This is a great example for this class because I was able to take everything that I learned and create my own unique way of describing the importance of leadership and how to be a successful leader. Taking a class like Exploring Leadership my fist semester of college was extremely beneficial to me. The skills learned in this class are crucial for success in relationships in almost all aspects of life. Some of these skills that I believe are the most useful are the importance of communication, especially feedback, knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses, and vulnerability. Learning about and strengthening these skills will help me as I continue in my college years and also outside of college when entering the workforce. Communication and knowing how to give and receive proper feedback will help me as I am faced with different problems in relationships throughout my life. Being aware of my strengths will help me be confident in taking on responsibilities that I know I can handle, while knowing my weaknesses will help me to be able to say no in appropriate situations and work to strengthen those areas. Finally, not being afraid to be vulnerable will help me to be as open and honest about myself and others as possible. This is important because being authentic promotes trust within a relationship. I hope to use these and the rest of the skills and lessons I learned in Exploring Leadership to be the best leader I can throughout the rest of my life.
Something that I am very passionate about that I keep going back to is service. I truly enjoy helping others and being able to use my skills and talents to do so. Also, I enjoy the growth that I am able to see in myself, whether that be enhancing my communication skills, learning more about the needs of others, or just simply being able to put others before myself in my daily life. The difference that I want to make is helping people reach their full potential. I have a deep interest in human relationships and I have always been a firm believer that all lives matter. With that being said, I would love to become more involved in organizations such as right to life or simply ones like the the Thanksgiving Exchange that I was just previously involved in that promote self-sufficiency.
To get started with this, I plan to see what kind of organizations on and off campus that interest me and that I can get involved in. I was able to find the City Gospel Mission with quite ease, so I do not think I will have trouble doing that. I know that there will be other challenges, though. For example, I have class, homework, and a job that I have to keep in mind when making commitments to organizations. Time has always been an issue for me because I want to do and be involved in so much more than I have time for. Also, I know that this is not an issue that I can just change overnight. It will take a lot of time and effort to be able to make a difference in my community. With that being said, I hope to make short term goals that will help me reach larger goals later. For example, if I am able to engage with or make a positive impact on a person each time I serve, I will be making a difference in the lives of others. Sometimes positivity is all a person needs to be the best version of themselves. This activity really opened my eyes about myself and how others see me as a person. Reading each description made me really think about the kind of person I am and the kind of person I want to be. I tried to be as honest as possible when answering the questions for how I think I am and how others think I am. When receiving feedback from others, I was not surprised or hurt by any of the responses because I believe that I am pretty aware of what others think of me. I actually enjoyed this process and being able to talk about the results with the people who answered the questions. I appreciated their honesty and it taught me to take a step back and see the big picture of who I am and how my reputation has formed through my leadership skills. I was able to make sense of the feedback that I received by listening to what others had to say and why they answered the way they did and in some cases I was able to learn more about myself just from what they have noticed.
Some of the common consistencies that I noticed between all of the answers was that others think I am someone who understands people, a straight shooter (blunt), a team player, and respectful to authority. I also had all four of these answers marked on my own paper because I do believe these are things that almost anyone would be able to notice about me pretty easily. For example, I am very accepting of others and I enjoy listening to what they have to say about their lives or their thoughts on different subjects. Also, it is very obvious from only a few minutes of being around me that I am a straight shooter, but not in a rude way. I am just very honest and don’t try to sugarcoat things. It is also obvious that I am a team player because of the things I have learned from being on a volleyball team and how important it is to work together, along with my respect for authority. An example of feedback that was inconsistent was that others think I am organized, where I feel as though others would think that I am unorganized. Their thoughts on why I am organized is that I am always able to get things done, whether that be homework, a favor, or some other task, so they