One of the first things I do when I am instructing or presenting to a new person or group of people (i.e. perspective leaders) is that I ask them to define themselves in an acrostic. (1) I ask them to write out the letters of their l-o-n-g name down the side of the paper and come up with a word for each letter that defines who they are.
Many experience great frustration when presented with this project … it then becomes apparent to me that they are more concerned with what others think of them. Amazingly enough, they truly do not know who they are — only striving to be who they think others want them to be; it takes a while for them gain full understanding of the project and most often do come around and work through the exercise. Sadly, some refuse to participate, but most jump right in and start even helping each other. It is fun to watch the discovery and listen to the discussion amongst the group suggesting adjectives and adverbs.
For Example Sarah:
Although this is quite fun as a group activity, do your best to write out your l-o-n-g name and define yourself – maybe even twice, first, as you are, second, as you would like to be!
(1)Dictionary. com defines an acrostic as “a series of lines or verses in which the first, last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.”
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