Completing my EDGE project taught me a lot.  One of the things I learned is how much effective leadership contributes to a team’s success or failure.  I was very aware how my attitude as a leader affected the members of my team; when I was positive and optimistic, so were they, and when I was stressed and impatient, they displayed the same feelings.  Something I learned about myself is that when placed in a leadership position, I like to rely heavily on the ideas and input from my team.  I dislike making quick decisions on my own, but instead would rather take decisions to the group for discussion. 

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As my project progressed, I felt my confidence as a leader definitely increase.  At the beginning, I felt a little bit hesitant “to lead.”  I did not want to come off as pushy or dominating to others, so I took a more stepped back approach.  I quickly learned that this method of leading does not always work, particularly when decisions need to be made quickly.  Once I got more comfortable with my team, it became so much easier for me to fully step into my leadership role.  I no longer worried about coming off as offensive, but instead about leading my team to accomplish our goals. 

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One of the greatest lessons I learned is that effective leaders should surround themselves with people that might be more knowledgeable and more qualified than they are.  I enlisted help from people that were better at certain things than I was, which made my job so much easier and only produced better outcomes.  Leaders may feel hesitant to do this out of fear of seeming incompetent and losing “power.”  However, I observed that members of my team seemed to respect me more.  One of my nursing professors always says, “Part of being smart is knowing what you’re dumb about.”  I think that part of being a good leader is recognizing your weaknesses and selecting your team to buoy you up in those areas. 

 

I am thankful for what my EDGE project taught me about leadership!