I am beginning to really enjoy this journey to leadership as I am learning more about myself and about my character than I thought. I am thinking about different aspect of leaderships than I thought possible.
We just studied leadership as defined by the situational theory and acquainted with the curve of leadership style and how you can grow and adapt your style from directing to delegating depending on the situation and on the personality type and subordinate level.
I am getting puzzled and attracted to the character of some of the people described by Bennis in chapter 3 and how they became leaders by knowing themselves, their limits and adapt to situations. To live the fullest, you have to know yourself or you will never really appreciate and be in agreement with yourself. “You become a leader, the moment you decide how to be”. Some things said in this chapter caught my attention:
- Absorb everything new and reflect on it and don’t be afraid of failure
- Reflect on everything you read, hear and see until you completely and fully understand
- Practice self awareness and reflection
- Help children to learn instead of teaching them. Teaching homogenizes, learning liberates.
Chapter 3 might discuss things we think we know, but until the day we die, we will never entirely know ourselves. So, I believe that so far, it is the most interesting chapter, one that I will go back again and again to retrieve and reinvent myself. You have to forget everything you thought you knew, go back to the basics and relearn, re-teach yourself. By doing so, you are sure to really pick what is most important to you, as it will make you stand out and surprise even yourself.
It would be foolish to believe that you know everything about yourself. If that was the case, life would be dull and would not be worth living. We are shaped and molded by our experiences. With these little surprises, we get reacquainted with everything including ourselves. Maybe we will even influence others when we’re gone. How cool is that!
