What?From November of 2013 to November of 2014 I took a year off to serve the national FFA Organization as a national FFA officer, a position that required lots of travelling and work with young folks across the country. As a national officer we were selected based on eight key competency areas including character, team player and organization. These competencies served as a basis for which we would be elected as well as evaluated for the entirety of the year. As we were constantly evaluated based on these competencies it was vital to consistent use of a values system for us as individuals. While I often times wanted to act like a college student the understanding of key values and living them out every single day was so important in accomplishing our goals for the year and helping to motivate students across the country.
|
So What? |
Too often do we see people that get elected to leadership positions that completely change the moment that they are announced. While that could have been an easy thing to do the second that I was elected to the National Officer team, it was a values based decision to understand congruence and the impact that staying true to your values really does have on the people around you everyday. This was a thought and process that I reflected on every single day as I worked with students and adults and really was a cornerstone of my development as a leader.
|
Now What? |
Understanding what congruence is has allowed me to see the importance of being a raw and authentic form of myself in every situation and honestly has allowed me to have so much more fun. I’ve realized that staying true to you and acting genuinely and authentically towards everyone is the best way to lead people and I’m excited about the opportunity to take that into the work place and future. I have defined the values that make me, me and in large part because of my time as a national officer will consistently work to communicate those values and only those values.
|