"Toward a New Vision" and "Get to Know Yourself as a Leader"

Reflection: “Toward a New Vision” and “Get to Know Yourself as a Leader”

After reading both the “Toward a New Vision” and “Get to Know Yourself as a Leader,” made me take a better look at what leadership is for me.

I found both of the articles interesting, but I feel that the “Toward a New Vision” was a bit narrow-minded. I think that although race, class, and gender are surface issues that may never seem to diminish, we need to look deeper to find someone’s true identity. Collins states, “Differences in power constrain our ability to connect with one another even when we think we are engaged in dialogue across differences.” Power and privilege has always been something that causes barriers between people. However, I think that to be an effective leader one needs to step outside their comfort zone and experience the life of others. Taking the time to understand these differences is an important quality in an effective leader. This is a great way to grasp a better understanding of how someone else less-privileged might live. By doing so, one will be able to connect to that person and find a meaning to their purpose as a leader. Something else that I didn’t necessarily agree with is when Collins stated, “One powerful catalyst fostering group solidarity is the presence of a common enemy.” I think to initially label someone as their enemy is not a good way to break down barriers. I feel that as a leader one needs to have an open-mind and be open to differences, but without labeling as an “enemy.”

I thought the article “Get to Know Yourself as a Leader,” was interesting and helpful when it comes to leadership. I like the opening sentence of this article, “Your leadership abilities flow from who you are as a person: your values, talents, styles, and self-image” (p. 71) I think it is extremely important as a leader to have self-awareness. Without knowing yourself and your values it is hard to draw a path of alignment and to understand your motives. I think by fully understanding yourself, it not only helps you grow as a leader but helps others follow.  

Work-Cited:

Author Unknown. Get to know yourself as a leader. Chapter 5.

Collins, P.H., (1989). Toward a new vision: Race, class, gender as categories of analysis and connection. The research clearinghouse and curriculum integration project. 457-462.