Week 13 Journal
Thursday: November 12, 2020
Today’s presentations were on Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole & The Iron Lady with Margaret Thatcher; Nyeema, Nia, and Chanel presented on the first topic and Alexa presented on the second topic. I’ll speak on these topics in that order, being that they were presented in class that way.
This presentation on Kendrick and J. Cole used specific songs they’ve published to discuss leadership in their given community and the messages that can be portrayed through music. I’d like to address the first half of their assignment, which was to think about your environment/community or upbringing and how that has influenced your leadership. I grew up in a predominantly white area and went to predominantly white schools for the first 17 years of my life; although this had its own struggles, I believe it allowed me to think differently in certain ways. I’ve always done things in a different way, whether that be the steps I took to solve a math problem or the understanding I got when reading a book, but I was also able to see things with a different perspective. Because of the way I grew up and the way people around me were, I always wanted to be surrounded by people that looked like me, but I guess a benefit to my upbringing would be not only the fact that I saw things differently, but that I could learn how people that didn’t look like me saw life (of course it wasn’t the same for everyone, I just mean on a general basis). This could have helped my leadership development because it showed me how to effectively communicate with certain people, although that could mean that I lack effective communication with people that weren’t them. Regardless, it was beneficial for me to adapt to settings that I wasn’t aware I’d be in, if that makes sense.
I want to talk about a couple of their discussion questions because a lot can be uncovered in them. Their second discussion question asked “What present day rapper do you believe most emulates great leadership amongst their community?” One of the first answers that comes to my head honestly is Kendrick Lamar. He wasn’t afraid to tell his story, both his triumphs and tribulations. He was brave enough to do so and that is one of the most heroic things one can do, tell their story. In many of his songs he calls out the issues in his own community, without losing love for it. He explains how both those issues and his love have shaped his adolescence. Not only that, but his music has helped people connect and has allowed many people to feel free to express themselves.
In their third discussion question the group mentions how Kendrick has named other rappers before his time that he considers to be his mentors and inspiration. I just wanted to comment on that aspect because I feel that’s such an important part of leadership. As a leader, you shouldn’t be afraid to be inspired by others, look up to others, or lean on others. I feel that it’s important not to be stubborn in certain aspects of your leadership; you shouldn’t think you know all the answers and how everything should be, but you also shouldn’t hesitate to stay true to yourself. I believe Kendrick did a great job at balancing the two; he excelled in staying true to himself, while also being able to refer to others as his mentor or inspiration, understanding that he can look to others for help.
The Iron Lady is a movie relaying the life of Margaret Thatcher. In the movie there was a scene where she asked, “What kind of leader am I if I don’t try to get my own way, do what I know to be right?” This line didn’t exactly sit right with me; I think it’s important to fight for what you want or what you think may be right, but at the same time it was sort of childish. I feel it’d be a different story if Thatcher’s intention truly was to benefit the majority, but she said the quote above because she believed that she was right, not because she was trying to help the people she was leading. I think there’s a time and a place to fight for what you want, but being in a leadership position you should fight for the greater good. And if the fight for the greater good is what you want and believe in, then that’s even better.
Alexa included a quote reflection exercise in her presentation, which I thought was a really cool edition. I’d like to reflect on two of these quotes specifically: (1) “If you set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing” and (2) “There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families.” (1) This quote truly reflects on Thatcher’s leadership in the movie. She made it clear that she would make the decisions she deemed fit and she wouldn’t stand down if others disagreed. She wasn’t trying to make friends, she was trying to make decisions. I also believe that this quote is quite harmful; hoping to be liked does not indicate that you will “compromise on anything at any time.” I understand what Thatcher is saying, but your goal can be to be liked while still staying hard on certain decisions that you make. Not everyone that wants to be liked is automatically a people pleaser in every sense of their life, especially when it comes to leadership. I think part of being a good leader when you want others to like you includes knowing when to stick to what you have already determined. You must not compromise the decisions you’ve already made solely for the outcome of others to like you. (2) I found this quote so interesting for many different reasons. First off, that’s a bold claim, that “there is no such thing as society.” I may even consider that claim concerning, especially coming from someone who is leading you. Not only that, but Thatcher continues to say that “there are individual men and women, and there are families.” Now, in this sense I’d say it makes sense to assume that the men and women are solely individuals, whereas the family is connected, but in the movie Thatcher is quite detached from her family (although she made the decision on her own, she seemed to regret it at certain points in her life). The reason I say this is because it makes it seem as if Thatcher sees everyone as fully individual, considering that the family (the one aspect she mentioned that is typically (I say “typically” loosely, this of course isn’t the case for all families) connected) is even disconnected in her life. I’m not sure if I’m getting my point/thought across, but essentially that is a very bold claim for Thatcher to make and it’s almost sad when breaking down the quote.
I also wanted to discuss a couple of the discussion questions from this presentation. One of the questions asked if we think that the ambition vs duty of leaders could be the same thing. I definitely think this could be the case, but it depends on what a leader’s ambitions and duties are; for example, if a leader’s duty is to effectively lead their community and their ambition is to be successful in their community leadership, their duty and ambition are essentially the same. If a leader’s duty and ambition line up, they are most likely able to effectively carry out the two; it’s when they differ that issues or struggles are more prone to arise. Another question was if we think an interesting, multifaceted leader would be more successful than a simple or basic leader. Simply put, yes! I think a multifaceted leader is much more beneficial because they can lead in a way that offers multiple strategies and points of view, which I think could also greatly benefit those that are being led. A multifaceted leader would also be willing to try new things, often being able to improve pre existing strategies, whereas a basic leader would probably stick to one strategy and be closed off to change, missing out on opportunities of improvement. Alexa ended her presentation with a survey, which I thought was a pretty cool touch. It covered some interesting ideas, including the determination of our reputation in the eyes of others, the balance of our work and personal life, whether or not Margaret Thatcher left an overall positive legacy, and the importance we do or don’t put on our legacy.
We ended class by taking our daily Thursday quiz.
Tuesday: November 17, 2020
Today’s presentations were on Beyonce’s Lemonade & Michael Jackson; Ernestasia, Nyara, and Rikita presented on the first topic and Jasmine, Kareema, and Mi’Joi presented on the second.
The presentation on Beyonce’s Lemonade included a quiz that Obi was just too fast on, but it was quite entertaining I have to say. But, the main things I want to discuss about this presentation are the questions/conversation on infidelity, whether or not this album portrayed Beyonce’s as weak or strong, her bravery in releasing this album, and how I feel about her staying with Jay-Z. One of the group’s discussion questions was “What are your thoughts on infidelity and its impact on relationships in current society?” I think one of the main issues with infidelity, aside from the fact that it’s just embarrassing if you partake in such an act, is the fact that the people who are cheated on start to think that they’re the problem. They’ll begin to formulate certain thoughts in their head of what is wrong with them and what they did that caused their partner to cheat. I think the main thing that needs to be understood is that the person that cheats on you is the one with the problem, don’t blame any of it on yourself. Millions of people end up formulating new insecurities all because someone (or multiple people) ruined their self image, which should never be the case. The other impact infidelity has on relationships, which we talked about in class, is that it normalizes toxic relationships. I don’t even need to explain why this is an issue, but it’s definitely something that needs to change. Toxicity should NEVER be normalized.
The last discussion question this group asked was “People idolize Beyoncé. For her to open up and be so vulnerable to the world about infidelity and deceit in her marriage, did you think it was too invasive or courageous? Did you as a listener view her as weaker or stronger?” I definitely think it was courageous for Beyonce to open up about her experience with infidelity, it’s not an easy thing to do. I viewed her as stronger, being that she was able to open up about such a topic, but there was something that didn’t fully sit right with me. I didn’t like how she stayed with Jay-Z after he had done such a terrible thing. I feel like that could send out the wrong message to a lot of people, being that she went back to someone who cheated on her. Also, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying what she did was necessarily right or wrong, I just think it may let others think that it’s completely okay to go back to someone that cheated on you. At the same time, they had a family; they had been together for years and had children, so it’s understandable why they would try to work it out. In that sense, I guess it makes more sense. And a lot of people viewed Beyonce as brave for trying to work it out with Jay-Z after he had cheated on her. To many, including myself, if you cheat it’s over and that shouldn’t even be a question. So I understand why people would say “power to you” to Beyonce for what she did, and honestly I guess I’d say the same, but I’m just not sure I’d do the same. Also, I’m not married with kids with a husband who cheated on me, so maybe I’m not 100% sure how I’d handle the situation, but that’s just how I feel.
Michael Jackson, King of Pop, led in numerous ways, often expressing leadership through his songs. He did an amazing job at portraying true stories and what life was really like in many places around the world. He didn’t hesitate to show the truth in his music, and that was truly an amazing quality of his. Jasmine, Kareema, and Mi’Joi asked us to spend time writing about different ways in which we can practice self-leadership. One way we can help others is by educating ourselves; if we take the time to educate ourselves, we can then educate others when they lack knowledge on an issue/topic. Another thing we can do is use social media or any platform we have to spread awareness. This coincides with educating ourselves, being that in order to educate others we must first know what we are talking about. But it’s important that we spread awareness of these issues in any way we can, and social media can often allow you to reach the largest audience. The last thing I’d like to mention is that we can reach out to others for help; reaching out to others shows leadership in yourself, because you aren’t afraid to learn from others and you are opening yourself up to the knowledge or help of others. If you are in a position where you can’t, say donate money, you can reach out to someone who you know is capable of doing so or who can connect to others that are capable of doing so. If you are unable to make the direct change you wish to make, don’t hesitate to reach out to those that can!
In the “Plotting Your Leadership Development” section of their presentation, Jasmine, Kareema, Mi’Joi asked quite a few interesting questions. One question they asked was “How can we tap into ourselves to become the leaders that we envision ourselves to be?” I think one of the most important things would be believing in yourself and not being afraid to take risks. By not doing these two things you’re automatically holding yourself back. Don’t be afraid to try new things and take risks, they could end up being for the absolute best! Understand that you’re capable of doing whatever it is you want to do, as long as you believe that you can do it.
