which is why I think I focused so much on sports and used that as a social crutch. As I got past middle school and was entering high school, to make up for not having the latest "in trend" name brand clothes, I worked an entire summer cleaning at a pre-school. I cleaned toilets, swept, mopped, and waxed floors. I picked weeds. I busted my butt all summer. My reward was going to the mall at the end of the summer to buy my very own, brand new, in fashion clothes. I bought 2 new pair of expensive sneakers, and about 10 different outfits. I did this because I wanted to fit in. But the funny thing is that I didn't need to try so hard. I should have just been me. I learned a valuable lesson the next year from an upper class man. It was the first day of school and he wasn't wearing noticeably new clothes. I couldn't figure out why anyone would come to school on the first day without new school clothes? So I asked him. He said "I come to school to learn. Not for a fashion show." I was really stunned but I thought about it and he was right! What was I thinking this whole time. I was trying to be someone I wasn't instead of being myself. The person I was trying to portray was not me. It was my idea of who I thought others wanted me to be.
Goffee and Jones (2006) wrote "What characterizes effective leaders is a sense of what works for them with others. They know and show enough of themselves to win over their followers." Fast forward to today after a considerable amount of learned life lessons. The one thing I have always taken pride in is that I treat others the way I want to be treated. I am no better than anyone else. I do my best to make a positive impact or interaction with anyone I come into contact with. From the janitor at my school, to the clerk in the gas station, to the cashier in the supermarket. When people meet me and get to know me one of the things they will usually confide in me is that they appreciate my sincerity (my wife jokes that I must pay them all). I consider this my competency in emotional intelligence. This is my strength and I will utilize this trait to be an effective leader. Yukl (2014) states "Emotional intelligence is relevant for leadership effectiveness in several ways. Leaders with a high levl of emotional intelligence are more capable of solving complex problems, planning how to use their time effectively, adapting their behavior to the situation, and managing crises. self-awareness makes it easier to understand one's needs and likely reactions if certain events occurred thereby facilitating evaluation of alternative problems." (p. 152).
Because I grew up in a family that valued hard work when it came time for me to work I worked hard. Any job I ever had I worked from the bottom up. I enjoy proving myself and I owe my values and strong work ethic to my upbringing. I could have easily decided I wanted easy things and easy money but that was never me. I value integrity. I value ethics. I have an opportunity to become a valuable leader in the future. I can borrow from the theories we explored this week such as transforming leadership, servant leadership, spiritual leadership, and authentic leadership to achieve my future goals. Yukl (2014) summarized "The theories of ethical leadership emphasize the importance of integrity and ethical behavior. Ethical leaders influence followers to recognize the need for adaptive problem solving that will improve their long term welfare rather than denying the need or settling for superficial remedies." (p. 357). It is my goal to continue to treat others as I want to be treated and to follow an ethical path to leadership.
Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2006). Getting personal on the topic of leadership. Human Resource Management International Digest , 14 (4), 32-34.
Yukl, G. A. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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