If I asked you to think back upon your life so far and find one inspirational leader, a leader that changed you in some way would you be able to?  For most this would seem like an automatic yes, of course someone in their life had taken a leadership role and this changed them, but if you really think about it without this leader would you have been a changed person and not the same person you are today? If so then that was one amazing leader that you got to work with. While reading "A Leader’s Legacy" I began to think about what a good, strong, and memorable reader is willing to do to be the change in someone’s life. To be able to influence a person’s life for the better you have to be willing to take extreme responsibility over them you must also be able to see yourself within that person’s life so that you know how you can be an effective leader. A quote that stuck out to me was "passionate leaders are willing to suffer." This shows that resilient leaders will put others ahead of themselves so that the whole group can prosper which is the best thing they can do. This will make strong lasting bonds between the leader and the members of the group which results in leaving a legacy through the change of people. 

Relationships

"Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow." Throughout our college experience and our lives, we are often asked what our legacy will be. For leaders, there is usually an understand of being a determined and tough leader, or a very sociable and understanding leader; but where is the happy medium? The tough situation that many are faced with is how 'people join people', and that it can drastically change a work environment. Choosing to be a leader in any given situation, you are often accepting the responsibility to lead, whether that's as a team player or as a confined animal. 

Relationships are what can build up a great leader, and what can make a leader inspirational and unique. Down a long career path, many leaders often loose their sense of relationships and thrive on power and dominance. Successful leaders are the ones who make an effort to listen and understand their peers, and want to be liked. As a human being we are constantly striving for the satisfaction of others liking us. Like who doesn't like friends?! As a leader, they should want people to recognize them for their good nature, and their understanding personality. 

Working in any environment, more often than not there will always be a huge number of different personalities. When having different personalities can be an incredibly great thing, it can also create crazy tension. It's important in a leaders eyes to view every situation from another persons perspective, and try to understand where they are coming from. Many personalities and opposing views could be considered like oil and water; but it's having differences like these that help us recognize things we may have never considered before.

A Leader's Legacy
Part 1: Significance

After reading part 1 of "A Leader's Legacy", I started to think about all the positive leaders who have affected my life. One common aspect jumped out at me: "passionate leaders are willing to suffer." For example, when thinking of the president of a sorority, you would hope that they are a passionate leader. I know in my organization they are not allowed to vote in elections, which I see as a way they must suffer in order to be effective. Not only does the president sacrifice their vote, they also sacrifice their time, effort, and general life to make sure that the chapter is running smoothly and efficiently. If this means they must answer a call from a sister at 2am, she will so, because sacrifice is the key to success.
I think that the sooner we, as individuals, accept that we are never going to be "perfect" at leading others, the faster we will realize that each one of us is capable of amazing things, and we just have to learn to utilize out individual abilities. What are you passionate about? Find out, and let that guide you. " We'll all be remembered for something. The question is, what?"

Part One

"The best leaders are teachers" is a leading quote I constantly find myself recognizing. Everyone has the potential to become a leader if they so chose, and it's up to them to make it happen. Teachers are role models not only for their classroom, but for many peers and co-workers. Being a leader requires you to be a positive role model on and off the job. Teachers are usually individuals who live and breathe their job, and have the conversation always somehow refer back to the classroom. People join people, just like leaders should join leaders. When a great leader has made an impact on an organization or on a community, the result will show other great leaders rising. I believe it takes a great leader and teacher to inspire those around them, to be making powerful and effective decisions.

A leader is resourceful, and is aware of their peers needs. Being a leader isn't a day job. Being a leader isn't putting on a face during the week for show, and throwing it all away on the weekends. Being an effective leader in a setting such as Greek life, it's important to recognize when you have to make sacrifices, and what you can do to achieve long term goals. As a leader, you are constantly making sure that decisions that're made, are for the betterment of the group as a whole.

Who is a Leader?

Leadership is crucial in all areas of life, even if it just means that we are the leaders of our individual selves. There are many times when I naturally want to take charge, especially in group project settings -- not necessarily because I think I have the best ideas or the greatest skills, but because sometimes people just need direction and I am willing to be that person who suggests a silly idea or gets people to think on their feet. I know for a fact that I am awful at thinking on my feet. I also know that the competitive-side of me helps to get the ball rolling. Being competitive doesn't mean winning is everything or that it becomes about the goal and not the process. Quite contrary, I believe competitiveness gives people a will to try.

 

This quote is the perfect exemplary of just what a leadership is. Hardly ever is it who is the most intelligent or the most artistic or the most athletic. A leader is someone who gets others to believe in themselves. A good leader just needs a charismatic smile, an open mind, and the ability to work hard. 

