Michelle Bigley
Location
Brief Summary of the Presentation
The theme of the discussion by Ms. Bigley is about succeeding in the business world. She shared several tips on how to handle oneself inside an organization. She highlighted the importance of being professional in every aspect of the job, whether it be on the business or personal side. Ms. Bigley emphasized that one should be ready to take on challenges that he will face in working in a company. She also touched on the topic of leadership and conveyed the message that being a leader entails numerous responsibilities. A vital information that Ms. Bigley shared to the audience is that within an organization are varied personalities who may be against or for you. This being inevitable, she suggested that one should be prepared to learn how to relate with these personalities. It may be difficult, but as long as one performs his job to the best of his abilities, in a professional way, one cannot be put down. What is essential is for one to make himself valuable to the company.
Leadership Skill, Traits and Abilities Identified
There are several aspects of leadership that were conveyed by the speaker. Foremost among this is that a leader must learn to think like his subordinates. A leader must know his goals and work towards it, directing his efforts to the achievement of these goals. Leaders should not overwhelm his staff with big projects. He must give small projects first and see if they can handle it and then slowly assign them larger projects. A leader must be knowledgeable about the task on hand. If a leader feels that he does not have enough information about the topic, he should research on it. He should be humble enough to ask questions and advice from people who are more knowledgeable on the topic. In case a leader is faced with the dilemma of not being accepted by his co-workers, he must not fret; instead, he must strive to do his best on the job and let the organization realize that he is valuable to them. Another point which the speaker discussed is that a leader must be a team player.
Personal Impact
The information conveyed by the speaker will prove to be useful and relevant in enhancing one’s leadership profile. One learned a lot of significant things about how one can be an effective leader. The information shared by the speaker is vital to one’s desire to become a leader who can be valuable to his organization and admired by his co-workers and subordinates. One was able to gain a deeper perspective on what leadership is. It is not merely being on top of the organization; but rather, it is a position which requires professionalism on the job and in relating with other people within the company. Leadership is meaningless if one gets on top of the corporate ladder but fails in his personal relationships with his co-workers. Finally, one realized that leadership is a learning experience. One learns from both his superiors and subordinates. Another new information that one gained from the lecture is that if one is to be an effective and successful leader, he must have the ability to determine who among his subordinates are teachable and who are not.
