Leadership.....

Leadership is a powerful word...but what does it mean? Throughout the course of this class, we quickly learned that leadership has a different meaning to everyone. My definition of leadership is the process by which an individual inspires other people all working towards the same common goal.      

Effective and successful leadership have many components. In order to be an effective and successful leaders, I believe that you must have the following components: delegation, respect, responsibility, communication, and motivation/dedication. It is important that you can delegate tasks to your followers and not just do everything yourself as the leader. You also need to ensure that you respect others and take responsibility for your actions. Communication is key to any situation, especially when you are working with a group of people. Motivation/dedication is also an important component because it's necessary that leaders are motivated and dedicated to the work they're doing.

There have been many activities during this course that exemplified the components that it takes to be an effective and successful leader. For instance, all of the group activities we did required you to communicate and respect others. Those were two of the most important traits that were exemplified in those activities. When conflict arose, it was important to ensure that you were still respecting others and communicating in an efficient way.

My philosophy has differed a little bit in regards to my leadership philosophy at the beginning of the class compared to now. Most importantly, I think I realize the importance of followers and working as a group to reach a common goal. As a leader, you can still inspire others to help you reach the common goal in an efficient way, but it's also important to ensure that you are setting the example for them. Being part of a team, serving as the leader or simply being a follower can be an incredible journey and learning experience!

Re-framed Perspective on Leadership

    To be perfectly honest with you, I've thought about this prompt all week...pondering what I was going to write about. There is not one particular comment, thought, or action from a classmate that has re-framed my perspective on leadership. There have rather been several different things throughout the course of this class that have re-framed my view on leadership...and it includes small comments, thoughts, and/or actions from each and every classmate. We all know that leadership can't necessarily be learned or taught from a book or lecture, but perhaps through hands-on experiences and opportunities. This class has been reassurance of that.
    For example, the pipe activity (as we all know) was one of the best activities we could've participated in to truly learn about our classmates and see different leadership theories and skills "come to life". This activity made me realize that every single person possesses different values and leadership skills, but that's necessary for the "world to go round". It was also interesting to see how some people reacted to the situation we were put in (i.e. not being able to talk, not physically having enough supplies, etc.). The entirety of this activity has just been sticking with me. As I mentioned in class, the two take aways that I left that activity with were respect and communication- two simple, yet easily overlooked morals that we tend to take for granted.
    I also wanted to reflect on a few quotes from the book that have stuck out to me that have made me reflect back on things that have happened in class......

"We define leadership as a relational and ethical process of people together attempting to accomplish positive change."

"Leadership is viewed and valued differently by various disciplines and cultures."

"Leadership can be exhibited in many ways."

"There is not one identifiable right way to lead an organization or group."

"Finding the purpose, vision, and common commitments that create a 'we' from a group of individuals is the challenge of community."

"When we are trying to connect with others, it is imperative to remember that 'different is just different; different is not wrong'."

  I found these quotes particularly useful when thinking about the pipe activity. It helped me process the activity and think about the dynamic of the group.

Values

Values are one of the most critical aspects of a leader, whether in leadership positions or everyday life. A person’s values help guide them through their journey of life. As I have served in many leadership capacities, a majority of them have focused on strengths, personalities, values, etc. However, I think that values are one of the most important aspects because that is what shapes a person. Depending on one’s values will depend on how they live life and react to certain situations, take on certain roles, etc.

My own personal values are reflected daily in my everyday life. My top strengths are: gratitude, honesty, perseverance, kindness, and judgment. I think these are all important values and help guide me in all I do. I will go into a bit more detail about each one.

Gratitude: I am a person that appreciates the people in my life and I make sure they know that. I appreciate my friendships and all things in my life and try to not take things for granted. I look for blessings each day and express my gratefulness for all things.

Honesty: I believe that being honest and telling the truth is one of the most important values a person can hold. If you are not honest, then people will not trust you. It’s important to be honest in speaking the truth, but also by living your life and being an authentic person

Perseverance: I am definitely one of those people that finishes a project that I start, no matter how hard it may be or what roadblock might get in the way. It is important to be dedicated to something to agreed to do.

Kindness: I enjoy being there for others and helping them with favors they may need. I think it’s important to be kind and generous to others.

Judgment: I am a person that thinks things over very thoroughly before making any kind of decision, whether it be big or small. I investigate things from all sides and make a wholehearted decision

All of these values hold true to be the foundation of my life. I exemplify these values everyday in some way. It is important to live your life to the fullest and demonstrate your values to others.

Week One

    I registered for this course for a variety of reasons. First of all, I am a public affairs major with a leadership studies minor. It is pretty clear that I enjoy learning about leadership. This class fulfills the Team & Organizational Leadership component for the Leadership Studies minor. I am intrigued by all of the different theories, studies, thoughts, etc. pertaining to leadership. I am also currently taking ESHESA 3573 which is the Senior Capstone Leadership Course with Dr. Barnes. It has been an absolutely incredible experience. It has been a very helpful, engaging class for me this semester. I am very excited to be able to add another leadership course to my schedule as I finish off my undergraduate college career. 
     At this time, I understand leadership as being able to guide other people by your actions, thoughts, and words (setting an example for others to follow). As we all know, this can happen in a variety of ways. Whether it be in a student organization, classroom, or family- there are leaders everywhere. Leadership happens everyday in a variety ways, but we don't necessarily always recognize it. I have been grateful to hold a variety of leadership positions throughout my time in high school and college. I have been able to not only learn a lot about myself, but also the people around me. These opportunities have been very life changing and eye opening for me. I wouldn't trade them for anything. 
     My expectations for myself in this class include: keeping an open mind and listening to other people's points of view (not with the intention to answer, but to understand), learning more about myself in terms of a leader, and finding ways to continue being a leader once I enter the workforce (whether that be directly in my job, volunteer work, etc.). I am a firm believer in that famous old saying- you get out of it what you put into it. I plan to put a lot of effort in this class, so in turn I can get a lot out of it. I am very excited to be a part of this class!