Tonight I had the opportuniuty to hear Lou Cassara speak about his authentic leadership model. Hearing him speak before, since I am in the same sorority as his daughter, I knew the main idea of what Mr. Cassara would be speaking about. However, his speech tonight was much more then I had expected. Mr. Cassara's basis of his speech and book is based on three keys to leadership. 1. Be clear. 2. Be confident. 3. Be capable. and most importantly, be a first rate version of yourself! This concept smacked me right in the face, because it was refreshingly honest. Being a Junior, and minutes away from heading into the "real" world, this advice could not have come at a better time. A problem that newcomers have in companies is that they want to do their best, and since their experience is limited, it is common to take after a boss or a fellow employee. This mimicing can ruin a person, it can ruin a career. Just because something worked for someone else, it does not necessarily mean it will work for you. After Mr. Cassara reiterated this concept again, I could not help but link this to my life at school. There has been a few occasions that other people have told me about how successful their studying habits are, and how I should try it. I thought, why not just give it a shot. Well it always came back to smack me in the face, and I always promised myself that I would continue to do what works for me, I will contiue to be a first rate version of myself. Mr. Cassara was very motivating, and made his concepts so clear and so practical that you felt as though his words were the only path to success.
The other main point to his speech was the fact that success is based on relationships. Relationships are key to any future with your career or your life. Mr. Cassara made a very bold statement when he said that there is no difference between his professional or personal life, otherwise his whole book would be a bunch of garbage. Relationships with your employees or your friends can get you through anything, the paycheck or the end result fizzle in the long run, but relationships remain for the long haul. Mr. Cassara brought light to what authentic leadership is all about. It is about knowing who you are and delivering that. It is expressing your true value and showing others what you can do for them. It is about being a first rate version of yourself.