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Overcoming obstacles and challenges
Overcoming obstacles and challenges
Critical Reflactions On Leadership Skills
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As a leader, I am constantly trying to improve myself. I believe many valuable lessons can be learned through experience, and overcoming daunting, demanding situations. Because of this philosophy, seeking out challenge has become something that defines me. My search for personal improvement has lead me to many places, one such place was the kitchen of one of Canada’s largest summer camps, Muskoka Woods. In this kitchen, me and a team of no more than four at a time, would wash dishes for over a thousand people. The hours were long, the work was hard, the pay was measly, but at the end of the day, I learned the value of resilience and a positive attitude. This activity enabled me to practice supporting a community, as well as utilizing teamwork,
The people of the Eastern Woodlands made many tools to help them in their everyday lives. They made spears, weirs, nets, bows and arrows, lances, knives, taps, snares and deadfall for hunting. Most of those tools were made of wood or bark and other forest material. Arrowheads were made from chert, or flint, from sedimentary rocks. They were shaped like isosceles triangles, the smallest arrows were used for hunting birds, the bigger ones were to spear bears or deer. Flint knives were often oval, or teardrop shaped. For fishing they made spears, weirs, and nets. They also made canoes from hollowed-out trees to help with fishing in the lakes and streams. Some other tools they made were axes made of stone to strip bark, clear fields and removing fat from hides. Axes
The most meaningful and challenging experiences in my life have been through sports and the 4-H club. They have instilled the values of perseverance, confidence, and teamwork within me. I feel that my peers and others could learn valuable life lessons through participating in these organizations. They are not just clubs, but a guiding light for life. For example in sports I have had the opportunity to play on both losing and winning teams. This has given me a different perspective of looking at things. I now realize that even if you fail or lose that is no reason to give up, you still have to get right back up. Just realize your mistakes and errors. Then come back the next time, mentally and physically, ready to meet the challenge. To often in life youth and adults alike fail at something and automatically think that they cannot do it, and give up. Instead of just pushing themselves to run another lap, lift another set, study for another hour, or learn another theorem. Imagine a world if the early American settlers had given in to the British, if the North had given in to the South after the first loss of the civil war, or if Michael Jordan had given up after being cut from the team in high school. People just need to learn to have perseverance and believe in themselves. 4-H has been a series of stepping-stones for me. When I first started out at age four I was shy and afraid to do things that I had not done before, but now I have blossomed into a confident and outgoing young man. I no longer fear getting up in front of large groups and speaking because of the experiences I've had in public speaking events. In addition, 4-H has given me the chance to develop myself as a leader. Over the years I have held various leadership positions on the club, county, and district levels. Also, 4-H has given me the chance to go into the community and help people by leading youth in workshops, assisting the handicap and elderly, and also learn from what others have to teach. In both of these organizations I learned the need for teamwork. For example last year my football team went 0-11 and the main reason because of that was we were not a team.
The Hero’s Journey assignment became a vital assignment with great meaning. The paper became a challenge because I reflected on my life and the things influencing my skills as a leader. Putting my experiences on paper became a hard thing to do because I felt vulnerable sharing the things I never considered to put on paper. In the end, the assignment proved therapeutic because I was able to answer questions about my life and make connections on why I do the things I do. The innovation segment became a valuable experience for me because I never thought innovation could become so powerful. One concept I learned from the segment became looking around my organization with an observer's eye. I found the idea effective because instead of criticizing my organization on the surface, I needed to observe the organization in the entirety. Nonviolent communication proved to become one of the most effective tools I ever encountered. I was able to use skills to reduce conflict. NVC made sense to me because it provided the comfort I needed to address conflict. I also appreciated the concept behind DISC style. By applying the concept in my work environment, I notice a change amongst my fellow co-workers.
Canada is a very large country, with areas of land in various climate regions, and land regions, thus having many ecozones that differentiate from another. The most populated ecozone in Canada is the Mixedwood Plains; the ecozone we are located in, named after the mixedwood forests that are native to the area. The Mixedwood Plains is one of the smallest of the Canadian ecozones, spanning only 175 963 kilometres squared. The Mixedwood Plains is bordered by three of the great lakes on the southern side of the ecozone, and comes up along the St Lawrence river to southern Quebec, and fills the tip of Ontario. It has rolling plains and small rock formations and escarpments. The Mixedwood Plains contains over half of the Canadian population as it contains some of Canada’s largest cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Windsor. The Mixedwood Plains has a relatively temperate climate with summers ranging an average temperature of 18o c – 22oc and winters ranging from -3oc - -110c.[2] Native mammals to the ecozone are black, brown and grizzly bears, grey wolves, coyotes and foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and other small mammals. Avian species include brown sparrow, hawks, crows, cardinals and bluejays. Fish are bass, trout, carp and pike. The Mixedwood Plains is made up of about 40% water, and contains over 20% of the worlds freshwater. One of the major problems in the world today is freshwater shortage. Because we have ample supply, we don’t notice, but much of the world is short on water. There are more water resources, but one of the largest is being quickly polluted and populated by invasive species .
