Emerging Leaders Blog: Being a Pilot

by Aimee Jewell- ELP Guest Blogger

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” 

This statement by Michael Altshuler truly embodies the past few months that I have spent in the Emerging Leaders Program. It feels like just last week we were discussing our mission statements, our Predictive Index findings, or discussing the importance of mentorship.

In order to graduate from the Emerging Leaders Program, however, we had to make one last presentation on the completion and/or learning process throughout our 90-day-goal. Although many of us were still working on our goals, important lessons were learned throughout the 90-day allotment. Many shared about the quest for a qualified mentor, while others used their 90 days to zero in on a health related goal. Some chose to focus on their work/life balance (or lack thereof), and others decided to invest in the community a bit more.

My own 90-day goal was to develop a blog, zero in on my blog’s focus, and write regularly. The blog was created, a personal brand was established, and I was writing (monthly), so the goal was achieved in some respect. Deeming my blog “Work and Whatnot,” I decided that I wanted my blog to be a wealth of information for young professionals like me – without a full-time job and looking for inspiration. I created a Twitter account, @WorkandWhatnot, to help with the marketing of the blog, and suddenly, everything seemed like it was coming together.

Throughout my 90-day-goal, however, I realized how difficult achieving large goals was, when I had small to-do tasks every day that I needed to accomplish. While writing weekly was initially the intention, writing monthly became a stretch. Dealing with life’s everyday battles became more important than my project that was due in two months. Altshuler was right – time does fly – but I wasn’t being a very good pilot.

It was through the Emerging Leader Program and the 90-day-goal that I realized great leaders don’t accomplish huge tasks all at one time, but instead, they break them up into small responsibilities and accomplish them bit-by-bit. The Emerging Leaders Program taught me not only about leadership, but also about myself.

Like all good things, however, the final meeting came and went, and we are now considered graduates of the program. I will take many lessons with me, as an Emerging Leader graduate, and will hopefully continue to achieve the lofty goals I set for myself through time management, determination, hard work, and discipline. And hopefully, as time goes on, I too will become a skilled pilot like so many leaders before me.

About Aimee Jewell

Aimee is graduate student at Bellarmine University and a graduate/guest blogger for the Fall 2013 Emerging Leaders Program. She will be blogging about her experience with the ELP throughout the fall.

Follow Aimee on Twitter: @WorkAndWhatnot

Read her blog: Work and Whatnot