Part 1: Significance

So after reading this first section of the book A Leader's Legacy by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, I feel as if I've gathered a good understanding of why being a leader is so important. It has nothing to do with what organization you are a part of, or what you have done within that organization. It has all to do with what you can teach people. Leaving a legacy is such an important aspect of being leader; there's so much more to it than just "What have I done?".

As I was reading, one section that I found really interesting was the section on feedback. This is always something that I have struggled with. Not so much giving feedback, but taking it and implementing it. Starting off by asking "How am I doing?" I feel would be so much more productive. It might take a while for people to actually say anything, but odds are if they do speak, they've got something really good to say. Getting honest feedback is so hard sometimes especially when in a group of 65 or more women. I also found it very interesting and true that people will say anything when anonimity is involved. Saying the feedback without that cover makes it really hard for people to speak out because of that fear of rejection. We've all been in those situations where we have something to say yet no one says anything for fear of the attack that we could get in return. I know that that is something I need to personally work on and now that I've read more about how important it is, I feel as if I might start giving feedback more often.

Another section that I found to be interesting was that the most important person in an organization isn't necessarily the CEO. In actuality, it's us -- the people who report to higher ups. If our bosses do not show what it is like to be a leader, it is our duty as employees and leaders to show the right way. This can be said in any organization in life. If we want something to be done right, we need to show people how to do it. I see this so frequently that we say one thing and do the thing we said to not do. It's human nature. However, to really make a change, we have to do what we say we will do. I feel as if people sometimes forget that people are always watching and its when a comment is made that we remember that we just complained about what we were doing 5 minutes before hand. If I don't want people to have side conversations, I cannot have side conversations. It's basic rules about life, yet people seem to forget it all the time.

I found this section really captivating because it reminded me of why I like being a leader and the importance of it. If we all just reminded ourselves about the reasons as to why we wanted to be a part of something then tasks will go so much smoother; things won't seem as tedious. Quite honestly, this whole section got me thinking about my actions and what the legacy is that I want to leave behind. It makes me want to do better for my organization and I'm starting to realize where I can begin on this journey.

~ Kara