Treading on Sacred Ground: Personalities
I would love to hear your thoughts:
- What is the interplay between personality, collaboration and leadership.
- What is it about your personality that Divine Providence will highlight to advance the Mission of the Catholic education and collaboration?
- What is it about your personality that might hinder the Mission of Catholic education and collaboration if not reflected upon?
I believe understanding personality is the key to successful collaboration and effective leadership. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses associated with each personality is the first step in harnessing the best of what our school has to offer. Tapping into the best of our personalities, much like our discussion on finances, should lead us to the conclusion; our community already has everything it needs in order to thrive. The question is, have we taken the time to drill down to discover the strengths in our colleagues and identify personality combinations that inspire innovation, produce productivity, and advance Mission?
ReplyDeleteReflecting on Mission and collaboration, my attention is drawn to the word 'nurture.' I feel my personality supports a nurturing environment for students and colleagues. In an effort to advance Mission, I strive to nurture our students in their academic and social development. I try to do the same with me colleagues. By valuing mutual respect and projecting a warm, approachable disposition, I can strengthen my working relationships with colleagues and model a healthy, collaborative relationship for our students.
My own insecurities stand in the way of advancing our Mission. Being a "dove", I take things to heart making it difficult for me to separate myself on a personal level. This can bog me down and slow progress because I wish to resolve the issue before I move forward. I also tend to comply in an effort to avoid conflict. This hinders Mission because I may be letting outside influences get in the way of the best direction for the community.
I think understanding the strengths of peoples personalities helps when forming groups and in how you go about getting information from your colleagues. With collaboration comes the need to rely upon others and when you have people whose personalities conflict it can cause major difficulties in getting anything accomplished.
ReplyDeleteAs a peacock, I feel my excitement and personal skills can help my leadership role. I look for the positive attributes of my colleagues and encourage them to explore them. With my positive attitude I can be there to encourage others to do their best work.
The part of my personality that would hinder this role is that I can get frustrated when I don't feel others are contributing. Wanting the best for the school and the students is always at the forefront of what I do and when I see others not contributing what they should it gets frustrating.
As a leader, one must understand the strengths of those they work with. With and in any situation, one must balance personality, collaboration, and instruction given. There will often not be the perfect answer for any situation and to succeed one needs positive and direct communication.
ReplyDeleteI found myself as an indirect supporter, which I believe speaks to me. Change is a necessary part in education and willing attitude is needed. I believe my "go for it" and "Yes" attitude will help advance the mission of Catholic education and support collaboration among teachers.
My "YES" attitude might hurt those who have done something that or this way for years. Change often scares people and make others feel like their ideas are no longer needed and important. I will have to reflect on the "YES" before deciding whether to implement something new or keep and "update" what is current.