Journal 12: Week 13
Class dates November 12th and 17th
11/13: 7–8am
Project Assignment: The Iron Lady (2011)
How do leaders balance their own ambition versus their duty? Or do you think these are/could be the same thing?
Although I do think ambition and duty are separate entities, I do think that there is a fine line which divides them. In this way, I think that ambition and duty should overlap to a certain extent in order to inspire and motivate you to pursue excellence, but at the same time as we see in the film, this must be monitored or you can sacrifice relationships with others.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave and how can you take action to ensure this legacy is left?
I am not entirely sure what kind of legacy I want to leave yet as a leader. Although I know of some characteristics or traits, I don’t know what position or role I would like to achieve and I am not sure if I will ever discover a specific role, I might just always possess and show leadership at smaller scales. Some essential characteristics of my legacy must be: sensibility, discernment, decisiveness, humility, willingness to serve others or selflessness, and charismatic or the addition of several additional idiosyncratic features which make me stand out in a crowd.
How does “unexpected” leadership compare/contrast with pursued leadership? What are the pros and cons? Which one is better than the other, or are they equal?
In the film, we see that Thatcher has this paradoxical nature as a leader in the way that she has always exhibited leadership qualities and behaviors, but seems to struggle with finding what that actually looks like from a formal career perspective. In fact, she once stated that there would never be a female PM of the UK, at least not in her lifetime. Not too long after this statement was made, Thatcher assumed her position as the first female PM of the UK. This outstanding accomplishment I believe was embedded in her subconscious but she neglected to realize and pursue this from a young age. She built her way up to this position in a sense as many other politicians do.
I think this was a good thing for Thatcher because it allowed her to have a family. I fear that if she were to always have dreamed of being a PM or even the leader of the conservative party, her ambition may have overrun her ability to create personal bonds.
However, the contrasting argument to this for me is that Thatcher may have been able to accomplish more if she were to have channeled her ambition into attaining the PM position or even a spot in parliament.
Ultimately, I think that expected leadership or planned leadership reaps more benefits because priorities and goals can be established based on a progressive schedule.
How does physical appeal and voice impact the effectiveness of a leader?
I think that it physical appeal matters to a certain extent. An example of this from a previous text is Cyrus and how his attractiveness aided in the effectiveness of his leadership. By having the ability to draw people to you from just your physical features, it can influence and persuade them to align with your ideals because they might be infatuated with you and want to please you by being a supporter or follower. However, as the cliche goes, looks aren’t everything. In addition, I think that voice and speech is extremely important. A captivating and commanding voice is more powerful than physical appeal in my opinion. In Thatcher’s case, she went through vocal lessons in order to establish a lower and more well-rounded type of voice which helped her gain more support both politically and socially.
How strongly should one’s personal principles influence their decisions as a leader?
I think that this depends on what type of leadership position you are in. Different positions require vastly different mindsets and decision-making processes. For example, most political leaders are extremely principled as they rely upon policies, programs, and initiatives that they believe in and support to craft their reputation and persona. On the other hand, someone like a preschool teacher should not be trying to impose their personal beliefs or principles on young children because of how impressionable they are; these preschool teachers should be there to support and nurture young minds in order to help them find their own beliefs and principles.
Is discipline an important characteristic of a leader?
In my opinion, this is an essential quality that all leaders must have. A lazy leader is not equipped to lead by example, nor would they ever accomplish anything. It’s also important to note that some people and leaders are inherently more disciplined than others as either a factor of their personality or as a product of their environment. These types of leaders tend to be more effective and productive in my opinion because they do not have to waste time being taught how to manage their time, control their emotions, or second guess themselves during a situation that demands decisiveness.
What role does age play in leadership? Are there certain milestones or trademarks that are represented in age?
