How Will You Measure Your Life?

This week, we were assigned a reading called "How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton M. Christensen. This selection covered the ways in which Christensen found meaning, and made the most of his life. In hard economic times such as these, it is always important to be thinking about your future career and the kind of life you want to lead when you are older. Even if thinking about it is all you do, as Christensen proves in this reading, it is definitely worthwhile and it may even change the course of your life.  It was this assertion in particular stood out to me.

About half way through the reading I came upon a paragraph in which Christensen was writing about the fact that "having a clear purpose in [his] life [had] been essential...but it was something [he] had to think long and hard about [before] he understood it" (Christensen 4). This man actually spent an hour of every night reading, thinking and praying about his future. Even while there were chapters to be read and papers to be written, he made sure he set aside this time on a regular basis. To be completely honest, when I came to this point, I thought the man was crazy. How could anyone in their right mind waste an entire hour of their day that could be spent doing schoolwork or my personal favorite, sleeping? I was dumb-struck again when he wrote that it was with this time that he ultimately figured out the purpose of his life. How could this possibly be true?

As I read on, however, I actually began to understand. Instead of spending hours perfecting a useless skill that he hated, he spent his time figuring out what he really wanted to do with his future. So because he "wasted" time he actually "saved" time.  By reflecting on what he was doing and discovering that he wanted something different for the rest of his life, he found his purpose in life sooner instead of wasting years in coming to the same conclusion. This really speaks to me because I am finding as I progress through my courses that perhaps I am in the wrong field. I keep asking myself if I am studying this because I love it or if I'm studying it because I will make a lot of money in my occupation. Many times I find myself feeling very conflicted over the path I've chosen, and yet I don't understand this confliction because I've wanted to do this for my entire life. Perhaps if I set aside some time for prayer and reflection like Christensen did, I will indeed find the answer I am searching for.

The Leader-Member Exchange Theory

One of our assigned readings in Women in Leadership this week was Chapter 8 on the Leader-Member Exchange Theory. This theory, in summation, says that in a leader-subordinate scenario there will always be an in-group and an out-group and the goal of the leader is to build trusting relationships with everyone, no matter which group. To explain, the in-group is the group of subordinates who are interested in working with the leader for the betterment of the group as a whole. They go above and beyond their formal job requirements and are often favored by the leader. The out-group is the group of subordinates who are interested in doing nothing more than what is required of them. This group is often known to receive less information and confidence from their leader. Because of the extreme differences in the in-group and out-group, it is the leader's responsibility to make sure that everyone is treated fairly according to his or her own needs, feelings and personality.

I have encountered this scenario throughout my high school years. Whether it be in an extra-curricular area or even in a classroom, there is always a group of people who put forth more effort than is required of them, or relate better to a leader, and a group of people that puts forth just enough effort, or cannot relate well with the leader. In the classroom I was a subordinate and witnessed the different ways that my leaders, the teachers, handled these situations. One teacher kept the in-group close to him and built strong relationships with a select group of people with whom he could relate. This resulted in a small out-group of people who, noticing the difference between themselves and the in-group, contributed to the whole group only as much as they were required to. The class stayed in this state of division for the whole year. In another class I had a teacher who immediately noticed the division between the in-group and the out-group of students.  She, instead of organizing her students into rows of desks, organized them into a circle everyday where everyone was required to get to know each other and to voice their ideas and opinions. Soon the out-group began to make connections with the in-group and with the leader because they wanted to be more involved with the class and with the people in the class. By the end of the school year there was no longer an out-group. The entire class was a group of people who had built strong relationships with each and every member.

Through reading this chapter and witnessing the types of situations mentioned within the chapter, I have come to the conclusion that the leader has the ultimate power to influence whether or not there is unity within a section of subordinates. If the leader develops good relationships with the different subordinates, then the subordinates will develop good relationships between themselves to create a more pleasant and productive environment. The most important fact for the leader to realize is the fact that each subordinate is unique and wants to relate to the leader in his or her own special way; a way that may be much different than that of another subordinate. Because the first teacher only focused on building relationships with students he related to, the class lost the different perspectives from the unique people in the out-group that would have served to enrich the class and promote a more learning-friendly environment. The second teacher, who made sure to develop a relationship with each and every student, set an example for her students to follow and inspired them to develop relationships with each other, thereby bringing into play new thoughts and ideas that improved the class as a whole. These two approaches are very different and both drastically affected the classroom environment. In reflecting on these two scenarios, I feel that I now understand what I need to do when faced with the two group situation. I will work to include all subordinates and build strong relationships with each one in order to further the progress of the group as a whole.

A Historic Overview of Women and Otterbein

For me, each and every Women in Leadership class that I attend is in itself, a very rewarding and empowering experience. Having a network of other aspiring women leaders makes me feel as though I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to, because I have the support of other women like me who are also striving to accomplish their own goals and dreams. Each week something new and exciting occurs that serves to further my growth as a woman as well as a leader. My favorite part of last week's class was when we heard from archivist, Steven Grinch. Otterbein is rich in history and tradition, and I felt as if I were stepping back in time as I listened to Mr. Grinch's presentation.

I learned a lot about the various important women in Otterbein's history. Each specialized in their own area and each had their own legacy to leave behind as they moved on to bigger and better things. Perhaps what really moved me was the fact that I am walking where these legends walked; I am working on the foundation that they have already built for me. When I saw their pictures in Mr. Grinch's slideshow it was as if they were staring right at me and asking me the same question I am asking myself, what will the future hold? What am I going to do to make the most of the opportunities I have been given? What legacy will I be leaving behind when it is my turn to leave Otterbein and move on to the next phase of my life?

This presentation and the questions it raised have been simply inspiring. These amazing women are proof that great deeds can be done not just by famous women, but also by women like me, who are determined to leave their mark on the places and people they leave behind as they continue to grow and advance. Even at the end of my life when I look back on all that I've done, I want to know that I left the world a better place than when I entered it. Now more than ever, I am determined to make the most of the time that I have left at Otterbein, and to leave behind a legacy that will inspire other women to do the same.