Crucibles of Leadership - Assignment Example

Reflection Paper Reflection Paper Introduction After reading Thomas and Bennis’ article, Crucibles of Leadership, I have realized that leaders are made, not born. Although some people claim to have possessed leadership qualities from birth, the attributes of the vast majority reveal that the best leaders are molded and inspired by their experiences and not individual abilities (Bennis & Thomas, 2002). I consider myself to be an example of a trained leader. As late as my penultimate year in high school, I do not recall being involved in any leadership roles or activities. However, things took a different turn in my final year when a crucible experience started my journey to becoming a made leader. What was the “crucible” experience or event and how did it change or transform you? In my third year in high school, at the age of 16, I had an experience with marijuana that not only inspired me into leadership but also signaled my transition to emotional, social, and intellectual maturity. I occasionally used the drug to “escape” my perceived troubles and bond with my peers. After three months, what had been an occasional habit started morphing into an addiction. I started missing classes, became antisocial, and started getting below average grades (I was a leading student before the episode). My parents noticed a change in my behavior and, after consulting with my teachers, decided that I should attend therapy. However, this failed because I was still in contact with the student who supplied the drug and would even purchase and use it after visiting the therapist. Since my parents assumed that I was moving towards sobriety, they entrusted me with errands such as taking my siblings to picnics and picking them from school using the family car. One day, after having smoked some marijuana on my way home from school, my father asked me to take my three younger siblings to the movies. I obliged, assuming that he would not know I was still practicing my old habits. On the way to the theater, I noticed a police car following me and immediately started panicking. I became paranoid and started drove faster, thinking that I would somehow “lose” the police car. Eventually, another police cut me off, and I was forced to stop. In the midst of the “chase”, I had forgotten that I had, in the front pocket of my trouser, a sachet of marijuana that I had purchased earlier. The police asked me to step outside the car, and I obliged. After being told to empty my pockets, I followed the instructions only for the sachet to fall out. When I had identified myself, the police informed me that one of the boys who supplied me with marijuana had been arrested while trying to peddle the drug. During questioning, he had told the police that I was his supplier and that he was only acting on my behalf, although this was false. The police asked me to follow them to the station, where I was allowed to call my parents and then booked. At that point, the gravity of my hypocrisy and the extent of my misjudgments dawned on me. I was scared and ashamed of myself. My parents, especially my mother, were extremely disappointed with me. After talking to the police and reprimanding me for lying to them, embarrassing them, and putting the lives of my siblings at risk, they decided that, as punishment, I should spend the night in jail. That night was the longest and loneliest of my life. I persevered until the next morning when my parents came and posted my bail. When we reached home, I was grounded until I showed remorse and a genuine willingness to quit my habit. During this period, I received news that I had been suspended from school for one month for engaging in unacceptable behavior. In the aftermath of the incident, I accepted therapy without conditions, changed my attitude, got rid of bad influence, became more responsible and, more importantly, became an antidrug crusader and leader in my community and school. What was the impact of this experience on you, your values and/or beliefs and why? This experience marked my departure from wayward habits and a shift to socially acceptable behavior. My parents are staunch Christians who do not believe in drug abuse, immoral conduct, and hypocrisy. As the first born, I developed a stronger commitment to protecting and guide my siblings, and this is what pushed me to pursue leadership. The experience also led me to acquire a deeper appreciation for education and its value in my life. Previously, I viewed school as a punishment that nobody deserved. However, after shaming my siblings to the extent that they were regularly mocked in school, I became grateful for my parents’ belief in education and nurtured a similar perspective. Finally, the experience completely changed my attitude towards drugs. Since I had experienced, first-hand, the negative effects of drugs, I became averse to all types of vices and embarked on a journey towards moral emancipation and leadership. What assumptions did you have about leadership that were either challenged and/or reinforced by this crucible event? Before the experience, I assumed that leadership was meant for a specific class of people and that being a leader was nothing to be proud about. Although I was a good student, I had never been interested in leadership. The crucible event, however, showed me that leadership belonged to those who were courageous and driven enough to pursue it. I equated my past mistakes to my lack of leadership and character and concluded that unlike true leaders, I was so easy to manipulate because I wavered in my beliefs. What was the impact and/or effect of this crucible experience on your view, approach, and beliefs about leadership? After the crucible experience, I learned that I did not have to wait to be given a platform by anyone in order to become a leader. I realized that leadership, like charity, started at home or in any other environment in which I found myself. This inspired me to become a leader to my siblings and to assume the role of my parents whenever they were not around. In school and my neighborhood, I became a capable and vibrant leader of various societies and organized and participated in numerous initiatives to improve the lives of all members of my community. What skills and/or strengths did you discover you had and/or developed as a result of your crucible event/experience? I discovered that I was a good communicator, an inspirational character, and an excellent organizer. I also discovered, to my surprise, that I was a good strategist as well as a good listener. Interestingly, I learned that these were strengths and skills that I possessed but had been reluctant or ignorant enough not to exploit. Finally, I developed good analytical skills in order to be able to understand different people and contexts and to manage them for the benefit of all stakeholders. After my experience, I realized that I had to learn to think more critically in order to avoid compromising my values due to folly or ignorance. Summary Leadership is the ability to visualize ideas about improving situations in specific settings, communicating this vision to other people, and then providing the guidance and inspiration required to accomplish the vision. Leaders formulate positive plans and then motivate their followers to believe in their ideas and work towards improving their lives (Tracy, 2014). Finally, from a personal viewpoint, leadership combines the power to influence, inspire, revolutionize, transform, and manage. This can be informed by personal as well as collective experiences. References Bennis, W., & Thomas, R. (2002). Crucibles of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 39-45. Tracy, B. (2014). Leadership. New York: American Management Association. Read More