"Life is not so much what happens to us as it is how we respond to what happens to us."
- James C. Hunter
Character-Based Leadership.
Descriptive Reflection
During my fall 2014 academic semester, a selective group of students and I were fortunate enough to partake in a unique learning course called "Character Based Leadership." The learning course was and continues to be taught by Bill Bagley, the human capital advisor for Barnes Dennig & Co. and author of Impact Interviewing and coauthor of Navigating Toward Academic and Career Success. Through his many life experiences, Bill Bagley has provided guidance in the areas of personal and professional development. We were fortunate to have his wisdom and expertise imparted on us during the semester, and plan to carry this wisdom with us far beyond our time in the classroom.
Throughout this course, we have been exposed to a number of valuable lessons as well as a wealth of information to gain awareness of ourselves, of others, and of our roles, duties, and opportunities as contributing members of society and the business world. Through extensive analyses, studies, and examples, we have learned the qualities, characteristics, lifestyles and habits of truly successful people and how these people utilize or work to develop these pieces of their lives to become a Strategic Partner or an impactful leader of their organization.
Our syllabus included film studies (such as The Crucible), prestigious guest speakers and panels, mock interviews, memory sessions, renaissance reviews, self-assessments, leadership assessments and personalized leadership tracks, professional etiquette sessions, performance feedback, and historical perspective presentations. These countless learning objectives culminated into a final semester-long presentation given by all students to assess our presentation skills, ability to adapt and learn, and professionalism in the appropriate environment. It was an experience I will take with me throughout my entire personal and professional career, as I have already seen it strengthen my relationships with others and my ability to maintain balance and manage myself around time, responsibilities, and recreational activities.
While I have applied these learnings to my own life and development, I realize the value of this knowledge and am excited to share it with my peers, predominantly through mentoring. I find it extremely meaningful and beneficial to do as Bill did, imparting all that he knows and illustrating his points through his experiences. Therefore as I navigate further through my collegiate career, I have made it a point to stay connected with my high school and aid senior students in their college preparations - resume building, interviewing, personal development, and professional image. While I am in no means able to make as significant of an impression as Bill did on me, I hope that I am able to make some level of impact on these high school girls' collegiate endeavors. Mentoring these young women not only helps set them up for success, but allows me to continue learning by reflection. And in this continuous learning and relationship building sparked by "Character Based Leadership," I find meaning and value that I may not have discovered otherwise.
During my fall 2014 academic semester, a selective group of students and I were fortunate enough to partake in a unique learning course called "Character Based Leadership." The learning course was and continues to be taught by Bill Bagley, the human capital advisor for Barnes Dennig & Co. and author of Impact Interviewing and coauthor of Navigating Toward Academic and Career Success. Through his many life experiences, Bill Bagley has provided guidance in the areas of personal and professional development. We were fortunate to have his wisdom and expertise imparted on us during the semester, and plan to carry this wisdom with us far beyond our time in the classroom.
Throughout this course, we have been exposed to a number of valuable lessons as well as a wealth of information to gain awareness of ourselves, of others, and of our roles, duties, and opportunities as contributing members of society and the business world. Through extensive analyses, studies, and examples, we have learned the qualities, characteristics, lifestyles and habits of truly successful people and how these people utilize or work to develop these pieces of their lives to become a Strategic Partner or an impactful leader of their organization.
Our syllabus included film studies (such as The Crucible), prestigious guest speakers and panels, mock interviews, memory sessions, renaissance reviews, self-assessments, leadership assessments and personalized leadership tracks, professional etiquette sessions, performance feedback, and historical perspective presentations. These countless learning objectives culminated into a final semester-long presentation given by all students to assess our presentation skills, ability to adapt and learn, and professionalism in the appropriate environment. It was an experience I will take with me throughout my entire personal and professional career, as I have already seen it strengthen my relationships with others and my ability to maintain balance and manage myself around time, responsibilities, and recreational activities.
While I have applied these learnings to my own life and development, I realize the value of this knowledge and am excited to share it with my peers, predominantly through mentoring. I find it extremely meaningful and beneficial to do as Bill did, imparting all that he knows and illustrating his points through his experiences. Therefore as I navigate further through my collegiate career, I have made it a point to stay connected with my high school and aid senior students in their college preparations - resume building, interviewing, personal development, and professional image. While I am in no means able to make as significant of an impression as Bill did on me, I hope that I am able to make some level of impact on these high school girls' collegiate endeavors. Mentoring these young women not only helps set them up for success, but allows me to continue learning by reflection. And in this continuous learning and relationship building sparked by "Character Based Leadership," I find meaning and value that I may not have discovered otherwise.
Experiential Learning Artifact
Below is the presentation that was created and perfected over the course of the semester. While unfortunately its true value cannot be captured and conveyed on a web page, this presentation serves to show how each student of the "Character Based Leadership" class utilized these new-found learnings to not only connect with an audience through written text and image but also connect through word of mouth and body language, voicing an opinion that is powerful, professional, and moving. Along with an Executive Summary that outlines in detail the Strategic Partner Leadership Model, the idea and benefits of Career Destination, and the 'Strategic Partner Value Proposition' (which cannot be posted for copyright reasons), this presentation was the perfect capstone project to challenge all that we have learned this semester and will carry with us throughout our entire lives.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy |