LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT
- What kind of crucible was each turning point/event (new territory, reversal, suspension, or some combination, something else)?
Crucibles are life-changing events such as trials and events that force individuals to answer questions about themselves and what is important. At some point in my life, I have come upon crucibles. When I joined campus, I was on the verge of experiencing freedom for the first time. I was not aware that I was going to experience the worst-case scenario ever. I had a class the next day at 8 am, and I went to sleep casually, knowing I had set my alarm clock to 7 am. Unfortunately, I had accidentally set it at 7 pm. The next day I woke up at 9 am confused, I quickly put on my pants and rushed to the class only to find the lecturer concluding the lesson and told me that I had been dropped from the class. I had to rush down to the administrator to register the class back. The frustrations that I endured considering the fact that it was only my first day was life-changing. To this day, I confirm my alarm clock before going to sleep.
Another scenario happened in the year 2014 as I approached the last years of my graduate studies. At the point, I was studying to be a financial engineer. As I answered my final question about overpriced and underpriced stocks, a horrifying thought came through my mind; this was going to be my career, I will spend the rest half of my life calculating shares and market rate of return. I recalled my life as a kid when I once said, “when I grow up, I want to be a veterinary doctor.” I remember once I saw on the news a ship captain being congratulated by the president for rescuing stranded fishers who had gone missing for days and thinking, I want to be a ship captain as these thoughts flooded my mind. I instantly knew my fate was sealed; there was no saying from then on, “when I grow up, I want to be a…”. This was going to be my future. With just minutes before the exam ended, I wanted to get up and leave the classroom like in the movies and follow my dream, but a conscious mind kept me from making a mistake. As the professor collected our answer sheet, she said something that I will never regret hearing, “…now go make the world a better place.” At that point, I decided to use my financial engineering degree to make all my dreams come true. I would eventually find a job in an agricultural and livestock company as a financial analyst. To this day, I still believe I make an impact by making sure the company is financially stable.
- What was the insight you learned about yourself or the lesson you learned?
From my crucible experience, I learned that I could readily embrace change no matter what. I realized that when things didn’t turn out the way I expected, I picked myself up and moved on. I also learned that I am passionate about careers and life choices that I make and that to make an impact in this life that we live in, one must have a passion for what they are doing. I also learned in life that confidence comes from within despite what others think or say.
- What (if anything) did you learn about how you learn?
I learned that leadership is about making mistakes and learning from them. Experience is significant, especially in the direction as one can make judgments based on experiences that they get (Thomas, 2008). Just like the story about Galvin, a small compliment was able to boost his confidence after he had made a potentially damaging mistake in his father’s factory.
- What did you learn about how you learn?
After the crucible events, I have come to learn and admire how I handle making mistakes. I turned them into defining moments and motivation. Looking for potential errors and to potentially avoid them in the future. When I made mistakes soon as I became independent in university, I made up a list of reasons not to commit the error again.
- Describe how your lessons learned compound with those found in the lessons extracted from the interviews that Thomas (2008)
Just like how Thomas believes that leaders do not have to be bulletproof, I find myself making a lot of mistakes and having to learn from them without judging myself that I am a terrible person. Sometimes it is also essential when leaders accept that they are wrong (Thomas, 2008). This makes it easier for others to offer assistance where necessary. Having a mission or purpose is also essential for any leader (Thomas, 2008). Leaders are often there to guide others to achieve a common goal. And if a leader does not have a purpose or a mission themselves, then it is easy to mislead others.
- No one learns alone. Who played a critical sense-making role for you during these turning points? In other words, who helped you learn what you learned?
Friends are essential people in our lives. Our friends are a reflection of our manners. During these moments, my friends were there for me and often had to cut corners to help me out. Personal learning is good, but one also needs proper support from those around (Thomas, 2008). I also turned to online books to better understand how to manage such situations in the future.
- Think about what you know about yourself as a learner (your preferences and styles). What insights does this add to your crucible experiences?
Being a highly independent person, I often find myself in situations where I would love to try new experiences. It is why I have a wide assortment of friends from all over, all with different personalities. From those who like to have fun, to those who are more relaxed. It also helps that I am a good listener, and this helped in situations where my friends were offering me guidance. Since leadership is a learning process and does not occur without the desire to learn and be willing to practice, I have learned to become more patient with life choices and to make a point never to make the same mistake twice(Thomas, 2008).
References
Thomas, R. J. (2008). Crucibles of leadership: How to learn from experience to become a great leader. Harvard Business Press.