Week Two

I've been finding this class very interesting in contrast to any others that I've been in during my past year at Vol State.

I've been in several classes where the instructors tried to promote "class discussions," and failed miserably, no matter how hard they tried to instigate conversation or debate.

This class seems to have a life of its own in that regard. It seems effortless, and people chime in and out, offering their thoughts and opinions. It's such a relaxed environment as a result, and thus promotes comfort and even more sharing of thoughts, at least in my case. This is the first class in which I don't find myself clamming up, but actually feel comfortable participating in the class discussions. It's great.

I really found everyone's interpretations of leadership interesting, and especially the level of thought involved. One student brought about an interesting consideration of leadership vs. influence, so to speak. Can we be leaders if we have no followers? I think the general consensus after two days of deliberating was no, we can't. But the concept was interesting, just the same.

I think another interesting aspect was good leaders vs. bad leaders. Is there a such thing as a bad leader? Just because they do bad things doesn't mean they aren't a good and effective leader. Hitler, for example, did horrible things. But he was a phenomenal leader, because he got so many people to follow him and believe in his cause.

My wheels really turn in this class, and that is exciting, since we haven't even gotten into the semester yet; we've only been trying to define leadership. I'm anxious to see what else it in store, and what else I can be enlightened to.