The portrait of a leader

In my first blog, I reflected on some leadership skills that I’ve been learning. These skills are finer details that are painted into my leadership portrait. But let’s take a step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture that I hope to paint. Over this year, I hope to paint a clearer self portrait of my inner leader. And to help me paint this portrait, here are some research questions to reflect on during the process: What is leadership? - what does it look like? (in a professional setting and in everyday life) what does is not look like? Who/what inspires me? - What am I interested in? What do I admire about others? Who encourages me to do better? Am I inspired by the extrovert who can command a crowd? Or by the introvert who speaks softly and thoughtfully? Or both? How do I grow? -  How much time do I need? How do I balance challenge and comfort? Do I have a direction and plan? What resources and assistance do I need? How can I inspire others to grow? - What are my strengths and weaknesses? What can I give of myself to others? How can I be of support to others? These questions will help me to paint a clearer portrait of my inner leader as I challenge myself to try new things around U of T. My hope for this year is to learn more about leadership, by attending new events, visiting clubs and engaging with other students and community members. I want to share my experiences and discoveries with you, and I encourage you to do the same. Paint your own leadership self-portrait by asking your own questions and trying new things. What would you like to learn about leadership? Share are your suggestions, stories and ideas in the comments and on social media. Let’s support each other’s self-portraits and grow together!