Trait Development Week 2

This week I developed my role as Relief Society President in two ways. In one way I tried to be more of a friend to the girls. I think me being a friend to these girls is one of the most important responsibilities as a Relief Society President. At enrichment I tried my hardest to remember their names and talk to them. When I see them on campus or around the dorms I try to say hello and ask them how they are doing. I think I did okay on befriending them. It was a busy week, so I didn’t devote as much time as I would have hoped, but I can’t change the past so I might as well look on the positives.
Another goal of mine for this week was to be more spiritual so that I will be prompted on how to best serve these girls. I think this is the number one thing I could be doing right now. I still don’t know most of them very well, so I need the Spirit as a guide on how to do my calling. I think I did okay on this. I think what I learned this week on the subject of spirituality is that it has to come first. It can’t come second to other wants or feelings. Hopefully I am learning more control in the way of spiritual matters, but if I were to be honest I feel as if I regressed this week spiritually. There is always next week though.

Trait Development Week 1

This week one of the traits I have developed is interest. I worked on learning the names of the girls, and trying to get a feel of where they are from and who they are. I wanted to let them know I was interested in their lives. I think showing interest in the lives of those whom you serve is extremely important. I think for me and my role as Relief Society president it may be even more important. I am not supposed just lead, but help these women in a spiritual journey. I am supposed to help them, and be their friend, and the only way I can do that is by getting to know them.
Another trait I tried to develop this week is organization. Everything has been so crazy and chaotic since we have to start from ground zero. I have been working harder at keeping a central list of callings, and not surprisingly, this week was better than it could have been. Organization is a key to being a leader. You can’t lead if you don’t know what you are supposed to be doing, and what resources you have.

Defining My Leadership Role

My leadership role has been defined for me in a way. I was recently called to be the Relief Society president. You asked us to answer the question why, and as of this moment I have absolutely no idea why I was called, but I was, and I will magnify this calling to the best of my ability.
Right now in this position I am at square one. I have a very small idea of my responsibilities and obligations. I haven’t really begun on this journey as Relief Society President. I can tell you where I want to be though. I want to get to the point where I feel like I know what I am doing. Most importantly I want to get to the point where others can rely on me and come to me. I want the women in my ward to feel comfortable enough and welcome enough to come to me with their thoughts, problems, and ideas. I also want to become their friend.

Interview

I decided to interview Pamela Coburn, who is the head of the School of Fitness and Health Services at Davis High School. She teaches AP Psychology at Davis High, and has been doing so for 31 years. The qualities she possesses that make her a leader are her ability to make one feel included and worth something, her ability to listen and understand, and her ability to inspire. When I asked her what qualities she thought a leader should posses, she gave me a very insightful answer. She said a leader should first be humble so they can listen to others. They also need to be skeptical enough to know what the right thing to do is, and they need to be curious enough to find the right way to do something.
I also asked her how she considers herself a leader. She gave me this example: in the absence of guidance within a group, and when no one will step up to the plate and lead, she will. This teaches me that a leader is willing to accept responsibility and is confident in their abilities. I consider her a leader because of her passion in the areas she leads in. Her example has taught me this. She has also indirectly taught me that a leader needs to inspire confidence in a follower, to inspire them to try their hardest, and make them believe that they can accomplish anything.
In my interview with Pamela I asked her what she thinks the responsibilities of a leader are. She said to be engaged at all times, to be able to handle most types of situations, and to be able to deal when people you rely on fall through. I really take this guidance to heart. Through this interview, and my experience with her she has taught me that to be an influence for good, and an exemplary leader one must be strong, passionate, and truly caring in all situation involving responsibility.