There is a Leader in All of Us.......

Hello all,

I hope that for a second week in a row, the government shutdown isn't affecting you to bad. If our leaders would just come to a consensus, this could all be over and done with it. Anyways, over the past nine weeks, I have had the privilege of learning all about leadership and have gained a lot of insight on the topic. Now, by no means, am I professing or claiming that I am an expert on the matter, but I have acquired a great deal of knowledge on the subject and can tie into situations that occur in my life.  For this last blog, I will focus on the “leader in you” based on my newly acquired knowledge on the matter.

What is a Leader?

When I think of a leader, I think of someone that is motivational, inspiring, and who’s in charge, but a leader is so much more than this.  A leader is an individual who delegates responsibility, can assess the strengths and weaknesses of others (subordinates), guide others, rewards employees in times of success and displays personal accountability in times of loss.  A leader is not afraid to push the envelope and defy the normal standards and redefine the structure of organizations. Hmm, sounds a tad bit like a rebellious teenager, lol! Yet, not quite exactly. 

Leaders are transformational beings, servants of the people, authentic, and in recent times women.  The role of leader has always been associated with the male gender, but women are leaders too.  Look at who are holding the positions of school teacher, school principal, senator, city council member, judge and even police chief.  Women are acquiring these once male dominated positions and though they may meet a little adversity along the way, they are well-respected in these roles. Yet, being a leader does not begin or stop here.

The Birth of Being a Leader

I firmly believe that within each and every one of us are a few teaspoons of leader. I believe that we are all born with the innate traits of leadership.  It is in our upbringing and schooling that we emerge as leaders. This is where the “natural leader” comes from.  However, not all of us are lucky to emerge naturally into the role of leader; it takes a bit of time and formal training.  It’s kind of like Robert Frost’s, The Road Not Taken, some of us prefer to just not take the leadership route, and that’s the better road to travel.   For those that do travel down the leadership path, it’s from that first risk that their lives as a leader evolve. Although I’m not an assigned leader, I think that over the years I have emerged as a leader.

The Leader in Me

 As aforementioned, we all have some leader in us. It is those few teaspoons that equip us with the armor needed to be a leader.  For me, being a leader is not about a title or label, it’s about being me.  Being a leader is striving to have an impact and making a difference in the lives of others.  Growing up as one of five kids, it’s always been about what makes you different from your siblings. Since as far back as I can remember, I have always had a drive and passion for reading, writing and helping others. Today, at 27 years of age, I still have that passion, with more emphasis on the last one. 

I have always had a fire about me and in everything that I do. I cannot count the number of times that I served as class secretary or vice president over the years.  Also, throughout middle and high school I was a student ambassador for my schools.  In high school, this position led to me having the opportunity to visit and serve as a representative for my high school at the University of Notre Dame for a week my sophomore and junior years.  

Senator Linda Coleman (AL)District 20
http://senatorlindacoleman.com/
 

My senior year of high school, my class voted me to give the introductory speech for the guest speaker, Sen. Linda Coleman (AL), at our graduation. It was their belief and faith in me to handle such an important task, which equipped me with the ability to eloquently do so.  My tenacity and passion for helping others followed me to college, where I served as once again an ambassador for the school, to recruit minority students and promote diversity.  During my undergraduate years at the University of Alabama, I served as a member of a group called Women in Leading and Learning and as a resident assistant (RA) for a short while.  Looking back on those roles now, I can see that I was a leader, whereas back then it only seemed like I was a member in those organizations. From studying and reading about leadership over these last few weeks, I can now point out and assess the leadership traits and styles I exuded while involved in these organizations. 

Presently, my leadership roles may seem slightly bleak in comparison to my undergraduate years, but I think they are just slightly different leadership roles.  I currently serve as teacher of the praise team ministry at my church. This position entails me working one-two times a week with our young girls and teaching them liturgical dance. They range in age from 4-14 and can be quite rambunctious at times. Yet, it’s a job and I love teaching them. To my family, I am the first of my four siblings to earn a Bachelor’s Degree and in December, I will be the first to attain a Master’s Degree.  In the eyes of my family, I have defied the odds and set a new precedence. To me, I’m just being me.  At my part time job, I am an inspiration to the other associates that there is nothing one cannot do if they put their mind to it.  This is my second family, they have been in my corner since day one that I started grad school and always call, text or email me to ask me how school is going and to offer a few encouraging words.  I have evolved as an individual and as a leader throughout this MPA program, unbeknownst to myself.  It is in the words and actions of those around me that validates this.  As I continue on this journey and complete it in exactly two months, I will continue to evolve as a leader and will take with me all the discussions and knowledge that I have gained along the way from Dr. E’s Leadership class.

Motivational Leaders

Hello everyone, hope your week has been productive and fulfilling. Also, pray that you are staying dry as we anticipate the landfall of tropical depression, possible Hurricane Karen.

