A little bit about me...
My full name is Paige Marisa Hamilton - as we already went into the significance of our first names in class, I'll not delve into that. I am a new transfer student to Ohio State. I'm a bit older than most in my class and not your traditional student. I work full time as an assistant property manager at an apartment community as well as going to school full time.
When I first started college at Otterbein I was convinced I wanted to be an English professor...this unfortunately didn't pan out as I'd expected. I left school and worked through several different jobs and decided eventually to return and attend Columbus State until I could decide what I wanted to do. (The story is a bit more complicated than that, but that's the quick of it!). I just graduated with my Associates and I'm really very excited to be at a more traditional four-year university.
As much as I enjoy staying busy, I really like relaxing at home. I love spending time with my friends, but most of my friends are close to the same age as me and we now have all these different responsibilities that lead us to understand that we'll see each other when we see each other! When I do go out, I love going to places in Columbus that play local music. I believe music is a very important part of our lives, and it's great to support local arts. I love being outside in the summer: swimming, hiking, camping, horseback riding...I wish I had more time to do all these things.
I wanted to take this class to help me understand if pursuing a leadership minor was for me. I understand the basic idea of leadership, but I'm not sure how that would translate in a class environment. I felt that the Gallup Strengths test I took online will use a great resource to help me focus in on what my leadership strengths will allow me to do.
I've always considered myself to be more of a support person than an actual "leader". Leadership is a loose term to me because it can be interpreted many different ways. I've taken charge of a lot of tasks, especially in group projects or at work, but I don't consider these to be leadership roles. I find the most satisfaction is helping others to succeed around me.
If I had to wrack my brain, I'd say the most rewarding leadership experience I had was in a work environment. When I moved to Florida in 2012, I interviewed for a leasing consultant position and during the interview I was instead offered a position as a leasing manager, a higher position that would make me responsible for the entire department as well as its staff! I certainly did not expect this offer, and was a bit hesitant. It was a bit daunting at first to properly and effectively manage so many different personalities in a sales atmosphere, but I was lucky to have the support and excellent resources the property manager provided me during my time there.
I began to learn the best ways to motivate my team without demeaning them as well as to create a positive environment that allowed them to succeed. During my time with this company, I really discovered my strengths as a leader. I certainly made my share of mistakes, especially in trying to strong arm my team into taking some path I thought was right. Though leadership is action, it is also having your team be active in decision making. Though I continue to hold true to my supportive-type personality, I developed skills that allowed me to place myself in a position to influence decisions and participate in the follow through. I'm hoping this class will help me develop further leadership skills that can contribute both professionally and personally.
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