Joe Bednarski

Leadership Narrative

OGL 482 – SPR 22

“Leadership development is a lifetime journey not a quick trip” – John C. Maxwell

The above quote really sums up how I feel about leadership and the path that I have been on. There
have been many highs and there have been many lows on this journey of development and learning.
We as humans on this earth are meant to learn and to grow. This is evident as we watch a newborn
growing up as being fascinated and asking questions. Trust me, my toddler has asked me more
questions than I can count! But I feel many of us lose that inquisitiveness over time.

My leadership development journey like many others, has not always been linear. When I look back, I
was always blessed to have a good childhood with strong mentors around me. I can credit my parents,
family, teachers, and coaches for helping to shape the person I am. Perhaps one of the first real tastes
of leadership in my journey was the last year in middle school when I was in eighth grade. Coming from
my seventh-grade season of cross-country running I was one of the slower runners. The summer
between seasons I ran and practiced five days a week creating discipline. When practice officially
started with the team my coaches were amazed at the improvement I had made. I was named team
captain and the highlight was me winning the county championship and helping motivate the rest of the
team to also winning the championship as a team.

Fast forward to my junior year in high school where I was one of the faster runners on the team. I
applied a similar strategy to what I used when I was in eighth grade, practicing in the off season to be
ready for the regular season. Again, when the start of the season came my coaches were amazed at the
improvement and I qualified for the Division 1 state meet where I placed top 50 in the entire state. I
was being recruited by some colleges and universities for cross-country and track going into my senior
year. But like most of life we have ups and downs. Possibly due to over training, I stress fractured my
big toes and the start of my senior year I had to sit out. My first race back was in the middle of the
season at the county meet. I was instructed to take it easy since it was the first race back and at the
mile two I was in second place by just a few seconds. As I was passing the marker my coach asked how I
was feeling, I gave him the thumbs and said go get him. I ended up winning the race by thirty seconds
which drastically helped the point standing of the team carrying us to another county championship.
These two stories share some of the values I carry today of determination, strength, perseverance and
motivation.

Now switching to my professional life, I have had a few different leadership roles. My first job was at
local ice rink working the concessions. It was an easy job, but I always wanted to do more. When then
opportunity arrived to help co-ordinate the birthday parties and event at the rink I volunteered when
they were short staff. I was responsible for ordering the food, cakes and setting up decorations. The
party went off without a hitch and my boss promoted me to assistant event coordinator. After leaving
that job I went to work in the automotive repair industry where I was a technician for many years.
During that time frame I went to Columbus State where I was finishing up my associate’s degree.
Upon graduation I was torn, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue my education and finish my bachelors
degree work full-time. I was offered an assistant manger role for the company I was with and began
working full-time. During my tenure I worked under many store managers at various locations learning
from each of them. My very first year, I produced very strong sales numbers and customer satisfaction
surveys. I was presented with employee of the year after our store won store of the year at the annual
awards banquet for the company. The following year I was promoted to senior assistant manger and
was next in line for getting my own store. But then, the company I was working for was bought by
another company and many locations closed. I decided to leave the company and start my current role
as an outside sales representative with the company I am currently with. This experience as an assistant
manager taught me about coaching my employees, preparing my store, training, and excellent customer
service skills I carry to this day.

At my current job I work in the sales industry, specifically the maintenance supply and construction
supply industry. In this role I am tasked with being responsible for my own success. Setting up
appointments, time management, customer retention and growth of my territory. My last district
manager was great and was always actively pushing me and teaching me his jobs and responsibility. It
was the extra effort which showed he wanted me to succeed. He relocated to a new territory out of
state, and we got a new manager. We immediately had some issues. She had come from an entirely
different industry with little product knowledge and experience. To make things worse, she had a very
laissez-faire approach to management. When the opportunity arrived, I approached the regional
manager and let them know I was finishing up my bachelor's degree and was looking to move up in the
company. The best part…he said starting March 1st I will be the district manager for Florida in charge of
a team of 15 sales representatives.

The path of leadership is different for everyone. There probably isn’t one correct way and there
probably isn’t one correct time. Leadership development is about growing, learning, changing, adapting,
and not settling. I try to practice a situational style of leadership because it allows me to be adaptable
and tailor my approach to needs at hand. I set goals for myself and try to make them measurable and
achievable. I will continue to grow and continue to learn.

Turning point graph:

References:

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(quotefancy.com)