Hi, Katherine - nice post.

Great exploration of "unknown territory", since most of us have to start our leadership journey somewhere, usually without much in the way of guidance or roadmaps.

I actually did study leadership in school, but this was a retrospective, rather than a journey into uncharted land.  I had already experienced leadership, with varying success, in college, the military, and various work environments, before undertaking graduate study.  This proved to be very helpful to me, because I already had actual experience to view through the lens of the theories and concepts I was learning.

Sometimes this was reinforcing, when I recognized that I had actually done something appropriate, even though I did not know the "official" name for it at the time.  More often than I want to admit, I experienced that "WIsh I had known this then" feeling, tinged with a dash of regret and sprinkled with remorse for how I had "led" others.

Perhaps the thing I would most reinforce from your thoughts is the idea of "Self-Leadership".  This term is relatively new, as far as I know, but the underlying concept is age-old.  Leadership is not just something we do or provide to others, but rather a core skill that we apply to ourselves.

The person who finds motivating themselves to be overwhelming is a poor choice to lead others.

Enjoyed this post tremendously - thanks:)

John