I believe that family plays one of the most important roles in determining and developing one’s leadership characteristics. In my family I was lucky enough to grow up in a very positive and supporting family based atmosphere. My grandfather on my father’s side was a biology teacher and baseball coach for over 35 years, so his influence on my leadership characteristics is by far at the top of the list. I also attribute my father for being a great influence on my leadership style. He was the head of several departments in a manufacturing facility, and today is a production manager where he works. I learned to lead like both of these men have, and that’s through example.
This leads me to believe that my leadership style is definitely transformational leadership, and I 100% give credit to my father and grandfather because they taught me to care for others and to always have the patience to teach others what you know. That being said it’s important to look into the importance of “temperament” and how being taught patience at a young age has allowed me to be level headed when I need to be in professional situations.
Family teachings also bring with them the morals and values that a leader carries with them their entire lives. I think that my mother played a huge role in teaching me how to be empathetic to those around me and how everyone has issues that they are struggling with. Judging a person is the worst thing we can do because you never know what they have going on in their personal lives that may make them act differently when faced with stressful situations especially when in a work environment. The situations they face may stir up emotions that make them angry or hard to work with, but shouldn’t define them as a person. Although what my mother has taught me sometimes makes me a little soft in situations where I should be a little tougher, it has ultimately helped me balance what the men in my life have instilled in me.
Being the oldest of four children has also given me the ability over the years to slowly initiate the development of my leadership abilities. Growing up I was always looking out for my younger siblings. I believe being the oldest child in my family has given me the opportunity to practice throughout my life and prepare me for a career leading others. In all actuality, being a leader at home was much harder and tested me more than most of the situations I have faced at work. Therefore I’m very appreciative that my parents had me first because it’s really been an advantage for me in school, sports, work and life in general.
In conclusion, I believe people who grow up in a strong family are very fortunate in terms of what they can learn and what they will take away from being taught positive values and ethics. Having the ability to take lessons from those you’re comfortable with will allow those lessons to sink in over the years and benefit you down the road and allow you to apply them to your career responsibilities. Maintaining a high moral and value standard speaks volumes in the eyes of hiring organizations, and it could help you land a job where you’ll have the ability to also use the leadership skills that family instilled in you.
