Leadership in the home

This week we talked about leadership in the home and how important it is. This was very intriguing to me. Recently I have felt that as a leader I may not be the best out there. I have many flaws and problems that I feel are limiting my ability. Since I like to see things in "big picture" terms I feel discouraged at times because I don't make a large impact. After the lecture I realized that I need to change my approach to leadership. Instead of going from the top down, I need to work from the bottom up. There are so many friends and peers and classmates around me that I only know on a simple relationship. I need to improve these in order to become an effective leader. Each person that I can impact on an individual level can eventually impact a lot more people. The 20x20x20 rule was interesting because it shows the impact I can make if I start with the people close to me. One way to do this is to become the best person possible in the home so that my example can wear off on others. It is important as a leader to integrate good morals and values into the private life so it will reflect on the public. Obviously there is a certain line between private and public affairs that leaders need to be aware of. It takes some practice and skill to be able to speak your mind without offending others. Good leaders know how to change peoples perspective and persuade them to do certain things. To do this I need to be able to know the people who surround me better. Understanding is vital to be understood. I am focusing on listening to everybody and trying to relate to them. During my experiences in the past I know that my influence can be more effective if I know my crowd. Constant reminders are helpful because it's only natural to put myself before others. Gandhi said that "you must be the change you wish to see in the world". Now I know what he meant by that.

Integrity

While pondering leadership this week I took some time to think about integrity. We talked about it on our Monday lecture and it inspired me. Integrity is more than just character, but it is how we would act in any situation regardless. One thing that I know is that I'm not perfect but I should strive to. In order to do this I have been trying to keep the good qualities about me and eliminating the bad. I find that i need to be honest with myself as well as others. I find that often I'll tell myself little fibs in order to cover something up or just to make me feel better, but this can lead to trouble down the road. If i can be honest with myself then my dealings with my peers and the people i lead can be even more effective. This is what integrity is about. Clear perception is vital in order to succeed. Our thoughts control our actions, so when we condition our minds to have integrity, then our whole self will change. People respect integrity because it is a difficult trait to gain and maintain. If everybody had integrity then it wouldn't be such a big deal, but the fact is... people need somebody to lead them towards integrity and these people are often called to be leaders. Another thing i focused on this week is to be more genuine with my peers. I've taken more time to listen to others and to see all sides of things. In doing this I've learned so much about others and I find that people will build trust faster. Well those are my thoughts for this week

Divine Centered Leadership

The topic for this week was divine centered leadership. I've really learned to love this theme. As I gain understanding of what it is, my leadership can grow. Christ wasn't only the perfect example, he was the ideal leader. Learning about the life of Jesus has helped me understand the idea of situational leadership. Certain forms of leadership are required for different situations and Jesus knew this. What the most important part of divine centered leadership is service. I find that the times when I do service to others I can be a more effective leader. It brings humility and fosters trust in my peers. I also find that i need to allow others to help me as well.... if I show my weaknesses to others, they will be more willing to show theirs. Service is what unites people and keeps us humble. I plan to always look to Christ's example and see how i can better serve and lead others.