Leadership is something that can not have one solid definition. Everyone sees leadership differently. With this section of my digital portfolio I hope to give insight on what I view leadership to be.
The Godwin InCredAble Conference volunteers!
The first step of Leadership to me is to develop yourself. I feel in order to be a “good” leader, it is important to know yourself. It is important to first know yourself emotionally. Know how you handle situations, what bothers you, what doesn’t bother you and how you express your feelings to others. Having a good understanding of your emotions can help when dealing with situations where you have to work with others to achieve a goal. Often times when someone is seen as a leader, they are pulled in to help others solve problems or come to a common ground. It can be hard to help others understand their emotions if you do not have a good understanding of your own. It is also important to know yourself as a leader. As stated previously, there are many different types of leadership. One that automatically comes to mind is someone that is outgoing and enjoys taking charge and directing others. Through working in the LEAD office, I have learned that there are a range of different leadership styles and I do not necessarily fit into what I originally thought leadership was. Through inventories like the StengthsFinder and True Colors, I have learned that I lead by building relationships with others and perceiving the emotions of others. Knowing yourself as a leader is beneficial because it allows you to pinpoint your strengths and your weaknesses. It allows you to look at a situation and say “I know I will be able to help with A, B, and C, but I may need some help with E.” Which brings me to what I believe is the second step of leadership, working with others.
As a leader, you will have to work with a number of different people from different cultures and backgrounds who all contain different beliefs and opinions. Being open to hearing these different opinions and work with others who may look or think differently than you are signs of a “good” leader to me. I believe it to be true that the best product comes from different people putting their heads together and sharing ideas. We are in a world now where there is never just “one way” to do things. I feel like the goal should always be to think of new, innovative ways to do things. I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of different people in the LEAD office. My fellow leadership consultants and I all have varying identities and we pull the different aspects of each other to create the programs we put on.
The LEAD Office staff for the 2015-2016 school year!
The third and final step of leadership to me is genuinely caring for others. This is perhaps the most important step in my theory of leadership. I feel that the desire to lead others should come from a want to help others. When you genuinely care about people it is easy to lead them and want the best for them. This happened to me with the Hampton Leadership Program. My freshman year when I first volunteered for the Hampton Incredible conference, I saw the impact we made on the students there. The kids were so excited to have us volunteering there with them and it seemed as though they were really taking to heart what we were teaching them. At Hampton Middle School, at least 70% of the student receive free and reduced lunch. Some of the students have expressed to us that they don’t think of themselves as leaders and they don’t have an area where they can feel safe hanging out with each other. All of these facts contributed to the desire I had to helping out with the Hampton Leadership Program this year. I feel like the Hampton Leadership Program was so successful this year because in the LEAD office has a genuine desire to help the kids at Hampton
I know that I am not ready to leave Mason just yet. This school has had a very positive affect on me. Throughout my time at Mason, I have been able to learn more about myself as person, have met people that have challenged me and helped me grow, and have taken on opportunities I feel I wouldn’t have had the chance to take on anywhere else. I am very happy that I will be continuing my Leadership Legacy at Mason because at this point, I am not ready for it to be the end. Thank you, Mason for all you have done for me so far. See you in the fall 🙂