Ch 3: Application
- Create your personal plan for growth. Then, put it on your calendar and journal how well you accomplished it by end of the semester. I recommend using the KISS method (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID).
Simple Plan for Personal Growth:
- I will journal my thoughts when I achieve success in baseball and even in everyday life. This will create a bank of positivity I can withdraw from.
- Commit to a schedule for sleeping and eating. Planning out my meals and bedtime will improve my overall productivity and happiness.
- Read more! At least one book per semester. If it’s for class then okay, but no shortcuts. Cover to cover.
- Stay curious. Ask questions, google everything, continue the desire to learn.
Ch 1: Action
Interview:
While it is true that some people are born with greater natural gifts than others, the ability to lead is really a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and approved. But that process doesn’t’ happen overnight. Leadership is complicated. It has so many facets: respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing — the list goes on and on. As you can see, many of the factors that come into play in leadership are intangible. That’s why leaders require so much seasoning to be effective.
This week, research or interview the person (can be the same person as last week) you admire as a leader in your profession or area of service. Ask that person the following questions:
NAME of person: ___Blake Urqhart__________________________________
Profession: ___Assistant Baseball Coach Longwood University _______________________________________
- What made you decide to enter the field in which you are successful? The reason why I do what I do is because I try to be the person I needed when I was going through that stage of your life between adolescence and 21-22. I want to be the role model I needed at that time. Someone who could understand what I was going through. I see myself being a father figure or big brother figure who gives back the knowledge I’ve learned from good coaches. Really just bringing that good coaching style into this new generation.
- Who were some of your mentors? My grandpa, because of not really having my dad around. He was my male role model and my world. I try to mimic his leadership. I read books from Tony Dungy, Lou Holt, Joe Tori, fortune 500 companies, Warren Buffet, Zig Ziglar. I try to find those people who have an edge…step outside the box and see things from a bigger perspective.
- What five books have made the greatest impact on your leadership or personal growth? Dale Carhnegie, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” a John Wooden leadership book, another called “Extreme Ownership”, and “It’s Your Ship.”
- What daily learning or self-improvement habits do you have? You need to develop some sort of ritual or routine. I call it a flow. Something you do everyday that starts with a small victory in the morning. Make the bed. No matter what the day presents, you come back to a made bed and start fresh. Always get some sort of sweat in. Bike, run, lift, it doesn’t have to be long. After the sweat, right into a meditation, then shower and go from there. I listen to motivational speeches and audio books, to encourage me and give me positive thoughts in the morning. Filling the mind with things that are encouraging and uplifting, gets your mind and soul ready to attack the day.
Ask yourself: What are the three most valuable things I have learned from this person’s life, which I will apply to my own leadership growth?
Ch 4: Application
- Do you make it a regular practice to reflect on your positive and negative experiences? If not, you will miss the potential lessons they have to offer. Do one of two things. Set a time to reflect every week (keep a journal or log so you can keep up with your reflections for your portfolio (exam). Set a timer on your phone to remind you to reflect. Especially after major success or failure, immediately reflect on your experience. Write down what you learn during the discovery process. Quote from my journal 2/15/21:
“Always remember YES YES NO aggressive mentality. Especially if you find yourself late or getting beat. Keep this confidence. Refer to this moment. Never leave this headspace. TRUST.” This was after our opening day game in which I went 4 for 4 with 2 homeruns and 6 runs batted in. I started off the season on fire, and continued to maintain my positive headspace and confidence going forward thanks to my reflection in my journal entry. I should probably continue to add entries even when things aren’t going as well, so I can remain determined to be in that confident headspace more times than not.
- Which way to you naturally lean — toward facts or faith? Rarely is a leader especially talented in both areas. (I’m a faithful person. I believe anything is possible so I tend to rely on my husband to keep me grounded and keep me focused on facts and realistic expectations). Yet good navigators must be able to do both! To successfully practice the Law of Navigation, you must know your own bent. If you’re not sure, ask trusted friends, family members, and/or colleagues. Then make sure you have someone the opposite bent on your team so that you can work together. Write down which way you naturally lean and who you would want on your team to help you balance your team out and practice the Law of Navigation.
I lean toward fact, and it can put me in a position where I set limitations for myself. I let small sample sizes of statistics tell too much of the story at times. I let myself take small failures and try to amplify them and convince myself they mean something more than they do in reality. My assistant coach has been the faithful piece that has helped me keep things in perspective, maintain my optimism, and understand that I have a high ceiling if I continue to develop at this pace.
Ch 4: Action
- Use the following acrostic (PLANAHEAD)to plan and execute an upcoming project or upcoming group effort assignment. It does not have to be a project for this class. Any group work will be sufficient.
Project: Test 3, Environmental Science, Group Study
Predetermine a Course of Action
- In order to succeed we need to assist each other. Big zoom study group to tackle this module’s material.
Layout Your Goals
- Our goals are: To break apart all the material, learn your section well, and be able to reteach it to the study group. We want to get A’s on the test.
Adjust Your Priorities
- Our priority is: creating manageable chunks for each person to understand well enough that we can exchange our expertise and review all of the material.
Notify Key Personnel
- My two other classmates.
Allow Time for Acceptance
- We will leave at least a day after the study session before the test for follow up questions.
Head into Action
- Schedule the zoom and break the module up into even thirds.
Expect Problems
- We expect some sessions to be more difficult to grasp than others. We will mark these down and drill them harder the next day.
Always Point to Success
- Encourage each other and understand we will each grasp the material at different paces. We will achieve success knowing we did all we could to prepare.
Daily Review Your Planning
- We will brief the process of breaking down the material at least once before we begin.