Austin Mullaly 12/09/13

X-Factor

1. My x-factor isnt something I do that no one knows about me, or something I have over come;
my X-factor is that I am a jack of all trades, a renaissance man. The definition of a person, who is a jack-of-
all-trades, is someone who is good at many things, but not a master at anything. This is a quality that sums
me up fairly well because I have had the benefit of being immersed in many different sports, subjects, and
activities.
2. Having this quality can be very useful in all types of situations, especially in leadership
positions, which I will go further into later. One of the first outlets that have decided to venture into is
sports. As many of you already know, I am a huge sports fanatic. I dont particularly have a favorite sport to
either watch or play, so I know at least a little about pretty much any sport.
3. This is also because I have played more than a handful of them in my lifetime. As a kid my dad
always pushed me to go out and try new things and from the age of 6 to 16, I varied from playing hockey,
football, soccer, swimming, bike racing, tennis, and basketball. Each one of these sports had an impact in
some way shape or form on how I act today, and I have a love and appreciation for every one of those
sports.
4. Now whenever I run into someone who plays nearly any sport, I can talk and understand
where they come from and kind of have an idea of what type of leadership qualities would be useful with
them. Along with playing sports and being active, music has been another field that I enjoy learning and
practicing. As many of you know I play guitar, but I also play piano, and those two instruments have shown
me a whole other side of determination and imagination I never knew I had.
5. Whether you are first learning an instrument or have a lot of experience, there is always more
to learn, which is what I love bout music. It has taught me to never stop trying to learn new things and
figure them out for yourself. That kind of self-determination always comes in handy and can be used for
many different aspects of life.
6. Another area I have worked hard at is my schooling. I come from a background of stricter
parenting with strong focuses on doing well in school. As a kid I went to a private school called St. Michaels
from kindergarten through 6
th
grade, then went to Midlothian Middle to finish out middle school, and
obviously from there went out of district to come to James River.
7. I have experienced the changing of school atmosphere multiple times, which has helped me
grow and be more out going and meet new people. Because I went to Midlo middle and that splits into
Monacan, my home school, and Midlo high, I have a bunch of friends in all these different schools and I can
always go to them if I need help and they have always been big supporters of whatever I do.
8. Believe it or not the next area I have learned from is my family. My family is not only the best
supporters and motivators of what I do, but are always will to help me with tougher decisions. Each one of
my family members has taught me at least one major leadership skill. My sister is, as many of you know,
currently enrolled at Virginia Tech, and she has allowed me the privilege to go and stay with her at tech
multiple times and also sit in on one of her classes.
9. Her encouragement has helped me decide that Virginia Tech is definitely where I aspire to
attend college and given me an insight for what to expect in college. My dad on the other hand, has been
possible the biggest inspiration for what I want to do in life. He is currently a registered nurse for the
department of interventional radiology, which is basically surgery from inside of you through your veins in
order fix arteries that may have inflation or even small tears in them.
10. I have had the honor to go and shadow him and several of his doctors at different hospitals.
Going in and seeing what he and the doctors do there, has led me to my passion for all things medical.
Which has led me to my internship researching with another doctor working on an invention of his, and
now I plan on going to medical school someday.
11. My Mom on the other hand has been the one who always is there to help me with whatever I
need whether it be taking me to practice, helping me with home work or just being there for me when I need
to figure out a problem. And last but certainly not least is my little sister Savannah. She is 5 years younger
than me and have a sibling that much young makes me very protective of her and makes me double check
what I do because I want to be a good role model to her.
12. Now what do all these different qualities have to do with leadership, well all of these different
outlets have helped me learn a different type of leadership style or how to deal with any and every situation.
As most of you can relate, sports is a great place to learn key leadership principles. They show teamwork,
discipline and determination.
13. And since I have played so many different sports, and am able to relate to nearly anyone who
plays or follows sports, this helps me get more comfortable with them making it easier to be a better leader
at a personal level. Similarly each sport requires a different type of teamwork and set skills, I have learned
and practiced all of them so well now that working with others comes so naturally.
14. This is also very useful in many situations varying from small project groups or working with
Chris and organizing larger groups of people in Lunchtivities. Since I have changed schools and districts
multiple times, I find it very easy to get along with people, and make new friends. This has definitely helped
shape me into a better leader because I can relate to so many different people and understand where they
are coming from and assist them in whatever it may be.
15. Music has taught me the benefits of self-determination and imagination. These two
characteristics in a leader are critical because without self-determination, whats going to push you to lead
your followers to success. As for imagination, it allows for a leader to look at problems and come up with
multiple solutions so that he or she can decide which one will be most appropriate for their group.
16. Working in hospitals has given me an entirely new look at how to lead. Just because the
doctor is the highest paid and everyone there works for him or her, the doctors I have shadowed all display
servant leadership by the way they lead an operation and whenever the nurses and assistants have
questions regarding a procedure, they are always willing to show them how to do it.
17. Being around all the doctors and hospital workers has really given me a sense of leadership
inside some of the most intense situations, where someones life literally depends on how well the operation
goes and has given me an insight on how to learn and cope with pressure, and not let it get to them and
make mistakes, this is an obvious must have quality for any major leader.
18. Along the same lines Virginia Tech and shadowing there has improved my leadership
qualities in that being around such a different atmosphere where nearly everyone is older then you has
helped me to be more mature. This characteristic is most similarly relates to adaptability, because I am
comfortable knowing that I can be put into an atmosphere where I am not necessarily the most comfortable,
and really step up to the plate and have the ability to be more appropriate given a certain situation.
19. My mom has taught me the importance of motivating others a leader. Nothing makes a leader
more likable than a leader who supports and empowers his or her followers and helps drive them to
success. My little sister has taught me the importance of being a role model while being a leader. When you
are a leader you must know that the saying monkey see, monkey do holds very true and you must always
think twice about what you do and knowing what kind of an example it sets for your followers.
20. I am most grateful that I have had the opportunity to experience and work at these different
fields and I am always trying to excel at each and every one along with trying new and different things each
and everyday as any other Renaissance man does.