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Course 2, Discussion 2: Lead by example

User Profile: Hope
Hope December 5th, 2022

Great Leadership, unsurprisingly, starts with yourself!

Practice what you preach. Lead by example. I am sure all of you heard these phrases. But why are they so iconic?

Because the journey starts with the first step and you are the person who is taking the initiative to lead -- Start a journey! So, you are the one who needs to take the first step before expecting others to do it.

To start with leading yourself, close your eyes and visualize two people: someone who inspired and encouraged you to be like them, and someone who discouraged you to be not like them.

Then, write down the good qualities of the person who inspired you as well as the qualities of the second person. You do not have to be specific with the details. Just a bulleted list.

Now, compare the list to yourself. Note the good qualities you have, the bad qualities you have, and give yourself a rating on a scale of 1-10. What we just did is identified your strengths and weaknesses and what you need in order to lead yourself. This allows you to create self-awareness.

Self-awareness is key to leading yourself in the right direction. But, leading yourself is not easy. Just being self-aware isn't enough. It's igniting the spark but not enough to catch the fire. To catch the fire, you need to be persistent with your practice, which is regular reflection. Be consistent with monitoring your efforts and holding yourself accountable.

You can't effectively lead others until you know how to lead yourself. That happens through Self-Observant Leadership: when you deeply understand your identity, compare it to your reputation (how others experience you) and then make meaning of the observations, and choose to adapt.


Exercise:

✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?

✒️ Respond to one of your peers in this thread

After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here!


🔉This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program, find information on it here tinyurl.com/AcademyLDP

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User Profile: jaboo
jaboo February 21st, 2025

@Hope ✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise? I learned mostly things that I already knew, but now I have a clearer(? vision about them.

✒️ Respond to one of your peers in this thread Alright!

1 reply
User Profile: Phoenixthepoised
Phoenixthepoised February 26th, 2025
@jaboo Sometimes it’s not about learning new things but gaining a clearer understanding of what we already know. Keep refining that vision!
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User Profile: globalWillow3000
globalWillow3000 February 26th, 2025

@Hope

I think the thing I learnt from this excersice is how important it is to lead yourself first in order to be able to be a team lead in life. I think sometimes I think that if I were to be in a situation where I have to lead I would know exactly what to do, but it would be based on what I would do rather than what others may do. I think this is something I could work on in becomign a better leader. 

1 reply
User Profile: Phoenixthepoised
Phoenixthepoised February 26th, 2025

@globalWillow3000 So true! Leadership isn’t just about what we would do and it’s about understanding others’ perspectives too.

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User Profile: Phoenixthepoised
Phoenixthepoised February 26th, 2025

@Hope

✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise? This exercise helped me realize areas I need to improve, as well as where I can confidently lead. It also reminded me that effective leadership starts with being honest with myself and continuously reflecting on my growth.

4 replies
User Profile: beeyoolee0001
beeyoolee0001 February 27th, 2025

@Phoenixthepoised I love the part about continuously reflecting on your growth. I think that's really important and should not be ignored. As we grow, we also get to know the kind of person we are. (:

1 reply
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User Profile: Bismil66
Bismil66 March 1st, 2025

@Phoenixthepoised

I agree with you that effective leadership starts when you are being honest with yourself and continuously growing and learning. Well said🌸✨

1 reply
User Profile: Phoenixthepoised
Phoenixthepoised March 2nd, 2025

@Bismil66 Glad it resonates with you!😊

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User Profile: beeyoolee0001
beeyoolee0001 February 27th, 2025

@Hope Asides learning to lead myself, I also learned that you need to know who you are before you can lead yourself and others. 

User Profile: Bismil66
Bismil66 March 1st, 2025

@Hope

✒️ What did you learn about yourself in the given exercise?

Through this exercise, I became more self-aware and discovered many things about myself. I recognized my strengths but also acknowledged areas of improvement. Thinking about this has shown me what I need to focus on to grow and feel more confident in what I can do.


1 reply
User Profile: Boon4U
Boon4U March 2nd, 2025

@Bismil66 that's awesome, keep going!!

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User Profile: Boon4U
Boon4U March 2nd, 2025

@Hope

What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?

I learnt that I have the understanding and ethics of a good leader. I am dedicated to my goals and supportive of my team, never compromising the integrity and values of my profession or whatever work is required of me. 

 Respond to one of your peers in this thread

Done!

1 reply
User Profile: SparklesFly
SparklesFly March 17th, 2025

@Boon4U  great work Boon awesome 

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User Profile: BPDBadee
BPDBadee March 11th, 2025
  • Supporting my team: I recognize my ability to provide assistance and encouragement to those i work with.
  • Getting facts straight: I value accuracy and are adept at gathering and verifying information.

Here's how these insights connect to my applied psychology module and mental health debates:

  • Applied Psychology Module Facilitation:
    • My ability to "get facts straight" is crucial for presenting accurate information and answering student questions effectively. This will help you present the module in a professional and accurate way.
    • My team support skills will be invaluable in creating a positive and collaborative learning environment. I will be able to support learning, and help create a safe to ask questions.
  • Mental Health Debates:
    • "Getting facts straight" is essential for constructing sound arguments and countering misinformation during debates. This is very important when discussing mental health, as there can be a lot of misinformation spread.
    • My team support skills can translate to fostering constructive dialogue and creating a safe space for diverse perspectives to be heard. This is very important in the field of mental health, where many people have different opinions.
@Hope
User Profile: SparklesFly
SparklesFly March 17th, 2025

@Hope

What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?

I have learned that when I looked at the people who inspire me and someone who discouraged me that they are polar opposites.   Because of my own background I already have a clear idea of the person and leader that I do not wish to become.

I also have a clearer picture after this of the leader that I do wish to become.  One who listens to others and is there to help them whilst also leading by example and providing a space for reflection. 

1 reply
User Profile: twerp
twerp April 1st, 2025

@SparklesFly

those are great qualities to have as a leader! I hope your courses have been treating you well. :D

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User Profile: twerp
twerp April 1st, 2025

@Hope

✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?

I learned that in order to be a leader you must lead yourself as well!  Being consistent with checking in, knowing my values, strengths, weakness, and my limits are all essential to being the best leader I can be. I also found that I can be grateful for this people I try to not be like! What a great exercise lo

I thought about how I might include my leadership skills to the test, and through that I learned that I often read things and become self aware (ignite the spark) but don’t take action to put it to the test (not starting a flame). I decided to take a leadership role in my school project! :D

My question for anyone who might read this and take interest in responding, how are you put your leadership skills to the test? 😮❓

1 reply
User Profile: pamharley003
pamharley003 April 17th, 2025

@twerp

I agree with your answer to the question 


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User Profile: HereToHelp135
HereToHelp135 April 1st, 2025

@Hope

This activity taught me that self-awareness and responsibility are the foundations of effective leadership. I was able to pinpoint my areas of strength and improvement by thinking back on the people that encouraged and demoralized me. I came to understand that self-leadership is continuously developing and coordinating my activities with my principles. To become the leader I want to be, I must actively engage in self-reflection and hold myself responsible. Merely being aware of my strengths and shortcomings is insufficient.

1 reply
User Profile: giggleBubbles6722
giggleBubbles6722 April 8th, 2025

Being self-aware is an important skill or atribute to have for personal growth!

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