%% #🌲 #🟢 %% # Statement of Purpose Below is the essay I wrote for my application to the [Gonzaga University Master's in Organizational Leadership](https://www.gonzaga.edu/online-graduate-programs/online-programs/m-a-organizational-leadership)program. --- “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and “What’s your passion?” are questions that haunted me for most of my 20’s and 30’s. I read dozens of books, watched TED talks and even signed up for a “discover your passion” course, hoping to find the answers. Until I finally realized I was asking the wrong questions. I was thinking about this in terms of a career, but no occupation or job title can definitively capture who I am or what I want to be. What is more important to understand is what drives my sense of [[purpose]], both in work and the rest of my life. Enter the Sparketype assessment, which identified me as a [[Maven]]/[[Sage]]. This was less a revelation and more a validation of how I’ve always identified myself. I am primarily driven, or sparked, by an insatiable [[curiosity]] and love of learning that is not limited to just one subject or industry. In addition, and largely in service of further learning, I find it deeply satisfying to help others understand relevant information and how to put it to use. So, my passion is learning and what I most want to be in life is a student. Now, how does this translate into a career? As I reflect back on the jobs I’ve had and the organizations I’ve been involved with, it’s clear that I’m more interested in working _on_ the business as opposed to _in_ the business. If the mission, for example, is to provide quality early childhood education to at-risk youth I don’t want to be a teacher or an advocate. Instead, I want to make sure the organization and its staff are structured and supported in a way that best leverages the available resources for their excellence. My interest is the same in every organization and cause I’m involved with. I thrive at the 30,000-foot level. I have a keen eye for the big picture and am uniquely skilled at making connections between people, organizations and ideas that are seemingly unrelated. From the 30,000-foot view it is easy to see how interconnected everything is, and that the only way to accomplish meaningful and lasting, positive change is by working together. When departments within an organization, or organizations within a community, are siloed and don’t effectively communicate and collaborate it is very difficult to achieve a greater vision. I want to further develop my skills in coaching and leading managers and frontline staff who, out of necessity, spend most of their time in the weeds and may not have the advantage of seeing the bigger picture. While I would love nothing more than to go back to school full-time, I have two fur-babies who expect to be fed and supplied with endless chew toys. I researched online graduate programs with some trepidation and was relieved to find that Gonzaga offers an opportunity to connect with faculty and students in person. As much as I value what I learn from reading and lectures, I know that real wisdom comes from conversations and interactions with others. Even more so when those others have a diverse background of knowledge and experience. I plan to graduate with a Master’s in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Change Leadership. My short-term goal is to apply what I learn in my current role as an experience consultant at Asante and eventually move into an organizational development position at the organization. My long-term goals are to hold a leadership position at Asante and to provide organizational development consulting for nonprofit organizations in Oregon. This degree, combined with my work and volunteer experience over the last 15 years, will strengthen my ability to make a positive impact on my community three-fold. First, to help develop individual leaders, and the organizations they work in, to be the most effective at whatever it is they do. Second, to help them manage the change that is inevitable in whatever arena they operate in. And finally, to help organizations embrace and practice [[collective impact]] to achieve a common agenda for the larger community. --- <small>*Created on:* 2022-10-10</small> <small>*Last modified on:* 2023-01-03</small>