Running head: LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 1

Leadership & Management

Emily Shumway

Brigham Young University- Idaho

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Leadership & Management

Leadership is like the gas pedal of a vehicle. It gets us from point A to point B day after

day. Management is like the wheel steering us in the right direction and clearly seeing the whole

vision. Without management, we might as well throw leadership out the window because it is

dangerous and risky to accelerate power without having control of the steering wheel. Each part

of the vehicle is essential, but we must have both (leadership & management) to function.

As the driver, management requires a set of skills to motivate the program. It specifically

includes organization, regulation, delegation, and clarification. Management is the gate keeper of

records, rules, standards, and laws that need to be enforced. Management helps people stay

within the boundaries that are set and boldly follow through. Attributes include excellence at

goal setting, painting the vision, effective communication, and have enough knowledge to guide

and direct the group. Most importantly, management takes care of the details, and removes

confrontation by having the final say on what goes on in the program.

Leadership accelerates and makes the action happen in the program. Leaders are the

examples in all that we do and say. A true leader is someone who encourages and builds others

to become and do their very best. A real leader shows love and concern and sees the potential in

each individual. Traits of leadership are: being a mentor, a teacher, communicating, and being

trustworthy. John Graham said “Leadership is not a science to be picked up in one book or

course, but an art to be learned over time. Good leaders sometimes tell people what to do, but

leadership is not just giving directions- it’s liberating people to do what is needed in the best

possible way” (2002, p. 9).

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My Leadership Strengths:

Every person is born with natural leadership strengths and develops those strengths at

different times. I believe courage is one leadership quality I have within me. Graham says,

“Courage is not about being free from fear. Only a fool is fearless. Courage is the ability to do

the right thing, and do it well, even when you are afraid” (2002, p. 68). I have courage every

time I admit and learn from my mistakes, stand up in an unpopular situation, try new things

(despite my fears), and keep pressing forward when life is pulling me down. Another leadership

attribute that is instilled in me is kindness. I always strive to see others the way the Savior does. I

look for opportunities to serve my family, friends, neighbors, and classmates. I have been taught

that kindness goes a long way. I believe in being kind to whomever I come in contact with.

Example: My courage and kindness was put to the test serving in the Minnesota Minneapolis

Mission. When I arrived in the mission, I had no idea what lay ahead of me and how much the

Lord was going to stretch me out of my comfort zone. I showed courage each day in my mission

when I talked to strangers. I was placed in difficult situations that caused me to stand up for the

church and what I believe in. Facing courage came with many different levels and challenges,

from being placed in a new area, driving in down town Minneapolis, eating interesting food, and

constantly talking to new people. Also, in the mission, I saw how far kindness really does affect

people. Kindness softens hearts. I had a mission companion who was very difficult to live with

and train. No matter how hard life got, I never showed any anger with this sister. I focused on

being kind by serving her unconditionally. From these acts of kindness, my companion’s heart

was changed, and she ended up staying on her mission. Having courage and being kind are

essential traits that have shaped me on my mission.

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Improve: Leadership Skills

Because I am only human, there are still many flaws in being a leader that need

improvement. I know having self- confidence is one skill that I desire to be better at. I feel that I

have confidence in certain things in my life, but when it comes to leading people, it is difficult

for me at times. In the past, I have doubted my decisions that pulled at my self-confidence. Also,

my lack of experiences and lack of opportunities has contributed to my low confidence. I know

as a leader it is important to have self-confidence and believe in ourselves because people are

always looking up to us. Even if we only have a little bit of knowledge, but are confident with

ourselves, then we will succeed. Action step: To improve my self-confidence, I am going to

practice trusting my first impressions and give myself pep talks. Also, I am going to work to be

more confident in the child development field by preparing and seeking for more knowledge.

Another leadership skill that I am really trying to improve in my life is trusting others. I

have struggled lately trusting people in what they said they will do. In my calling when I

delegate responsibility, I worry about the job getting done. I know that if I give people

responsibility that they eventually fall through on, I need to allow people to learn and make

mistakes themselves without worrying myself over it. Action step: To improve my skill in

trusting others, I need to work on not worrying about the outcome, and worry more about giving

people the confidence and encouragement to help them be successful. A leader does not gain

trust without first gaining their respect.

My Management Skills:

Management skills are essential to be successful in a program. I have a few management

skills that describe me perfectly in this area. First, I believe I am a great problem solver and
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organizer. I find joy in taking a big mess and finding a solution to make it better. I find

fulfillment when I am challenged and find results after organizing a mess. These big messes

could include simple things like weeding the garden, doing the dishes, cleaning the floor, or

organizing a closet. Other simple things might be organizing a schedule, sorting though socks, or

solving someone’s problems. I always believe there is a solution to every problem. As a future

manager to my program, it will be essential to quickly solve problems and be organized.

A second, management quality I strongly have is positive motivation. I have always been

self-motivated growing up. My parents never had to tell me when to do my chores, or when I

should get a job, I just did it on my own. I have always challenged myself to do hard things. I

make a plan and take action. With my desire to be self- motivated, I encourage and motivate

others to keep pressing forward whether it is at work, school, or home. I always strive for

positivity in my life that drives my motivation to do my best. I know as I strive to be an example

of motivation to my future co- workers they will be inspired to do the same. My goal in life is to

uplift individuals where ever I am planted.

Example: Summer of 2016 was one of the hardest jobs I ever had. I worked for a landscape

company in my home town of Star Valley, Wyoming. With this company, I had the opportunity

to do the landscape on the new temple ground. My tasks involved months of pumping sprinkler

pipes, planting trees, digging trenches, etc. I had to be self- motivated to go to work every day at

6:00 AM and work 10 to 12 hour days. My co -workers were difficult to work with because they

were mostly all men, and some were very lazy, and some did not have moral standards. No

matter how hard my job got, I always tried to encourage and uplift my co-workers, even if it was

scary. Because of my organization skills, my boss always gave me special projects to do to

improve the company. One time my boss said, “Here’s a trailer of plumbing materials, I want
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you to sort through it and have it ready to go in a few hours.” I was able to meet the task very

quickly because organizing is my specialty.

Improve: Management Skills:

There is always room for improvement in my life. With my management skills, I feel that

it would be beneficial to increase my knowledge in child development. It is important to be

knowledgeable in my profession and as a future mother. Knowledge is a powerful tool. I know

that as I have more understanding of my children, it will help me in my program and help me

feel empowered. Action step: To improve my knowledge, I am going to start small by studying

my scriptures constantly. I am going to pay attention more in my classes and take better notes. I

am a life-long learner and will continue to show enthusiasm for learning.

Another management skill I need to work on is effectively demonstrating authority. I

have struggle showing authority in front of my peers and younger children. I don’t like to cause

problems or hurt people’s feelings, so I stay silent. In the end, it does not turn out the best when I

allow children and adults manipulate me. I know when I mange my own program, I need to be

direct and confident with my authority that has been given to me. Action step: To improve my

effective authority and stand my ground, I am going to be more assertive in my actions. I am

going to practice being more direct to my Relief Society presidency. I know as I practice

fulfilling my church calling, I am going learn to have a good balance of demonstrating authority.

Conclusion

Leadership and management are unique to every person as each vehicle has diversity and

style. It’s important to know what our capacity and our limits are when it comes to leadership

and management. We can use our strengths and weakness to bless the lives of others, but as we
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come to know ourselves we can improve our weaknesses to become strengths and learn to rely

on our fellow man to strengthen each other.

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Reference

Graham,J. (2002). Outdoor leadership. Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers