Leadership Capacities

I apologize as I tied in Maria's leadership capacities with her qualities in Blog 2.
I will expound more on her leadership capacities.

Moral purposes are the background of Maria's upbringing. Her capacities are plentiful since her family religious background and morals are built on service. Each of her brother’s sponsors a service foundation or organization that Maria participates in; from Special Olympics to Alzheimer Support. Her opportunities to exhibit moral purpose are a part of whom she innately is as a person. Moral purpose is not a conscious effort it’s who she is.

The change process is obvious, mention in blog 2, Maria is in her fifties and has learned to roll with punches. The quote from her Google interview, where Maria talks about "know who you are and expect you will change." Maria’s identifies her own awareness of the importance of change and the willingness and ability to handle changes in her life.

Blog 2- (Last paragraph) Maria builds relationships and networks through the organizations she’s involved with. Several appearances as the keynote speaker for various organizations Maria’s morals shine through as she promotes service learning and volunteerism. During her interview in 2007 with Google Maria said, “Embrace who you are, just be yourself….everyone struggles with authentic self…. know who you are and expect you will change.” In her fifty’s Maria has an understanding of the coherence of life’s affect on you and how you can use it to help others as well as yourself.

Blog 2

Maria Shriver’s leadership qualities shine through as a promoter and supporter. Growing up in a political family dedicated to community service, Maria exemplifies her families’ goals of giving back to society. Maria uses her strong family background and journalism strengths to advocate for children, people with disabilities, senior citizens and women.

One turning point in Maria’s life occurred when she became a mother and realized the balance for women in the work force was not ever going to happen for her. Maria questioned how to balance motherhood and journalism. This realization motivated Maria to support ideas like job sharing, working from home and flex hours. A second turning point was when Maria's grandmother died and she asked the network if she could do an hour segment on dealing with death. The network said no, the subject was a downer. Maria took this denial, not as a failure but used it to motivate her to putting her energy into a children’s book, “Where’s Heaven?” (Which sold a million copies.) Another turning point was how Maria dealt with her father’s Alzheimer’s by writing another book “What’s Happening to Grandpa? Maria uses family hardship to educate and teach about subjects that are difficult for families to deal with.

Maria lost her job (she says fired) as a journalist to NBC, when her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California. At first, this was upsetting to Maria; she could to be an unbiased journalist. Instead of taking the dismissal of her position as a failure, Maria learned to use her time and strengths more efficiently as a mother and advocate for the several causes she supported. Maria exemplifies her leadership capacities as a supporter and promoter through all the different organizations she’s involved with. Her articulate public speaking and enthusiastic mannerisms support Maria as a leader.

Maria builds relationships and networks through the organizations she’s involved with. Several appearances as the keynote speaker for various organizations Maria’s morals shine through as she promotes service learning and volunteerism. During her interview in 2007 with Google Maria said, “Embrace who you are, just be yourself….everyone struggles with authentic self…. know who you are and expect you will change.” In her fifty’s Maria has an understanding of the coherence of life’s affect on you and how you can use it to help others as well as yourself.

Why Maria Shriver as a leader?

Maria Shriver is a leader for women, for children, for the handicapped and senior citizens. Maria is a leader, an activist who personally organizes and arranges events to happen. Her repertoire of accomplishments inspires women to have a voice and make changes in their lives. A role model for men and women, her actions and collection of accomplishments inspire individuals in a variety of venues.

Maria is real, a loving mother, wife, from a family orientated background. She recognizes the needs of children in education, supports women in their causes to be recognized and heard and genuinely cares about humanity.

Maria uses her voice and background to be an activists for those who do not have the advantages she has.

I admire her energy and fortitude to take a stance for the unheard voices of our communities. Her leadership qualities are stead fast, faced with family adversity and public exposure, she uses these strengths to benefit others. A good leader is one who models the actions that benefit others!

Biography of Maria Shriver

Journalist, first lady. Born Maria Owings Shriver on November 6, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. Shriver is the daughter of prominent politican and diplomat Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of John F. and Robert Kennedy. She graduated from Georgetown University in June 1977 with a B.A. in American studies and began her career as a newswriter and producer for Philadelphia's KYW-TV later that year. In 1978, she started work at Baltimore's WJZ-TV, where she wrote and produced the Baltimore-based show Evening Magazine. In September 1983, Shriver began reporting for CBS News and soon won a spot as co-anchor of the CBS Morning News.

In 1986, she joined NBC News as a correspondent for the news show 1986 and an anchor for Main Street, a news magazine aimed at young people. From 1987 to 1990, she served as a co-anchor on NBC's Sunday Today. In 1990, she began hosting a series of news specials entitled First Person with Maria Shriver. Since then she has conducted numerous notable interviews including spots with Fidel Castro, Ted Turner, Magic Johnson, and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

Shriver was a reporter for NBC's Dateline NBC from 1989 until August of 2003, when she took a leave of absence when her husband, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, became a candidate in the California recall election. Upon his inauguration as the 38th Governor of California on November 17, 2003, Shriver became the First Lady of California. A few months later, she resigned from NBC citing a conflict of interest between her role as a journalist and her status as First Lady.

As first lady of California, Shriver has served as an advocate for many social causes. She helped develop and launch a special website to match volunteers with organizations needing assistance. Shriver has supported the construction of playgrounds and community gardens in lower income areas.

Shriver serves on the boards of numerous charitiable organizations, including Best Buddies, which pairs mentors with people with intellectual disabilities. Another cause close to her heart is the Special Olympics, which was established by her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968.

Serving as executive producer, Shriver helped bring the documentary The Alzheimer's Project to television in May 2009. The four-part program provided an in-depth look at this devastating brain disorder. Advancing understanding of the disease and supporting medical research is a personal mission for Shriver. Her father has Alzheimer's disease.

Later that year, Shriver experienced two great personal losses. Her mother died on August 11th at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Two weeks later, Shriver lost her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, who had been battling brain cancer. After her uncle's death, Shriver appeared on Meet the Press. She described her late uncle as "the most compassionate, empathetic man."

Outside of the world of politics, Shriver has established herself as a successful author. She has written several works, including a successful series of children's books. Her most recent work is Just Who Will You Be? (2008).

Shriver and her husband have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.

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