Stephen R. Dalby
LEADERSHIP & TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
As I entered into the Masters of Arts in Education (MAED) program at Michigan State University, I had two primary focuses in mind; leadership and technology. Realizing that there is so much to learn in these two fields, and not considering myself to be as strong as I would like to be in either, I embarked on a journey to learn and then apply principles and theories that would allow me to progress in both fields. In the showcase below I have displayed moments where I have identified principles of leadership and then brought those principles to life by conveying them through an increased proficiency in technology and writing.
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES
THE UN-ASSUMING LEADER
As of late, more and more professionals are giving greater attention to what they are calling "un-assuming leadership" (Hitan Vyas & Jim Collins are two examples). There seems to be something special about the men and women who have progressed to extrememly high levels of success and at the same time don't really consider themselves to be anything too "important". Reports of occasional NBA stars driving Honda Accords (Gordan Hayward) and high net worth billionaires living in the same home that they purchased when just starting out (Warren Buffet) seem to resonate with the common people. When a person who has progressed to an extrememly high station does not put himself above the common, to me in that moment the person is becoming, a leader. The image to the right is one of my first experiences with editing software and the message that I was communicating was that of the, "un-assuming leader".
LEADERSHIP
BUILDING UP
Leadership, in its purest form, has a lot to do with how the leader treates those who would be considered "less significant". Such was the case in my seminary class when a student approached me and asked if it would be okay to befriend a fellow student. Surprised at the request, I asked some additional questions. What my student then told me was an experience that I shall never forget. This video, is in my mind a beautiful example of pure leadership.
DROP, by DROP
A well known business philosopher named Jim Rohn is noted for saying,
“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.”
Success in leadership is therefore like drops in a bucket. When fundamental principles are followed and one is consistent, the production of the team will increase and the bucket will eventually fill. "Drop by drop" is quite possibly my favorite phrase to say in working with others. The message suggests consistency, steadiness, and dilligence. Most highly successful leaders have developed an abnormal degree of consistency interwoven in their character. The image taken to the right is a picture that I took in my cold storage room that was designed to display that leadership trait, drop by drop.
STAY FOOLISH, STAY YOUNG
In 2005, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. delivered a commencement address to Stanford University and in this address he shares some of the maxims by which he has tried to live his life. At the very end of the address he shares something that at first, I admit, I thought was quite paculiar. The final words in the speech are, "Stay foolish, stay young." In this paper I elaborate on what I felt Steve was trying to communicate with this closing statement and how it applies to all leaders.
IMPACTFUL TEACHING MOMENTS
At the essence of leadership is teaching, first by example and second by precept. Therefore, learning the principles of impactful teaching is synonymous with learining the principles of impactful leadership. This attached video is an example of 10 principles that if applied will bring a touch of refinement to anyone's presentation and teaching skills.
TRANSPARENCY
One of the most insightful reads during my tenure at MSU was an article written by Atul Gawande, a Harvard M.D., entitled Bell Curve. In this article Atul speaks about transparency, or the lack of, in the medical industry. While all physicians are confronted with occasional failures, "What we’re not used to" says Atul, "is comparing our records of success and failure with those of our peers." To me, ones willingness to be transparent with results is an essential element to leadership. A religious leader named Thomas S. Monson once said, "Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.."
FROZEN?
So the first time that I watched Frozen, I fell asleep. Yep, it's true. So this project was one that I completed by re-watching the hit movie, Frozen. The purpose of the project was to see if I had possibly under valued what was being brought to the table with this $1.0 billion dollar winner! One of the main ways of measuring its success was to see how my daughters, age four and two, would respond to seeing the movie again. Hope you enjoy :)
PASSION, COMMITTMENT, CHANGE
In the motion picture, Moneyball, Brad Pitt represents Billy Beane's success as the GM of the Oakland A's.
With a low recruiting budget, Billy stumbles upon a new way of going about the strategy of winning baseball games. Billy's passion, committment, and willingness to change are three essential leadership traits!