Let's Go to the Movies!

This week we had to turn in a leadership analysis of a recent movie. I thought this would be hard. I was trying to come up with movies like The Queen, then I watched Australia. I would have never considered this movie for a leadership review. It's a romantic drama. As soon as I heard Nicole Kidman's character say, "Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be," I started looking for the leadership and I found it. The movie revolved around this one phrase. The characters constantly tested society by living life the way they want and not listening to social rules they disagreed with. This movie made me a believer in Dr. Feinberg when he says that you can find leadership everywhere.

The Strong Ones

This was something I had to share. I mention several times in my blog how I'm in counseling. Well, I go to group therapy on Thursdays. I have a fear of showing weakness and being less than perfect. I sometimes feel like admitting that I go to counseling as a sign of weakness. I had something I couldn't handle and I had to ask for help. I struggle with that fact, but this past week a girl in my group told me something I had never thought of. She said her dad (a psychiatrist) always told her that he thought that the people that walked through his door were some of the bravest and strongest people he'd met. He said this because he thought it took an amazing amount of courage to ask for help. I starting thinking about how this relates to leadership. As a leader, if you need help you can't be afraid to ask because not only will you drown, but so will your followers. As a leader you are responsible for more than just yourself. You can't let your followers fail because you're too weak to admit you can't do something. The strong leaders ask for help.

3 weeks

This past week Dr. Feinberg told us we only had three weeks left of class. THREE WEEKS! I started to realize how fast my time here at Purdue has gone, and how much I wish I could go back and change. Until I started to go to counseling to help with some personal issues and fears this year, I never went out with friends much. I mostly holed myself up in my dorm room. I missed so many opportunities! If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't have slept. I would have lived college life to its fullest. I would have joined as many clubs as I would've had time for. I think that this is going to be a building block in my leadership foundation. I will use this mistake to learn what to do later in life. I will seize every opportunity and make the most of my situations. A leader can't be passive. A leader must be energetic, motivated, and excited. I will try be these things in the next phases of my life. I think that will make me a better leader.

My New Job

I got the call today that I got a job I had applied for at the credit union I interned with last summer. I'm so excited! It's not just a job, but my dream job. I will be their new financial education coordinator. I will go to schools and workplaces to teach people how to use their money wisely. I think that, especially in this economy, this job will be a wonderful way to show leadership. I will teach people formally, but also, once people know what I do, teach people by example. I think that leading by example is one of the best ways to lead. People don't want to listen to a lot of talk and then see a hypocrite. I'm very excited to be in this position and to be able to lead people to use their money wisely.

Brown-Nosing

Recently I had an interview for my dream job. I have bombed interviews in the past. A while ago Dr. Feinberg sent out an attachment of how to turn the "What is your weakness, " question into a strength. I thought about my weakness and how to turn it into a strength. This also led me to think about other questions you hear a lot in interviews, and how I should answer them. Needless to say, I felt prepared in my interview. They told me I would hear from them in a week or two, but either way I felt like I needed to thank Dr. Feinberg. Yes, I brown-nosed. I wanted him to know my name and that I held him responsible for my confidence in my interview. I wanted him to know he'd done something good, and hoped he would be a better leader because of the praise. A good leader knows when to praise the people around them, even if it is just to get a better performance out of them. People need to know they are doing a good job. People need praise; leaders and followers alike. So, followers, praise your leaders so that they are motivated to help you more. Leaders, praise your followers so they are willing to put forth more effort to make you look good. All it takes is a little brown-nosing.

What do I want to be remembered for?

What do I want to be remembered for? This question should be easy to answer. For me, it wasn't. I've been thinking about it, and I'm still not sure. I want my mom to say that I was a loving and caring daughter and that she was proud of me. I want my husband to say that I was his partner, that I made him want to be a better man. I want my little sister to say that she loved me and that I was a role model to her. But what do I want the world to remember me for? I want and try to be a good person. I want to help people, but that's not enough. I guess I thought that since I wasn't famous, it didn't matter. The world wouldn't remember me anyway. Beyond what I want to be remembered for, how do you go about doing that? I'm 22, I don't think about dying very much. I'm just living life and trying to be happy. Being a leader is a 24/7 job. You must lead in every aspect of your life. I hadn't thought about that. This question has got me thinking about the future and how to better myself, but isn't that what a leader does?