I recall my two weeks of being manager as being relatively uneventful. Maybe it's the number of weeks that have passed since then, but not much sticks out or comes to mind from that time period. So instead of writing about the experiences I had when I was manager of Team Red Stapler, I'll pen a few reflective words about leadership in general.
There've been a few times where I've found myself placed in a position of leadership before; if I've learned anything, it's that I don't like being a leader. It's much simpler to be a follower, taking rather than giving orders. There's an increased sense of responsibility when you've been appointed head of some project, organization, or group, and it can weigh you down if you're not careful. For example, a group I was appointed head of was organizing an event. We were charged with handling thousands of dollars of donated funds, and the pressure of putting together a solid event while juggling school and other responsibilities was enormous. I often wanted to just throw in the towel to give myself time to focus on school but felt like doing so would cause a ripple effect amongst the people who were working together with me. Besides that, I didn't want to disappoint all the people who had donated to our cause either. So I wound up persevering.
As much as I find myself hating the added responsibilities of being in a position of leadership, when Marty Linsky asked the audience about what things they wanted to change and what could be done to change them I found a lot of my old pet peeves about the world coming to rise. I realize now that someone has got to do these things, and if no one else is going to then it may as well be us. Best part? Like Mr. Linsky said, you don't have to be in a traditional position of authority to make serious changes happen.
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