527 Week #2

I have thought a great deal about leadership this past week, and what my style of leadership seems to be. I have also thought a great deal about how I like to be led and what traits I look for in a leader. So to begin I feel most confident leading in areas that I feel most comfortable. I have had many leadership opportunities in my life and the ones that I felt I excelled most in all took place in the outdoors. Having been both a wilderness canoe guide, and a kayaker who took Japanese tourists to swim with dolphins I found these two leadership opportunities the most challenging in regards to my leadership, and the most rewarding. When dealing with peoples safety and well being in a strange environment the will immediately look to you for leadership. Therefore it was paramount to have confidence in my work and my decision making abilities. This made my decision making process much easier as people were unable to second guess my decisions as they knew nothing about the environment they were in. Thankfully I always errored on the side of caution and all of my groups had safe trips into the wilderness. On the flip side I look for qualities in a leader who does not get rattled when things become stressful. I like a leader who is confident in their abilities to make decisions and then to stand by those decisions. Finally, I like leaders who are respectful of my time. Our current department head is great with this as he will only call department meetings when necessary and not simply call meetings for the sake of meeting.