A511.1.3.RB_TAYLORHEATHER

When thinking of the leader that has had the greatest influence on me during my life, I think of someone that consistently acts unselfishly for the good of others. This leader is my husband, Randall Taylor.  He is the leader that has changed my life forever for the better.  Often my mind tries to go directly to a workplace as an organizational structure that has a leader.  Sometimes I think of a military unit.  However, my family is an organization.  We together can achieve great things and we are a team.
My husband wakes up each morning and sets out on his day as the Executive Director of our family.  He is both a manager and a leader.  He knows when he gets dressed and puts on his epaulets that he is not just going to work, but paving the way for a brighter future.  Just as the Wright Brothers, Randall does not attempt to achieve his dreams based off of a posh educationally driven life, but through hard work, sweat and humble means of achievement.  He is helping our family achieve our goals from the ground up, and through his determination, he is taking us to heights far above the clouds.
In Mintzberg's Taxonomy of Roles, Randall is the information processor, the  decision maker, the liaison, figurehead and leader.  He deals with role conflict as being a member of the family and the head of the household.  He is responsible for disseminating communication, monitoring the success of the family, being the spokesperson for the family unit in all areas of connection in our organizational structure.
Even though these roles are not his favorite, he is a great disturbance handler with an incredible amount of patience for all of us in the home.  He facilitates communication to decrease negative and unproductive conflict and serves as negotiator.  He budgets our money, he finds innovative ways for us to continue to operate on a daily basis.
I did not know he was all of these when I said, "I do."  All I knew was that he was an incredible man that inspired me to be a better woman.  He continues to be an incredible man.  He is a passionate man.  He is a man that chooses to do the right thing despite the personal pain or immediate consequence he may suffer.  These are not easy choices to make, but he chooses them anyway.
All of these aspects make him that man that I willingly will follow.  He has a heart that yearns for God and yearns for goodwill toward others.  Though he is quick to admit that he falls short everyday, he gets up each new day and tries again.  A man, a leader, like that is one that you want to follow and support for more than a lifetime. 

Yukl, G. (2012). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.