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Margaret HardinDr. LittleILAD 4100

Personal Development and Leadership Portfolio

Component I: Personal Purpose and Core Values

Personal Purpose

I shall strive to embody integrity, wisdom, effectiveness, passion and generosity each and

every day. I want to serve as a leader and guide people to greatness. I want to always remember

and be thankful to those who help me along the way. I’ll give back all the kindness I have

received to others that need it. I shall inspire others to act through my words and actions. I want

to help others recognize, develop, and use their talents to spread goodness throughout the world.

I just want to make myself a better example of what I want to see in others. I will strive to stay

humble yet remain confident. I shall learn every day and use that knowledge to better the people

around me and myself. I want to live my life completely and honestly, and I want to be effective

at all I set out to do. I do not want to put off things that matter to me in the name of being

practical. I do not want to get caught up in jealousy or competition. My own values will rule my

life—not anyone else’s. I need to clearly define what are the important things in my life, and I

must keep my priorities in line. I want my friends and family to remember me as someone who is

wholly confident in her ability. I want to be remembered as someone who always built other

people up, who never tore them down. I exist to help others and to add to their success. I want to

leave my world better than how I found it.

Core Values

My values are important to who I am as a human being. I care deeply about my

relationships and interactions with people I cherish. I care about what people think about me. But

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most importantly, I care about my own perception of myself. By staying true to my values, even

in times of distress, I know that I will never let myself down. I also know that what I value others

will not. I won’t let this shake my beliefs, though. Values provide the power behind my actions.

My values are my foundation; they have formed me into the woman I am today. The following

five values establish the building blocks of all my relationships, my goals, and myself.

Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness; the

state of being whole and undivided

Integrity, to me, involves knowing and doing what is right. It is my most important value

because it enhances every single part of my life. It is the core quality of a successful and happy

life. It helps boost all of my other values. To have integrity means that you have to be

courageous and stand up for what you believe in. You must be honest and committed to high

standards of behavior. Integrity impacts me daily because I am constantly trying to do the right

thing. It helps me step out of my comfort zone to stand up for my beliefs. I never want to be

dishonest with others, and I never want to be dishonest with myself. I don’t want to be a shining

beacon of “moral uprightness” – I just want to have confidence in myself that I am acting in a

way that is right and true.

Wisdom: quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; quality of being wise

To me, wisdom is using experience to do the right thing, and it is also the ability to learn from

your mistakes. A wise person is one who is in control of their emotions and considers the

concerns of others before making decisions. They know what to do and what to say in order to

make others feel fulfilled. Even though it’s difficult, I try to embrace these qualities daily.

Without wisdom, I think my life would be very empty. I would only be experiencing life at the

surface. I want to know, feel, and understand what goes on beneath the surface. Wisdom will be

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the light that will guide my life, and I hope to one day pass on that light to others that I will

guide.

Effectiveness: the degree to which something is successful in producing a desired result; success

I can say that I want to stand up for my beliefs and make a change in the world, but that means

nothing to me if I do not see any measurable outcomes to my actions. I want to perform in a

productive and proficient manner while also trying new things to continually enhance the results

of what I do. Effectiveness is important for growth in all aspects of my life. I realize that I will

not be successful in everything I set out to do at first. However I think that as I grow and become

wiser, I will be able to meet the goals and expectations I set for myself. Effectiveness will help

me succeed.

Passion: any powerful, compelling, or strong emotion or feeling

Passion is necessary to be successful. Sort of like effectiveness, if I want to make a change in the

world, I have to have passion to drive me. Passion comes from a place of deep conviction and

true inspiration, and that’s really important to me. You cannot achieve any sort of success in life

if you don’t have passion about what you are doing. Passion is not easy to instill, either. It does

not come overnight. For me, it has come from deep within, generally after several heartbreaking

setbacks. I never give up though; I try to learn and grow from these setbacks. Passion helps me

take charge of my life. It allows me to make my studies, my work, and my life truly meaningful

and worthwhile.

Generosity: the quality of being kind and generous; readiness or liberality in giving; freedom

from meanness or smallness of mind or character

Generosity as a core value for me goes hand in hand with humility. I want my giving to always

be heart-felt and behind the scenes. I want to always look out for others and take their best

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interests to heart. To me, a generous person is someone who is always willing to give more of

something than is necessary. Generosity is a natural confidence builder, and it is a natural

repellant of self-hatred. Taking the time and initiative to be generous requires next to nothing

from me, yet it yields back so much. It deepens relationships and inspires others to do the same.

