Yesterday I got to talk on the phone to Tyler Tenbarge, Eastern Region National FFA Vice President from 2007-2008. He came to the 2008 Alaska State Convention, when I was running for state office, and then helped train my state officer team at NLCSO and State President's Conference. He's a great guy and a great friend. He had some wonderful advice about running and gave me a lot of insight into the process. I felt good after the conversation, many of the things that he suggested I do I've already started doing, so that's very reassuring. He also told me to go slow and be careful not to burn myself out with study before National Convention comes along. I definitely think he's right- I'm only going to do what I can handle, which is why I'm not going to beat myself up too bad over the measly 5ish hours I did this week.
Also, after that conversation I watched Hannah Crossen's retiring address from the 2009 National Convention. I think I missed this because of Job Interview finals, but I'm so glad I went back to watch it- it was incredible! I really, really liked her message.The speech was entitled "Fearless," and it was about letting go of our fears so that we can really go after the things we want to, a message which really resonated with me and seeking National Office. There's so much to be afraid of, especially, Hannah points out, fear of failure. I'm absolutely sure I'll revisit this speech again. My computer was having issues and I was also a little distracted, so I had to listen/read/watch it. My favorite quote (that I wrote on a sticky note and added to my bulletin board of quotes) was "Being scared of not being good enough is a waste of time."
How true is that? I HATE wasting time, I like to think of myself as a productive, focused person- and yet I waste time by just being afraid to try new things. When we are afraid of taking risks we may never find out what we are good at, what we enjoy, or what we're destined to be!
Here's another good quote on that subject by Arnold Bennett: "The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort-he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."
I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to be that guy.
Anyway- I loved the address. I didn't really feel like I knew the 2008-2009 Officers since they were elected after I was trained as a State Officer, but it seems like Hannah was a very effective leader, and I liked her speaking style as well. You can watch her RA here. Also- you can read through all the speeches I mention in the Proceedings of the 2009 National FFA Convention here.
Also, it talks a lot about believing in others. I know I blogged about this recently, but it's really been on my mind. I guess I used to think leadership was more about me- being responsible, getting a lot done, making changes- all on my own. But now I'm realizing leadership doesn't work with just one person. If you want to lead others, you have to let them do things. Too often I think I try to do it all, and that's not only impossible, it's also not preferable. Who am I benefiting? Nobody.
I've thought a lot about the way I worked with my State Officer teammates. First though, let me preface this, I really think I did a good job as a State Officer. I don't have any regrets. But looking back, I can see where I can improve. I was 18 then- soon I'll be 20, and I am capable of being more now than I was then.
The book reads, "If we expect others to succeed, they probably will. If we expect them to fail, they probably will. People tend to live up, or down, to our expectations of them." And- "People must believe that they are capable of solving the problem, of finding a new and better way. Or they won't."
This helped me understand that even if I delegated things for people to accomplish, if I didn't trust that they were capable of accomplishing them, my teammates sensed that. And my attitude brought them down. From now on, I'm focusing on believing the best about people, and hopefully that will help them to do the best they can.
After all, when you think about the best leaders, weren't they all people who inspired and encouraged others? I do.
Peace out everybody, have a great week.
Rachel
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI just looked at the link to the FFA videos. The speaker Andrew McCrae was a national officer the year Melissa was a Senior and he stayed with us for a few days after our State Convention. I saw him a time or two doing workshops at nationals and he always remembered us.
I actually saw his speech, I'll probably watch it again cuz I can't remember much of it. Weird, I remember you mentioning him but it must have been at a previous convention.
ReplyDelete