Eliot Dix’s Leadership Portfolio

Ch 1: Application

1. List some of your major goals (try to focus on significant objectives–things that will require a year or longer of your time.  List at least five (5) but not more than ten (10) items. Now identify which ones will require the participation or cooperation of other people (list those people beside each goal).  

1. Be an all conference player. Teammates, coaches. 
2. Be a leadership councilman next year. Teammates, coaches.
3. Be a SAAC executive. SAAC President, SAAC members.
4. Maintain my honors college GPA requirement. 
5. Dreaming Big: Get Drafted in the 2022 or 2023 MLB draft. Teammates, coaches, family and friends. 
6. Look at your assessment you took in module 1, what did it tell you about yourself?  I lack in the area of “The Law of Priorities.” Particularly scheduling time daily, monthly, and yearly to address and plan out my priorities. I will always know my number one priority is baseball, but planning my life around this priority has always been majorly difficult for me. 

Ch 1: Action

Interview:

1. Interview someone whom you consider to have a high leadership lid. Ideally it is someone you know whose leadership lid sees unlimited.  Ask the person the following questions: Interview with Jack Schnell, Senior Leadership Councilman on the Longwood Baseball Team.
   1. When did you first see yourself as a leader? “My junior senior year of high school, when I was elected captain of my high school baseball team.”
   2. What are some of the greatest challenges you’ve faced as a leader? “The greatest challenge is the fact that you can’t always be everyone’s friend as a leader. “
   3. What has contributed to your growth as a leader? “Other leaders around me. My freshman year the captain displayed really strong leadership qualities and I aspired to be like him.”
   4. What are you currently doing to grow as a leader? “Trial and error. Seeing what’s worked and what hasn’t while trying to develop my skills as a leader. I’ve learned from experience…on the job to so speak. “
   5. What is the best piece of advice that you would you have for someone who aspires to be an effective leader? “Before you become a vocal leader, you must lead by example. Once you do this you grow into the roll and people start to follow you. At that point you start really trying to create more leaders. That’s kind of what it’s all about.” (Clearly Jack inherently has a great understanding of the law of explosive growth. He’s never read any of Maxwell’s work but most likely has that natural leadership sense, he embodies the law of intuition.)

Ch 2: Application

1. Which of the myths in the chapter have you bought into in the past: management, entrepreneur, knowledge, pioneer, or position? I’ve been susceptible to the myth of knowledge.
   1. Why have you been susceptible to that myth? I believe in the past I’ve expected too many knowledgeable people, teachers, professors, coaches, and been blind sided when they lack effective leadership skills. Knowledge is not power in the world of leadership. Knowledge does not guarantee you strength as a leader. 
   2. What does that say about your perception of leadership up until now? I believe I too easily assumed leadership qualities to people who maybe are knowledgeable or talented. You can easily find yourself let down in situations like this. 
   3. What must you change in your current thinking to make you more open to improving your leadership in the future. I believe that I need to soak up as much as I can from other great leaders. In the world of baseball or coaching, I can know as much as I want about the mechanics of the swing and the process that is ‘hitting,’ but studying how great leaders in this game function will be the key to my development. 
2. What do you usually rely upon most to persuade people to follow you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each of the seven factors named in the chapter. (a 1 means its not a factor while a 10 means you rely on it continually):
   1. Character — who you are 7
   2. Relationship — who you know 7
   3. Knowledge — what you know 6
   4. Intuition — what you feel 7
   5. Experience — where you’ve been 6
   6. Past success — what you’ve done 7
   7. Ability — what you can do 8

Ch 2: Action

Try to influence five people.

• a supervisor or superior 
• a colleague (same level,)
• family member or close friend
• someone in your area of influence 
• someone outside your area of influence

It could be as simple as suggestion where to go to each, or as critical as suggestion a new direction for a project. At the end of the week, review each situation by following the instructions noted.