Blog Post #6- What you are made of…
What skill area and specific skills (discussed throughout chapter) are your strongest?
The chapter covers five characteristics which in my opinion are all linked to one another. However, out of the five I feel the characteristics which I feel the strongest would be that for challenge. Thinking back I feel like the situations in which I have had most success in would be in situations in which I became involved primarily as a volunteer. Mainly because I know that any and all involvement on my behalf will benefit the situation.For example, back in high school I remember volunteering at a Relay for Life event. All of the volunteers where assigned to raise as many funds possibly for the event, the funds would support Cancer research, along with other forms of support for the individuals going through it. After participating in this event my freshman year in high school, I have continued to participate since then. Why? Because I like the idea of challenging myself, and the idea that because of what I am doing I’m not only helping those that benefit from those types of events but also that others will see what I am doing as something that they could possibly do as well.
What skill area and specific skills (discussed throughout chapter) are your weakest and how can you build upon them?
One of the areas where I feel like I would have to work on would be working on the bigger picture. When it comes to creating road maps and goals to attain a certain outcome to a situation, that I can do. However, where I fall a bit short on is taking the first step towards the creation of the initial ideas. What I mean by this is, when the scenario or outcome is provided, I can come up with the road maps and goals. I guess you would say that its the initiative to taking control of the situation and basically starting from scratch. A way in which I can work on this would be by working on voicing out my ideas, and not simply waiting till somebody else has one. Also work on looking past the initial outcome and consider the one that could result sometime down the line.
What impact do you think your leadership skills could have on your role as a leader?
Being a leader is much more than telling people where to go or where to stand, for that matter. It is guiding them and helping them achieve as a group. I feel like I would be a successful leader because I tend to look past that, ordering people can only get you so far but if you show respect and acknowledge that you all have a part in the group then that will get you a lot further.
Do you think some of the skills discussed in the chapter are more important in some situations compared to others? If so, explain.
Yes, because not every situation is going to be the same. They all require different skills, different formats, different ways in which you can approach it. In other words, every situation is unique in their own way, you need to basically think on your feet. Not every situation is going to solved the same way, although it may seem like it initially, in the long run its the small decisions that will make you lean one way over the other.
Do you think individuals in “lower” levels of leadership require the same skills as those in “upper” levels? Discuss
Not necessarily, however the knowledge of those skills can allow the group members to see eye to eye and work in uni-sense. Even though there are “two different levels” those boundaries are not set in stone, simply because roles can easily be swapped. Those considered in the “upper” levels can find themselves under the leadership of someone from the “lower” levels. Sometimes it is very dependent of the opportunities that those individuals receive. So it all depends on how you look at things.
