Inspire People: WE ARE VIRGINIA TECH

WHAT:

            This week in leadership class we studied chapter 21 of Adaptive Leadership called Inspire People. I really liked this chapter because it reminded me of the many times I’ve been inspired by certain people. This chapter brought me back to a specific inspirational memory given that Tuesday, April 16^th was the 2013 Day of Remembrance of the shootings on Virginia Tech’s campus. I wasn’t a student yet when the attack occurred, but I can remember staying glued to the news and feeling nothing but helpless. Virginia Tech distinguished professor Nikki Giovanni gave an amazing speech to the VT community regarding the tragedy and I was brought immediately back to it when I read this chapter and we discussed it in class.

Nikki Giovanni

SO WHAT:

Nikki Giovanni’s words embodied most of the principles discussed in the chapter including: Be with Your Audience, Allow for Silence, Speak from the Heart, Hold Yourself and Others Through the Emotion, and Speak Musically. She delivered her message in a way that connected with the Virginia Tech Community and she allowed for pauses of silence that let her words resonate with students. Furthermore, she spoke musically in the sense that her tone was serious and inspiring, and the way she spoke and repeated the words “We will prevail, we are Virginia Tech,” made the convocation something that will never be forgotten.

NOW WHAT:

            I have never been a good public speaker, but after reading this chapter and making connections with some of the concepts to certain speeches that I find extremely inspiring, I will work to add those concepts into my future presentations. 

Staying Connected To Your Purposes

           

WHAT:

           This week in lecture we discussed Chapter 17 of Adaptive Leadership: Stay Connected to Your Purposes. I found this chapter especially stimulating because it helped me to define my overarching purpose: to improve things for myself as well as for others around me. The chapter describes the importance of maintaining complete awareness of your purpose in all aspects of life and thus gives strategies to aid in this task including: negotiate the ethics of leadership and purpose, keep purposes alive, negotiate your purposes, and integrate your ambitions and aspirations. When reading about and discussing the strategy of negotiating your purposes, I was immediately reminded of an inspiring speech I heard during my internship last summer with Deloitte Consulting.

 SO WHAT:

            Anyone and everyone is bound to encounter someone with a purpose that conflicts with their own. As a consultant, you are constantly fighting this battle with the client because they want something done a certain way that makes sense to them, but may not seem the most optimal solution to the consultant. The chapter describes one way of negotiating your purpose so that others support it by translating your purpose into a language that others can understand and will respond to favorably. The inspiring speech that mimics this exact approach can be seen here.

NOW WHAT:

            I tend to use this strategy in my everyday life and especially in my professional career next year as an information technology consultant for Deliotte. If you stop and think about it, it really does make sense to take a minute to evaluate why the client wants what they want and then translate your standpoint and solution in a way that satisfies their concerns and exceeds their expectations. In this way, you are more then likely to gain their support and acceptance. I honestly feel as though the principle of translating your purpose into a way that others understand and can support is a lesson that can be applied to anyone, anywhere, 

Understanding Your Roles

WHAT?

            This week in leadership class, we discussed Chapter 17 of Adaptive Leadership. The chapter is titled “Understand Your Roles” and discusses the importance and benefits gained from getting on the balcony and becoming completely aware of all of the different roles you play. The book highlights the important notion that the roles we play and our behavior in these roles depends on the values and the context of the given situation. It is helpful to understand that the roles you play are constantly changing in order to understand what motivates you to act the way you do in certain situations. This directly relates to my blog post last week about defining your triggers.

SO WHAT?

            I think that it is important for everyone to understand how the different roles you play cause different triggers to come into play or cause certain triggers to be more sensitive. For example, when I am on the soccer field playing the role of a team member, I let my competitive nature take over and I take a dominant role on the field. I can be triggered by the littlest things the opposing team does. However, when I am working for Deloitte next year as a business technology analyst and I’m talking to a client, I need to play a more reserved role because keeping our clients happy is extremely important in the consulting business. In this situation, even if the client does something to frustrate me at all, I will build up shields to my triggers and remain calm.

NOW WHAT?

            This topic also directly relates to our current Community Map Assignment in which we are supposed to map out all of the different organizations we are a part of, the roles we play in those organizations, and how we can motivate positive change within our spheres of influence. After starting this assignment, I was surprised by the amount of roles I play every single day. I play the role of a student, a sorority member, a daughter, a team member, etc. I think the next step is to determine how you are triggered differently when you play different roles. Doing so will help you lead change effectively and anticipate certain triggers in certain situations allowing you to respond in a more productive way.