Tag: Light From Many Lamps

 

“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” was a line sung by John Lennon. Sometimes, it is easier to get so caught up in all of the thoughts about yesterday and tomorrow that we forget to live in the moments of today.

 

Sir William Osler reminds us of this with his teaching about living life as if it were a “day-tight compartment.” (Watson, 1951, P 215). He compares living in the moment with the same idea as a watertight compartment on a ship. He tells us that we need to be better at “Shutting off the past and the future” (Watson, 1951, P 215).

 

In Avolio and Gardner (2005, P. 318), they present the Shamir and Eilam (2005) approach to authentic leadership, that “advance a life stories approach to authentic leadership development. After first clarifying their use of the terms authentic leader, authentic leadership, and authentic leader development, Shamir and Eilam describe how leaders’ life stories provide insight into the meanings they attach to life events to guide followers, and in turn to develop themselves over time through reflection. As such, a leader’s life story reflects the degree of self-knowledge, self-concept clarity, and person-role merger he or she experiences, and provides followers with cues for assessing leader authenticity.”

 

As a leader, you must deal with situations that arise at any given moment.  In that sense, you are living in the moment as suggested by Sir William Osler.  However, your past experiences and how you dealt with the situation affect how you currently conduct yourself as a leader. Essentially, you learn from past experiences.  In my own life, I know this is most definitely true. People tell me all the time that I worry too much about the unknown, or the things I cannot control. I believe it to be part of my caring and compassionate nature that I always worry about things that are going on in people’s lives and in my own life, from the past, in the present and in the future. In some aspects, I believe that it is not possible to fully live in a day-tight compartment. For example, in my teaching career, I am constantly thinking ahead and planning for the future, as well as reflecting on things that have already happened. I believe that I would not be a very good teacher if I didn’t do these things; for I am continually trying to improve and do things better than before.  As a leader, you must be able to react, analyze and respond to an ever changing dynamic environment.  If you live in a day-tight compartment, you simply cannot be open to or embrace change and make necessary adjustments in your life and in your career.  

 

References:

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership – theory and practice – seventh edition. Los Angeles: Sage.

Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster

In his book “As a man thinketh”, James Allen teaches us valuable lessons about leadership. The first lesson that resonated with me is that everyone needs to be taught perseverance in every aspect of life. “Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph. (Watson, 1951, P 172). An effective leader can teach this to his/her followers by demonstrating it themselves. This means that when a leader is dealing with challenges that arise on the path to desired results, he/she will not give up. If this skill is learned, a person can benefit from being able to use it in many aspects of life.

 

I always try to teach this skill to my students. In today’s world, information is readily accessible at the touch of  a button. Some students struggle with persevering through challenges to accomplish goals, as it is easier to access the answers quickly and move on.

 

I believe that Allen also emphasizes the importance of being able to self-reflect. He encourages people to weed out the bad thoughts and fill the space with positive thoughts. Allen uses the imagery of a garden to compliment his thoughts. This involves self-reflection. In my own life, I often find time for self reflection in my career, my relationships with family, friends and colleagues and in my own struggles. Specifically, I spend a lot of time reflecting on my personal health. I have been on a weightloss journey for most of my life. For me, this is a journey that presents the greatest challenges and setbacks. I often find that there are negative thoughts tracing through my mind about my progress. This week in particular I have experienced a setback which has brought a lot of negative thoughts. In May, I hurt one of my ribs and was advised to stay away from any physical activity until it healed. This week, I was just getting back to light weights at the gym, when I had an accident and fractured my sternum. The doctor told me it will take at least 12 weeks to heal and that I will again have to refrain from physical activity. For someone who has struggled with weight, this terrifies me and naturally I get a lot of negative thoughts running through my head. It is important for me to continue to remind myself of all of the positive things that I have done and that this is only a temporary setback, and not the end of my physical activity. In a previous assignment, I wrote about how leaders should strive for progress, not perfection. I often find that coming back to this thought, helps me to weed out the negative thoughts and focus on the positive ones. I do this by keeping an album of pictures of me at my worst and at my best and writing down how I felt in each photo. I post inspirational quotes on my mirrors in my room, on the fridge, and in my classroom.  

 

Dr. Jason Fox suggests that, “doubt makes our ideas stronger as it is fundamental to discovery.” (Fox, 2016, P24). When reflecting on my negative thoughts, I often find that I am asking myself, “what can I do to improve this situation?” If I didn’t have the negative thoughts, I may not be asking questions regarding self-improvement as often as I am asking them. Everyone has feelings of self-doubt but it is how we use those feelings that defines us. Our self-doubt can be used to help us become better leaders. “This is exactly the quality we want in leaders — the ability to question themselves, to think deeper and accept that no one and no thing is perfect, but we can learn.” (Fox, 2016, P25).

 

I believe that Allen’s book can remind us that no person is perfect and that even leaders have struggles. It is how well a leader deals with, and overcomes these obstacles that determines how effective they are as a leader.

 

References

 

Fox. J. (2016). Why Self Doubt Makes Leaders Better

 

Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster

 

Light From Many Lamps, Part 3

 

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself” (Roosevelt) was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural speech.  These few simple, but powerful words, spoken at a time when the majority of Americans were frozen in fear and overwhelmed with uncertainty, had a significant impact on the citizens of the United States.  During the Great Depression, people were suffering from poverty, unemployment, and a sense disparity.  Banks failed, factories were idle and many people lost their lifelong savings.  People were overwhelmed with the state of the economy.  They had lost their sense of optimism. It was not only what President Roosevelt said, but how he said it, “His voice rang out, firm and clear” (Watson, 2017, P129).  “There was an electric quality to his words (Watson, 2017, P129).  At a time when most people had lost hope and were struggling, President Roosevelt was a powerful, positive, confident leader. (Watson, 2017, P129).  “He gave the people ….words of heartening faith and courage…”(Watson, 2017, P130).

 

In my experience, leadership is about exuding confidence, optimism, and reassurance.  A leader does not give up, he does not give in and he does not quit.  A leader takes charge, he evaluates and assesses the situation and strives to face obstacles and issues head on. A strong leader is a fighter, not someone who hides from challenges and obstacles. There is always something positive to take away from anything negative.  The leader sets the example and the standard, and is the inspiration for others to aspire to.  It is the verbal and the non-verbal behaviour of a leader that influences. In Light From Many Lamps, there is a story about a man named Harold Russell. In the story, he loses both hands. Russell continues to live his life accomplishing goals, and not giving in. He does not dwell on his physical handicaps and achieves many other successes in his life. This is an example of a leader who did not quit, is a fighter and who is optimistic in challenging circumstances. (Watson, 2017, P88-94).

 

Northouse 2017 discusses the leadership qualities of Nelson Mandela. “In essence, the charisma factor describes people who are special and who make others want to follow the vision they put forward. A person whose leadership exemplifies the charisma factor is Nelson Mandela…” (Northouse, 2017). I believe that Franklin. D. Roosevelt also exemplifies these charismatic leadership qualities. “These leaders are deeply respected by followers, who usually place a great deal of trust in them. They provide followers with a vision and a sense of mission.” Roosevelt’s charismatic words provided his followers with comfort, courage and determination to overcome difficult obstacles. (Northouse, 2017).

 

As a teacher, it is my responsibility to set the best possible example for my students.  As an educator, I must create an atmosphere that instills confidence and a desire to learn and overcome any obstacles that a student might be struggling with, whether it is at school or at home.   

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster. Northouse, P. (2017). Leadership: Theory and Practice.