In light of some very sad and hurtful news I received the latter part of the week, the passing of my high school English teacher, Mrs. Christine Knight, I have decided to take a different approach with my blog this week.  I've decided to highlight those individuals who have made a tremendous impact on my life and whom I truly considered to be not just exceptional role models, but leaders in every aspect of the word.

From as far back as I can remember I have always loved school; in fact, I couldn't wait to go back each and every day just to learn something new.  Over the course of my educational training, I have had some remarkable and great teachers.  The bulk of these were my English and/or Creative Writing teachers. It’s funny that as I sit and think back on all the teachers I have had in elementary, high school and even college, I recall the names of almost all my English teachers, but vaguely remember the names of some of my other teachers, lol! 

The Early Years

My first English teacher ever, was my 1^st grade teacher, Mrs. Lewis. Mrs. Lewis was one of those teachers that you knew meant business. Everything about her exuded leadership and this was not because she was an educator. Whenever, she walked in a room, she commanded your attention and her presence was known. The fundamentals of English, such as writing your name, what’s a subject and a predicate she taught me. Mrs. Lewis truly loved working with kids and this showed in the many rewards and surprises she had for her students throughout the school year. The thing of it was that we knew nothing about the reward system until years down the line. Those little surprises and treats that most of didn't find until we retreated home for the evening and went through our book bag had little 6-yr old me in shock initially. It wasn't until I reached the 3^rd grade, that I overheard her and my 3^rd grade teacher talking about how educationally advanced I was for my age. One fact that a lot of people do not know about me is that I actually began Christian school at the age of 3 and was placed in a class with 4 and 5-year-olds because I was already reading and writing. It wasn't until close to my 5^th birthday, which is August that I was advanced to Kindergarten.  It was in my eavesdropping that I heard her tell my 3^rd grade teacher of the many rewards she gave me and the other students when we were in her class, I was speechless.  Yet, this was one custom that kind of followed me through the years.

Mrs. Freeman was my 7^th & 8^th grade English teacher.  It was under her direction that my English and creative writing skills flourished.  Also, it was during these years that my father passed away and not feeling like I could talk to anyone about my feelings, I took to journaling and praise dance.  It was in one of our weekly writing assignments that Mrs. Freeman noticed the caliber and advancement of my writings and decided to give me a little test.  In addition to our regular weekly assignments, in English class each day, she would give me excerpts from Shakespeare and British Literature to read and interpret. My interpretations were dead on and precise. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these were assignments that she assigned to her freshman English class at one of the local community colleges that she taught in the evenings.  For the two years that she taught me, she never treated me any different from my classmates.  Although, some of my assignments differed from my peers, this was something that she never filled them in on. Mrs. Freeman informed me that I had a gift and a way with words and to never forget it. It’s funny that some 15 years later, I still recall that.  During my eighth grade year, there were two new students that started and had very poor English scores from their previous school; everyone knew this because of their poor penmanship and lack of interaction in class. Mrs. Freeman worked diligently every school day with these students and at the end of the school year; their scores had improved tremendously as well as their penmanship.

High School Years

In the fall of 2000, I started high school at Holy Family High School.  Most of my classmates from the two previous private schools I attended also started there.  On day one, we were all given our schedules and the names of our teachers for the year. I’ll never forget the day I walked into Freshman English and was met with the biggest and warmest smiles ever. Mrs. Knight was written on the chalkboard behind that infectious smile and it was at that moment, I felt like I was at home.   Words alone cannot describe just how remarkable and great Mrs. Knight was as a teacher and as a human being. 

Mrs. Christine Knight 

For starters, there was never a dull moment in Mrs. Knight’s English classes. I ended up having Mrs. Knight as my English teacher for the full span of my high school years. For those of you have ever watched Freedom Writers, sounds familiar huh, lol!  The only difference is that Mrs. Knight was not limited to just teaching freshman or sophomores.  Mrs. Knight made an effort to get to know ALL of her students on a personal level, about 140 students. My high school was quite small.

In Mrs. Knight’s class, there was no such thing as a dumb question. To her a dumb question was one you didn't ask.  The passion and love she had for all of her students was beyond anything that I have ever seen.  If I had to peg a leadership style for her, it would be a combination of path-goal theory, transformational leadership, authentic leadership and servant leadership.  When Mrs. Knight taught, she didn't just teach, she transformed the learning dynamics for her students.  The one thing that none of her students will ever forget is the 1^st ten lines of the Canterbury Tales. She is known across the city for the teaching of this.  I can think of no better example of servant leadership than that of Mrs. Knight. She put her students first and treated us not just as the confused and hormone-driven teens some of us were, but as individuals embarking on the educational journey that needed a little push to stay on track. The news of her passing deeply saddened me, but one thing that I and all of her students will never forget is her genuine and warm infectious smile. She will forever be in our hearts and minds.