The Best Leader
Leadership has its perks sometimes but it's the type of leader that truly lets others know how you are willing to support and lift those you work with.
I have had a few experiences within my lifetime where I truly saw leadership in action. One example is from my family and the other example is from my workplace.
My Father passed away 11 years ago, it was a difficult experience for my family. It happened relatively suddenly and we had to make a lot of decisions rather quickly to best smooth transitions out so that we could start to grieve the way that we needed to. The big decisions were that we had to clear out our family home and decide on the things we were going to keep and what things we were going to sell, etc. before we sold the house. It was a difficult time, as I remember it. I had to go back to work relatively quickly so my brothers had to then do a lot of the sorting without me in the home. My brothers are all great men and they have their strengths. My eldest brother took on the bulk of the challenge. At one point my younger brothers were doing a lot of the heavier lifting while my older brother watched and told my siblings and a few others who were helping what to do. My siblings both recounted to me that my elder brother pressured them to do a lot of the work, he did help and support but he didn't fully support them while they were dealing with the difficult emotions and making some of the most difficult decisions in the moment.
I work in the education system as a librarian. I am so fortunate that I have worked in the same school for almost 12 years now. I have also worked with a lot of the same people as we are supporting students and helping them succeed. One thing that has always stood out to me is the fact that every teacher and support staff and principals are on the same team working together and collaborating and ensuring that the needs of the students come first to help them become successful. A few years ago, we had a new principal come to our building. It was not the smoothest of transitions but one of the things that impressed me the most was the fact that in one of our earlier staff meetings he said, "The Smartest Person in the Room, is the People in the Room." We were often invited to share our own ideas and ask questions and seek out support when we needed it. In the past two years, this principal and many of the staff who I work with stepped up and supported me when I was going through some difficult health challenges. I may not be so forthcoming to share personal things with people I work with, but I am also realizing that I need to make more of an effort to be a better team player and be a better leader because I am one of the Smartest People in the Room, and I want to lead and serve those I work with and know that my efforts make a difference with the staff and the students in their daily lives.
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