This past week’s lecture was from LaNae Valentine on motivating others.  She taught us that before motivating others, we must motivate ourselves, and she really exemplified that message.  She talked a lot about the Women’s Services and Resources center, and you could really tell how passionate she was about it and through her enthusiasm and care for that cause, she was able to motivate us.  She emphasized how we must speak up for our cause with courage and walk your talk.  This is so important because if you are trying to motivate someone to support your cause, they will be watching you to see if you really support it to determine whether it’s worth their time.

      In our lab this Monday, we had a “Time Warp Convention” where we were all assigned a different leader to play the role of and dress up as if we wanted to. (perfect for Halloween!)  Among the list of leaders were Cleopatra, Teddy Roosevelt, President Monson, Marilyn Monroe, Hitler, and a number of others from varying time periods, countries, positions, causes, and most importantly, with varying motivational styles.  It was interesting to hear about leaders that are often overlooked as leaders because they weren’t at all considered good people.  They all had different methods of gaining influence and rallying people up in support of them, and some methods were questionable.  Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra, for example, used sex appeal and money to win people over, while Hitler used great speeches, propaganda, and charisma.

      The leader I was assigned was Mother Teresa, and unlike some of the other leaders at the “Convention”, her motives were very pure.  She became a nun at an early age and devoted her life to Christ.  She emulated the Savior through selfless service to others, especially the sick and the poor.  She started an organization called Missionaries of Charity, and made such an influence on the world that she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  It was interesting to learn about her leadership style in comparison with the leadership techniques we’ve been learning over the past weeks in this class. She was purely motivated by charity and love or others and for Christ, and consistently put herself last; she truly led as Christ led.  She had a clear vision and followed through on it despite opposition and challenges, and she knew how to communicate to a group to gather support for her cause.  She was a self-starter and didn’t let others affect her negatively.  Mother Teresa was an awesome example of a divine-centered leader, and we can really learn a lot about leadership through her.