"Best"

I'm teaching two courses this fall - one a graduate seminar that complements students' supervised practice experience and the other a first-year seminar in leadership. The first round of papers and journals were due last week and I'm beginning to grade and return these to students. This exercise has stimulated some dialogue with my students, mainly around their disappointment that they did not receive higher grades. As I responded to a couple of students' e-mails this morning, I realized that the question of grades relates rather directly to something I include (without explanation) in much of my e-mail correspondence.

A couple of months ago, I started signing off "Best" on some/many of these messages. I have no idea if anyone notices this or not. It is not a casual statement; it means two things - 1) that I promise my best effort in helping others learn about leadership and 2) that I expect only the best of you and me as we seek to understand leadership. This blog is labeled "Pursuing Leadership by Denny," which is also a bit different than many blog titles. Pursuing leadership is a life-long passion for me. I seek to learn and I grow deeper in my understanding everyday. I also know that I am likely never to really understand. However, "Best" means a lot to me. I seek to understand and I hope that I have colleagues who will grant me the opportunity to continue to learn by being curious, by proposing ideas, by stumbling, and by learning to be as reflective as I can be. I appreciate all those who understand this quirky aspect of my personality and I hope I offer you always my "Best" effort on the journey.

Best to you today and always!