Leadership Reflection #3 Matthew Mastandrea

Individualized consideration “These leaders may use the delegation to help followers grow through personal challenges.” (Northouse 169) This type of leadership takes a very specific treatment to each individual in order to extract successful results What the leader does with one will vary depending on the situation, and the nourishment each individual needs in order to thrive This was the type of leadership that I needed at one point in my life

Athletic Career Upon reaching high school, my ultimate goal was to play baseball or basketball at the collegiate level From the help of my family, and various coaches and trainers I was getting close to making this become a reality However, various injuries derailed my timetable, and gave me many obstacles to overcome

Injuries Freshman year: Dislocated Knee: Baseball tournament (Recovery time: 4 months) Sophomore year: Torn ACL: Basketball tournament (Recovery time: 14 months) (Missed entire basketball and baseball season) (Missed entire basketball season Junior year as well) Senior Year: Tore three ankle ligaments in summer basketball practice (Recovery time: 3 months) (Returned one month before basketball season started) Senior Year: Partial UCL tear (Baseball game) (Recovery time: 18 months if I chose to undergo surgery)

Aftermath I received an offer to play basketball at a Division 3 School I received multiple offers to play baseball, but would have to undergo surgery, and would miss my entire freshman season. (No telling if my arm would ever return to full strength) After much thought and talk with my family and friends, we decided that it would be best for me to move on to a bigger school, where not only the community was strong, but where I could also play sports through intramurals Upon touring Baylor, the answer about where I would ultimately thrive as a Christian, and student couldn't be clearer

Personal Growth Sports was my life growing up, and it was not easy to leave what I loved Personally I was always told that I should pursue some form of leadership with my personality, and demeanor While playing collegiate sports would have been a dream come true, it would have been very hard to weigh both while trying to balance my school schedule as well When I heard about the leadership program at Baylor, I knew exactly what God had called me to do It wasn’t easy, but with the help of many leaders outside my family who gave me the individualized consideration I needed, my decision couldn’t have been easier

Inspirational Motivation “This factor is descriptive of leaders who communicate high expectations to followers, inspiring them through motivation to become committed to and a part of the shared vision in the organization.” This example of leadership not only describes what I have tried to exemplify to my friends, but it is also an example of what I have received, and something that made a big impact on my life

Growth It is hard sometimes to grow not only as a person, but as a leader You have to experience things, and learn from past mistakes and sitatuons before you can personally grow Had I not gone through the struggles I went through in high school, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today While I am not quite sure what I would be doing today, I do know that those struggles I went through shaped me into the person I am today With the help of my family, coaches, and my friends, I grew as a person, and I can honestly say that I believe this was God’s plan for me to be part of something bigger. That was Baylor, and today I can proudly say that I continue to grow, while working as a leader, student, and intramural athlete