Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Emily Shumway
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
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
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
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
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
My Management Skills:
skills that describe me perfectly in this area. First, I believe I am a great problem solver and
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 5
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
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
of motivation to my future co- workers they will be inspired to do the same. My goal in life is to
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
improve the company. One time my boss said, “Here’s a trailer of plumbing materials, I want
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT 6
you to sort through it and have it ready to go in a few hours.” I was able to meet the task very
There is always room for improvement in my life. With my management skills, I feel that
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
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
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
Reference