The people who I interact are far more likely to treat others the same way. Selflessness is a value

that goes a long way, and I want to embody it in my daily life.

Supportive and Reflective Discussion

One of the most difficult things that I’ve had to grapple with in my short life is

discovering who I am and realizing who I want to be. My friends would describe me as a loyal

listener, my parents would describe me as a rule follower, and my sister would describe me as

the “Golden Daughter” (inaccurately, I’d like to add). My entire life and sense of being have

been plastered with definitions and labels. For most of my life, I have just accepted these

characterizations of myself and tried to embody them to the fullest. I work hard to make sure my

friends are heard, and I work even harder to make my parents proud. Recently, however, I have

slowly realized that life is not all about trying to please other people. It’s good to be selfish in the

right ways, and it’s good to want to give back. I’m trying to find the healthy balance for me.

I don’t think that I really know who I am at my core right now, mainly because I just

have so much more to learn about the world around me and myself. I do, however, have a

general grasp. I know that I’m a person who cares deeply about other people and about what

other people think of me. I like to help people solve their problems. I’m constantly striving to be

the best I can be no matter the circumstances. This has been something I’ve been doing my

whole life, and it’s something that I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to achieve. This isn’t a bad

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thing though—no one can be perfect. I just know that I’m the type of person who will always try

to better myself in some aspect of my life, no matter what stage of life I’m in.

I think my reason for being might be to help people. I want to lead people so that they

might achieve greatness or their full potential. I realize that this sounds so horribly cliché, but I

don’t know any other way to put it. In all of my relationships, past and present, I’ve actively tried

to find ways to help the people I love do something or become better. Many things motivate me

and give my life meaning: the relationships with people I care about, learning about my major, or

the idea that I can one day have a job with people who will share my beliefs. Simple things also

motivate me throughout the day: a really good lunch that I’ll get to enjoy with a friend in the

middle of the day or the thought of coming home to my dog after a long day of classes. I’m

motivated to get good grades and to be a role model, especially since I’m on leadership in the

Redcoat Marching Band. I’m motivated to be a good leader among my small group so that one

day I may be a great leader on the national scale. My life has meaning because I’m working

towards what I consider my dream career. I have friends who love me and a boyfriend who

adores me. I have a God who inspires me daily to do the right thing and to see the good in all

things. My life has meaning because these people and these things give it meaning.

I have always known that I’m a shy but caring individual who has a tendency to worry. I

know I’m always there for the people I care about. I know that I also surround myself with

people who love me. Book smarts and logical thinking have always come naturally to me.

However, so has conflict resolution and management among my family and friends. It’s easy for

me to look at a problem and find solutions, no matter if the problem is school or relationship

related. I do not want jealousy or competition to rule my life, but rather my own values. I want to

be known as a woman of integrity. I want others to come to me with problems and I may give

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them viable, helpful solutions. I want to achieve the things I put my mind and heart to. I give

generously of my time and efforts so that I may help others in any way they see fit. I have a

strong, deep passion for the work that I hope to one day accomplish. I want to reach my greatest

potential and succeed in my own eyes, not in the eyes of others.

At my core, I want to be remembered for my goodness. I dedicate myself to the people

that I love. I think in the future, my reason for being may turn to my family and potential

children. I know that my life will revolve around theirs. I will always be dedicated and loyal to

my friends and family. At the end of my life, I want someone to give a toast to me like the one I

wrote from my sister’s perspective for the 90th birthday exercise:

My sister and I are two years apart, and while we are incredibly close now, this wasn’t

always so. I was always her troublesome little sister, following her around and trying to

push all her buttons just to incite some sort of a reaction. This worked for a while, but

eventually I think Margaret got smart and realized she could in incite a reaction out of me

just by not responding to my provocations. That doesn’t mean we didn’t have our fair

share of arguments, though. We had arguments over the most ridiculous things—I don’t

think a week went by when we were in elementary and middle school without arguing

over the fact that one of us appeared to have taken the others’ clothes. Finally we grew

out of this, and this is when we really became best friends. Somehow, something changed

and we began to really appreciate our differences. Margaret brought me out of my box

and I brought her out of hers. We’ve travelled all around the world together, but some of

my favorite memories are of us at home just sitting and talking for hours after a long day.

