This post revolves around the concepts of biography and storytelling, using these as a vehicle for uncovering your core values.
Biography simply means the story of your life. At its core, Authentic Leadership entails looking inward to find your “true north,” your internal compass. Every one of us is highly unique; we each have different life experiences that are, in a very profound sense, ours and ours alone. Your life is totally unique, and special. Think about it: nobody else in the world has your life!
Storytelling simply speaks to the idea that communicating something by framing it in terms of a story, or narrative, is an extremely powerful method of human communication. Good public speakers (and good leaders) tend to be good story tellers. A well-told story conveys important information in a compelling and captivating way. Stories pique our curiosity; they evoke emotion, imagery, and drama. They intrinsically invite us to become involved in them. Core cultural values are often communicated via stories (e.g. George Washington and the cherry tree).
As the lesson states, knowing your core Values is integral to Authentic Leadership. When asked to name their values people often respond with what they think society, their organization, or their family considers important. But, as an emerging leader it is important to have some sense of your authentic values. These are not necessarily the values that someone else tells you are important. Rather, your authentic values are those values that are uniquely yours, and which tend to emerge out of your unique life experiences.
Thus, first broadly reflect on the following questions:
- What have the hardships, disappointments, or losses that you have experienced taught you?
- What other experiences have been formidable shapers of who you are or what is important to you?
- What have the privileges and opportunities in your life taught you?
- Have any of your experiences contributed to what you feel is worth risking your life for? Have they contributed to what gives your life or work great meaning?
Take your time! Go through the above questions one by one, taking the time to reflect profoundly on each one as it relates to you. Then, pick a memorable or pivotal life experience, recent or timeworn. Relate the experience in the form of a story (350 to 500 words). Be sure to convey what core value(s) this experience created or reinforced in you. (#words in parenthesis at end)
Post your story here in the class-wide discussion for Lesson 14. And please respond to at least one other’s post.
Video option: as a substitute for a written post, you may record and upload a brief video of yourself narrating your story. (there is an icon for this in the interface — hover over the icon that looks like a little rectangle w/ a triangle in it). If you choose this option, try to plan out your story such that it takes no more than 2 or 3 minutes — because its not just about telling your story, but keeping it at a nice length for others to view! Consider this option, it might be a nice confidence builder for you.
Discussions are not graded individually (which is why the discussion is set to zero points). However, they are required, forming the basis of your Individual Participation grade, which will be awarded at the end of the course.
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