Lesson 3: Taking the Initiative to Lead
Another lesson that we learned in the class was taking the initiative to lead. Through this lesson we were asked to reflect upon what kind of person we are. I said that I typically prefer to follow, however I view myself as a silent leader. I do not enjoy the spotlight, but I definitely have the abilities to take the reigns on any given task. The factors that I typically consider before I decide to lead are if I have the time that the task will require, the amount of help that I will receive in carrying out the task, and lastly how many people will be affected positively through my leading. Since I don't typically enjoy the spotlight, I tend to prefer leading in smaller scale projects. Some characteristics that I think a leader should possess are: confidence, being outgoing, being personable, and ultimately being determined and very goal oriented. To wrap up the activity, we were asked to share a model of who we think is a leader, and I chose Frank Martin. He is the Men's head basketball coach at the University of South Carolina. He emulates all the traits that I would want to follow as a team member. Through this class, I did have the opportunity to take initiative to lead when I chose to be the head of the Business Planning Committee for our junior class project. I feel like though a lot of what we did went in the trash can, I learned a lot more about what it means to take the bull by the horns and lead when others are in need. I chose the picture below from a different class because it was a time when no one in the class wanted to present our hard work to the Sisters at Annunciation Monastery, so I decided to lead on behalf of the class.