This is my third post of the five-day BSU BlogFest series, where BSU community members share their thoughts on a common topic each day. BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.
Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!
Wednesday's BlogFest Theme: Leadership
I will be perfectly honest with you about something: you probably will have heard some version of almost everything I write on today's topic of leadership. Frankly, I am willing to bet my walking stick collection on the fact that if you go to a bookstore's self-help section, you'll find every basic leadership concept/cliché known to human-kind in those books. So why bother?
Because knowing leadership concepts and living those concepts are two entirely different things. Gaining experience and learning from that experience is the only sure-fire way to become an effective leader. Granted, it is possible to be a naturally-born leader, but even then it's pure luck -- the first baby to leave the womb in a multiple birth delivery leads (okay, that's an example of my dry witty humor). If you didn't close your browser after the first paragraph, you may have done so by the end of this one.
Assuming you're still reading, I'd like to *cough*preach*cough* share some leadership concepts that I personally find important based upon my experiences. Sure, as I said, you've heard all this before. But it's kind of like listening to Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen." It contains insights you likely knew at least subconsciously, but it's beautiful to hear and reflect upon. Don't know that song? After you've read through my blog, you can click on the video for the freakishly good song at the end of this post. Oh, you're welcome. :)
Mike Goodhart's Top Ten Leadership Concepts You May Want to Consider
1. Find your niche or passion, and run with it. If you're struggling to take the lead on something, reflect on what you personally enjoy doing. Chances are if you're good at something, you have a lot to teach other people in that area. Start an intramural sport on campus. Bring your photography skills to an organization. Join the chess club and show off your mad skills. In the medieval days of 1999, I was good at making web sites when few others did them. As a shy kid, I made a web page for my hall council and ultimately the Residence Hall Association. This is what started the chain of events in my world of leadership to my current role as a resident director.
2. Tread lightly. If you have a blunt firey personality and you're in conflict with others, know that tact and diplomacy might take you farther with them. I've seen too many people's ideas get rejected because they were just too forceful.
3. But be direct, too. If conflict scares you, take a cue from John Mayer's "Say." Say what you need to say. You might find you'll feel better. This is totally more like me. As an introverted sensitive type, I often worry I'll hurt others' feelings or risk hurting my own feelings in the process of confronting someone. But I've had a lot of success where working relationships and friendships have bloomed following a respectful confrontation of a behavior.
4. Take responsibility for your mistakes. If you do something wrong, own up to it. There certainly may be consequences, but you'll find your integrity is intact and people will respect you for it. As a supervisor, there are few things that bother me more than when someone doesn't take responsibility for their actions. And for me personally, when I've made a mistake and immediately went forward to admit I screwed up, I found I could move on with my life much more quickly. Sure, I faced the penalties but my colleagues and supervisors saw that I could be trusted to do the right thing.
5. Learn from your mistakes. So you owned up to the mistake the first time. Don't let it happen again - learn from it. You will make mistakes in the future, but as long as they're not the same ones, there's a good chance you're growing as a leader. Oh, how I have made MANY mistakes. But I can proudly claim that I reflected upon each of those mistakes, considered how that mistake came about, and told my brain -- "brain, don't let that happen again." My employer references can pretty much promise to potential employers that I won't get something wrong twice.
6. Don't be afraid to be goofy. As long as it's appropriate, people can relate to you much more if you can demonstrate a fun sense of humor. I have no problem singing Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" in front of 90 people. Ask the RAs here at BSU about that one. But I'd like to think things like that help people feel comfortable approaching me and getting to know me. This is especially important for me since I am an introvert and tend to be quieter than other leaders.
7. Take the time to recognize other people for what they do well. Others will have a lot more buy-in with a group or task when they know you are aware of their accomplishments and thank them for it. However, not everyone wants public recognition; sometimes they prefer subtle behind-the-scenes appreciation. To be honest, this is an area that can occasionally be a weakness for me. But I recognize that and try to be proactive in turning that weakness into a strength... which leads me to my next point!
8. Practice at what you don't do well. Especially if your weakness is tied to your personality. Try to improve in areas that you lack confidence. It's the only way that you'll truly grow as a leader. I was terrified of public speaking as a first-year college student. But then during my sophomore year, a vice president position opened up in my residence hall council. My roommate (and best friend now for 13 years), who was the hall council president at the time, encouraged me to take it on. The idea of speaking in front of even ten people scared me. But I decided to take on the challenge. Later, I ended up on the Residence Hall Association executive board as the webmaster. I made it a point to speak on something every week to the entire RHA general body. That was the only way I would ever improve at public speaking.
9. Actively listen to what others have to say - and don't interrupt. It's really easy to think that you know what a person is talking about, but try to block out your own thoughts and instead truly listen to them - and let them finish their thoughts. I like to finish my sentences when I speak with someone about a concern that I have. When I see that person nodding their head, demonstrating eye contact, and staying focused, I feel a lot better. Sometimes people just need to vent a little, too!
