... Pensive Thoughts

As I sit here on this Sunday, many thoughts roam my mind. Not only is this semester a few weeks away from coming to a close, my time here at San Diego State is near its final end as well. When reflecting upon the courses I've completed thus far at this university, a few in particular come to mind as far as courses that I can really see myself applying the information learned to my future career. All of my "leadership" courses through the HTM program have been nothing but a success and without the help of Lori and Mark teaching them I don't think I would feel this way. Words cannot begin to describe how much I appreciate our teachers in this program. It is evident from their work at the university and beyond, how much they genuinely care for their students and for their success. I've learned more than I had ever imagined about myself as an individual from my leadership courses through HTM. To me, this is the most valuable and precious tool I can have as I enter into the real world. I know now just what I am capable of and where I need to go to challenge myself as a leader. I understand through my leadership classes that I have the capacity to be a leader and inspire others to be the best they can be; and with that I can only hope to grow. Entering the "real world" will not be an easy transition, I'm sure, as I am so accustomed to simply attending school and working part time on the weekends; but I know that if I have confidence in myself and in my leadership capabilities, I will accomplish great things. I have so much more drive and passion now than I ever have had before, and I know I owe that all to the HTM program and these ever helpful classes. I will continue to be my genuine self as I advance into my career, ensuring that I treat everyone with respect while making sure to put their needs before my own. There's nothing more precious than someone who is willing to care for you as a person before they care for you as their employee... and that is my ultimate goal as a leader. If I can connect with those people who I'm leading in an emotional way where we can build trust and be there for one another, I will be satisfied.

Reflecting

As I take a moment to look back on the semester and how my view of leadership has expanded, I'm in awe. Coming into this course I never thought I would learn so much, not only about leadership, but about myself as an individual as well. The theories that we've explored and the exercises we've done in class have helped me to further define myself as a leader and have helped me to understand just who I am now... as well as who I would like to be in the future. I know that my journey does not stop here, as I will continue to develop and educate myself on leadership for years to come. With the help of my leadership learning space I am eager to implement this useful tool into my lifestyle and make it a routine. Through this I am positive I will be able to advance and dig deeper into my leadership and industry goals. In addition the leadership map was a great way for me to really illustrate how I view leadership thus far. I feel as though I will only expand on this map with time and I cannot wait to see how much it grows and the changes that will inevitably happen with time. I'm thankful for this opportunity to have researched deeper into leadership and the challenge that it has presented me with. I will only grow from here!

Servant Leadership

First, I'd like to start this post off by stating something that jumped out at me when I stumbled upon this contemporary leadership theory of servant leadership. The title of my blog, "serving others before oneself" is something that I came up with on my own, without even knowing that there was an actual leadership theory entitled servant leadership. What a coincidence! When I found this theory I immediately knew that this is the one I should choose to blog about because it relates so closely to me and my leadership theory thus far. I was able to find this theory through a website, theleaderlab.org, which can ultimately be an extremely helpful tool in leadership as there are many related articles and posts. Leader lab also has a facebook page, twitter, and other online outlets for learning.

The theory of servant leadership is one that argues that the most effective leaders today are those who are servants of their people. These leaders give whole-hearted attention to their followers and their needs, unlike many approaches of leadership. Most theories you see offer suggestions on how leaders can influence and motivate their followers, rather than putting the emphasis on collaboration, trust, empathy and ethics like servant leadership does. The leader serves from a true desire to better serve others and not attain more power. With that, it is presumed that if leaders focus on the needs and desires of their people, the followers will reciprocate through increased teamwork, deeper engagement and overall better performance.

I feel as though I can very closely relate to servant leadership and what it stands for. I've always been one to place others' needs before my own and look for ways in which I can help other people. Servant leadership is a great component that I believe every leader should integrate into their theory. It does not need to be the one way they practice leadership but I believe that if they actively attempt at it every now and then they will find that it brings them great success in certain situations. I know personally that I cannot rely solely on servant leadership but I do know that it remains a big component of who I am as a leader and how I go about serving others.