Well I am just amazed at what Roz and Ben Zander taught me this week! "Leading from any chair" one of my favorite chapters out of the four allowed me to see that it doesn't matter where you are in your life or your career, that we can lead from anywhere. We don't have to actually be the leader literally to lead. I believe that a lot of people have this confused, particularly those who must have a big title before their names in order to function. The player that had never played in the 11th chair was particularly amazed that Ben allowed all of the players to have input into how the music should be interpreted prior to the performance. She realized that it didn't matter whether she was the 1st chair or the 11th. Many of us have declined leadership because of the huge responsibility that comes with it. Our main focus should be on transforming those persons that we are leading and allow them to take the reins of responsibility too in helping to lead.
The second chapter that I was enthralled with was chapter 6! Ben told several stories and they were all so very exceptional. With my calculating self I need to "get over myself" and "not take myself so god damn seriously". I believe that this is me. Sometimes we act like it is all about us, but it is not. As we get back in the swing of things in our teaching professions, we need to realize that it is not about how we provide instruction, it is about how that instruction is perceived by our learners. It is about how they learn best and how they can achieve optimal success. With all that I have been exposed to in this EMDT program, it is definitely about how my learners perceive themselves in the educational process. It is about what motivates them to be engaged in learning and being optimal achievers.
Great observations: Lead from any chair and Get over yourself. That pretty much sums it up.
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