Learning to Lead in the Digital Age

  Photo credit: Larisa-K   "We are more likely to learn something from people who disagree with us than we are from people who agree." (Fullen, p. 53).  When thinking about the leaders I admire most I realize they lead with this idea in mind.  So often the most respected leaders I've encountered surround themselves with people who differ in ideas and strategies from them, in an attempt to create meaningful dialogue.  These leaders also do not force others to follow their lead simply because they have the best ideas.  They understand that disagreement or varying perspectives is essential for an office, department, team or institution to ultimately thrive. For example, I can remember my boss completely halting a project because someone suggested an alternative plan that would require the entire team to pivot.  The entire team had spent months planning a campus wide event and had specifically spent countless meetings trying to find the easiest way for par...

  I  decided to use TagCrowd to create a visualization of my first blog post: Who Am I as a Leader?  I've used this tool in the past when working with younger students, training new tour guides, and developing student organization activities.  I like this tool a lot and its ability to show common themes in your writing in a new way.