Topic 1: Identity Delineation

17 September 2018

The first topic we tackled in the challenge program was identity delineation. The outcomes of this topic was to help us form an understanding of identity and identity expression. We discussed delineating performance from persona and how one has different personas. We delved specifically into the idea of a leadership persona.

The first tasks we got was to write a short bio on ourselves and to take a selfie that represents us and our leadership. This encouraged some introspection and I realized the importance of visual self-expression. I had to think about this selfie and how I want to encode it. This selfie is essentially an avatar that represents me when I myself am not around. This iconographic self is supposed to convey who I am to others who might not know me personally. The whole process of taking the selfie was quite reflective of who I am as a person. I played around with a few ideas and had fun with it. The whole concept of baking and food in my selfie is supposed to be symbolic for my leadership style. Baking is an analogy for leadership. I can follow a recipe carefully but I can also have fun with the recipe. I can add nuts or icing or even rainbow sprinkles to my donut to add my own personal hint of pizzazz to it. Some families have special recipes that they pass down from generation to generation. I feel like my way of leading is based off of my parents’ way of leading and how they have raised me and set an example within their professional lives. My family has a special “recipe” when it comes to leading. I take the parts of the recipe that I personally find tasteful and change certain aspects of it to better suit my pallet.