A sister is an eternal best friend, confidant, and personal cheerleader. Margaret has

always been there to support me, no matter what crazy ideas I have tried to pursue.

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Whenever I was down, she never failed to bring me back up. She slapped me around and

helped me get back onto the right path when I strayed, and I am still grateful for that

(even though at the time, not so much). Her belief in me has helped me become myself

and do extraordinary things. Margaret inspires me every day to be a better person. She

has a fierce loyalty to those she loves and will do anything to protect them. She loves and

values her family more than anything else. She’s their matriarch and protector. I’ve seen

her raise her children to be incredibly successful, giving people, and now her

grandchildren are on the same path. They’ve all grown up in unique ways, but the one

thread that connects them all is her love. I would imagine that hitting ninety is when you

look back on your life and wonder, “Was it a success?” Margaret—I really think it was

(and still is!). You’re a wonderful sister, mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. Thank

you for being the kind of person whose loyalty and generosity overflow into whomever

you encounter. You’re my big sister, my protector, my best friend—happy ninetieth

birthday!

At my core, I’m the kind of person who genuinely cares about people. Any person in

general, really. The happiness of humans is probably one of my utmost concerns, and it’s

embarrassing to say, but I daydream about someday becoming a great leader and changing

people’s lives. Even on a small scale, it means a lot to me when someone tells me that I can help

them achieve a piece of happiness. As I grow older, I don’t want to be greedy. I want to be able

to continually give of my time and talents so that I can help the people who surround me or my

community as a whole. I would feel really fulfilled if I were able to mentor someone and see

them go on to greatness. I would like to one day be a leader who can inspire to achieve more

than they thought was possible. I still don’t have a firm grasp of who I am at my core now. I

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surprise myself daily when I’m faced with dilemmas or decisions I never thought I’d have to

face. I value integrity, wisdom, effectiveness, passion and generosity above all else. All I truly

know is that I am an introspective person who has so much more to learn about life, goodness,

and meaning from the people she loves.

Component II: Leadership Perspective and Vision

Definition of Leadership

True leadership, to me, is an ability to influence others by your character, humility, and

example. In my experience, all of the great leaders I’ve come in contact with have always been

humble. They are incredibly down to earth, good people. They live their life in such a way that is

addicting to watch—you want to be just like them. The good leaders I’ve had have always made

me strive to be the best me I can be. Leadership means inspiring others to see things in

themselves they did not see there before. A good leader will help their followers nourish and

develop these traits so that one day they too may lead other people.

In my opinion, a good leader would care more about the people they’re trying to inspire

over than their own personal success. Leadership is not always about finding the best ways to

succeed or to motivate an individual. It may also just be about being there from the beginning as

an equal and becoming a mentor when your followers need one. A leader is someone who makes

the impossible possible for his or her followers. A good leader is someone who, even though

they may be thousands of miles away, will always check in on you to see how you’re doing.

They don’t care about output or quota in the long run—they care about you, genuinely, as a

human being with feelings, hopes, or dreams. A leader recognizes the humanity in everyone, and

they have an ability to bring out the best in every person they meet.

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Leadership Perspective

I interviewed four people about their leadership perspective: my parents, my best friend,

and my boss from when I worked in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. this

summer. My mom told me that she thinks the most important characteristic of being an effective

leader is being able to work well in a team. She also believes that good leaders should be

effective communicators and be confident in their abilities. My dad agreed with my mom that the

most important characteristic of effective leadership is to be a good team player. He also thinks

that being outspoken is a characteristic of all great leaders. He believes that effective leaders are

optimistic and have a special ability to lift their employees up rather than drag them down. My

best friend Gretchen believes that the most important characteristic of being an effective leader is

to have integrity. She told me that she also think effective leaders need to be decisive and

confident. My boss Easton believes that the ability to adapt is the best trait an effective leader

can have. He also emphasized the importance of leveraging networks as an effective leadership

characteristic. Lastly, he told me that innate passion is the one thing that all influential leaders

have in common.

I completely agree with the leadership characteristics shared by the individuals that I

interviewed. I’m not sure what I personally would consider the most important characteristic of

an effective leader, though. I really liked that my mom and dad both gave the same answer when

asked for what they thought was the most important characteristic. It makes sense why they’ve

been married for 25 years—they both value people who can be good team players. Also I

completely understand why Easton believes that the most important trait a leader can have is

adaptability. In the public sector, especially on the Hill, the environment is constantly changing.

