Personal Reflective Essay: My Personal Leadership Style

My self-leadership style has been one of necessity. I graduated high school while I was 8 months pregnant and was married less than 24 hour later. The need to be my own boss led me to go to college when my youngest was 5 months old. Working dead end jobs really puts things into perspective especially when you work so hard for less than a living wage. I graduated with an Associates in Medical Assisting in 2005 and hated every minute of it. That is when I decided, that although I was in debt up to my eye balls, I could not do it anymore. I soon found myself behind the floral counter at a local arts and crafts store. I have always been crafty and creative, so this job was right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was retail and I started to yearn for

I have had all these influences through my life whether it was family, school, or at my various places of employment. I have had teachers, bosses and elder relatives who told me what they want done, and how it is to be done. I was encouraged by most and reprimanded by all when I failed or deviated from the instructions. As I got older and began receiving more responsibility, I began to see more of a participative leadership in my life. As I got married, I had to share my wants and needs with my husband. We had to make decisions together and share the successes and failures of life. In my career, I had to make decisions based on deadlines and quotas as some did not care how you got there, you just could not fail. In my current job, I am encouraged and empowered to make independent decisions, but faces consequences if those decisions are not the best. It has a mixture of both participative and self-leadership influences. My expectations are clearly defined, but the demands of the day change from minute to minute. I have a budget for instance, but I am only required to maintain and report when needed. I have a lot of freedom in my job at times, but I a lot have a lot of responsibility. I can say the same of parenthood. You have the responsibility of raising a human being that is caring and responsible, but no definite instructions on how to do it. Sure, you

We must be willing to get back what we put out into the world. If you want the most out of life, you have to put in the work. If you do not like an aspect of your life, do what you can to change or improve it. Do not blame your misfortune on those around you. Do not fall victim to your circumstance. As a student, we have expectations of showing up for class, participate and complete the work that is assigned to us. To be taken seriously as a student, it is important that we do our best, be open minded, and not make excuses when we fall short in class. You are responsible for making the grade not the instructor or professor. If you fail, it is your doing not those around you. If you could not make it to class because you have a sick child, it is your responsibility to communicate with your instructor, try to find a babysitter, and for heaven sake, do not bring a sick child to class with you to prove a point. The point I am trying to make is that college is for adults. It is not for everyone, and that is okay. Maturity is a must and sometimes the timing is not right for someone to attend college. I learned that the hard way and now I have over $10, 000 in student debt for a degree that I do not use. I was too immature to go and I really did not want to be there. So, it was no surprise that after I graduated, I only lasted a year in my career field before I began to despise