Who is an inspirational leader or mentor that has made the greatest impact on your life?
When I think of leaders in my life, I must keep in mind the specific times in my life. First and foremost, my parents always stand out as guiders who always offered sound advice. My relationship with God, must be on the list no doubt. As I advanced in my career, others stepped up. When I thought about this topic, I wanted to gather other people’s thoughts on their leaders and mentors who made the greatest impact on their lives. A few points stood out, and I want to thank those who offered their comments.
Mark Ziebarth, a mentor of mine shared his thoughts on a Superintendent we worked under. Being a good listener is a key characteristic to being a mentor for others. As individuals work through situations, a good leader should let that individual talk through the situation and listen for a decision making process. As we listen, we should offer appropriate feedback. Mark also shared that good leaders challenge us. We should always strive to make the best decisions we can and if the situation does not go as planned, we try to do better. Our mentors are always good at communication and sharing their positive outlook. The final point shared by Mark, was that he admired his mentor’s humility. Our leaders are human too and have been humbled by years of experience. They understand the complexities of day to day decisions. Mark Ziebarth was all of these for me as a classroom teacher. The most impactful thing Mark did for me was allowing me to try new things and feel safe in making these decisions that made great improvements for my students.
Marilyn Azevedo, a Superintendent colleague of mine shared her key characteristics of a Superintendent she worked with, out east. Marilyn appreciated her mentor’s humor, candor, trust, maturity, and integrity. I appreciated Marilyn sharing that her mentor also trusted her and expected her to make decisions. He would then inquire what she thought about her pending decisions, and offer sound advise or opinions. Marilyn added that her mentor was encouraging, showed interest in her as a person and always made sure she was ok. Marilyn Azevedo has always been someone I feel comfortable talking with and bouncing ideas off her for her view on current situations.
Mark Naugle, another Superintendent colleague of mine brought out some key discussion points about leaders or mentors and possible ideas for dealing with becoming a good mentor. Mark is an experienced leader that gained insight into his leadership by observing others. We can gain a lot of guidance in mirroring some of the actions and behaviors of our mentors. Mark cautions us that not all things others do will work for you. Choose things that work with your type of leadership. Mark states that he expands his leadership through learning he discovers in books. He highlighted that great mentors are good listeners and observers who are always reading and learning. I appreciated Mark’s stance on leading himself, as I can relate. We can lead ourselves best if we are aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. He stated that he struggles to lead himself, and it is harder to motivate and hold himself accountable. Mark Naugle is a great guy who I can ask for advice from. We are currently collaborating on our personal growth plans, as we are both interested in continuous growth and have the same favorite author, John C. Maxwell.
Who is your biggest encourager, and who are you encouraging?
Are you truly listening to others, as well as yourself?
Are you intentionally mentoring others, and who is mentoring you?
Are you a humble leader or mentor for your people?
We all have something to offer those around us and we cannot forget those who have inspired us to lead. We must continue to help one another on our path of success. Lead with humility, so we are open to share all avenues of personal growth. Thank you so much for checking in this week as always, I hope you will leave some comments below. Have a great week and I hope you find inspiration along the way.
Steven C. Bucks-Leading Conversations