10. You don't always have to be the leader. Let others take the lead sometimes, too. You just may find that you can learn something about yourself when you watch someone else shine in the spotlight.
Because knowing leadership concepts and living those concepts are two entirely different things. Gaining experience and learning from that experience is the only sure-fire way to become an effective leader. Granted, it is possible to be a naturally-born leader, but even then it's pure luck -- the first baby to leave the womb in a multiple birth delivery leads (okay, that's an example of my dry witty humor). If you didn't close your browser after the first paragraph, you may have done so by the end of this one.
Assuming you're still reading, I'd like to *cough*preach*cough* share some leadership concepts that I personally find important based upon my experiences. Sure, as I said, you've heard all this before. But it's kind of like listening to Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen." It contains insights you likely knew at least subconsciously, but it's beautiful to hear and reflect upon. Don't know that song? After you've read through my blog, you can click on the video for the freakishly good song at the end of this post. Oh, you're welcome. :)
1. Find your niche or passion, and run with it. If you're struggling to take the lead on something, reflect on what you personally enjoy doing. Chances are if you're good at something, you have a lot to teach other people in that area. Start an intramural sport on campus. Bring your photography skills to an organization. Join the chess club and show off your mad skills. In the medieval days of 1999, I was good at making web sites when few others did them. As a shy kid, I made a web page for my hall council and ultimately the Residence Hall Association. This is what started the chain of events in my world of leadership to my current role as a resident director.
2. Tread lightly. If you have a blunt firey personality and you're in conflict with others, know that tact and diplomacy might take you farther with them. I've seen too many people's ideas get rejected because they were just too forceful.
3. But be direct, too. If conflict scares you, take a cue from John Mayer's "Say." Say what you need to say. You might find you'll feel better. This is totally more like me. As an introverted sensitive type, I often worry I'll hurt others' feelings or risk hurting my own feelings in the process of confronting someone. But I've had a lot of success where working relationships and friendships have bloomed following a respectful confrontation of a behavior.
4. Take responsibility for your mistakes. If you do something wrong, own up to it. There certainly may be consequences, but you'll find your integrity is intact and people will respect you for it. As a supervisor, there are few things that bother me more than when someone doesn't take responsibility for their actions. And for me personally, when I've made a mistake and immediately went forward to admit I screwed up, I found I could move on with my life much more quickly. Sure, I faced the penalties but my colleagues and supervisors saw that I could be trusted to do the right thing.
5. Learn from your mistakes. So you owned up to the mistake the first time. Don't let it happen again - learn from it. You will make mistakes in the future, but as long as they're not the same ones, there's a good chance you're growing as a leader. Oh, how I have made MANY mistakes. But I can proudly claim that I reflected upon each of those mistakes, considered how that mistake came about, and told my brain -- "brain, don't let that happen again." My employer references can pretty much promise to potential employers that I won't get something wrong twice.
6. Don't be afraid to be goofy. As long as it's appropriate, people can relate to you much more if you can demonstrate a fun sense of humor. I have no problem singing Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" in front of 90 people. Ask the RAs here at BSU about that one. But I'd like to think things like that help people feel comfortable approaching me and getting to know me. This is especially important for me since I am an introvert and tend to be quieter than other leaders.
7. Take the time to recognize other people for what they do well. Others will have a lot more buy-in with a group or task when they know you are aware of their accomplishments and thank them for it. However, not everyone wants public recognition; sometimes they prefer subtle behind-the-scenes appreciation. To be honest, this is an area that can occasionally be a weakness for me. But I recognize that and try to be proactive in turning that weakness into a strength... which leads me to my next point!
8. Practice at what you don't do well. Especially if your weakness is tied to your personality. Try to improve in areas that you lack confidence. It's the only way that you'll truly grow as a leader. I was terrified of public speaking as a first-year college student. But then during my sophomore year, a vice president position opened up in my residence hall council. My roommate (and best friend now for 13 years), who was the hall council president at the time, encouraged me to take it on. The idea of speaking in front of even ten people scared me. But I decided to take on the challenge. Later, I ended up on the Residence Hall Association executive board as the webmaster. I made it a point to speak on something every week to the entire RHA general body. That was the only way I would ever improve at public speaking.
9. Actively listen to what others have to say - and don't interrupt. It's really easy to think that you know what a person is talking about, but try to block out your own thoughts and instead truly listen to them - and let them finish their thoughts. I like to finish my sentences when I speak with someone about a concern that I have. When I see that person nodding their head, demonstrating eye contact, and staying focused, I feel a lot better. Sometimes people just need to vent a little, too!
10. You don't always have to be the leader. Let others take the lead sometimes, too. You just may find that you can learn something about yourself when you watch someone else shine in the spotlight.
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