Experiences we have as children have an effect on our leadership skills. The first leaders in everyone’s life are their parents. This relationship we learn leadership from early in our lives is called the Psychodynamic Approach (Northouse, 2013). The Psychodynamic Approach is about understanding yourself; it involves knowing what your leadership traits are and how you react in situations (Northouse, 2013).
When you start to study leadership you start to compare yourself and others around you with what you are learning in each lesson. For instance you may have experienced working with a bad leader and can recognize some traits that were not effective, and you can also recognize those traits that worked for others and you hope that you have developed the same qualities.
When I start to think about the traits I have developed, I feel that I have learned many skills from my parents. My parents are highly motivated and hard working. I don’t know how they find the energy to do everything they do. They are in their late sixties and both work two jobs, both are employed at the local school and have their own dairy farm. I think the best trait they have given me is my work ethic, which is a combination of determination and motivation. Being the child of a farmer is not easy. You may grow up and leave the farm but if you live close enough you still work there.
My parents have taught me that hard work gives you a sense of accomplishment it is hard work every day of the week. Being on the farm is in sense being a part of team, without all of our hard work we would not be successful especially in this day and age where many family farms are going out of business. My Dad is the leader of our group, he keeps everyone organized and goal minded.
Working with family is also not an easy task, these are the people you know the best and feel the most free to speak your mind. I have learned to be respectful of what and how I say things. My parents have always taught us to not say anything that you might regret and to think before I speak. Working closely with your family requires you to keep a cool head and have good communication with each other. These traits have served me well in helping me keep my composure while working under pressure.
Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice (Sixth edition). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
ASHLEY MERRYMAN says
Stephanie,
I agree with you that experiences we have as children affect our (current) leadership skills. The experiences that I had with my (divorced) parents, growing up have ultimately shaped how I see the benefits of hard work and outcomes of various leadership skills. My Dad didn’t go to college (unless you count the random semester at a community college). He always knew he wanted to be in the business world and believed that lacking a degree in business would not be a personal barrier. He worked his way up, with his charisma being a character trait that definitely worked in his favor. Although he is supportive of me finishing my degree before pursuing a job in my career trajectory, my Mom understands the importance of obtaining a degree. My Mom worked hard to receive her Master’s Degree in Psychology. It is obvious that my parents have influenced me over the years because I am majoring in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Psychology.
I enjoyed reading about your life on the farm. Working with family is definitely not an easy task. I have worked for my Dad for many years. Although the dynamics of our working relationship vastly differ than the family dynamics you shared with your family, the importance of effective communication remains true. Without effective communication, teamwork is not efficient. Without effective communication, a leader is not successful. Strong communication skills are imperative in every aspect of life.
TIKESHA LANEZE CRUMP says
The behaviors and skills you learned from your parents are admirable and necessary in our society. The psychodynamic approach to leadership emphasizes the importance of leaders to become aware of their personality types (Northouse 2013). Did you find that those experiences caused you to lead (amongst your peers or in a professional setting) differently? I would have been interesting in seeing how you rated in Psychodynamic Approach Survey, or the Myers-Briggs typologies based on your upbringing. Those items will be invaluable to the leadership you display. When you mentioned your ability to keep your composure under pressure, it make me think of the ESTJ Psychological Type of leadership where an individual is “methodical, focused and planned”. Being required to manage so much as your parents have been able to do on the farm and their other 2 jobs, I would be curious how that framed your perspective as well according to the leadership profiles.