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1
My Leadership Vision
Jenny Zhang
1
The view of a tree from below; sunlight sneaks through like fairy lights and causes my childish imagination to run rampant. We lay under a sprawling magnolia tree, caught under the penumbra of its branches. Our fingers dipped lazily into the plush lawn of grass that cushioned our soft and childish bodies, and all seemed pleasant in the world. It was a balmy day, and a haze of pink floated lightly across the sky, promising a coral colored evening. As we swayed to the hum of bees under this cavern of leaves, this quintessence of perfection, my eight-year-old self composed her first poem. It was at this time that I developed the first trickles of passion for nature, but I had not the faintest idea that such an experience could have also spawned the ardent love I hold for writing today. I will forever remember the way those branches intertwined and the sunlight peeked through when I think of writing, for I believe that they inspired and molded my mind and the way I see the world, and that my imagination was “shaped by the architectures it [encountered] at an early age…”2
View of a Mahogany Tree from Below, http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/usa/photosvideos/photos/vie w-of-a-mahogany-tree-from-b (October 14). 1
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): X262 2
2
My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang I attribute my early romping in the fields of Mississippi to my
current love for the countryside. Perhaps this is why I have always loved describing nature, rather than industrial objects. It has always been easy for me to surround a mountain with poetry or cover the ocean with a blanket of prose. Every story I’ve ever written has involved a great detail of place and has had an underlying emphasis on the significance of nature. As I read over my old essays and stories, a common theme emerges: whether blatant or symbolic, the environment permeates my words. I was able to draw upon my old experiences and use “the power of the human imagination to extrapolate…[the] faint movement in a copse of trees, a wingbeat, the damp cold of field stones at night… to make a story...”3
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 265 3
3
My Leadership Vision
4
Jenny Zhang
5
William Faulkner and John Steinbeck: both beautiful writers, both made their careers out of their environments. Two men I admire very much for theirability to incorporate the environment into their works are William Faulkner and John Steinbeck. Not only are they masterful storytellers, but the loyalty they harbor for their respective places is admirable, and impartsa great impact on the reader. Faulkner is well known for his focus on the decadence of his home state Mississippi, while Steinbeck concentrated on his beloved Salinas Valley in California. Steinbeck describes his masterpiece, East of Eden, as “...the story of my country and the story of me.”6 Writing about your environment is, in many ways, writing about yourself. These two men have taken their darling hometowns and have constructed novels that not only use nature as a frame, but that also Between William Gibson and William Faulkner, http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/Faulkner_1.jpg (October 14). 4
The Flag in the Wind, http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/quotations/John%20Steinbec k.jpg (October 14). 5
Pauline Pearson, East of Eden, 1990, http://www.steinbeck.org/EastEden.html (October 15). 6
4 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang comment on the human condition, ones which focus on “…the evolving structure of communities from which nature has been removed, often as a consequence of modern economic development…It is writing concerned, further, with the biological and spiritual fate of those communities. It also assumes that the fate of humanity and nature are inseparable.”
7
Through their words, my first revelation appeared in regards to my love of both nature and writing: to make an impact, I cannot simply write about nature. As much as I enjoy describing bark or sand, such indulgences should be saved for poetry. Whether it is through writing articles for a magazine, essays for my peers, or a book for the masses, I must also be able to tell a story involving nature that touches people and makes them ruminate.
8
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 261 7
Research in Instructional Technology, http://it.coe.uga.edu/~treeves/edit6900/images/writing.jpg (October 21). 8
5
My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang This is my idea of the perfect scene in which to write. I feel that writing and nature are very similar in what they
demand of a person. They both require a sort of vulnerability: to write truthfully is to bare your soul for criticism and to be felt, while to be affected by nature is to allow yourself to feel and experience without attachments or selfishness. With an environment, “If you’re intimate with [it]…and you establish an ethical conversation with it…the place knows you’re there. It feels you. You will not be forgotten, cut off, abandoned.9 Thus I feel that I must meld the two in order to accomplish a greater goal, for my concerns with the population’s declining interest and care fornature refuses to lay dormant. In this aspect, I must become a “leader”. “However, intellect alone will not make a leader; leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading—and, most crucially, through creating resonance.”10 “Guiding” and “inspiring”are the most important words in the aforementioned quote. I seek not to viciously attack or offend anyone’s opinion, but to provide arguments that make people think. My personal vision as a leader is somewhat different from the standard definition: the word is often accompanied by images of a businessman in commandof a meeting, or someone at the head of the pack. When I think of a leader, however, I think of someone who inspires others. Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 263 9
Goleman, Daniel, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” (2002): X62 10
6
My Leadership Vision
Jenny Zhang
11
Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau was inspired to write his masterpiece, Walden. By writing, I hope to inspire others the way that authors such as Faulkner, Steinbeck, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman have inspired me;especially in the way I see the natural world. I hope to write works that make people parse and consider the repercussions of their actions in regards to their environment and the people around them. By eliminating the pointed finger in my writing, which tends to make people feel as if they are being judged, I will provide subtle yet strong references, which will act as profound and potent arguments. When such an argument is the backdrop for a truly engaging story, people are more inclined to listen. There must be certain candor in such writing: we must be completely open with ourselves, for otherwise, how can we be open to others? Achieving this honesty calls for an understanding of our emotions and the emotions of others, for “Without recognizing our own emotions, we will be poor at managing M. Rowinski, Walden Pond at Sunset, http://people.bu.edu/dix/walden3.jpg (October 14). 11
7 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang 12 them, and less able to understand them in others.” This trait is not only important for writing, but also for leaders. To disregard emotions is to be a slave to ignorance. Knowing and recognizing certain feelings is key in being able to connect with other people, and with this connection, we can proceed to guide, inspire, teach, and learn: all aspects of being a sound leader. I knew that I could not begin my journey of leadership without a sound education, thus I concentrated on one of the top programs the University of Texas Austin had to offer: Plan II. Until very recently, I had misgivings about having English as a second major; I thought that Plan II was very intensive in that area, so I did not want to feel as if I were majoring twice in one vocation. However, even as I scrolled through the list of courses required for the English major, I found myself ecstatic and eager to partake in every single class offered. Banned books, reading poetry, Russian literature—all of these classes grabbed at my very heartstrings. Even with this heady platter of delectable courses, I was still hesitant about leaving behind every other education that did not relate to English. I still wanted to learn about chemistry, government, and several foreign languages. I refused to be academicallybarred from other types of intelligence. This is why I am grateful for the opportunity that Plan II offers: it allows me to grasp everything related to and outside my major. I believe that the myriad of courses required of me are all key in
Goleman, Daniel, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” (2002): X64 12
8 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang allowing me to appreciate the world on a finer level. What better way for me to lead through my writing than to be able to be eloquent in every single subject, so that it affects everyone on a different interest level? I will be able to relate to my readers through the knowledge or interests that we share, and in this relation, I will be able to capture their hearts and minds. Some of the most important courses to take, I feel, are those that deal with other cultures (for example, my Film and History in Latin America class), and those that deal with philosophy and thinking for yourself. Writing is not only about reading and being able to put words together: it is being able to put words together to have meaning and purpose. Can you think for yourself? Can you make others understand? Can you connect? I see the world with the soft pads of my fingertipsand the soles of my feet. I see itwith closed eyes and sweet smells. I believe it was Andrew who stated that giving back to something that has given itself to you is one of the greatest things you can do. Nature has given me solace, beauty, and most importantly, the inspiration to write and think. What better way to give back than by offeringthe words it gave me? To devote myself to the written word for the rest of my life, and inspire others with those words—this is a true heaven. My leadership may not be physical or apparent, but knowing that I have the opportunity to arouse the thoughts and feelings of my readers in my passion—this, I believe, is a form of leadership at its finest. Word Count: 1,584 Without Quotes or Captions: 1,365
9 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang http://zhanghx.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-leadership-vision.html
My Leadership Vision
Jenny Zhang
1
The view of a tree from below; sunlight sneaks through like fairy lights and causes my childish imagination to run rampant. We lay under a sprawling magnolia tree, caught under the penumbra of its branches. Our fingers dipped lazily into the plush lawn of grass that cushioned our soft and childish bodies, and all seemed pleasant in the world. It was a balmy day, and a haze of pink floated lightly across the sky, promising a coral colored evening. As we swayed to the hum of bees under this cavern of leaves, this quintessence of perfection, my eight-year-old self composed her first poem. It was at this time that I developed the first trickles of passion for nature, but I had not the faintest idea that such an experience could have also spawned the ardent love I hold for writing today. I will forever remember the way those branches intertwined and the sunlight peeked through when I think of writing, for I believe that they inspired and molded my mind and the way I see the world, and that my imagination was “shaped by the architectures it [encountered] at an early age…”2
View of a Mahogany Tree from Below, http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/usa/photosvideos/photos/vie w-of-a-mahogany-tree-from-b (October 14). 1
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): X262 2
2
My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang I attribute my early romping in the fields of Mississippi to my
current love for the countryside. Perhaps this is why I have always loved describing nature, rather than industrial objects. It has always been easy for me to surround a mountain with poetry or cover the ocean with a blanket of prose. Every story I’ve ever written has involved a great detail of place and has had an underlying emphasis on the significance of nature. As I read over my old essays and stories, a common theme emerges: whether blatant or symbolic, the environment permeates my words. I was able to draw upon my old experiences and use “the power of the human imagination to extrapolate…[the] faint movement in a copse of trees, a wingbeat, the damp cold of field stones at night… to make a story...”3
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 265 3
3
My Leadership Vision
4
Jenny Zhang
5
William Faulkner and John Steinbeck: both beautiful writers, both made their careers out of their environments. Two men I admire very much for theirability to incorporate the environment into their works are William Faulkner and John Steinbeck. Not only are they masterful storytellers, but the loyalty they harbor for their respective places is admirable, and impartsa great impact on the reader. Faulkner is well known for his focus on the decadence of his home state Mississippi, while Steinbeck concentrated on his beloved Salinas Valley in California. Steinbeck describes his masterpiece, East of Eden, as “...the story of my country and the story of me.”6 Writing about your environment is, in many ways, writing about yourself. These two men have taken their darling hometowns and have constructed novels that not only use nature as a frame, but that also Between William Gibson and William Faulkner, http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/Faulkner_1.jpg (October 14). 4
The Flag in the Wind, http://www.scotsindependent.org/features/quotations/John%20Steinbec k.jpg (October 14). 5
Pauline Pearson, East of Eden, 1990, http://www.steinbeck.org/EastEden.html (October 15). 6
4 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang comment on the human condition, ones which focus on “…the evolving structure of communities from which nature has been removed, often as a consequence of modern economic development…It is writing concerned, further, with the biological and spiritual fate of those communities. It also assumes that the fate of humanity and nature are inseparable.”
7
Through their words, my first revelation appeared in regards to my love of both nature and writing: to make an impact, I cannot simply write about nature. As much as I enjoy describing bark or sand, such indulgences should be saved for poetry. Whether it is through writing articles for a magazine, essays for my peers, or a book for the masses, I must also be able to tell a story involving nature that touches people and makes them ruminate.
8
Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 261 7
Research in Instructional Technology, http://it.coe.uga.edu/~treeves/edit6900/images/writing.jpg (October 21). 8
5
My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang This is my idea of the perfect scene in which to write. I feel that writing and nature are very similar in what they
demand of a person. They both require a sort of vulnerability: to write truthfully is to bare your soul for criticism and to be felt, while to be affected by nature is to allow yourself to feel and experience without attachments or selfishness. With an environment, “If you’re intimate with [it]…and you establish an ethical conversation with it…the place knows you’re there. It feels you. You will not be forgotten, cut off, abandoned.9 Thus I feel that I must meld the two in order to accomplish a greater goal, for my concerns with the population’s declining interest and care fornature refuses to lay dormant. In this aspect, I must become a “leader”. “However, intellect alone will not make a leader; leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading—and, most crucially, through creating resonance.”10 “Guiding” and “inspiring”are the most important words in the aforementioned quote. I seek not to viciously attack or offend anyone’s opinion, but to provide arguments that make people think. My personal vision as a leader is somewhat different from the standard definition: the word is often accompanied by images of a businessman in commandof a meeting, or someone at the head of the pack. When I think of a leader, however, I think of someone who inspires others. Lopez, Barry, “A Literature of Place,” U.S. Society & Values 10 (1996): 263 9
Goleman, Daniel, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” (2002): X62 10
6
My Leadership Vision
Jenny Zhang
11
Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau was inspired to write his masterpiece, Walden. By writing, I hope to inspire others the way that authors such as Faulkner, Steinbeck, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman have inspired me;especially in the way I see the natural world. I hope to write works that make people parse and consider the repercussions of their actions in regards to their environment and the people around them. By eliminating the pointed finger in my writing, which tends to make people feel as if they are being judged, I will provide subtle yet strong references, which will act as profound and potent arguments. When such an argument is the backdrop for a truly engaging story, people are more inclined to listen. There must be certain candor in such writing: we must be completely open with ourselves, for otherwise, how can we be open to others? Achieving this honesty calls for an understanding of our emotions and the emotions of others, for “Without recognizing our own emotions, we will be poor at managing M. Rowinski, Walden Pond at Sunset, http://people.bu.edu/dix/walden3.jpg (October 14). 11
7 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang 12 them, and less able to understand them in others.” This trait is not only important for writing, but also for leaders. To disregard emotions is to be a slave to ignorance. Knowing and recognizing certain feelings is key in being able to connect with other people, and with this connection, we can proceed to guide, inspire, teach, and learn: all aspects of being a sound leader. I knew that I could not begin my journey of leadership without a sound education, thus I concentrated on one of the top programs the University of Texas Austin had to offer: Plan II. Until very recently, I had misgivings about having English as a second major; I thought that Plan II was very intensive in that area, so I did not want to feel as if I were majoring twice in one vocation. However, even as I scrolled through the list of courses required for the English major, I found myself ecstatic and eager to partake in every single class offered. Banned books, reading poetry, Russian literature—all of these classes grabbed at my very heartstrings. Even with this heady platter of delectable courses, I was still hesitant about leaving behind every other education that did not relate to English. I still wanted to learn about chemistry, government, and several foreign languages. I refused to be academicallybarred from other types of intelligence. This is why I am grateful for the opportunity that Plan II offers: it allows me to grasp everything related to and outside my major. I believe that the myriad of courses required of me are all key in
Goleman, Daniel, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” (2002): X64 12
8 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang allowing me to appreciate the world on a finer level. What better way for me to lead through my writing than to be able to be eloquent in every single subject, so that it affects everyone on a different interest level? I will be able to relate to my readers through the knowledge or interests that we share, and in this relation, I will be able to capture their hearts and minds. Some of the most important courses to take, I feel, are those that deal with other cultures (for example, my Film and History in Latin America class), and those that deal with philosophy and thinking for yourself. Writing is not only about reading and being able to put words together: it is being able to put words together to have meaning and purpose. Can you think for yourself? Can you make others understand? Can you connect? I see the world with the soft pads of my fingertipsand the soles of my feet. I see itwith closed eyes and sweet smells. I believe it was Andrew who stated that giving back to something that has given itself to you is one of the greatest things you can do. Nature has given me solace, beauty, and most importantly, the inspiration to write and think. What better way to give back than by offeringthe words it gave me? To devote myself to the written word for the rest of my life, and inspire others with those words—this is a true heaven. My leadership may not be physical or apparent, but knowing that I have the opportunity to arouse the thoughts and feelings of my readers in my passion—this, I believe, is a form of leadership at its finest. Word Count: 1,584 Without Quotes or Captions: 1,365
9 My Leadership Vision Jenny Zhang http://zhanghx.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-leadership-vision.html
