Realizations

The eight weeks of our Leadership class have passed in a blur. I cannot remember what I did yesterday, but for some reason I can clearly envision orientation night for our MBA. It was nice to see familiar faces among the new faces, and it was a realization to me that ten months after obtaining a bachelor's degree and deciding I was not going to work on an MBA, I was somehow sitting in Metropark again. We have had numerous leadership and team building courses over the past four years of school, but this course was much more engaging and thought-provoking than the others. The diverse ages, genders and experiences brought many issues to the table, and I believe, helped the majority of us learn a lot about ourselves and each other.

My past professional experiences, as well as many personal experiences, have molded my belief system into one with which I am extremely comfortable and confident. That's not to say I am not open to new ideas, thoughts, or suggestions; but I am not afraid to make a decision and move forward. I feel that too many people are afraid to make decisions then act on those decisions because they are not sure what the outcome or consequences will be. As for leadership, I have had wonderful leaders on a personal level and have watched a few flounder; usually because of their own egos. Others have floundered because they did not have the support of peers or teams and did not know how to gain that support. The past five years have shown us all what type of leader to NOT be! Dare I mention Enron, Worldcom, AIG, etc.? Ego, greed, disrespect, greed, pig-headedness, greed, and tunnel vision, just to name a few are what bad leaders are. Therefore, the answer to what a good leader is, is very simple - the opposite of the aforementioned qualities - sorry, lack of qualities.

I am currently in a position where I choose not to make a move professionally because I am one of the "last ones standing" and am not willing to give up a huge severance package and join the many others I know at the unemployment websites. I was a leader, but have slowly been stripped of that role due to outside forces; but my name and reputation are intact and will remain so until I am forced out of my company. This is my version of taking a reverse maternity leave since I have no children. Luckily, I still have contact and access to quite a few good leaders and will continue to glean what knowledge and advice I can from each of those individuals.

My future plans are to eventually leave the corporate world behind and start my own business. It will be one that is customer focused and creative: a florist. I have basic business plans done, contacts in place and a few willing bodies to work with me; I just need the time to commit to the business. I have no doubt that as a leader I will learn something new each day from someone or some issue that will arise. I also know that much of what I learned in this course will remain in the forefront of my mind with each interaction I make so that I can help others succeed and achieve their dreams while I continue to work on mine. Thank you Ernest, for a very engaging and insightful experience.

Expectations...

Expectations... as you progress through life this word can be your friend or nemesis. Expectations of people, places, situations, yourself... how many have actually been fulfilled versus not? The saying "expect nothing and you will never be disappointed" is one that I heard many years ago and have applied to countless situations, but not with a negative connotation since I am a positive-thinker and choose to believe in the good of others, myself, and the universe.

My expectations of the Leadership course are that Ernest and my classmates will provide information, insights, conversational points of views, and experiences that may provoke me to look at situations differently than I currently view them and to make a positive impact on me as an individual which will then extend to those with whom I come into contact.

In the June 2009 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, they listed what they consider the top ten best business quotes of all time; two of which resonate with me. The first is from Coco Chanel: "Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." The second is from Ingvar Kamprad (Ikea): "If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example." If I merge the two of these quotes, it would sum up what I believe makes a good leader - or just a good person. Do your best, do not be afraid and always, always, do the right thing. In doing so, others will take notice, have respect and hopefully follow.