Personal Mastery and Leadership: Working Toward a Vision (Essay Sample)

Personal Mastery and Leadership
Name
Institution
Introduction
As a person, I realize with great amazement, how much of my life has been about reacting to external forces rather than pursuing a personal goal or working toward a personal vision. These external forces encompass media content that I consume daily, my fears about how others- friends, workmates, relatives and family members- view me, and the pressure to meet societal expectations. So I fear talking candidly about some issues because I fear being seen as weird in a society where exceptionalism is viewed as being different from others, and therefore abnormal. Thus, I keep my own opinions about gays and lesbians because I live in a conservative society that frowns upon same-sex relationships, and I exercise and watch my diet because the media says being fat is unhealthy and ugly. I give to charity and help others because religion promises blessings to Good Samaritans, and I avoid illegal activities because the law will punish me. I subscribe to patriarchal structures because I have been socialized into internalizing the gender roles assigned to male and female members in society. After studying the personal mastery discipline, I realize that I need to adopt a creative approach to life and harmonize it with reality as I strive to develop as a person and leader in my community. This is because personal and leadership development does not result from reacting to outside forces, but by being a creative agent in pursuit of a personal vision. In this essay I use the currere method by William Pinar to explore how my past experiences shape my present and future vision as a community leader.
A). the Regressive Phase
I remember how while in junior high school, the leader in group work assignments always dictated how we did the work. Her opinions and ideas were never questioned, and we readily agreed with her position when there were diverging viewpoints. At the time I thought that she was influential because of her position as group leader as well as because she was brighter than the rest of the group members. There was this tendency to assign group leadership to the student who performs better than the rest, because it was assumed their academic superiority made them good leaders. You cannot lead someone who outperforms you in classwork and exams, right? Reflecting back, however, I realize that we always elected her because she was agreeable, friendly and social. During group discussions, we agreed with her not just because she was the leader, but because she was persuasive and convincing in her arguments, as well as involved others in seeking support for her own arguments. She would toss his opinion to another member and ask them what they thought about it, and in the process of giving their views it seemed to them that it was their original idea, when in fact it was not. This experience has transformed my attitude toward leadership. Pinar states that past experiences shape our beliefs and attitudes towards leadership roles (Pinar, 2004). Accordingly, I no longer view it as a position for individuals who are more intelligent than those they lead, but as a position for individuals with the ability to engage others in conversations, as well as persuade and convenience them to see things from one’s point of view. Isn’t that how politicians thrive, by persuading us that they understand and represent our needs better than the opposition? Towards this goal, I aim to learn how engage others in conversations as a means of aligning their vision with mine, and persuading that I can help them achieve their life goals.
B). the Progressive Phase
My vision for the future as a leader is to play a role in shaping opinions regarding women’s rights and position in society. I desire to influence social and political ideologies that view women as weak and vulnerable groups that need favors to succeed, such as preserving a given percentage of political positions for them, or requiring learning institutions to admit a certain number of female students even if they do not meet the admission criteria. I believe that favoring women in this way implies that they are not as good as their male counterparts, hence the need to relax the rule for them. This approach does not help women in terms of respecting and recognizing them as intelligent and capable beings. As long as women depend on handouts and favors to succeed, they will be seen as incapable of achieving anything without some sort of assistance. My vision as a leader is to promote a fair playing ground for women and men in all spheres of life, and allowing each gender to compete on an equal footing. If the girl child is given the same educational opportunity as the boy child, then there will be no need to require learning institutions to favor female students in any way. Free the girl child from the burden of domestic work, and she will be as good as boys in education, and consequently, in future competition for leadership roles in politics, business, and employment.
C). the Analytical Phase
In trying to align my vision for women with reality, I realize that I there is conflict between what I aspire for and societal values that dictates that women will always play subordinate roles to women. Patriarchy is still deeply rooted in many societies, and I see this as an obstacle to the realization of my vision as a leader at the forefront of promoting true gender equality. For instance, Islamic cultures restrict the participation of women in public spheres. However, I anticipate that the continuing democratization of the Arab world and increasing educational opportunities for women around the world will facilitate women’s emancipation from the last remnant shackles of patriarchy. In growing as a leader, I will need to work with women rights group to develop a better understanding of the challenges that women face. This view is informed by my conviction that leadership is not about making things happen personally, but recognizing that my voice is part of a movement, or “a larger creative process” to liberate women from the bondage of patriarchy (Senge, 2010, p. 142). This will allow me to better articulate their needs and gain support from other like-minded individuals and women empowerment groups in agitating for true gender equality founded on the principles of equal access to opportunities and individual merit.
D). the Synthetical Phase
Reflecting about my future leadership role, I think that I...