Megan's Leadership Philosophy

My Leadership Philosophy

Adapting my Leadership Philosophy:

My sophomore year, there was a group of ten seniors on the varsity soccer team, all with very different leadership philosophies. Being on that team helped me to gain insight to the type of leaders that resonated best with our team and motivated us to achieve our goals. My junior year, I became captain of the team. I was not a perfect leader, but I strived to mimic the leadership qualities of some of the seniors that had graduated the previous year. After suffering a season ending injury, it was difficult for me to adapt to being a leader off the field rather than on. Through that experience and the lessons I’ve learned in this class, I’ve adapted a leadership philosophy that I now plan to use on and off the soccer field:

Goal Setter: Begin with the End in Mind

As discussed in 7 Habits, I believe it’s important for a good leader to be a goal setter. Those who set both long and short term goals are better equipped to achieve because they know exactly what they are working towards, thus giving them purpose and a definition for their own success. Goals also help a good leader stay on track and be proactive.

“If you don’t plan your plan, it will remain a dream.” -Richard Templar

Inter- and Intra- personal

As we discussed in class, I believe it’s important for a leader to be both inter- and intra- personal because leadership takes both insight to other people’s actions and emotions as well as your own. If you can’t reflect on your own actions, it’s not likely that you will be able to empathize and motivate others. This can be related back to the idea of synergy in 7 Habits.

"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” -Colin Powell

Theory Y Leadership

After learning about both theories X and Y in class, I learned that I prefer to lead in a way that avoids micro-managing. I feel that micro-managing is frustrating to others and shows a sense of distrust among teammates or employees. Therefore, I think leaders should trust that their teammates are motivated, should be rewarded for their hard work, and are able to accomplish tasks without hovering. I feel that micro-management prevents growth among lower level employees or teammates.

“High expectations and trust is the key to everything.” -Sam Walton

Communication

After the communication unit, I’ve learned it’s important that when working as a group or team to achieve specific goals that everyone is always on the same page. Everyone should always know exactly what is expected of them, and that takes constant communication. To do this, all types of communication should be used wisely: verbal and non-verbal.

Communication- the human connection- is the key to personal and career success.” -Paul J. Meyer

Passion

Leaders emerge through passion. A leader is much more likely to inspire and motivate if he/she has intrinsic motivation. If a leader has a sense of passion, that spark can ignite others to become excited about their own work. This will lead to a domino effect of motivation.

“When you can’t make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” -Ronald Reagan

Think Win-Win

After reading this passage in 7 Habits, I realized that I’ve always thought far too competitively. Comparing yourself with others who are on your own team or in your own work setting is detrimental to group success and collaboration. A little competition in a work or team setting to motivate one another is healthy, but constantly comparing and competing can spark negative relations between co-workers or teammates.

“The world is divided into those who look at others enviously and those who look at others as a motivational tool.” -Richard Templar