The Leadership and Communication class taught me a lot about how to become a better leader. Through examining the concepts behind what makes a good leader, I was able to establish exactly the attributes I currently posses and those that I needed to work on in order to have the most successful group possible. The realization I came to was that if I was met with opposition to my opinions, I tended to become distant from my team and lose sight of the intended goals. By recognizing this aspect of my behavior I was able to communicate my opinions and be more open about what I felt and ultimately had a much easier time collaborating with my group.
Modeling the Way, or leading by doing, and Encouraging the Heart, were my main goals this term. I wanted my team members to feel as though I was taking on work and helping them in their duties because I wanted to help all of us learn and succeed, not just because I wanted the grades. By being cognicent of how I might close myself off sometimes to feedback or a particularly boisterous person, I was able to push though those feelings of unsureness and share my thoughts regardless of how I might have felt others perceived my contributions.
By the end of the term I felt relatively successful in accomplishing these goals. I got feedback from my team mates on how they appreciated my help on written assignments, clear communication, and preparation for our group presentation. This class allowed me to explore both the positive and negative attributes I had coming in and pushed me to improve in both areas.