As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next the people hate...
When the best leader's work is done the people say, "We did it ourselves!"
I've been reading Up The Organization recently and that paragraph stood out to me. Recently I've had my leadership style questioned and I've taken a step back and self-reflected on what a leader is to me and what I'd expect out of leadership. There have definitely been times in the last two months where I had no idea if what I was doing was "right" or if my team would be the most "successful" during our first round...but looking back I think it's important for me to acknowledge that the definition of successful isn't rigid, it's adaptable. What is "right" for my team changes monthly, sometimes weekly, and maybe even daily. I think in terms of success my team has surpassed any expectations I've had, they've taken what I've given to them and cultivated into a culture of positivity and growth.
They've never been bashful in telling me when I needed to change something or if something I was doing wasn't necessarily the best for team growth so I feel very confident and hopeful they'll continue to keep me in the loop!
I may not have always made the "best" decisions or done everything "right" by other peoples' standards but as far as I'm concerned I feel like I've put my all into the team and they've given it right back to me. I see their productivity as proof that what I'm doing is working. There are many ways to lead and it has taken me a while to come to terms with my style and it's always changing/evolving but I always feel supported from staff and my team. I'm so proud of my members on Oak 3. I was warned when applying to be a team leader that I'd feel isolated and lonely a lot of the time; however, I haven't had that experience. Sure there has been times when I was lonely and felt like I was alone..but those times didn't last long and were brought to an end when a team member invited me out or included me in something. I'm very lucky to have a team that's so open and inclusive. I feel like I'm getting more out of this experience personally than I thought I would. Coming back to NCCC I thought I knew it all...turns out I didn't. My team has taught me just as much if more not than I've taught them.
I've been thinking a lot about my team and how we've been doing in terms of my leadership and their team work. Our first round is coming to a close, 18 more days! I look forward to our second project as much as I did this project - I have a feeling it will be challenging just as this one was but hopefully we'll continue to grow together. I feel extremely positive about our work with this sponsor and hope that my team can reflect on this experience and see the good and the areas of improvement within and proceed from there. We have a good basis and are only going up from here.
