Working with one arm

It has been 2 weeks since my surgery for my torn rotator cuff. I got the staples out yesterday, and can finally take the immobilizer off for part of each day. I will start physical therapy on Thursday. I usually am not the type of person who likes to sit around on the couch, so it has been challenging. However, I have found this time at home to be a great opportunity to read and to learn more about my graduate class topics. I am grateful for my husband and my friends who have gotten me out of the house. I am surprised, and a bit frustrated, that the recovery for this little surgery seems that it will take much longer than I expected. It is hard to imagine how long it will take to get back to where I was in 2009.

We have been reading a lot of articles and books about the characteristics of leaders, and about the leader-follower-situation dynamic. It is clear to me through the readings as well as the panel discussion and our interview assignment that effective leadership is complex. I see many of these characteristics of leadership in myself, but I also see areas in which I could improve. I would like to be able to be more decisive, to be more assertive, and to continue to build self-confidence. I wish the articles we were reading would tell us more about how to build the skills we lack instead of listing these skills again and again. I do see value though in knowing what makes an effective leader, even though there are so many different opinions on this.

For our graduate class we are working on designing a charter school. This is a fascinating project, and it is quite challenging. It is hard to imagine that we will finish it on time.

I still feel as if beginning the journey at Drexel is one of the best decisions I have every made.