Three Semester Review
How have I changed during the Scholars experience? What parts of the program influenced me most significantly and why?
In review of my time in Public Leadership scholars, I will address the following questions:
Reflect on your understanding of leadership. How has it changed over your time in PL? What do you think of leadership now/What does leadership mean to you now?
Describe your leadership style referencing Strengths, leadership theories/styles, etc from class
What facilitated the change in your understanding of leadership? Upload at least 1 additional artifact as evidence and discuss WHY you chose it/them. Describing WHY you uploaded something is more important than the item itself. You might consider uploading:
Leadership Philosophy paper
Myself as a Leader Today reflection
Other relevant assignments and/or reflections on experiences from PL, other classes, and/or outside the classroom
How have you used an element of leadership learned through PL in your life? (either a formal leadership role or a personal interaction).
From my early youth people always told me I was a natural born leader. I have always felt comfortable asserting myself in social and academic situations; my strengths lie in interaction and taking initiative. However, at times I have also been told that I am bossy, controlling, and not a good listener. Throughout my experience in the Public Leadership scholars program, I have learned what true leadership means, and how to turn my supposed “leadership qualities” into effective action. Now, leadership has a much deeper meaning to me. It is more than taking charge; it is the ability to listen to others, integrate their concessions, and apply them in a way that benefits the collective. Leadership is important to me because it is my way of giving back to my community. I demonstrate leadership in my position as a Resident Assistant, and in my campaign for the Student Government Association. This ability to take initiative to create change in areas that I am passionate about is something that PL helped me to refine. While I may have been “bossy” before, I have now become a more effective listener and an advocate instead.
My leadership style is one that deeply involves empathy. I strongly believe that the ability to place yourself in the position of other people is crucial to know how to make progress. Empathy allows for much deeper connections, which leads to transparent conversations. Effective communication and empathy are inherently intertwined because in order to communicate with followers, a leader must have a certain understanding of their frame of thought and where they come from. I exhibit empathy with the swimmers that I coach in the summer. These children come from varying backgrounds, and varying levels of skill and comfort in the water. Even though my job as their coach is to make them better competitors, I also have the responsibility to connect with them as individuals. Having empathy for the feelings they might be experiencing, such as nervousness, fear, and hopefully excitement, helps me to better cater my lessons and practices towards their needs. In turn, they respect me as their coach. In CPPL200 this Fall, we also learned that leadership is a process of influence. A leader influences other people to accomplish a mission or fulfill a purpose. The means of influence include actions to convey motivation. For me, empathy is the motivator because it builds deeper connections.
Empathy is part of the broader concept of emotional intelligence. As a first semester freshman in Fall 2020, I lacked emotional intelligence. I already possessed the empathy aspect of leadership to an extent, but what I was crucially missing was self-awareness and regulation. I felt insecure in social spheres and had a difficult time setting boundaries between my personal life and my academic life. Balancing my life as a student and as me, Cecelia, was more difficult at the start of college than it had ever been before. However, after researching and writing the final paper in PLCY201, my perspective changed. This paper taught me that the most effective and powerful leaders in history possessed an incredible amount of emotional intelligence and authenticity. I explored how Robert F. Kennedy, the brother of President John F. Kennedy, exhibited authentic leadership, emotional intelligence and a strong regard for the common good because of his charisma, devotion, and sacrifice in public service. This paper was one of the first in college that truly fascinated me. I loved learning about how the Kennedy family encapsulated Americans, and why their leadership remains legacy today. As a government and politics major, it also inspired me to be more civically active. That is the tell-tale sign of an effective leader- even after his death RFK inspired me through one paper to become engaged in my community. Now, as my campaign for SGA is in full force, I can look back on my time in PL and see a very distinct impact that the program had on my life.
Comments