My preferred leadership style is selling: using a more directive, leader oriented style while still explaining the reasoning behind tasks in hope to make them more appealing. The implication in using this style is simply that I will find it natural do deal with beginners or situations where the leader (myself) needs to hold a greater degree of control: namely, high risk, low experience and ability. While this, of course, doesn't limit me in the way that I lead other situations, my preference will force me to consciously reconsider new situations where participating and delegating may be more appropriate.
Three strengths I've noticed throughout the course:
- Useful way of thinking as listed off by Dale Carnegie
- I am not any of the dramatized versions of office politicians
- I found the organization / SMART goals section of the course easy
- I do not always use effective politics. I need to consider my actions more in terms of their consequence as opposed to their content and actual meaning.
- Even thought I found SMART goals and organization easy, I need to regiment these principles into my daily life. I find this makes everything easier, but you just need to do it.
- Somewhat referenced in number one. I need to find a way to better package my ideas. I might be telling nothing but the truth, but it's hard to eat ice cream without a cone or bowl. (cheesy I know, but hey, it works)
As for career choice, I can't say that there's any specific thing that I'm planning on doing. Really, I've chosen my career and it's working in the world of outdoor adventure. To me, this will mean continual training and looking for new things that I want to explore and work with. In the near future, I hope to teach whitewater kayak schools . In the longer term, I would love to build my forearms and intellectual muscles and lead groups in both vertical rock climbing as well as alpine mountaineering. How far there is between the two, only time can tell.
I can hardly think of an industry that doesn't benefit from welcoming the concept of lifelong learning. We live in the age of information. Not only is there a plethora of resources available to us now covering most all elements that may spark our curiosity, but new information is continually coming to our attention. In the world of outdoor adventure, we deal with, sometimes, high-consequence situations and any new information that can help us mitigate such dangers is incredibly valuable: namely, new knots, rescue techniques, practices, general principles, etc. In reading my "career choice" you can see even more clearly how important it is to be constantly learning. It's very unlikely, unless of course you find your one true love of the outdoors, that you're going to be working the same job the entirety of your career. In all likelihood, you're going to be moving. You're going to be shifting from one position to another, maybe into another sport, or maybe into a managerial type role; and with each shift, there'll be a book or two equivalent of new information you'll need to master. I think this is one reason why I find the industry appealing. While many join purely out of some rigid distaste for academia and the "9-5 walking death", the dynamic nature of adventure always gives us the opportunity for something new.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu
