This was my first of many posts from my Leadership class through Harvard Extension.
Hello! My name is Connor Wallace and I am from Tampa, Florida. I received my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida about five years ago. Since graduation, I have worked in Mettler-Toledo’s Product Inspection division. We design and manufacture metal detection and X-Ray detection conveyors to ensure that any food or pharmaceuticals that go through machine processing are safe for all consumers. More recently, I have become the Senior CAD Administrator for my team. Now I am responsible for making the engineering team as efficient as possible. I develop better processes and tools to help us design the systems faster. I am currently working towards the Innovation and Entrepreneurship graduate certificate. I hope to use this towards assisting me in developing holistic and creative solutions for any organization I find myself in!
Personally, I never liked the idea of being a leader because I always preferred to stay outside of the spotlight. However, my interest in leadership grew through my experience with my company’s internship program. I was given the opportunity to be the mentor for an incoming intern. She introduced me to a book called This is Day One by Drew Dudley. The book introduced me to the concept that everyone is a leader and it truly resonated with me. Even though I was meant to be the mentor for this intern, I felt like I was also the mentee. Since working with this intern, I have sought to learn from everyone I come into contact with. I do this by asking, “What book has impacted you to become the person you are today”? I have loved this question because I have recognized that amazing lessons can live behind any genre. I am eager to find any books that anyone in this blog will recommend over this semester!
I am also excited for this class to challenge and enhance my ideas of leadership. So far, the readings and discussions have already started this off to a great start! Of the two readings, my favorite article was “The Brand Called Obama”. I enjoyed how they explained Obama’s success by giving up some control of his own brand. I felt like this was a very humble approach to leadership and it challenges the paradigm of what leadership is typically seen as. In class, I enjoyed talking about the philosophy of people being leaders without asking to be one. Based on John Paul’s lecture, I learned that the more we are in the public eye the more we are scrutinized and are expected to exhibit leadership qualities. It is my belief that everyone is in the public eye to at least one other person. Therefore, we are all a leader!
Looking forward to a great class with all of you and learning about your different insights on leadership!
