While going through unit 3 notes there were so many moments where I was intrigued and my interest was piqued. After carefully analyzing and critically thinking I have ranked my top hit sentences as follows :
1) Many of today’s leaders are keenly idealistic. It isn’t enough for them to make a living — they want to make a difference. . (Source: https://www.virtuesproject.com/leadership.html )
This sentence from the virtue project blew my mind and is indeed very true. These days leaders are not just about making a living, instead, their main goal is to make a difference. In order to make a difference they serve and there is a significant increase in servant leadership these days. Organizations that offer social responsibility, transparency and a joyful,unified work environment are the ones that can attract and keep such leaders. (Sorce: thevirtueproject)
2) Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. (Unit 3 notes, Will Durant (1926, p. 87))
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation: we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather have these because we have acted rightly; “these virtues are formed in man by doing his actions” (Aristotle). This quote holds great importance to me, a leader is a giver and not the taker in an organization or group. There are many problems leaders have to face and each time their leadership values are tested. Only by continually sticking to and practicing their values can they be called true leaders.
3) As Warren Buffet, multibillionaire and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway states, “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you (Hoerr, 2017, p. 73) “
Integrity is certainly the highest quality a leader can possess and practice. Without integrity, other qualities don’t mean much. Especially for a servant leader integrity is a prime quality. Integrity stems from honesty but is a higher, more public form of action. When we act with integrity we are consciously making our personal values known to others. The interpersonal nature of integrity makes it a key component of leadership (ibid, p. 77). There are many ways to develop integrity such as owning up to one’s mistakes, taking the responsibility for consequences to acting with integrity, talking about the importance of acting with integrity and by being a good example to your team. (Unit 3 notes)
4) In Proverbs 16:9 we read, ““A human mind plans the way but the Lord directs the steps”(NRS).”
Believing in God is not incompatible with critical thinking. In other words, faith and reason can co-exist. We learn more about ourselves and the world through the lenses of faith and reason (Unit 3 notes). This also gives leadership an ethical tone. Moreover, having faith makes the leader more patient as he/she believes in God and his timing. Faith also enhance integrity in a leader. Having faith also inculcates a sense of humility in a leader and keeps them connected to their roots.
5) Brazilian philosopher, Rubem Alves (1979) commented that everything is interpretation
This is such a small sentence yet holds immense importance. Undeniably, interpretation is key to everything as you act according to what you interpret. Every leader interprets a solution in a different way based on what values are prime to him or what is the goal of that particular situation. Rubmen Alves also mentioned about interpretations being controlled by the community, and I could not agree more to this. Rubem Alves also shared language functions as a mediation tool between humans and their world. As humans, we don’t contemplate reality face to face. Since birth, things in our world don’t come to us in their naked form, but always dressed up in the names our community has given them. This community has already defined how and what the world is like and, therefore, already knows it (the world). This knowledge of the world is crystallized in our language. Language, therefore, is not a copy of objects and facts. Language is always interpretation (cited in Goodson 2013, p.47).
6) How long should you remain silent? When you think you have been silent long enough, be silent a little more. (Unit 3 notes)
There is this quote by Dalai Lama that states when you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new. Being a good listener is one of the best qualities a leader can have and it is very rare nowadays as everyone has so much to say. I’m in no way saying that one should not speak freely but to listen mindfully. If someone is sharing something with you, you should listen with your full attention and not just be thinking about what you’ll respond to that. Most of the people listen just to answer but, to listen to understand is actually a quality of a good leader.
7) The value of critical transformational learning is that there is a personal intentionality to the process. ( Source: Unit 3 Notes: MA Lead Student Christel Davidson’s Jan. 9th blog post entitled ‘Designing Our Boxes’)
This blog was a delight to read and was very thought evoking. This box theory resonates with me so well. According to this, a person stays in a box until it is challenged to get out of that boxes. Then the person goes on to make another box because having boundaries is essential for humans. Then one leaves that box as well to make another box and all this will be repeated over and over again (Unit 3 notes). As one of my favorite mentor Robin Sharma says, “progress beings outside your comfort zone”. Getting out of the box here means getting out to your comfort zone and growing and leaving that place once it becomes too comfortable too and moving on to next challenge.
Each time the learner temporarily exits the box to take a fresh view of life, it is not to throw the person into a state of chaos or abandonment of absolutes, but to give a moment where thoughts can be free to explore other possible points of view or to reflect on habits and unconscious actions that are rooted in their beliefs. Once challenged or left open for review, a critical analysis can be made, conclusions drawn and a shifted belief or value stabilized, by restating or redesigning their box. There are endless ways that this can be accomplished, so long as the process evokes the emotions, stimulates the soul and matures the mind ( Source: Unit 3 Notes: MA Lead Student Christel Davidson’s Jan. 9th blog post entitled ‘Designing Our Boxes’)
8) How can I compare and contrast varying theoretical perspectives on the topic? (Unit 3 notes, Chong, 2015)
The thing about journals is that author controls the content and may decide to add or leave out anything they want. There are many authors and many of them can have contradicting views as well. To compare and contrast these varying theoretical perspectives one has to analyze which information intersects with policies and procedures of their field and what aligns with their values. (unit 3 notes)