As a leader ages, they encounter and experience new life experiences which shape their development. I do not think there are specific milestones or trademarks represented with age, especially once one is an adult because everyone’s life is different. I think that the U.S. education system, at least in my personal experience, creates these superficials milestones that people have to accomplish in order to have access to opportunities. This helps to divide people and creates an environment where people in your class or someone who has the same job as you for example are seen as competition rather than a fellow community member. I am not saying that competition is bad or that everyone needs to be friends with one another, but I think that the idea and sense of community (from a local to international level) is imperative to all of humanity.
As a leader, how do we know when it is time for us to go or “pass the torch”? How do we prepare for this?
This takes a very knowledgeable and conscious leader. Someone who is prideful and directly relates their leadership position to their self-worth in order to feed their ego will have the most problems with giving up their position for the good of everyone else. We see this anywhere from politics to coaching positions. In my opinion, a good leader knows when to enter but a great leader knows when to leave and does so gracefully.
To what extent should leaders appreciate and reflect on criticism of their decisions and reputation?
Constructive criticism should never be limited in its application and analysis in one’s leadership. This type of criticism is positive and is an opportunity to learn and grow. However, it is important to be able to discern constructive criticism from haters and trolls. Anyone who is in a position of leadership is automatically being placed on a pedestal from examination from all angles whether they realize it or not. Inevitably, there will be people who dislike for no reason at all and are hating just for the sake of bringing someone else down. Having a support system and network of people you trust to guide and advise you can aid in distinguishing positive criticism from negative.
Project Assignment: J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar
What artistic outlets could you use to express your leadership? What is your inspiration for your topic? Who do you want informed What do you imagine the impact to be?
For me, I already do a lot of coaching and training athletes so I think that I can find new and more dynamic ways of impacting them from a leadership and mentor standpoint. Most importantly, I need to make myself more accessible to them and set more time aside for one on one discussions and meeting as well as putting forth more effort in trying to personally connect with them.
Another outlet I could use is cooking. I have always loved to cook but especially since COVID started in January/February I have been focusing and putting a lot more energy towards it. I have wanted to do some sort of zoom meeting or something of that nature to connect with my friends and family members. I could incorporate leadership with this by trying to create more bonds with family members and also by taking the initiative to create my own recipes.
11/14: 2–3pm
Project Assignment: Beyonce’s Lemonade (2016)
Do you think going through devastating trauma propels or discourages your leadership abilities?
I think that it depends on what type of leader you are. For me, I think life experience is the number one thing that influences and develops leadership so I think that trauma propels leadership abilities.
Your favorite song on the album and why? What is it’s impact on your leadership?
My favorite song on the album is “Freedom” because of how inspirational it is. I think that it calls attention to the enduring issues of inequality and racism in the U.S. and also around the world. It’s impact on my leadership is that I can always strive to be socially conscious and in turn help to educate others in order to be aware of the problems that face the Black community as well as other POC communities.
11/16: 8–9am
Project Assignment: Michael Jackson’s HISTORY
How can we tap into ourselves to become the leaders that we envision ourselves to be?
I think that education and life experience are both essential in learning about ourselves and developing our leadership. This takes time and is not an immediate process. Throughout our entire lives, up until the very end, our leadership will transform and take different roles. It is important to recognize and appreciate these changes because its a normal process of life that people need to become comfortable and more familiar with. In this way, we can learn to harness our current leadership qualities and features in order to understand how these may have and will continue to transform throughout our lives.
How can we all do our part to change the world, even if it’s in the smallest of ways?
In order to change the world, even in small ways, one needs to be active in many aspects of life. For example, in order to enact change, one should be aware socially, politically, environmentally and much more. This education and knowledge is ultimately what will change the world.
Think about yourself and the person you are today. Are you where you want to be? If not, what are you gonna do to get there?
I think that I am exactly where I need to be. I believe in predestination and my religious beliefs shape my understanding of my current position in the world. However, I still have personal goals and dreams that I aspire towards which I hope and aim to align with ones that are predestined for me.
