Leadership with strategic thinking (part 2)

When you visualize something that you want to achieve in your career, can you achieve it? In a blog by Marelisa Fabrega, she points out how Eckhart Tolle believes there are three things to happiness. These three things can help you visualize where you want to go and what you want to achieve in a more positive light as you focus on the present and don't let your ego take over.

When leading you need to have a clear vision of where you want to go and how you want to lead. I think it is important to express this clearly to your team, colleagues or faculty from the beginning. Show what you expect and how it will be achieved. This can only be done with a clear vision.

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To move forward and inspire change in others it is important to understand yourself and make necessary changes in yourself first. In McKinsey Quarterly, Nate Boaz and Erica Ariel Fox point this put in their article 'Change leader, change thyself'. If you can instill the changes in yourself first and understand those changes, you could inspire others to do the same. It is also important to understand that to change your department, school, organization it is the people that have to change first. Change can be hard for people but it can also be positive especially in these changing times.

One of the things I learned about myself was what type of personality I have as a teacher. I think I already knew but did not have a name or category for it. During the 21st Century Leadership conference (please see previous blog), Maxine asked us to carry out a personality test. There are a few, like the Myers Briggs type indicator, Belbin team roles test and 4MAT test. We took the Gregorc style delineator test. This was very specific and helped us learn more about ourselves and our relationships with others. 

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This part of the workshop really made me think about who I am and what I bring to my team as a leader. I also realized that it is so important to know and accept who you are. I have a clearer understanding of where I want to go with my team and where I want to go with my career. Maybe it is time you found out who you really are and what you really want to do.