Hi Seles,
What a great question! I think in our field it is easy to lose our motivation as most of us are "helpers," and can get discouraged if we believe we are not moving forward or making a difference. At least that is how it is for me. I think there are a couple of things that motivate me.
First, I have some really great friends in our field, who share my passion but also allow me to laugh at the little things. Our visions of how we can 'save the world' are similar and when I talk to them it seems like it might actually happen! ;-) Second, but along the same line of thought, professional conventions motivate me. Networking and learning from what others are doing gives me energy to do my job better, at least for a little while!
In terms of habits, I have learned that I really do have to take time to decompress from work. I used to take a lot of work home, take work calls at night, etc., thinking that if I could just get ahead it would help me be more focused at work. It actually did just the opposite. I was more frustrated than ever, and only wearing myself out. I certainly didn't want to come to work the next day if I had worked the previous evening. I learned that I could truly work 24-7 and all of those people and institutions I serve will still not be "fixed." Now I rarely take work home (of course sometimes it's a necessity), and I try to focus on my life outside of my work when I'm not actually at work. I'm better at not checking emails on the weekend, although that one is hard! I have found when I am diligent about leaving work behind for evenings, weekends, and vacations, that I am much more focused, and many times re-energized when I get back to it.
Again, great question and I can't wait to read others' input!
Natalie
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Natalie Benafield
Conway, AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-06-2018 03:30 PM
From: Donna Smiley
Subject: What motivates you to lead yourself to your next level?
Seles – I had to think about this a little bit before I responded. Here are a few of my thoughts. In terms of my own work and desire to provide good leadership to my work team, one habit that I have is passion for the specific work that my team does every day. I think as long as I continue to have passion for the work, I can overcome the challenges that inevitable come our way. Some may read this and think – "what?!? Passion isn't a habit". BUT I would argue that choosing to seek out and acknowledge that you have passion for your work is a habit. For the most part, this habit has been pretty "easy" for me (give or take a day here and there). I think that in my own leadership journey, passion has played a significant role. I have had to seek out opportunities to grow in leadership and to serve as a leader in areas that I am passionate about.
The more challenging habit that I continue to work on in my leadership journey is accountability. The habit of owning my mistakes and shortcomings has been and continues to be a challenge for me. I do realize the importance of this habit to my leadership ability: If I cannot model this for those whom I lead, then they most likely can't trust me (which is important). But I will be honest, sometimes it is hard to take the blame or responsibility. But I keep working on this habit and I do find that when I can appropriately employ it, the results are positive in the long run.
So for me, passion and accountability are two habits that I think are important in my own leadership journey.
THANKS for asking this question Seles!
Donna
Donna Fisher Smiley, Ph.D., CCC-A
Audiology Supervisor/Audiologist
Arkansas Children's Hospital
1 Children's Way ● Slot 113 ● Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 680-2718 direct ● (501) 364-6881 fax
Website ● Facebook ● Twitter ● LinkedIn
Original Message------
Greetings from Georgia,
My name is D. Seles Gadson, and I'm a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia and lover of all things aphasia. Throughout my career as an SLP and on the journey to the Ph.D., I am constantly seeking out people, ideas, books, music, and the list goes on to sustain my motivation. The Chinese proverb "Be not afraid of going slowly be afraid only of standing still" has challenged me to honor my pace and live outside of my comfort zone. Some may say motivation is what gets you started but your habits keep you going.
So to my fellow leaders, I have to know. What motivates you to lead yourself to your next level? AND What <g class="gr_ gr_12 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="12" data-gr-id="12">are</g> your habits?
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Davetrina Gadson
Athens, GA
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