Leaders have to be flexible as well as strong decision makers if they want to succeed. I think that

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he would agree with Gretchen that integrity is also important. Since Capitol Hill is where I

would like to work after graduation, I know that I’ll take both his and Gretchen’s advice. People

with genuine integrity are often rare to find in D.C., so I’ll definitely appreciate and value that

trait when it presents itself. I feel like the people I interviewed mentioned all of the qualities that

I wish to embody as a leader. I think that in order to be an effective leader, I should strive to have

a healthy combination of all of the traits that my interviewees value.

My Leadership Vision

My leadership vision statement is that I want to be a woman who can guide people to

greatness. I want to inspire others to act through my words and actions. I want to help others

recognize, develop, and use their talents to spread goodness throughout the world. I want to be

fearless and take chances, and I want to learn from my mistakes. If I’m put into any situation that

is out of my comfort zone, I want to be able to adapt and thrive. I want to show by example to

others that it’s possible to adapt to any situation and make the best of it. I don’t need or want to

be the center of attention—I just want to make myself a better example of what I want to see in

others. I want to be someone who will work diligently to get things done. I want to be quiet,

behind-the-scenes powerhouse who will play an integral part in helping someone else achieve

their own dream—to win a campaign so that they can spread their vision and ideas to make the

whole world a much better place than we found it. I hope to always be a role model and mentor

to people. I will forge personal, long lasting connections with my followers so that I will have

the opportunity to see the goodness in themselves. I want them to bring that goodness to the

people in their own lives. I want to be remembered as someone who always tried her hardest,

who never let anyone down. I want to be a good mom, wife, and friend. I want to see my

children achieve their hopes and dreams, and I want them to follow their hearts without fear. My

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own personal success will come through seeing the fruits of the people I have led throughout my

life.

Leadership Core Values

Service: the action of helping or doing work for someone

Leaders commit themselves to a career of helping and guiding. Service is my most important

leadership core value. I think that I’ll be able to lead better by serving the people that I lead – I’ll

know what their desires and goals are. By serving them, I will learn how best to lead them to

greatness. I can only be a leader if people are willing to follow me.

Dedication: the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose

Leaders should set a high goal and strive for greatness. They need to be reliable and dependable

for their team, so that together they may all achieve their purpose. As a leader, I need to spend

whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the tasks I set for my team and myself. A

leader inspires dedication by example, and they do whatever it takes to accomplish their vision.

Dependability: quality of being able to be counted on or relied upon

To be an effective leader, I will need the people around me to know that I am a woman who

sticks to her word. A lack of reliability is a serious flaw that I do not want to be a part of my

leadership vision. By developing a reputation of being dependable, I will have people who are

willing to follow me and trust me.

Empowerment: the process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices

and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes

I value empowerment because it can be life changing. It gives people a greater sense of self-

esteem and confidence, and I know that this will lead to a higher ability to perform well and

efficiently. I want to recognize and tap in to the great abilities of the people I will lead.

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If I can accomplish my vision, I believe that I will have served my purpose in life.

However, I don’t think I ever want to say I’ve “completed” my vision. I want to constantly be

learning, helping, and evolving. I think I may be able to reach a sense of accomplishment, but I

don’t think I’d ever want to be done following my leadership vision. Accomplishing this vision

will mean that I’ve worked really hard my whole life. It will mean that I really dedicated myself

to something I value. It will mean that I was able to stay true to my values and myself. It will

impact others because I will have (hopefully) helped many people start on their own paths to

leadership. Professionally, this sense of accomplishment will impact me because I believe that

I’ll feel like I’ve achieved my sense of purpose and reason for being. Hopefully I will have

helped some sort of congressman achieve his or her version for their time in office. If I work in

an office that deals with local constituents, I hope I will be able to make a difference in one of

their lives. I want to be able to help them with their problems and offer genuine, attainable

solutions. Personally, I want my friends and family to remember me as someone who is

confident in her ability. Accomplishing my leadership vision means that I’ll be able to look back

on my life and really feel like I did something that made an impact. I made an impact on

someone’s life, be it an employee, a friend, or a future family member. I have a strong dedication

to the people that I love. I know that no matter what happens to me in my life, I will always be

dedicated and loyal to my friends and family. I want to be able to continually give of my time

and talents so that I can help the people who surround me. I would like to one day be a leader

who can inspire to achieve more than they thought was possible.