just assumed that I was organized. The way I see it is that on the outside I look unorganized because I can be messy (especially my room) and push things back until the last minute, but I have my own way of being organized in my head and I know when I need to maybe be a little more organized on the outside. This was a little surprising to me because I really do believe I look unorganized to other people. I learned a lot about myself from this activity. One of the most important things is that I think I need to see in myself some of the things that others see. It is sometimes hard for me to admit or believe that I am the good things that they answered because I am constantly trying to better myself. I sometimes feel as though I am not good enough or that I really could be doing much better, but this activity showed me that others believe that I really am hardworking, an effective communicator, and considerate. Overall, this activity was very beneficial to me and I enjoyed learning new things about myself, as well as reevaluating the things I already knew. The identities that I am most aware of on a daily basis are my age, religious beliefs, and gender. I am aware of my age because it defines my responsibilities as a college student, daughter and friend. Because I am eighteen, I am a freshman in college, I have a job, I am my parents’ youngest child, and enjoy spending time with my friends on a regular basis. Also, my religious beliefs are a part of my every day life, so I am very aware of this identity. My gender is another thing that I am aware of because I am a girl and tend to spend hours getting ready and also enjoy girly things like shopping and getting my nails done. The identities that provide me with privilege are my sexual orientation, education, race, and ability. Because I am heterosexual, I do not have to experience sexual discrimination, as well as discrimination towards my race. I am currently in college, so my education has and will provide me with privilege. Also, I am not disabled in any way, so I have privilege. The identities that deny me privilege are my gender and sometimes my age. The fact that I am female can be considered to not provide me privilege because males are normally seen as superior compared to females. Although this may be true, I do not feel oppressed by the male gender in my every day life. My age, in some ways, has denied me privilege because I am still pretty young and I sometimes find people believing that I am “young and irresponsible,” although I know this is untrue. I think that privilege plays a large role in my daily interactions with others in the ways that I have just listed. In a different way, though, I feel as though I am sometimes judged by others for some of the privileges I have grown up with. The biggest example of this would be when I tell people that I went to a Catholic school my whole life. I feel like some people automatically assume that I am stuck up or just have a false stereotype about me. I never realized how much of a role privilege really does play in every day life before learning about it in class.A community that I am a member of is that of those who have gone on or led the retreat called Kairos. Kairos is a retreat that all seniors at my high school get to go on for four days during either the months of March, June, September, or November. I was fortunate enough to go on the retreat in June before my senior year started, and lead in March of my senior year. During this experience, students are led by their peers and also teachers and are able to learn more about themselves, others, and their faith. One of the best things about Kairos is that it all kept a secret. Students who have gone on the retreat are asked to keep what happens and what is said there a secret to ensure the next group of people who go have just as great of an experience. Some things aren’t kept secret, though, such as the blessed cross that all new members of the Kairos family receive and the saying “live the fourth,” among other minor details.
The awesome part about Kairos is that it is not something that only my high school participates in. Catholic high schools all over have their own Kairos retreats. In fact, one of my roommates this year went on and led some of the first retreats at her school. Also, I have been asked by people I have met around campus if the cross around my neck is a Kairos cross. It is not only a great conversation starter, but also a sense of being a part of something so important. The community, or “family” as we like to call it, that I am a part of is something very important to me and that I am very proud of. The bond that is made while on Kairos is so unique that words are not enough to describe it; it is something one must experience for themselves to truly understand. After taking the StrengthsFinder assessment, I found out that my top five strengths are achiever, arranger, restorative, adaptability, and positivity. I really enjoyed taking this test because it was a way of telling me a little more about myself. This information can be really helpful for me in the future when I am doing group work or even just in life in general. There were some aspects of the definitions of these words that I thought were spot on, and others that I may not agree with. Overall, I pretty much agreed with the words that were assigned to me and I could pick out examples from my life where they were evident.
