Master of Science in Leadership

I’ve always considered myself credible in my professional and personal work. Of course, it might be easier for me to trust myself than it is for someone else to trust me, especially when it comes to the professional world. Whalen (2007) identified “Three Pillars of Credibility: Expertise, Trustworthiness, and goodwill” (p. 123). I currently run my own business that facilitates training and education programs for nonprofits and government organizations. An area where I am still trying to establish myself is in expertise. Eric Hornfeld, the person, has a bachelor’s degree and some experience running training programs for a variety of organizations. HTS, the organization is young with less than one year in operation and just a few contracts in its portfolio. When it comes to credibility, the area where I’d like to develop is in Expertise. The other two pillars of credibility, Trustworthiness, and Goodwill, take time and exposure to develop (Whalen, 2007). I believe that I am able to devel...

The wonderful novelist, speaker, and storyteller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presented a TED Talk on the “Danger of the Single Story” in July of 2009. This is a presentation that I have seen many times and am quite familiar with. Her personal and authentic storytelling style is engrossing and impactful. I have presented it as a discussion piece in training for Court Appointed Special Advocates. We discuss how the danger of a single story might impact the children in foster care that we advocate for, and what the single story of foster care might be. I now have pleasure of considering the expressions and messaging that she used in the context of leadership communication. Image from: https://ethos3.com/2016/04/3-lessons-from-chimamanda-ngozi-adichies-the-danger-of-a-single-story/  Adichie shared a deeply personal story about her experience growing up in Nigeria and later moving to the United States. She began with observations about taking in media that focused on American and British p...

Brené Brown is the author of several books and an academic for the field of social work specializing in vulnerability and shame. A former supervisor of mine suggested that I look her up as a professional development activity. Since then I have heard several talks and podcasts that Brown has published. What strikes me about Brown’s research and way of presenting her data is that she tells a story in a very human and vulnerable way, leading through example what she has found through her research. In her twenty-minute TED talk at TEDxHouston Brown (2010, June) begins her story with how she once felt uneasy about the title of “storyteller,” but found the courage to embrace it as a Researcher-Storyteller. By sharing her own experiences surrounding vulnerability and wholeheartedness, Brown encourages others to accept that these sometimes uncomfortable experiences actually enhance the human experience rather than take away from it.  Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisguillebea...