Kaycee Blevins

Leaders have to be able to delegate tasks and rely on team members who may specialize in an area so that they are able to fulfill their leadership duties. As someone who can be a "control freak" this can be difficult to do at times but it is necessary in order to lead a group as a whole. Also, learning to say "no" to something if a group has other obligations is so important for group members to feel like their leader has the best interest of the group in mind. It also allows the group to complete tasks they… >>>

I fully believe that everyone has leadership abilities, they may just need help developing those abilities. Truly building relationships and getting to know the individuals you serve as a leader is imperative in creating and leading a successful group. The same way that we have to build relationships with students, building relationships with those we lead is the foundation for everything else. 

I really like the idea of using questioning techniques to determine a coworkers intention with their plan. Often times the true intent or plan may be lost if things are "muddy" and asking questions can allow us to work as a team to accomplish goals. This will allow us to be innovative and constantly striving for improvement. 

Learning about different decision making strategies is always a great way to discover different ways to make decisions that are effective in various scenarios. I used to struggle making decisions because I was afraid of making the wrong one and it is something I have continually had to work on and trust my knowledge. 

Providing constructive feedback can be difficult at times. This is something that I continually have to work on and typically try to "sandwich" it with 2 positive things that I see the student or person doing. Learning this skill is something that will be very useful in the future. 

This was a great reminder to choose the best method of communication for the situation. I have also noticed that using verbal and written communications together help me to convey the message I want to and allows those I am communicating with to interpret the message with the intended meaning. I liked to see the data backing up this observation. 

Over the last year I have really worked to identify ways that I can reduce negative stress because I have realized I am the best version of myself as an educatory, wife, and mother when I do things to reduce unnecessary stress in my life. I also know that stress can be a positive thing in my life that pushes me to reach my goals.

I like the idea of identifying my own strengths and weaknesses. It is vital to identify things that are going well but also to identify areas of improvement within myself. This allows me to create an action plan to address these concerns and continually monitor my progress and make adjustments as needed.