Shadow Archetypes...

As most know... to every active archetype there are going to be repressed archetypes too as they are a type of counterpart to your active archetypes.  The archetypes people scored the lowest on, represent qualities that one may have repressed. These archetypes also provide potential energy for you to use and may also influence your unconscious behaviors.


Mine are:

Innocent: you assume that every cloud has a silver lining.  Innocent individuals are very dependable, nice and positive.  In my mind, I think that I am rather innocent, so this is something I have to make sure I look out for this later in my life when I take on a strong leadership role.  Being innocent, people could take advantage of you because they mistake your good hear for naivety.

Orphan: you assume that it pays to be careful.  It's interesting because after reading this because after comparing "orphan" and "innocent" they could not be more different.  The funny thing is...is that they are both my shadow archetypes...hmm.  Usually people in this role are resilient, tough and realistic.  These qualities are all very important aspects of being a leader however an important piece of advice that I thought that I could apply to my life is "Disconnecting responsibility from blame, so that you can take responsibility for your life without blaming yourself or others when things go wrong".

Shadow archetypes are good things to look out for as they are a sign of weaknesses since they are repressed.  It's nice to be aware of weaknesses because it gives us something to look to to improve in our lives.

Active Archetypes!

Archetype by definition is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all.


In the case of our PMAI test, we are labeled as individuals who are represented by different archetypes.  Mine personally are;

Jester: you assume that life is meant to be enjoyed.  I am complimented by this comment because I do see a little bit of myself as a jester, in awkward situations I do try to find the light in them and sometimes I tend to make a joke out of something that is semi serious to break the tension. I was a bit offended because the description says at the end that some people may think I don't take life seriously enough and that I need to get a life!

Creator: you assume what can be imagined can be created.  I guess this description means I'm a bit of a visionary person.  The description says that as a leader Creators are entrepreneurial, innovative and unorthodox.  These are very important qualities to have in a leader, without having an innovative mind set than nothing would get done overall.

Lover: you assume that love is the answer.  I realize that I always give people the benefit of the doubt and I think that this is because I initially love people and trust them.  Sometimes this mind set can get a Lover in trouble or taken advantage of.  As a leader, most often times leaders are passionate, charismatic and intense.  Charisma was one of the most important character traits that I admired so I hope that this archetype about me is true!

I learned quite a bit about myself from taking this test, my active archetypes describe so much about why I have the views on things that I do.  In a way it's comforting to have the label of being not only a Jester, or a creator, or a lover, but being all three!

A little about myself...

Hello Everyone! 

Welcome to my blog first of all, second of all I would like to introduce myself!  My name is Ryann Hastings and I am a graduating senior at San Diego State.  I cannot even believe that the past four years have gone by so fast and I hope that the next few are as amazing, eye opening and inspiring as the last! 

As I prepare for the next step in my life after graduation I decided that I would sort of get some of my ideas about leadership out into the open since a leader is what I plan to be someday… 

In this blog you will read more or less some of my visions, opinions and ideas concerning leadership and what it means to me.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy spilling out some of my ideas. 

Enjoy!

Pros and Cons of Trait Based Leadership Theories

Trait based leadership theories argue that some people are simply born with traits that shape who they are as people.  These traits are not necessarily learned but are instilled in ones brain/personality, hence the theory of a “natural born leader”.  In this post I will discuss some of the pro’s and con’s of these particular theories:

Pro’s

·      Having a list of specific traits makes things fairly simple to compare and categorize people into the leadership role.

·      If we can recognize some of the same traits that are on the “list” in ourselves or in others we may be inspired and potentially convince others or ourselves into taking on a leadership role.

Con’s

·      There is also an argument against this theory that people can develop leadership ability through their life trials and experiences. 

·      This list may be “restricting” because if you go to the list and automatically assume that you aren’t a leader because you don’t possess any of the qualities on it, one may get discouraged and give up on being a leader.

Leadership Traits I Admire and Why

To be a leader there are certain things that one must be born with.  Some of the most important traits that cannot be learned but are crucial happen to be…

Charisma by definition is, “a special personal quality or power of an individual making him/her capable of influencing or inspiring large numbers of people”. 

Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, even Adolph Hitler…were marvelous public speakers hence their enormous following.

Creativity is crucial…without creativity the world would be less interesting.  It takes a creative mind set, which is a gift that few posses, to inspire and motivate people in different ways to keep things interesting.

Self Confidence, some may argue that this is not necessarily a “trait” because people can develop it over time but I think that it comes from a good upbringing which stems from birth.  Another view on that could be that it is a trait that is instilled in you whether you have all the tools from birth or not, look at Helen Keller, she was deaf and blind yet she still had the self confidence to inspire and succeed.

About Me and Leadership

My ideal leader is a person that shows strength and confidence while still staying composed and classy.  In times of high stress, a true leader will not falter or show that he/she is feeling weighed down or overwhelmed.  This is important because if the followers see when a leader starts to flounder their trust and admiration starts to diminish.

I believe that a leader has to know the people they are leading, to get to this point one must actually take personal time as much as possible with each and every person they can to get to know them.  Out of this time empathy grows and a genuine, loyal relationship starts to form.  With these actions inspiration will increase and a good leader is one who inspires.

Some of my most favorite leaders are those who are understated but still great, who keep their emotions concealed and still come off as composed yet passionate.  They don’t ask for recognition but do the things they do out of pure goodness and legitimate concern for the group they are leading.

I realized that these thoughts concerning leadership stem from my grandmother, for she is one of the most understated, controlled and regal figures that I know.  When I think of her, I think of how she lives her life with an aire of selfless compassion and she does it not for her self, but for her family.  She is a true figure to look up to.  My love for my most admired leaders such as Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Mother Theresa all have a little bit of her characteristics or should I say visa-versa?

A leader should be driven by the well being of their followers, with good intentions, any project can and will be completed with success.

Some of my personal favorite leaders!

Some food for thought

Here are some of my personal favorite quotes said by great leaders throughout time...

•Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves.


- Lao Tzu

•If your actions inspire others to dream more,
 learn more, do more and become more, 
you are a leader. 


- John Quincy Adams

 

•I light my candle from their torches.

  - Robert Burton