There are opportunities for a ‘natural leader’ to emerge on a daily basis among staff and volunteer managers alike. Eagly and Joannesen-Schmidt (2001) published an article titled “The Leadership Styles of Women and Men” noting the traits of a natural leader. A natural leader is inspiring to themselves and other employees, enables professional growth, and encourages staff rather than dictate what job needs to be done. In the Salvation Army, the mission is to bring aid to those in need with a passion and empathy for others. Program leaders should be aware of their responsibility as the heart and the brain of the organization (Eagly and Jonannesen-Schmidt,
During this past summer I had the opportunity to travel to the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC), where I learned about leadership, citizenship, and service. During the conference we met in what was called large groups and community groups. Each community group had their own unique name, with some being called “revolutionaries” or the “legacies”, but the name of my group was the “Rough Riders”. At the time I really did not know much about the history of the Rough Riders or their impact in history, but after some research and watching a movie based on this story I was able to see a real life example of what lea...
The Alaskan wilderness is one of the most controversial topics discussed in the United States today. There are many different opinions and regulations pertaining to certain topics affecting the natural landscape of Alaska. One such topic is hunting for brown bear. While these massive animals face no current danger of being wiped out as a result of hunting, it is still a controversial and constantly debated issue. Over ninety-five percent of the United States’ brown bear resides in Alaska. Brown bears are one of the more appealing attractions for visitors to Alaska. According to the Alaskan Outdoor Journal, there are places all throughout Alaska that are designated brown bear viewing areas (Alaska Outdoor Journal, 2010). However many who come to Alaska for the brown bear don’t simply come to observe. Instead, they come for the hunt. These animals are constantly hunted for sport, and since they reproduce at a very low rate, this has the potential to jeopardize the total population of the brown bear. Overall, I believe that brown bear hunting should remain legal.
I spent two years working on a literary magazine and newsletter, and proved myself enough to grab a higher position my second year. Helping others perform to their fullest with my help is extraordinarily rewarding. These qualities reflected on the two years I spent regularly babysitting after school and on call. Babysitting not only helped me develop my leadership and role model traits, it was also gratifying to know that because I dedicated myself, I was making the lives of parents
This discussion will focus on leadership as described by Robert Dees in The Resilience Trilogy, Resilient Leaders text. The points made in the book can be personally related. The three most important concepts learned from chapter 1 and 2 are tribulation, risk management, and selflessness. It is crucial for anyone is seeking to delve into leadership that everything will not happen as planned all the time. After a leader experience failure, knowing the avenues to take to regain a solid footing is also key to successful leadership. Often leaders who are unaware of available resources fold and give up. In the military profession, when someone gets knock down they get up brush themselves off and get back in the fight.
It is not true that the close of a life which ends in a natural fashion-
Elizabeth Bishop's "The Moose" is a narrative poem of 168 lines. Its twenty-eight six-line stanzas are not rigidly structured. Lines vary in length from four to eight syllables, but those of five or six syllables predominate. The pattern of stresses is lax enough almost to blur the distinction between verse and prose; the rhythm is that of a low-keyed speaking voice hovering over the descriptive details. The eyewitness account is meticulous and restrained.
The stories and resilience I’ve seen and heard remind of the importance of civic engagement and leadership. I recognize that without the support of mentors such as Mr. Bravo, I would not be writing these words today. At age 22, I have returned to the community that shaped the individual I am today. My way of giving back for the opportunities I have had in life is by serving as a resource, mentor, and tutor to the youth in my community. I work closely with 11 at risk eight grade students at Carver Middle School, a school in South Los Angeles. My purpose in serving in this community is because my students deserve a quality education that will allow them to develop the skills to be civically engaged citizens. Therefore, building brave spaces for my students is crucial to me; because, I am aware of the importance of social and emotional support of one’s personal and professional development. I want my students to know that they matter and that they are not
Actions create personal success just as students form the Wolff Center’s success. Last spring, I volunteered for Barbecoogs during Wolffest. We learned together from December all the way to filling the last plate with food. Working in the trenches with them was an experience that strengthened my commitment to entrepreneurship and solidified my belief that people are the most important element of any project. It also taught me the importance of maintaining tact and cordiality when plans malfunction. My team brought out greatness in one another and pushed each other towards success. They showed me the caliber of the Wolff center as a collective that promotes growth and shares
My background and experience has given me considerable knowledge in how to manage people and situations while being a team player. Prior to my graduation, I held various leadership positions which include the Team Leader (volunteer) for nutrition, hygiene and sanitation wing in Matsyanarayan Ecological Conservation Trust (MECT), Syangja, Nepal (October 2011-December 2012). I led various awareness campaigns on complementary feeding practice, basic hygiene and sanitation, low cost toilet construction, water filtration and treatment techniques and school health program in rural Nepal. Similarly, I worked as Secretary of Association of Pokhara University Public Health Students (APPS) for the duration of 1 year (January 2010-January 2011).
I have been an NSS (National Service Scheme) volunteer and have organized events such as Blood Donation Camps and projects like Aabha, in which I got the privilege to teach the children of the under-privileged college workers. This provided me a satisfaction of giving something back to the society. Joining an NGO named IMAGES, which organized various events such as The Maverick Maestro (2013), Aura (2014) and Eminence (2015) has helped me improve my communication skills, instilling confidence in me and hence grooming my overall personality. During my work in these organizations, I have developed in an excellent team spirit as well as leadership qualities at a professional level. At times, handling both academics and all of the above activities proved difficult and strenuous for me, but did not deter me from following my passions for the