Assignment #7: Growing Leaders

In a post on Tim Elmore's blog, "Growing Leaders", (which can be found at http://growingleaders.com/) he compares an internship to a twelve-week interview. According to Elmore, an internship is a simulation of the job you'll have one day and it's a time to observe and be observed. Thinking of an internship as a way to learn through labor is crucial to having a healthy experience. Elmore says the top qualities interns should possess are based mostly on their attitudes and they include teachability, initiative, responsibility, and energy.

Elmore's insight applies to me at my internship as I am working with a number of people at Milan Eye Center - ophthalmic technicians, doctors, and surgeons - all of whom are practically interviewing me. The most relevant point he made was that impressions are developed more from attitude than aptitude. While I can't necessarily impress them with my knowledge of ophthalmology, because at the moment it is very limited, I can impress them with my attitude. In order to show that I possess the top traits listed by Elmore, I plan to show my enthusiasm for the field and make sure I communicate to each person I work with just how much I am learning from them. Taking initiative to ask what I can be doing or who I can be observing and actively listening while I'm shadowing will demonstrate my passion and in Elmore's words "hunger to grow as an emerging leader".