Cole: What would you say is the primary motivating factor behind your leadership?
Cole: Who are your role models, and what life- changing lessons did you pick up from them? Patterson: My great-grandmother was pivotal to my life and how I developed. She was a domestic worker who never learned how to drive, finished high school, or grew to five feet tall, but I never doubted her ability to do or understand anything. She taught me so much, but one of the best abilities I picked up from her is scanning people in conversations or sometimes by just observing. This was a period when children were seen and not heard, but I learned so much from watching conversations, especially among elders, about situations.
Patterson: I am a firm believer and practitioner of servant leadership. If you are not authentic with people, they can sense it. Nothing works in leadership roles without authenticity. Good internal and external communication helps lay out the context of what is essential and how you develop ideas and explain the reasoning for your decisions. Otherwise, people can create their own stories about why something happened when there is a void in communication. However, one of the most critical components of servant leadership is supporting your team and creating the space for the people to perform at their best. While you have the authority to tell people what to do, it is much more impactful when you can inspire them to fulfill a goal they also hold dear.
Photo: McBoat Photography
20 The Acumen
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