INSTRUCTIONS: Please respond to both post in 150-200 words.
Larry
Pete Morikos is the Superintendent of 21st Century Charter School at Gary. He was very accommodating and was able to meet for a face-to-face interview on such short notice. When I thanked him for that, he respond with what a good leader does. “Good leaders, lead by example.” I was astonished by that statement and the way he carried himself. The most unexpected thing I learned from Mr. Morikos is the way he spoke about keeping good people around you. In the age of the pandemic the turnover of employees are through the roof. He spoke about building relationships and understanding the way of world now. Being able to build a team of people who are capable of sustaining culture when you as the leader are not present. The best thing I learned from this leader is his ability to communicate with different people of different races and gender. I was allowed to observe him while he was meeting with a staff member. The way his tone never changed and how direct in his delivery of the message he wanted to get across. I learned a lot from him, and in my own leading I will change several things. Number one, I will change is the tone I use. I realized that my tone with my workers is bad, my intentions are pure but the way I was delivering was bad. At first I didn’t realize why people where responding to me and such a negative way, until I saw how Mr. Morikos spoke to his staff. In conclusion, being put into a leadership role, it was hard to deal with my peers, with me now being their superior. Now, I was in a position to direct them. To be honest with myself, I did not transition well. When I asked him what was the most difficult thing you had to do as a leader? His answer was similar to how I felt during my transition into leadership.
Latanya
The leader that I interviewed was Shaune Brooks. She works for Ascension Health in the Cardiology Department. She has also served in the military and is active in her church and community.
One of the most surprising things I learned about Mrs. Brooks is that she has become a very passive communicator. She always wants to express herself more but does not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. However, she always gets hurt, whether professionally or personally, because other people do not think like her and take the time to stop before they speak. It was surprising because she always seemed so vocal whenever we were in different settings.
The most important thing I heard from my leader was that make sure that when communicating, you distribute confidence. This way, you can be more effective and transparent in your words and the message you want to give off.
I will lead differently by being more transparent and open to different types of communication. I am a person who likes to talk face-to-face, and I know that communication comes in various forms, and I have to get used to using all of them to be more effective in the workplace and my professional life.
