Voicethread Credo

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Direction Alignment Commitment

We spent time in class talking about the Direction/Alignment/Commitment stool. This is a key concept in leadership because it is very important to be going in the right direction, align your words with the actions you are taking in this direction, and stay committed to your goal. Kouzes and Posner talked about the concept of credibility being a foundation of leadership. Somebody who is credible always follows the saying, “Do What You Say You Will Do.” Followers will be more wiling to follow a leader who is they can trust because their words and actions align.

One person who has been an extremely influential leader in my life is my dad. My dad has always been there for me throughout my life and he has shaped my view of a leader. My dad does everything that he can to guide me in the right direction. An example of this is his choice to send me to Parish in Pre-K. He knew that starting me out with a good education would point me in the right direction in life. My dad also influences my alignment because he makes it a point to be consistent with his words and actions. He leads by example and he has influenced me in more ways than I can even explain.

My mom has always been a very influential person in my life. She is the one of nicest and most gracious people I know. My mom always puts others in front of herself and she always go out of her way to help others. She provides direction in my life by showing me that giving is better than receiving. Also, when my mom says she is going to do something, I am confident she will. She respects all the commitments she makes in life no matter how big or small they are. My mom leads others with her gracious nature and kind heart.

Another great leader in my life is my lacrosse coach, Randy. All of the lacrosse team respects Randy because he respects us. Rather than yelling senselessly and insulting players, which seems to be a tactic used by many coaches, Randy listens to what we are having trouble with and tries his hardest to help us. The main reason the team respects Randy is because he does a great job of aligning his words and actions. This causes us to trust Randy, which has built up a mutual respect in the team. Randy is a great leader and a great coach.

Resonant Leadership

A Resonant leader is a leader who truly makes an impact on all the people that they lead. A key component that makes up a resonant leader is emotional intelligence. An emotionally intelligent leader has mastered the skills of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. Each of these skills applies to different aspects of leadership. For instance, a self-aware leader does a good job making an assessment of how their emotions are affecting others around them and judging their own capabilities. Also, self-regulation is very important because people who are in control of their emotions are better at creating a fair environment for the followers. Next, empathy is an important part of leadership because the ability to sense the emotions of the people around the leader will help them make a connection with the people and improve collaboration. Lastly, social skill, which relates to empathy, is important because making connections and creating bonds with many people will definitely help out when in time of need. Resonant leadership is the kind of leadership that has an enduring effect on others; therefore a high level of emotional intelligence is very significant.

Goleman Quote

Goleman pg 26:
“No creature can fly with just one wing. Gifted leadership occurs where heart and head – feeling and thought – meet. These are the two wings that allow a leader to soar.”
I think that this means that a leader needs to be passionate at heart and strong minded toward their cause to effectively lead. If a leader is passionate at heart but they lack the mental capability to think of ways to lead, they are not effective leaders. On the other hand, if somebody is very smart and have thought out a very good plan but they lack the compassion towards their cause, they will not effectively lead. It is pertinent that a leader possesses both of these qualities in order to effectively lead others toward a common cause. This type of leadership is apparent in one of the captains of the lacrosse team, Paul Dixon. When we voted for captains, Paul was elected by a unanimous decision. I think the reason the decision was unanimous is because he clearly exhibits the knowledge of the game and he shows his passion by coming to every practice and leading our huddle-breaks. These qualities are what separate Paul from the rest of the leaders, allowing him to soar.

Myers-Briggs Reflection

We recently took Myers-Briggs personality tests in class and the result I got was ENTP. I think this category was an overall good fit for me, although I also see myself as an INTP. People in this category are described as quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. It also said this category is good at solving new and challenging problems, adept at generating possibilities and analyzing them, and bored by routine. I think that the two that describe me the best are generating possibilities and bored by routine. I am willing to admit that I do get bored easily and doing the same thing over and over is a big challenge for me, therefore I like to keep myself interested and stimulated by thinking of new ideas on how to attack routine things or challenges. I believe that taking this personality test and the activity we did in class has definitely helped me develop leadership skills because it showed me my strengths and weaknesses. Knowing strength’s and weaknesses is very important because it helps show me which ways I will be most effective in leading others.