Second Blog! :)

First off, I struggled thinking of a creative name for this, because I touched upon more then one topic. So I unfortunately went with the generic, but I promise this is a good blog submission, so please do continue to read onward! :)

It's time to post our second blog, and we're now already approaching week 3 of GLAD?! Time flies.. but I have definitely been taking in a lot from not only the book, A Leader's Legacy, but also from our weekly meetings and guest speakers we've seen thus far. Bear with me here, I feel like I have a lot to reflect on from Part 2!

This Section is all about relationships within leadership. As I read, I've realized that I consider myself as a leader completely different then leaders I know now, such as the president of my organization, advisor to my chapter, a professor, or my boss. I think this is definitely a wall I need to knock down, and I saw it evident even in my last posting and the feedback given. When I think of leadership or a legacy, I immediately am prone to thinking of the future, post graduation. When in reality people all around me, and even myself are in positions of leadership every day.

When I think of myself as a leader and positions I have held that required leadership, I definitely connected with this chapter and its advice. I wanted to be liked, as does mostly everyone, I wanted to create a fun environment, that at the same time was serious when needed and above all I also wanted, and still want, to be an approachable person, easy to talk to, but at the same time respected. One instance of leadership that comes to mind, is my senior year of high school where I was Captain of my Varsity Field Hockey team. I wanted to make the practices fun and exciting, but also get work accomplished so we'd hone our skills not only as an individual, but as a team. I wanted to be approachable, where players felt they could voice their opinions and suggestions to me. And at the same time, I wanted to be respected. I wanted punctuality at practices and games and for players to be serious and attentive when needed, and most important I wanted my team to be proud I was their captain.

Overall, what I've taken from that section is basically that if I wanted all those things when I was a leader, then my leaders now hopefully feel that way too. I definitely think I could work on bridging the gap between myself and my leaders, getting to know them on a more personal level. The book says that we are more likely to work harder, stay additional hours and go the extra mile to accomplish tasks for those we like and I completely agree with this. I already feel I work harder for those I respect and like, and if deepening a knowledge more on a personal level could help me to strive even more, then I could be an even better employee, sister to my organization and a leader too.

"Focus on the Purpose and Not the Person" This title and the paragraphs following it really stood out to me. All too often I think we focus too much on someones personality, to the point where it will sometimes even effect the rate or level at which tasks are completed. Our book gives a good example, it talks about a women they call Amy who is frustrated with Karyn because she has a negative attitude and poor interpersonal communication skills. This excerpt from the example, really made an impact on me: "Amy, you're never going to change Karyn. But just remember, her heart is in the right place. She loves this station as much as you."

This stood out to me in tremendous ways. I immediately thought of my sorority. A room full of 7o something girls, sounds intimidating and overpowering, and sometimes it can be. I'm not going to lie and say that every minute of every day all 74 of us are in perfect harmony, however I will say that I do love, care for and respect each and every one of my sisters, alumni and new members always. I think sometimes we all let each others personalities get in the way of what we're trying to achieve. All together we are working towards one common broad goal; To leave this organization better then it was when we joined. Whether we're working towards this or a smaller more refined goal, if we all look past differences in thought processes and personalities then we can ultimately reach our goal quicker, easier and with much less stress. We all love and are dedicated to the same thing, and if we realize that instead of our differences, different positions and leaders are going to get along and work much better!

Blog 2 complete! I'm really enjoying this greek leadership and development process and the book we've been reading. I've taken so much out of it already and cannot wait to continue moving forward :)