My Journey As A Leader: My Life Story And Development Of My Father

1. INTRODUCTION:

As entrepreneur, philosopher and author Jim Rohn famously said “we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with”. Since birth a child’s first frame of reference would be that of his or her parents, therefore your parents are one of the most important factors in determining who you become in life. Just like any little boy my role model was and still is my father, he made a huge impact in my life and since my earliest memories I just wanted to become the man and father that he was to me. In this assignment I am going to reflect on everyone that made an impact in my life. I will go on to tell my life story and experiences, and finally elaborate on the development of my authentic leadership story.

2.1 REFLECT

I guess that it all started by having a father in a senior role at work since my earliest memories. Of course it helped wanting to be just like him since I was a little boy. Who wouldn’t want to be an officer in the police force fighting crime and speeding up and down with screaming sirens all day long? At least that was my idea of what my dad did every day of his life, but actually he was my father, friend and mentor. There were numerous significant people in my life, but all credit should go to my parents which laid my foundation and provided me with ample opportunities. My family, friends and teachers all played different roles in my early years, which allowed me to develop into the father, husband and leader that I am today. American historian Arthur M. Schlesinger said “Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response”. Yes, my life story has not always been a fairytale and my experiences were not always pretty, but it developed me in a way that I could reframe my negative experiences in a positive light. It taught how to be accountable for my mistakes and most of all how to stand up from failure and move

I always try and understand my surroundings and I often reflect on my short and long term goals. What am I doing that is working and what is not working. I often ask myself the question, how am I going to change things that are not working for me? From time to time I will have a discussion with certain family members or one or two close friends, it might be uncomfortable at times, but their honest appraisal and advice are necessary for my self-improvement. Another tool would be to try and stay aware of my emotions, as Drs. Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves says “Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.” I am always trying to build on yet strong relationships with my team members to understand them better as every individual has different needs. By understanding myself I could understand others