Inspiration

WHAT?

Recently while looking for inspirational speeches to help me come up with a speech for running for President of Alpha Phi. While looking through countless speeches, I came across one that really stood out to me. Steve Jobs commencement speech to Stanford in 2005 was the most inspiring speeches I have ever come across.

SO WHAT?

In Steve Jobs speech he focused on how he got to where was at that point.  He started off his speech with how this commencement speech is the closet he ever will come to graduating college. He spoke about how he dropped out of college, how he took the unconventional route in that sense. He told three different stories in his speech and the first started with everything happens for a reason. If he had not dropped out of college and if he had not taken classes in calligraphy at a local college the Macintosh computer would not have been the first computer with beautiful typography.

                  He next spoke on love and loss; in his life he and co-worker, Woz, had created Apple in his parents garage. After they had created the Macintosh he was fired. He was fired from the company he started. He didn’t really know where to go from there. He created Pixar. He kept reiterating how you have to do what you love, he said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”

            His third story was about death. In 2004 Jobs was diagnosed with Cancer. The doctors told him that he only had about 3-6 months to live. The doctor told him to basically go home say goodbyes and lives his life for the next few months. Later, the doctor found that it was a very rare form that was curable with surgery. That was the closest he was to death. He then spoke of The Whole EarthCatalog, which was released in the mid 1970’s. One the back cover was the word “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”, he ended his speech with “ I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”.

           

NOW WHAT?

            So while writing my speech for Presidency I made sure to start of my speech with telling three different stories and keeping my speech organized just like Jobs did. The way Steve Jobs lives his life is very similar to the speaker we watched last class. Marcus Buckingham emphasized how important it is to focus on your strengths. I feel that Steve Jobs does a wonderful job of this, he never did anything that he didn’t enjoy; he constantly was working with his strengths and enjoying his work. Life the saying is life what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.  I aspire to be more like Marcus and Steve utilize my strengths more in life.



**Here is a link to Steve Jobs actual Commencement Speech for Stanford 2005**

New Leadership Opportunities

WHAT?

     My sorority, Alpha Phi, holds elections for executive positions each November.  Each executive position holds office from January to January. There are thirteen members on executive board, this includes one President, six Vice Presidents and six directors. I have always remained very involved in leadership in each extracurricular activity I have been involved in. I have had some uneasy feelings and deep thinking about which position I wanted to run for that would be best for me.

Alpha Phi Spring 2012 Pledge Class

SO WHAT?

     Initially, I was drawn to the Vice President of Chapter Operations position because it directly relates to my major which is accounting and finance. I felt that this position would look best on my resume. I felt that if ever asked in an job interview, I would immediately be able to relate my experience as VP of Chapter Operations. I also was drawn to the position because the person who currently holds this position I am very close with, and I feel she does a great job. She does a great job as a leader and demonstrating the practice of modeling the way as we have been learning about. I feel that I could continue on with the path she has gracefully grown. But, as I kept thinking about the position I felt that I was not interested in the position, it didn't seem to feel right. I was doing the position for the wrong reasons; just to put the title on my resume was not a good enough reason. I knew I needed to be passionate about whichever position I ran for.

NOW WHAT?

     After I submitted my application for Vice President of Chapter Operations, the election committee board contacted me. They told me that I would be a great fit for President. My first response was "they are crazy!" I am not fit for President of Alpha Phi, I cannot run a group of 200 girls and manage the chapter!! So I emailed them back and told them I was not qualified for the position and that I needed to focus on my grades. After, the current President, Audrey, contacted me directly. She told me exactly why they thought I should run for President, she brought up all of my leadership experience up to date which was on my resume, she did convince me. She did not convince me to run for President, she truly inspired a vision. She convinced me that I could do the job, she convinced me that I did have the confidence, courage and experience to run for President of Alpha Phi.

Leadership Through Time

WHAT?

            Last Tuesday in my Leadership Agriculture class we had a guest speaker come and talk to us about her leadership philosophy and she focused on the importance of morals and ethics when it comes to leadership. She passed out a card with a picture on it to every person in our class. Each picture somehow related to leadership. The pictures ranged from scenery grass fields to families to pictures of airplanes. All pictures of random things. She told us to relate our leadership philosophy to the picture we were handed. I was handed a black and white picture of an old man with lots of wrinkles. The man was dressed in an air force uniform. He reminded me of my own grandfather who had served in the Vietnam War. I look up to my grandfather in many ways and he has demonstrated many forms of successful leadership throughout his life.

SO WHAT?

            Throughout my grandfather’s life he has many times demonstrated how leadership is an important aspect of being successful. I have heard so many “when I was young” stories and I never really appreciated the meaning behind them. I have heard his stories from when he was overseas. His stories involve the importance of courage. As we just learned from The Art of Leadership by George Manning and Kent Curtis, values such as honest, respect, service and integrity are all imperative characteristics that a leader must have. He would tell me stories about the other sergeants and how important service leadership was in the war. servant leadership is an approach of leadership that involves access, communication and support. He used this approach a lot overseas in the air force. Along with servant leadership, my grandfather would constantly remind me the importance of character and values. He would tell me stories about while overseas how he became such a better person because he was forced to re-evaluate his life and life choices. Before going overseas he wasn’t focused, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life and he had just gotten married to his wife and his wife was now pregnant. He told me how my mom, his daughter, changed his outlook on life. He now preaches to me the importance of character because it is the basis of leadership. Once my grandfather came back to the U.S with a changed outlook on life he then attended college and got a degree. He then owned his own convenience store and gas station and created a great life for my mom and grandmother.