I can now use this information about myself to my advantage. I always say that a good leader must know themselves first and foremost, so if I am able to practice my strengths when I am in leadership roles, I may get more positive results. For example, my drive to succeed is expressed in my achiever strength. Whether it is getting my homework done, trying to ace a test, or even a small competition with my friends, I am always trying to win or be the best that I can. I can continue to use this strength when leading by never giving up no matter how difficult the task. My arranger strength is also something I see almost every day in my life. I like to be the person in charge of setting things up and making sure that they get done. I would not say that I am a control freak, but I definitely believe that others see this trait in me more than I see it in myself sometimes. I can use this trait by being the person to stand up and take charge when thrown a task. I am restorative because I am always trying to improve and make things better. For example, when we moved into our dorm just over a month ago, I was trying to find the best use for everything that we either brought or were given. Our room now has a curtain that we are able to open and close while changing, better lighting, and a homier feel. I wanted to take what we were given, and make it the best that it could be for the next year of school. I can apply this strength to other things such as finding ways to make a group work better together. I am also adaptable because I would much rather live in the present moment rather than worry about what the future may hold. I see this most in the fact that I am an exploratory major and I don’t want to make the decision of what I will do for the rest of my life yet. I can use this strength to my advantage by not getting discouraged when something doesn’t go as planned or by being able to work with what I’ve got. Finally, I am positive because I always try to find the good in every situation. When I have gotten stressed over the past few weeks of school, I am always reminding myself that the weekend will come eventually or I will “reward” myself with something like Starbucks or my favorite food after a long day of school and work. This trait can help in all aspects of life because thinking positively is so crucial for success. It not only puts me in a better mood when I am doubtful, but it can be a good motivator to keep going when the going gets tough. The value of understanding leadership theories is to be able to learn from them, but also realize why they have changed and evolved over time. Understanding why a theory was proposed and why it was either a success or failure helps one be able to grow in their own perception of what leadership is. Knowing why a particular theory was successful or holds truth can help one grow more in understanding of that leadership is. On the other hand, understanding why a leadership theory was unsuccessful or could not be proven can help one see what leadership is not or rather the myths of leadership.
The theory that resonated most with me is the authentic leadership approach. I believe that a good leader is one who is completely open, honest, and vulnerable when it comes to their role as a leader and in the way they live their life. A leader cannot be someone who is living a lie or advocating for something that they do not personally believe in. I also believe that a leader must have positive psychological behaviors and traits. A good person, who has positive morals and good intentions, will be a more successful leader than one who is not a good person with these traits, especially if talking about leading by example. I do not believe “do as I say, not as I do” works in any situation regarding leadership. Another theory that I resonated with was the situational contingency theory. Although I do not believe the situation will always determine who will emerge as a leader, I do believe that different leadership behaviors are required for different situations. A person who is vocally strong will have success in different situations than a person who leads by example. I think it is important to have a variety of leadership skills, but they may come in handy more in some situations than in others. My understanding of leadership theories will influence the way I lead because I now have a more broadened view of what leadership is. By learning these theories, I was able to see different perspectives of what leadership is and then form my own understanding by either agreeing or disagreeing. Because I strongly agree that a leader must be authentic, I will now practice that in my own leadership. Leadership defined can be a variety of things, but in my opinion it is all about the person leading and their specific strengths, personality traits, and even weaknesses. A person who wants to be a good leader must first and foremost know themselves before trying to know or guide their peers. A leader must be honest, courageous, and willing to make sacrifices for what they believe in. Leadership is promoting and striving for betterment. There can also be different purposes for leadership. In the case of a follower, leadership is meant to be used as a guide or as motivation. In the case of a leader, leadership is meant to test the limits of and see what the person may be capable of achieving or overcoming.
In my experience as a leader, the best leadership role that I have taken was when I was a student leader on my high school’s Kairos retreat. Kairos is an experience like no other that I hold dear to my heart. It is an opportunity for students to get to know themselves, each other, and God on a deeper level than ever experienced before. For this four-day retreat, each student leader is assigned a 30-45 minute “talk” that has a specific message or idea to get across that the students will be able to respond to and reflect on. I just so happened to get assigned the talk titled “Leaders.” In my speech, I highlighted some major events in my life where I felt as though I was a good leader, times where I felt as though I was a poor leader, and times where I felt like I was led well and vise-versa. This was a very challenging thing to admit to the thirty-some students, just one year younger than I, who sat before me. I feel that I was an effective leader, though, because I was able to relate to those who I led and open their eyes to a new perspective on what being a leader is. I was able to be honest, despite how intimidating it was, which made the message I wanted to get across authentic and real. I would not have been able to be the leader I was on that retreat without the help of the biggest leader in my life, my high school volleyball coach and English teacher. I attribute my success to him because leaders are also followers. There is always going to be someone a person turns to or looks up to, even if others see them only as a leader. Being able to let myself need help and look to someone else for answers is what made this leadership role such a success. |
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