“The Director has an acute understanding of the bigger picture, with a firm grasp on the pulse of their organization.”¹
Back in my innocent days of elementary school, I loved basking in the centre of attention. Whether it was during group reading session, after school sports, or god forbid, church activities (see what I did there 😉.) I was quite the class clown, and it was common sight to see me sitting in detention room almost everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I talked out of turn constantly, but what I think I set to accomplish was to make a strong first impression. Good or bad, I couldn’t care less at the time, I just wanted to let everyone know “💵Bill”² had arrived. I might add that I was probably also a little insecure, as I’ve never stayed in a school long enough to make truly meaning friends before moving again to another city. In hindsight, I was the student teachers ranted to the school boards about.
Leaders and directors should feel comfortable standing out in a crowd and make their voices heard. They have to be able to handle the scrutiny and not be fazed by the pressure. Nowadays, I’ve toned down that look-at-me attitude of mine significantly. However, I’ve came to realize everyone needs a chance to be in the limelight, to “take centre stage, and embrace the unexpected.”¹ I found out I loved being in a organizational and mentorship role, because I take pride in helping people accomplish things they never thought they were capable of. For example, during my time as a swimming instructor, I worked to create a safe and fun environment to empower students to try different things. I supported them in overcoming their fears, and it was humbling to witness my students draw up the courage and take the plunge off the diving board. As a leader, I want “grasp on[to] the pulse”¹ of my team, bring out the best in people, and make sure none of the great ideas go unnoticed.
During the first week of the d.studio, I had the opportunity to create a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, oppurtunities, and threats) diagram as a self-reflection exercise. I started out by filling in strengths and opportunities sections, very much like selling myself on a resume. I had a knack for always keeping the end product in mind, enjoy partaking new challenges and methods of doing things, and had an adaptable and versatile mindset, etc. Also, I’m partaking in the co-op program, and have worked in the technological industry full-time before even starting my third year at university. These were things I’ve written down many times before, on applications and cover letters. The difficult part came when I was trying to finish the weaknesses and threats of the the SWOT diagram.
I sat there, twiddling my thumbs, unable to put my pen onto the paper. I would hate to ruin this “perfect” image of myself I had created, even though I was fully aware exactly what my downfalls were. Inking these thoughts down meant I was accepting these shortcomings, and I felt scared and fragile admitting my glaring flaws. Would people follow a leader with weaknesses like mine?
Through taking COMM 388, participating in the discussions and group exercise, I hope to gain the ability to see past these “failures.” Maybe I will even find a way to integrate them to my growth in a positive light.
– Billy Liu
- Kelley, T. (n.d.). The Ten Faces of Innovation. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- My COMM 388 name