The first step in improving yourself is finding the root of the problem so here it goes. when i first joined the Klein Band i was ignorant, immature, and about as stubborn as it is possible to be without growing huge donkey ears. and each year i have made bad mistakes, and worse mistakes, but from all of this humiliation, embarrasment, and lack of initiative those flaws which started as my greatest hindrance are evolving into my greatest strengths. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that i'm perfect, far from it, as you can probably remember from the full band picture at the beginning of this year. (that will NEVER happen again) i have to say it's not easy being stubborn, egotistical and slightly narcissistic in an organization such as band. i of course had to learn this the hard way through the harsh kicks by corley during marching practice or the constant lectures from katie wynns after football games. but through all the anger and anguish they got through to me. looking back i realize now why i had such trouble getting along with people

(ok i got way off course but i'm gonna start over and make it all better
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As i look back over my 3 years in band i can't help but notice how i have evolved. i entered the klein band program as a stubborn egotistical slightly narcissistic freshman, yet with each new mistake (and oh have there been many of those) my greatest flaws are evolving into my greatest strengths. yet as you well know, i have a long way to go to becoming a respectable leader. In your leadership seminar that you gave last week we narrowed down good leadership into four categories, vision, decisiveness, communication,and moral courage, in all 4 categories i found major flaws in my own personality.
Ironically in the category of vision my problem lies not in lack of vision for the band, but in how to turn that vision into reality. the only way i can see to solve this problem is to spread that vision to others, to make other people want the success as badly as i want it. Only with our combined efforts will the band ever become a successful winning machine.
i have always pictured myself as a very decisive person. until at your leadership class did i realize that what i thought of as being decisive was incorrect. when i thought of decisive i thought it meant attaining a decision and supporting it through thick and thin (immature i know, but what can i say, stubbornness runs in the family). your class taught me that decisiveness has more to do with the ability to quickly and effectively make decisions that will be good for the group as whole in both the shortterm and longterm. looking back on my other leadership roles that has always been a major problem for me. in theater, my decisions were rushed much of the time, so as to keep the stage manager or teacher or master electrician from hounding me. not only did this affect the quality of the production but damaged my superiors opinion of my work ethic. during this previous year i have made it a goal of mine to improve my work ethic, and obtain my goals (also falling under vision) i'd never made region band so i practiced my butt off in an attempt. i thought i was good enough to be in second band so i worked harder than ever before to prove that i am capable when i have established goals. my grades as well have improved this year.
communication...um...yea...i don't know it's good? haha little joke. i have always had a problem with communication literally, when i was little i had a couple speech impediments but with coaching over time were eliminated. communicating ideas i.e. vision to other people is the same way, somebody with little or no leadership experience will find it near impossible to express one thoughts. although i do have some experience with leadership i have never gained the full respect of my peers, which i beleive, is due to the fact that i could never communicate what i felt or thought about what i was doing. if i could share my intense love for music with the other people in my section i would not need or want a leadership role.
and finally moral courage, wow that's a doozy. moral courage is it a hybrid of braveheart and martin luther king jr., or something more....

(ok i have some basic thoughts now on to stage 2.5, the first one only counts for half)
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(ok i'm just gonna outline it here)

-intro
a.lead in: character evolution
b.mainpoints
i.vision
ii.decisiveness
iii.communication
iv.moral courage
-P1 Vision
a.problem: making vision reality
b.solution: communicate thirst for success
-P2 Decisiveness
a.problem: misconception of decisiveness
i.my definition- attaining a decision and supporting it
through thick and thin
ii.yourdefinition- ability to quickly and effectively make
decisions that will be good for the group
as whole in both the shortterm and longterm.
b.solution: respect the opinoins of others more and be open to
ideas
-P3 Communication
a.problem: can't communicate ideas and plans in an effective
manner
b.solution: put myself in more examples of decision making
leadership
-P4 Moral Courage
a. problem: can't grasp an idea and have the guts to drop it for
a better one
b. solution: put myself in situations where not choosing the better decision would effect the section in a negative manner
__________________________________________________________________ok it's 2 (woops clock was an hour ahead) 1 now and i'm having trouble focusing so don't be to harsh yall

As i look back over my 3 years in band i can't help but notice how i have evolved. i entered the klein band program as a stubborn egotistical slightly narcissistic freshman, yet with each new mistake (and oh have there been many of those) my greatest flaws are evolving into my greatest strengths. yet as you well know, i have a long way to go to becoming a respectable leader. In your leadership seminar that you gave last week we narrowed down good leadership into four categories, vision, decisiveness, communication,and moral courage, in all 4 categories i found major flaws in my own personality.
Ironically in the category of vision my problem lies not in lack of vision for the band, but in how to turn that vision into reality. the only way i can see to solve this problem is to spread that vision to others, to make other people want the success as badly as i want it. Only with our combined efforts will the band ever become a successful winning machine.
i have always pictured myself as a very decisive person. until at your leadership class did i realize that what i thought of as being decisive was incorrect. when i thought of decisive i thought it meant attaining a decision and supporting it through thick and thin.your class taught me that decisiveness has more to do with the ability to quickly and effectively make decisions that will be good for the group as whole in both the shortterm and longterm. looking back on my other leadership roles that has always been a major problem for me, many a time i have made rush decisions in order to escape the chastisement of a supervisor for the time being. but as i have worked more and more in a leadership position i am beginning to understand the significance of educated decision-making.
lack of communication has been and still is a significant problem for me. my not being able to communicate my ideas and thoughts to those i'm leading in an effective manner has hindered the efficiency of the group as well as the respect my peers have for me. the only way to improve communication skills is to put oneself in a position demanding precise communication of one's vision. which is what i would be forced to do as section leader.
the issue of moral courage is by far the most controversial with me because in the past i have had a tendency to be stubborn and, dare i say, egotistical. The issue of moral courage ties directly into that of decisiveness. in the past i have often chosen my own ideas over those of someone else to achieve a goal or vision. being the stubborn person that i am i was blinded by my egotism to realize the stupidity of the situation. i was not willing to sacrifice personal glory for the good of the group as a whole and because of that gained neither in the end. to amend this problem i hope to keep myself connected to each and every member of my section in order to understand the direction we are moving as a whole and to act accordingly.
to be a good leader one must know one's goals and be energetic in acheiving them. one must be able to make decisions in a way that gains that vision most effectively and efficiently. One must communicate his vision and decisions to those he is leading, and must have the moral capacity to act for the group as a whole. yet good leadership takes more than just accomplishing these four things, to be a successful leader one must be dependant upon the group yet be independant from the group at the same time.

  posted by Unknown @ 9:52 ip.