Marie Donahue

Inspiration from leaders can be taught, learned and enhanced through education and goals for leaders to improve their performance

I learned that followers who willingly and voluntarily follow the leader are more likely to achieve results. And a leader without followers is not a leader of anyone.

Connecting to a purpose, goal and common team ideal are effective for leadership

I've worked in environments with solid leadership (but poor management) and I've also experienced workplaces with poor leadership (but strong management)- working directly under solid management really served to inspire and motivate their team. They were able to lead by example and unite their team under their common goals. Had their leadership supported them and given them the kind of support and value our manager had given us, that manager never would have left that company. 

I was impressed to learn that leaders are somewhere between nature and nurture- the myth that leaders are either born (or born non-leaders) is incorrect- it's a combination of nature AND nurther (the school of hard knocks AND reading books/learning leadership strategies). 

I did not know before starting this module the difference between leaders (the key personnel with the vision and goals for the company) and the managers (the employees tasked with executing the vision through leadership of their team of coworkers. 

I learned that listening carefully and taking detailed notes is a must during the exit meeting (as well as throughout the entire visit). The notations show the visitor their points are being taken seriously but also allows for those points to be discussed, revisited, and if there's additional supplemental information our organization could produce to help clarify any issues or questions, we have them documented to stay organized.

Being prepared- rehearsing the protocols for the expected (and unexpected) visits from agencies and professionals really helps the entire staff know their roles, meet (& hopefully exceed) expectations and establish the foundations for the strongest/best first impressions possible. 

I was interested to learn that the business/organization may not necessarily be responsible for the visitor’s accommodations (although some accrediting agencies will expect these arrangements to be made & covered by the site they’re visiting.

be ready, not surprised- great advice. Preparing for any kind of visit at any time would ensure all materials are prepared, organized and ready to be assessed at any time instead of feeling unprepared or anxious about not feeling ready- instead just be ready.