I received a call yesterday from my favorite community paper. It was about 3/4ths of the way through the questions that I really realized I was being interviewed and that what I said might actually end up in print. The questions focused on community leadership- had I ever considered running for city council? What's stopped me from pursuing this type of leadership? I'm pretty sure he asked me like 10 other questions, but my brain had kinda fried at that point... What an honor to be on the call list for an article like this... I was just so blown away that I didn't know what I even ended up saying. I was a little nervous, so I followed the call by sending in my resume, head shot and elaborated on the only two questions I could remember.
What timing! Right now I'm in the Leadership-Community class, and I've really been wrestling with my desire to build a better community, but how to do that. I'll be honest, before I moved to Round Rock, there was just something about "elected positions" that just didn't appeal to me. For one- what responsibility! A city council of a few people are tasked with the common good of nearly 100,000 people. Who willingly takes that on?! I also have had fears that people who pursue those things are in it most of the time with ulterior motives. Would they do the job if it was guaranteed that no one would know their name? I've even balanced the value of authenticity and staying true to myself- given the pressure of the recognition these positions receive, can I ensure I'm living the authentic life? And talk about spot light... I already feel the pressure of living a life Jesus would be reflected in... now you'd have people really looking to you for the example you should be. And lastly, I know community need by working in nonprofit. How could I justify raising money to get me into a position, when I know that money could be well used by another purpose?
Last fall I began meeting with my mentor, Scott Alarcon. If I'm honest, there aren't many people that I "look up to", but the more I get to know him, the more I find him to be a wonderful mentor, authentic Christan, loving husband and family man, who seeks to do what he can to make an impact in his community. I could go on and on about his character, and how it inspires me to want to be better.
Widely known fact- Scott serves on the Georgetown Independent School District's school board. And not just on it.. as the Head of the School Board.
Once every month, Scott and I get together for coffee or lunch. As I've gotten to know him, I have come to understand how Scott embodies his role as family man, Christian, CEO and public servant... and none of that seems to go against one another. I understand he works hard on the work/life balance, but through his leadership, I'm beginning to see through the cloud that's hung around my idea of "elected public servant".
Don't get me wrong, and don't expect this to begin some type of campaign for me. I've always said I'm following the Lord where He leads. Right now, that's being the best MBA student, the best Children At Heart Ministries' employee, the best wife, and best friend that I'm called to be. As opportunities present themselves, I like to see how my skill set and talents can serve as a catalyst to better my community. That's how Ascend got started. But only the best laid plans are successful if I'm in the Lord's timing. So its Him I wait on to find how He wants me to lead. But its also a widely known fact that following the greatest servant who ever lives is probabyly going to take you down the path of serving.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Getting and MBA is kinda like driving the Texas Hill Country
There are two more weeks of semester 5. I don't know where the time went, but this has to have been the fastest semester of the program by far. I've enjoyed the material and the professors, and now is the time to finish strong.
This week, Team Awesome, as we refer to ourselves, provides a sustainability study on one of the group member's employers. Being that we all experience CTX, and one of our members works there, we decided to focus on this organization for this semester long project.
It wasn't long before this study began to reflect the complex nature of the university system. You have so many departments, and focus areas from bringing the students in, all the things they do while they're there, to what happens afterwards. All this plus strategic planning, development of an endowment and then there's the whole industry analysis. Even thinking about a leader's role in this type of organization makes my head spin. I'll admit to feeling inadequate if I was given such a task.
Its been 21 months since this journey began. Sometimes this journey's felt like a drive in the hill country. There's been the ups of feeling called to leadership, and the downs of feeling there's so much further to go before I am who I really want to be. There's been the winding and turning as I reach to incorporate new ideas and paradigms. And here I stand- one semester shy of my MBA. While there's further to go, I can see how far I've come.
We're wrapping up, not only figuratively in the program, but quite literally on the project before us. There's been highs of determining our scope, lows of scheduling and the turns of a sick group member right before the presentation. We'll meet again today to do a final walk through of the presentation, and for a moment, I'll just take this in, just like we do the scenes of wild flowers and bald eagle's nests in the hill country. Knowing what I know now, and preparing myself for the future to someday be able to offer this as part of my skill set to help my community and my organization.
This week, Team Awesome, as we refer to ourselves, provides a sustainability study on one of the group member's employers. Being that we all experience CTX, and one of our members works there, we decided to focus on this organization for this semester long project.
