Re-framed Perspective on Leadership

    To be perfectly honest with you, I've thought about this prompt all week...pondering what I was going to write about. There is not one particular comment, thought, or action from a classmate that has re-framed my perspective on leadership. There have rather been several different things throughout the course of this class that have re-framed my view on leadership...and it includes small comments, thoughts, and/or actions from each and every classmate. We all know that leadership can't necessarily be learned or taught from a book or lecture, but perhaps through hands-on experiences and opportunities. This class has been reassurance of that.
    For example, the pipe activity (as we all know) was one of the best activities we could've participated in to truly learn about our classmates and see different leadership theories and skills "come to life". This activity made me realize that every single person possesses different values and leadership skills, but that's necessary for the "world to go round". It was also interesting to see how some people reacted to the situation we were put in (i.e. not being able to talk, not physically having enough supplies, etc.). The entirety of this activity has just been sticking with me. As I mentioned in class, the two take aways that I left that activity with were respect and communication- two simple, yet easily overlooked morals that we tend to take for granted.
    I also wanted to reflect on a few quotes from the book that have stuck out to me that have made me reflect back on things that have happened in class......

"We define leadership as a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change."

"Leadership is viewed and valued differently by various disciplines and cultures."

"Leadership can be exhibited in many ways."

"There is not one identifiable right way to lead an organization or group."

"Finding the purpose, vision, and common commitments that create a 'we' from a group of individuals is the challenge of community."

"When we are trying to connect with others, it is imperative to remember that 'different is just different; different is not wrong'."

  I found these quotes particularly useful when thinking about the pipe activity. It helped me process the activity and think about the dynamic of the group.