A Distinguished Leader’s Journey: Finding My “Burning Bush”
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United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County

A Distinguished Leader’s Journey: Finding My “Burning Bush”

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Shannon Reed
Portfolio Manager- Income, United Way

The second session in my Masters Series for Distinguished Leaders focused not only leadership but finding your purpose in life, or as Dr. Evans referred to it “the burning bush inside of you”. Dr. Evans said that once you have realized what it is you want to do in life and need to do to in order to feel fulfilled, it is then that you have identified your “burning bush”, and can focus on ways to live out that purpose.    

Dr. Evan also talked about how it is important, as leaders and professionals, to remember all of the lessons and things that we were taught as children. He referred to the book, Everything I Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten. In kindergarten we began to learn life’s most important lessons: sharing, listening, knowing when to speak, when to sit down and how to take turns. These are the lessons that will help shape us into great leaders. 

 

We also identified great leaders throughout history and the characteristics that they have in common. One great leader we discussed was Harriet Tubman. Many people did not know she was hit in the head with an iron, before she became the woman who we all know today. The accident left her disfigured and she suffered from several disabilities. Many people could not understand how someone like this could lead so many. Leadership is the ability to move a group of people, with a common purpose, who trust you. That was who Harriet Tubman was – she had the ability to move people based on her character and their trust in her and the common cause.

We discussed how leaders must possess a level of humility and integrity. Integrity is important because it reveals the essence of you who you are.  It is what you do when no one is looking. Leaders must also not get so high and mighty that they forget the people who do the work – fulfilling the common purpose. The ability and awareness to have an appropriate balance between both humility and integrity can make you a more effective leader.

I found this second session very powerful. Our discussions required a great deal of introspection. As I reflect on it, I’m now realizing that the lessons I learned as a child have been important throughout my life thus far, in school, in my career and now in my journey to become a Distinguished Leader. Who would have ever known that what we learned as little five year-olds would carry us through so much?