The Value of Patience

Last week when I was helping an 8th grade student study for his upcoming math test, I learned the value of being patient. For over a week, this student was having difficulties grasping the concept of exponents and using scientific notation. However, on Friday, problems that were once unsolvable for this student suddenly made sense. While Friday may have seemed like a moment of "Divine Inspiration," I now realize that the reason why this student was able to solve these problems was because of his perseverance and dedication to learn the material. Additionally, this student's success was also dependent upon me being patient with him. While I could have easily have taken the test myself, I realized that my role as a tutor was not to simply get the problems solved. Instead, my job was to show this student how to do something that he couldn't do before, and this required patients, and ultimately good communication. In a past post, I made the statement that “good communication is essential to being a good leader,” and this experience further reinforced that idea. This experience showed me that people learn through different methods, and while we may not intuitively understand another person's way of learning, one way to bridge the gap is through patience. Being patient bridges this gap by forcing us to analyze another person, meet them where they are, and communicate in a way that that person will understand. And while it is true that our LTI students won't all become teachers, the fact is that being a good leader requires the attribute of being able to teach. As a result, I can't stress enough the importance of the communication skill that we teach to our students in each LTI session, because these skills not only help them communicate better, but in the process these skills make them better leaders.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu

The Courage of Leadership

According to the dictionary, leadership is defined as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. After reading this definition of leadership I began to reflect on last Sunday's session (which focused on overcoming obstacles). After this reflection, I gained a better understand of leadership by realizing just how challenging leadership really is. Often times when I think of leadership, the first thing that I think about is the privileges that go along with the title of being a “leader” (like the instant respect, power, and authority). However, just like with great responsibility coming with great power, leadership also has its own obstacles. After reading this definition of leadership, I realized that leaders are not only responsible for their own actions, but for the actions of the people around them as well too. Just like the chief of the surgical department described in Atul Gawande's book Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, often times leaders are held responsible not only for their own mistakes, but for the mistakes of others as well too. However, in addition to serving as an obstacle, I also discovered that this responsibility aspect of leadership also has its own rewards. Specifically, this responsibility factor allows leaders to help the people that they work with grow by helping those people recognize and develop their talents; which ultimately results in a lasting impact on their lives. And as a result of my reflection on what being a leader implies, I have come to the conclusion that being a good leader, in addition to talent and determination, requires courage.

Your Public Relations Chair,

Walter Anazonwu