As a student in the Master of Leadership program, I need to continue to develop intellectual perseverance. This is a skill that, like so many other skills, in perishable. When I started working on my undergraduate degree, I started strong not due to intellectual perseverance but more due to excitement. As the excitement of a new endeavor wore off, it was easier to get distracted. Without knowing it, though, I was beginning to develop the basic intellectual perseverance skills. As distractions and outside influences started to bog me down, I was able to continue toward my goal and I graduated. However, it has been several years since I took a college course.
This week has been particularly challenging and it is evident that I have lost some of the intellectual perseverance that I once had. For example, this class began 7 days ago. During the course of the last week, I had to pack and move the contents of my old apartment to my new apartment, prepare for and lead a class one evening, take care of setting up my new apartment, help a friend who got stranded in Jersey because he lost his wallet and coordinate with family when my father had to go to the emergency room for a heart attack earlier this week. I was encouraged by multiple people to just drop this class and start again next month. Believe me, I was very tempted to do just that. However, by that point in time, I had already started to study what critical thinking was and I used the sound principles that I had learned and thought through the situation. Logically speaking, this class is exactly what I need right now. I don't need to quit. I need to press on. Through intellectual perseverance, I was able to conclude that this isn't going to be easy but it is going to be worth it. Imagine for a moment someone that has a busy schedule but never exercises. One might offer as an excuse that they just don't have the time. However, it has been proven that adding regular exercise to a hectic schedule actually creates time. As your body becomes used to the exercise, you sleep better and become more productive throughout the day. The increased rest and productivity creates more time that exercise uses. Bearing that in mind, let me relate that to this class. I could argue that I just don't have the time for this class right now. But the truth of the matter is that learning concepts and principles that, when properly applied, will streamline the efficiency of all of my daily activities. Though I may not increase my efficiency enough to create 10 to 15 hours a week - the recommended amount of time spent on class - I will most likely see measurable results which will encourage and motivate me.
With that being said, I am in a leadership position at work. Though I do not directly supervise anybody due to the nature of my job, as Army recruiters, we are all placed in a position of trust. I work in the Times Square Forward Engagement Center. I work generally unsupervised with nobody physically present with me to help me. One of the biggest struggles that I have is time management. I typically work 10 hours a day, often without a break. Believe me when I say that it does take an emotional toll. There are irrational demands made from our superiors, tourists trying to take pictures, policies that change daily and nobody informs us, etc. It is very easy to get bogged down. However, this is another area where, as a leader, it is critical to apply the principles of intellectual perseverance. You may be wondering - what does intellect have to do with time management? The short answer to that - EVERYTHING. How can you set priorities without critically thinking about the tasks at hand? Not just as a recruiter but as a leader in general, it is critical to have intellectual perseverance. As leaders, we are constantly bombarded with distractions and we are often overwhelmed with doubt about the decisions that we make as we lead others. That is why it is imperative to always remember to critically think.
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