NOW WHAT?

            My Grandfather is now getting older each year and I listen very closely every time he starts a “when I was young” story. I now realize how many amazing lessons he can teach me and all of the experiences he has had. I look up to my grandfather in so many different ways as a veteran, businessman and overall inspirational leader; I hope that one day I will be able to tell my grandchildren all of the wise lessons and experiences I have had in my lifetime and be able to touch their hearts like he has touched mine.

"The world is run by people who show up"

As I walked into my Leadership Agriculture class on one of the first crisp days of fall, I thought today would be like any other usual day where Dr. Kaufman would go through his lecture using PowerPoint slides and then we would have a small group activity to fully understand the material. I was mistaken; today we had an exciting guest speaker, Dr. Megan Seibel. Dr. Seibel came and gave an inspirational speech on her leadership philosophy and how she incorporates the principles of leadership in her life every day.

WHAT?

Dr.Seibel began her lecture with informing us of her background education. She told the class how she was originally a nurse and had no intentions or knowledge about the farming industry. She never had any relations related to farming before meeting her husband. Her husband’s family owned a huge farm and wanted to keep it in the family. So, once she married into the family she also obtained over 60 acres and a beef cattle farm. Since Dr. Seibel had no connection to the cattle, she decided she wanted to incorporate something she was passionate about in their 60 acres.

SO WHAT?

Dr. Seibel had always been a leader in her past and wanted to continue that into her new life of a farm owner. She wanted to do something on the farm that she could relate too, with a background of chemistry and science; she saw a need for grapes for local vineyards around Virginia. She decided that with the extra land on her farm she would create a small vineyard. Dr.Seibel is so insightful and represents her leadership philosophy in the way she runs her vineyard. Creating the vineyard and taking a chance she challenged the process of how a normal farm is run. She continually repeated how important it is to model the way. For example, when it is grape picking season she hires many workers to help pick all of the grapes. Most large farm owners just direct the workers, like an authoritarian leader but Dr.Seibel works right beside them. She works along-side the workers and models the way, she tries to inspire a shared vision with the people who help her create her vision.. Dr.Seibel told us a story about how one of her workers as they were picking grapes asked about the owner and how long she had been working for them. I find it very humbling, I wish that more boss’s would understand this concept. I love how Dr.Seibel treats her workers as real people not people who are under her. She trys to accomplish the hardest of all modules inspire a shared vision to everyone she comes in contact with.

NOW WHAT?

Dr.Seibel is also very involved with VALOR, which is an agriculture leadership program for adults in Virginia. She travels all around Virginia meeting with a variety of different people involved in the agriculture world. Dr. Seibel displayed to us the importance of the five leadership practices and how she incorporates them into her day-to-day life as a leader. She ended the class with her favorite leadership quote which embodies her leadership philosophy - "the world is run by people who show up". This quote seems to simple but means so much more, I take it as if you just show up and do something about something you believe in - there will be a change. Just like the one of my favorite quotes - "be the change you want to see in the world."

Leading in a Living Learning Community

What?

Before my freshman year I decided to apply to the Residential Leadership Community (RLC) here at Virginia Tech. I originally applied for the many incentives including air conditioned and suite style dorms.  Needless to say, it was one of the best decisions I have made here at Virginia Tech. I have always enjoyed leadership and have always kept very involved through high school. The RLC is a living learning community and was a way for me to connect with many other students with the same interests. After my first year with the RLC, I decided to continue my involvement in the leadership program and apply to be a Peer Leader.

So What?

After the in-depth interview process of applying to be a Peer Leader I got the position.  I am one of eleven sophomore Peer Leader's living in Peddrew-Yates. As a Peer Leader, my role is to live within the Peddrew-Yates dorm and act as a mentor and a teacher assistant in their first leadership courses, LDRS 1015 and LDRS 1016.  As a Peer Leader is to help out in anyway in their LDRS classes and to be available to answer any type of questions the freshmen may have. I spend countless hours each week with the freshmen of the RLC and I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoy helping through all of the simple struggles that they encounter within the first two weeks of being on their own. All of my friends constantly ask why I want to live with the freshman and volunteer countless hours of my time but they don't understand what leadership means to me.

Here are all of the Peer Leaders of the RLC in the dorm during the first weekend. We went around Peddrew-Yates with the "Welcome Wagon" and the Hokie Bird welcoming all of the new freshmen!

Now What?

Being a leader in the living learning community has had such a huge impact on the way I look at the definition of leadership. Before this experience I believed that a leader had to be older than the majority of followers and far more experienced. I now realize that because I am only one year older and have one more year of experience I am one of the most relatable and influential leaders at Virginia Tech acting as a medium between the students and professors. Being just two weeks into my sophomore, watching the freshman look up to me for not only questions in the LDRS class but questions about the many different aspects of life and what to get involved in.

I feel that through this experience I have determined that the best type of leader must be relatable and experienced. The more comfortable the followers are, the better the leader.