A Tie, Some Blue Cheese, and a Shiny New Plaque

Note: This is a test of the blog program

“A tie, some blue cheese, and a shiny new plaque”

It seemed like life moved in slow motion for a moment. In my mind I could hear a prolonged “NOOOOOOO” originating from my toes and stopping just shy of my vocal chords. Then it happened. A big chunk of blue cheese, right on my new tie.

“…the kind of young leadership that our organization needs,” the speaker proclaimed. Of course I did not have any clue what he was talking about. I neglected to listen to half of our band director’s awards speeches because his voice sounded like Ben Stein and my 9th grade attention span had run out about fifteen minutes ago. Besides, the end-of-the year banquet was my first and last chance to hang out with the upperclassmen and now I had salad dressing all over my first really nice tie.

“….someone that has led our group by example, by caring about what happens on and off the field,” he continued. Again, I had missed any indication that he was looking in my direction. I knew little about these annual awards but what I did know was that they were typically reserved for the brightest and the most dedicated members and I did not consider myself to be either. For the time being my tie remained my top priority as a looked for water or ice, or anything to cover it up with.

“Mark, would you like to come up and say a few words?” I heard him say. Then my date chimed in, “Yeah, go on up there, you deserve it!” And with that I hesitantly stepped toward the podium to accept my “Freshman of the Year” award.

Until middle school I had considered myself to be fairly intelligent. After several semesters in senior high my grades were little more than average. Music was perhaps the only thing that made sense to me but I certainly did not consider myself to be talented or anything close to a leader. With one award, however, everything seemed to change. Instead of wandering the hallways of Union-Endicott High School with complete anonymity, I was now considered one of the school’s most valued musicians and a budding leader. What was more? My friends, my family, the school administration and yes, even my greatest adversary was there to watch me (and my recently stained tie) accept my award.

I was heavily involved in our music department; a member of the jazz ensemble, marching band, concert band, saxophone quartet and jazz combo. Still until that evening it had always just seemed like something I did because I enjoyed it. I never considered it to be much of an academic study or a subject from which I could pursue a career. Over the next several years, however, musical accolades seemed to pour in, including being named the first sophomore drum major in school history—I may have been a clueless freshman at the time but even I knew that the school drum major was the musical equivalent of being the football team’s quarterback.

The truth was that I enjoyed the responsibility and loved being the student “face” of our department. When it came time to decide what career path I would choose in college I could not fathom a profession more rewarding than teaching music.

Five years later I became a high school band director. I have since asked my former director what factors played into his choosing me for that award. His response, although I do not remember it verbatim, was something to the effect of “You really did deserve the aware and above all the other candidates you just need a little faith in yourself.”

During my first year of teaching I created an annual award for the freshman that I view as most deserving of special recognition called the “Director’s Citation of Excellence.” Sure I consider talent and leadership, but it is mostly reserved for the quiet student who just needs a “little faith in their self.”

Impact on Self Esteem:

We can all relate to being the “new kid on the block,” the “freshman,” or the junior member of a faculty. Perhaps more than any other experiences that I recall from growing up that award gave me the self-confidence to realize that I was not just an insignificant member of a bigger organization. It reaffirmed that my actions, opinions, and talent were important and valued. Whatever sense of insecurity that was inside of me at the time seemed to fade almost instantly. I recommitted myself to leading the by example and learned to trust myself as a musician and student.

Resulting Motivational Influences:

My need for structure, acceptance, responsibility and success were all affirmed from this incident. It increased my self confidence and acknowledged that my work ethic was admired. As a result I have developed a greater self trust when presented with responsibility and charged with leadership. When given ambiguous goals I create a pathway to success and communicate my goals to those around me. When it seems as though my work is going unnoticed I am able to assure myself that the final reward will be a job well done and that is greater than temporary recognition. I am able to sustain focus for long periods of time and commit to long-term objectives. I tend to go above and beyond expectations to avoid letting others, or myself, down.

Preferred Values:

Hard work
Commitment
Self-Discipline
Multiple Intelligences
Quality
Wisdom
Loyalty
Credibility
Ownership
Success


Beliefs Formed:

As a result of that evening I belief that work ethic is as important, if not more so, than natural talent. I am not a “gifted musician” by any means, nor am I what some would consider to be a “natural born leader,” but I worked harder than most of my peers and that gave me a great advantage to obtain my goals. Although we live in a “squeaky wheels gets the oil” society I respect “quiet” leadership and tend to reward persistence as much as genuine achievement. Further, I recognize that my students, and people as a whole, can be intelligent and creative even if they do not always perform on traditional assessments and belief that success in one endeavor can be readily applied to a variety of challenges.

Behavior Enacted:

I have consciously set goals for myself and planned for success in both my own studies and the students in my classroom. I no longer fear leadership and decision making. Although it seems a cliché, I imagine myself as being successful and have learned to work backwards to formulate benchmarks for achieving my objectives. Similarly, I encourage students to organize their work in the same fashion. For those students who seem to be in need of a little “faith in them self,” I find methods of examining their strengths and applying their interests toward success in all functions in school. Perhaps most of all I make a concerted attempt to get to know all of the members of my class and not let the quiet leaders slip by unnoticed.

I still have the tie, sans blue cheese.

Mark P. Murphy
Educational Leadership
The Pennsylvania State University