Learning From My Peers
This week I will showcase two students from my cohort in the Sustainable Design MA program:
Her post from week 3 in our exploration of creative leadership is quite inspiring, WHY CREATIVE LEADERS SHOULD LEARN FROM NATURE. She brings to light the value of perspective and appreciation in her review of the blog she follows, Delivering Happiness specifically the post, How Happiness is a Choice, and How to Create Your Happiness List. Something that particularly struck a note with me is the valuable skill it is to be able to appreciate what is. Brenna reflects, "It is a good reminder that we have the choice to be happy even during trying times. Choosing happiness takes effort and at times, sacrificing other emotions." When relating this mentality to creative leadership, it aligns with the Focus on Progress Not Victory (Week 5: 5.2a) trait that I have explored in my metrics dashboard, "Don't be in the game of winning but instead continual improvement that will lead to accomplishment." As a creative leader look at what has been accomplished, and look forward to the ACTIONS in place to achieve progress and be proud of those, meaning your team that has made that has made the current successes all possible. Ultimately, making sure you lead with a heavy dose of gratitude.
Ajda's blog is full of personality and inspiration! In her post Blogging About Blogs she points out how natures' leadership systems are strong closed loop operations, "Regardless of what type of leadership model living habitats follow in nature they have one thing in common. A symbiotic closed loop life-cycle. A rotting tree provides shelter, food and soil for other organisms to thrive." Whenever I think about this reality, I am stumped. The human species has deviated from the natural ways of life, making this us vs. them (nature) mentality creating a split environment. We have evolved to deplete and take, not function fluidly with what is naturally provided for us. However, creative leadership can help be a solution. Naturally, leadership provides wisdom and vision. If that's the truth, however, how have we created this global crisis? Creative leadership is the evolution of what we recognize as leadership today. It values community over capital, resources over results.