MA in Leadership Student Profile: Marly Hartline

Program Surprise in Pandora’s Box

Life is Pandora’s Box. Each day brings a new surprise. When I quit teaching and reinvented myself as a tour guide at Boeing’s Everett plant, I eventually took advantage of the education they offered in an effort to keep my teaching certificate up-to-date. I had no idea what a game changer the MAL program would have on my career and on me.

Every course has had an impact, presenting challenges that have grown me as a leader. Some challenges I appreciated more than others, but everything has boiled down to whether I wanted to get something out of the course or not.

Highlights

Beginning with John Maxwell’s The 5 Levels of Leadership, I have found a core for examining techniques, practices, and paradigm shifts that have allowed me to rise in leadership within my organization.

• I compete against myself the most, though I compete against others as well;
• Learning a lot about giving up ownership, testing Maxwell and discussion board prompts, I tried a few strategies that surprised me;
• Growing other leaders elevated me, built confidence, and subtly drew my boss’s attention to our team’s potential;
• Discussion boards with people from everywhere introduced me to some great discussions/debates with people who had something to say and elevated my skill set in meeting challenges and strategizing before I made a move – a little like chess;
• There have to be people willing to participate to make it good. I have had several good people in each class.

Lowlights

Before the program was changed, there were times when the class content and instructor feedback did not help me get the answers I needed.  It was these times when I had to decide I would be the captain of my fate.

• I decided I would only get out of it what I put into it;
• As a competitor with myself, I could never decide to settle;
• Curriculum structure allowed personal challenge to succeed;
• Our amazing librarian, Theresa Gehrig is a major resource.

Silver Lining

I found that I love coaching, which is a huge up and coming field in many organizations, including my own. Oddly, during a course I wasn’t excited about, one of the assignments directed research to include professional coaching. In the future, if I don’t become a private investigator, I will become a coach. So far, MAL 550, Critical Thinking and Innovation, has challenged me to take risks that have brought me a promotion and positive regard to my boss and I expect more to follow.