It wasn't long before this study began to reflect the complex nature of the university system. You have so many departments, and focus areas from bringing the students in, all the things they do while they're there, to what happens afterwards. All this plus strategic planning, development of an endowment and then there's the whole industry analysis. Even thinking about a leader's role in this type of organization makes my head spin. I'll admit to feeling inadequate if I was given such a task.
Its been 21 months since this journey began. Sometimes this journey's felt like a drive in the hill country. There's been the ups of feeling called to leadership, and the downs of feeling there's so much further to go before I am who I really want to be. There's been the winding and turning as I reach to incorporate new ideas and paradigms. And here I stand- one semester shy of my MBA. While there's further to go, I can see how far I've come.
We're wrapping up, not only figuratively in the program, but quite literally on the project before us. There's been highs of determining our scope, lows of scheduling and the turns of a sick group member right before the presentation. We'll meet again today to do a final walk through of the presentation, and for a moment, I'll just take this in, just like we do the scenes of wild flowers and bald eagle's nests in the hill country. Knowing what I know now, and preparing myself for the future to someday be able to offer this as part of my skill set to help my community and my organization.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
What's ahead
Perhaps it's personality... perhaps it's because I'm a first born... I find myself often times enjoying the role of creator, trail blazer, going where no (wo)man's gone before (don't knock me for my Star Trek reference). Being in the first cohort to go through Concordia's MBA Program has been a great fit for me. I really like the fact that you have no idea what next semester is going to be like. There's no one who can really give you any pointers, heads up, or leading ideas as to whether you think you will or won't like a class. More than the ability to make my own judgements, we really are interacting with a program to provide it's future shape.
I have friends in Cohort 2 and 3. It's fun to tell them my experience in a class, and then hear how the MBA is continuing to mold and change for each future class. I even hear talks from administration about how the first year is going to have different classes for some incoming cohorts, to improve the path of what they may get out of the program. Would I change my path? No.
I think I was made for such a time as this- my contributions into the program mattered as much, if not more to me than what I would get out of the program. Don't get me wrong- the education I have received has been huge for me. I now have a sense of confidence I lacked before. What the Concordia MBA means to me is the ability to see this time of growth for my education and beyond. Its been a journey- an experience. Either of these analogies reflect a two-way street. For me, this was so much more than about letters, whether that be in a grade or in the credentials that will forever follow my name. It was engagement. I feel like, especially in these last two semesters I'm trying to get out of this program all that I can. When it comes to projects- I'm engaging in ways that can make a difference to my future. Its about the people I see, the work that lies before me, and the preparation for a future still unknown.
In the past couple of weeks I've had coffee with friends. The question that seems to be coming up in each of these interactions always circles back around- Why the MBA? What's next? While I ask myself the same questions, I have to remember what ever is ahead is labeled under "future". What I do now is to prepare for what God holds there in the future. What I must be responsible with is what's within my control, so currently- what's ahead is in God's hands... but I'll do my best to be prepared for whatever He has in store.
I have friends in Cohort 2 and 3. It's fun to tell them my experience in a class, and then hear how the MBA is continuing to mold and change for each future class. I even hear talks from administration about how the first year is going to have different classes for some incoming cohorts, to improve the path of what they may get out of the program. Would I change my path? No.
I think I was made for such a time as this- my contributions into the program mattered as much, if not more to me than what I would get out of the program. Don't get me wrong- the education I have received has been huge for me. I now have a sense of confidence I lacked before. What the Concordia MBA means to me is the ability to see this time of growth for my education and beyond. Its been a journey- an experience. Either of these analogies reflect a two-way street. For me, this was so much more than about letters, whether that be in a grade or in the credentials that will forever follow my name. It was engagement. I feel like, especially in these last two semesters I'm trying to get out of this program all that I can. When it comes to projects- I'm engaging in ways that can make a difference to my future. Its about the people I see, the work that lies before me, and the preparation for a future still unknown.
In the past couple of weeks I've had coffee with friends. The question that seems to be coming up in each of these interactions always circles back around- Why the MBA? What's next? While I ask myself the same questions, I have to remember what ever is ahead is labeled under "future". What I do now is to prepare for what God holds there in the future. What I must be responsible with is what's within my control, so currently- what's ahead is in God's hands... but I'll do my best to be prepared for whatever He has in store.
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