 Gamma Phi Beta has truly shown me that you don't need a position or a title to be a leader. People follow people, and if you are the most optimistic in the room, the one who is there with arms wide open, then people will gravitate toward that person. But it's easy to get in the mindset that unless one has a title, that they can't be a leader or that people won't follow them. And it's even easier to feed off the negativity of a group, even if there is more positivity because that is all one can see. A leader must emerge from the darkness and help pull others out. I hope to work on motion pictures as my career, and I would love to try my hand at directing. With cast and crews of hundreds, being a leader is crucial but allowing others to help or suggest an idea is arguably just as important, and that is something I hope to master.

Part 1

I really enjoyed this first section in the book! There were several components which I could agree and/or relate to. First off, the notion that all passionate leaders are willing to suffer, is a concept that I believe deems so true. I think that if you want to be a successful leader, you need to acknowledge the fact that being a leader means working towards improving something as a whole, and focusing on the something much bigger than ourselves. It means to be willing to give up leisure time or time out with friends to put in more effort, and work towards making this thing that you are so passionate about all it can be. If you are completely dedicated to something, I believe that you would be willing to give up a lot of time and are willing to suffer in order to make sure this thing is as successful as it can be. I can relate this to my feelings about my Greek organization. I am so determined to become a leader and to help my organization improve and thrive. Due to this desire to make my Greek organization and individual experience flourish, I have made Phi Sigma Sigma an upmost priority. I go to any and all sorority events or meetings, mandatory or not, as well as engage myself as much as possible in anything Greek. I ask questions, talk to other sisters about positions, and offer up my time and commitment to this organization. I want to play a part in making my organization all it can be, and I know that means giving up a lot of my time and putting in all my effort, but this is okay with me because I want to help my organization excel as well as help myself progress and work towards leadership.

 

“The best leaders are teachers” is a belief that I totally can agree with! I think teachers are given the greatest opportunity to lead, because students look to them for guidance and knowledge. A teacher is responsible for helping you learn things in the classroom, but I also think they extend their efforts out into the community as well. They teach life skills, morals, and so many other things that in hindsight we didn’t even realize they were instilling in us! We start listening to teachers at such a young age, and I truly think that they are some of the biggest and most influential leaders in our lives!

Another concept in this book that is so important is the significance of the people on your team! This is something that is always an important part of leadership. It seems to be of popular opinion that many may feel unappreciated or overlooked for the work they have done, and unfortunately sometimes this could be true. An important part of being a leader is to appreciate all of those other team members who are working alongside of you. What I feel many people forget to realize is the people working with you have the same aspirations as you and wish to make this project or certain thing become as successful as possible. Appreciating those who you work with helps you and your team because the more they are praised and acknowledged for their hard work, the more valued they will feel. Feeling important is one of the best means of encouragement, and this will inspire people to keep working hard and helping accomplish the goal you are working towards. A little appreciation goes a long way, and giving it out to those who deserve it will likely benefit the whole project or organization.

Part 1: Signficance

The first thing you will learn when you become a leader is that you need to learn how to sacrifice. Not everyone knows this. Finally someone straight out said that being a leader is hard, it's not for everyone, and it takes a lot out of you! I myself have not had the opportunity to experience this just yet, but I have seen multiple leaders in greek leadership slowly burn out over the course of a year from balancing school, work, and their sorority duties. This is why leadership is not just for anyone. This is what separates the real leaders from the people in leadership roles to enhance their resumes.

"The Best Leaders Are Teachers." When I read that I initially thought, "YES!" I strongly believe in leading by example. The Best Way to Learn is to Teach. You're forced to have all of your stuff together and down if you have to teach someone how to do something. Leaders may seem like they have all of their stuff together, but sometimes it's just because they learned something just before teaching you. As a new sorority on campus, I've seen our greek leaders learn, and then teach us. I can see their understanding on certain concepts growing as they explain things.  Legacies are made by stories. Everyone wants to leave a legacy. The best way to do that is to leave a lasting impression on someone. That someone will tell a bunch of people about that impression you left on them. You cannot have a legacy without at least one story.

"We All Need Loving Critics." I've never though about it like that before, but it's completely true. All too often people we love will keep their critical thoughts to their self as to not upset us, or are too infatuated too see anything wrong. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where all of the criticism we hear is from people who despise us. What we need are "loving critics." These are people who love us, but care so much that they will open up their mouth and say something to us. Because we also (probably) love them, we will listen to what they have to say because they aren't just saying things to be mean. As a leader, we cannot grow without feedback, and it should play an instrumental role for all leaders in growing.

 It is not the CEO who is the most important leader in an organization, it is the manager. The manager much more directly can control the success of a business than the CEO. "Leaders who have the most influence on us are those who are closest to us." Our work habits, aspirations, etc. are influenced by people closest to us such as our boss, family, friends, and professors or coaches. It is not the CEO of the fast foot company you work for that has influence over you. It is the store manager that hired you. Each person needs to take responsibility for his or her own leadership skills, because you are important and you will make a difference if you try.

I love every single thing this book has said so far. I haven't thought about things the way they have and it all makes so much sense. This book is truly an eyeopener so far.