Before I began this journey of going back to school to get my degree I did not know if I could do what was needed to finish. However, as I have gotten into my coursework and started to learn what it is to be a leader, there have been concepts and terms that I have clung on to. For instance, cultural diversity, conflict resolution, decision making, problems solving, quality, and now servant-leadership. I have been an IT professional for over twenty years, starting off as a pc technician that supported faculty and staff at OU with their computer issues at the College of Engineering. Then moving into a management role, providing direction to my team to continue to give customers excellent support, guidance, and knowledge to the rest of campus.
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Spears states that “great leaders is first experienced as a servant to others,” which I now understand as I have grown into leadership roles. From my perspective when I moved into a leadership role, I did my best to follow the examples of my managers, directors, people that I wanted to emulate as I managed my employees. For me to be a good manager, there were steps that managers needed to follow. Which was to build team coherence, collaboration, and communication. However, as I have grown and learned from many great and not so great leaders, I do get great satisfaction when I can help someone that needs direction with an issue they are having with their job duties. Or when a customer comes to me seeking direction for their technological needs. Sipe’s tells a story of Roger, the barber, explaining “that a leader is responsible for seeing to the needs of the people.” Resonates with what I do daily at work with co-workers and my family. One thing that I can fully admit is not being a good listener, especially when it comes to my kids. As adults, some situations come at us from different directions, from the demands of work, your …show more content…
I can say that my kids sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to me listening to their needs. I have taken steps just to stop, and listen to my children without interjecting any of my thoughts till they have finished saying their piece. Spears mentions that listening is a characteristic of a servant-leader when we listen we seek to understand the motivation of a group. Often just listening is all an individual want us to do, to be in the moment. I have learned this over time and can see the weight of the world lifted from my friends and colleagues. While looking through the resources provided for this section it was interesting to see Bommelje quoting Robert Greenleaf, where he says a servant leader seeks first to serve, “then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” That was very profound because if I look back at my career to where I am now, becoming a leader was a natural step. My desire to serve others moved me toward a leadership role, where I could be a mentor to others and a student to those that I respect and seek knowledge and mentorship. One thing I have discovered about myself is
Spears states that “great leaders is first experienced as a servant to others,” which I now understand as I have grown into leadership roles. From my perspective when I moved into a leadership role, I did my best to follow the examples of my managers, directors, people that I wanted to emulate as I managed my employees. For me to be a good manager, there were steps that managers needed to follow. Which was to build team coherence, collaboration, and communication. However, as I have grown and learned from many great and not so great leaders, I do get great satisfaction when I can help someone that needs direction with an issue they are having with their job duties. Or when a customer comes to me seeking direction for their technological needs. Sipe’s tells a story of Roger, the barber, explaining “that a leader is responsible for seeing to the needs of the people.” Resonates with what I do daily at work with co-workers and my family. One thing that I can fully admit is not being a good listener, especially when it comes to my kids. As adults, some situations come at us from different directions, from the demands of work, your …show more content…
I can say that my kids sometimes get the short end of the stick when it comes to me listening to their needs. I have taken steps just to stop, and listen to my children without interjecting any of my thoughts till they have finished saying their piece. Spears mentions that listening is a characteristic of a servant-leader when we listen we seek to understand the motivation of a group. Often just listening is all an individual want us to do, to be in the moment. I have learned this over time and can see the weight of the world lifted from my friends and colleagues. While looking through the resources provided for this section it was interesting to see Bommelje quoting Robert Greenleaf, where he says a servant leader seeks first to serve, “then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” That was very profound because if I look back at my career to where I am now, becoming a leader was a natural step. My desire to serve others moved me toward a leadership role, where I could be a mentor to others and a student to those that I respect and seek knowledge and mentorship. One thing I have discovered about myself is