1. I don't know that I can remember a specific early memory about money. I can remember going grocery shopping with my mom, and asking for certain things, and being told that we couldn't afford it.
2. I grew up in a household with a lot of economic uncertainty. My parents both had decent jobs, my mother was a nurse and my father was an electrician, but there were some periods during my childhood where my father was unemployed, and because of some poor financial choices, my family often felt economically insecure. As a young adult this effected me deeply. I had difficulty trusting that I could reach a point of financial stability. I tended to agonize over even small purchases, never really believing that there would be enough money to survive. I was also as a young adult terrified of taking on any debt, probably because of all the stress which debt had caused my parents. In other way I think I also learned the behavior of spending money as a way to relieve stress or self soothe. It has taken me a decade to reexamine my views on money and reassess some of what I learned from my parents, but I think I have a much better view of how to handle money today.
3. I think that intentionally reexamining my views on money will help me to be a better leader. I view money more now in terms of investments. I am investing a certain amount of time and money into my MDIV degree in the hopes that it will eventually pay off. As a leader I think this influences how I view spending money. Especially in terms of managing employees, I think it is really important to understand how our organizations are investing in people, whether that is through paying a living wage, investing in education and spiritual development. Having had the opportunity to sift through what I was taught as a child about money, I think I am much more able to see that how I spend money or advocate the spending of money as a religious leader is ultimately a statement of what I value.