MSLD 641 Module 9 - Becoming a Resonant Leader: A letter to myself

Becoming a Resonant Leader

A Letter to Myself

          Dear me,

            I hope by now you understood what being resonant means, and that slowly you can start putting in practice all the learning outcomes of the past eight weeks. Do not lose track of “our” vision, which, ultimately, is to live the world a better place. Bellow follows “our” learning agenda to ensure we positively impacting on people’s lives as we cross paths with them. What I want for “our” future is to be able to help people develop themselves, cognitively and emotionally, in their personal, social, and professional scope. Do not forget to achieve our milestones following the action steps in this letter, even if it is necessary to adapt them along the way. Be alert, be attuned, and be connected to yourself (or should I say ourselves?) and with the world around you! Since we are one, I will speak to you in the first person.

Professional Learning Goal

            My professional learning goal is to develop and implement leadership programs for organizations (including non-profit). This goal requires a lot of financial support, therefore most of the milestones will involve saving money and looking for funds to make it possible. The first milestone will be getting an MBTI® (Myers & Briggs Type Indicator) certification. The action steps to achieve it involves include the certification in my budget within the next six months and register for it.
            The second milestone is getting an executive coaching certification. It will require saving money for that within the next year, and to analyze which coach institute (certification) will better fit my needs. When these two action steps are completed, I will then register for it.
            The third milestone, to be achieved in the longer-term, is to complete an Executive Strategy course. The greatest challenge is the financial requirement, as this course is way beyond my budget. If I manage to get the funds to do so, then the action step would be to register for this course.

            A fourth milestone is to have a strong network. This milestone is to be achieved throughout the process of change, and not being the last one, in this particular order. The action steps involve using a professional social media account (LinkedIn for instance) to start with. I have created the account on the past week, which was the first action step. Further, I consider doing an internship in organizations that provides this type of service or working in projects alongside experienced professionals.

Community/ Social Learning Goal

            Open a charity for neglected teens and elders in Brazil is my community goal. To start with, I need to have a network to support me in the process. The steps to achieve this milestone is to connect with people currently working in projects and charities and to have supportive relationships as governmental and local corporations. Initially, this step would be taken virtually, as I currently live in another country. Then I plan to get personally in touch with the networks, in my trips to Brazil, and when returning permanently to the country, build a strong supporting network to make it happen.

            Another milestone is to learn the laws, regulations, and policies to have a charity or organize non-profit projects, in the country and the city I plan to have my initiative. An action step is to start researching it online (empirically and practically with experienced people). The first milestone is a supporting step for this one, as being in touch with people already in this field, could work as guidance and mentorship.
            The milestone is to have a deeper understanding of the situation (inventory of charities and people in need). For that, one action step would be getting in the field in existing initiatives. Once again, broadening my network is a helpful first step for this one. Getting in touch with government departments to collect data is another action step. This milestone will be possible, mainly, when I return to Brazil, for good.

Personal/ Family Learning Goal

            This goal is a continuous process and probably an endless goal. My personal objective is to build a mental and emotionally healthy family, by contributing to my knowledge. The first milestone is to be a mother. It goes without saying that one action step is to get pregnant, which does not depend only on me. I have stopped birth control one year ago, to allow my body to function naturally. The next step is to be able to live with my husband, as we are in a long-distance marriage. This step was supposed to be taken already but is delayed due to the pandemic. By mid-July, I, along with my husband, will reevaluate how this step will be taken since it involves other variables now. Independent, this step is expected to be completed by August.
            Another milestone is to have a more balanced life. One action step is finding a routine and build up a daily agenda, including physical, mental, and spiritual activities, which will all contribute to my emotional state. I have been working on this step already, but I am planning to improve by tomorrow, with the end of my master’s degree classes. I believe balance to be crucial to achieving my personal goal.
            A third milestone is to read books and articles about marriage, motherhood, and parenting. The first action step to start research on it. The first book I want to read is “How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids will Talk” by Faber and Mazlish. I and my husband usually read the same book about marriage, at the same time. The last one we have read is the popular “The Five languages of Love” by Gary Chapman. We plan to continue on this action step continuously.

Supporting Relationship

            There are key people to help me to achieve my learning goals. They play a different role in different goals, either holding me accountable, helping me to see another perspective and deeper points of view, and assisting me in seeing my blind spots. One person that I chose to assist me emotionally, and who is an intrinsic part of my life is my husband. He is always cheering for my dreams to come true, so this relationship is crucial to help in achieving my goals. My father is another key person, as he is a typical critical thinker and always encouraged me to think through. My best friend is a huge supporting relationship, as she helps me with resources of whatever subject I mentioned I am interest on. She also has a strong scientific network, since she is a scientist herself, being employed at Cornell University and working on her post-doctorate degree.

            More neutral relationships are three colleagues I have in my organization, which I bond with for their strive for personal development. With them, I can share ideas and short-term achievements to celebrate small wins and get ideas. My current operational manager is another relationship I can count with, as she often coaches me and pushes me to develop myself.
      
            Dear me. The most important relationship is ours! Without it, no goal will be achieved. Let us keep our bond strong, let us keep aware and stick to the positive picture of our future. Together we can make it happen!!!