Leadership Synthesizing Essay
Before coming to university, I never thought so much about my leadership skills and how they can help me in life. I knew what a leader was, but I never understood the impact they can have on people. Leadership has always played a significant role in my life. People would tell me I was a natural leader, but I never truly thought about what they meant by that. I always thought a leader was, by textbook definition, someone who leads others. However, after many semesters of developing my ideals in leadership I have learned that a leader is someone who adapts, listens, and strives for the benefits of others. They are people who effectively provide insight and progress toward themselves and others in a group.
I learned during my Honors First Year Experience class that, according to the Strengths Finder Assessment, I am a maximizer and a relator. I think these strengths are very accurate when I think about how I interact in face-to-face and group interactions. I am someone who focuses on people’s strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I also, as a relator, enjoy close relationships with others to achieve a goal. I used both of these strengths while I was the Honors First-Year Learning Community Coordinator. The most important thing I learned in this position is that I cannot always communicate effectively when I use the same form of communication with everyone. People in group settings all communicate differently, so I had to adapt my communication style to what they needed so they could learn and grow. I was able to practice group member skills and the ability to work together toward a common goal and create a general leadership philosophy to guide future tasks within groups. By attending weekly one-on-one meetings with my GA and weekly team meetings with other LCCs, I was able to reflect and challenge myself in my role and learn to be a better resource for my students.
Through my experience in the Honors Leadership and Interpersonal Communication course, I was able to develop my ideals behind my role as a leader on a more personal level. Through discussions in class and reflections made in these essays I was able to identify strengths and weaknesses I have as a leader. Some of my strengths as a leader are how open and honest I am with my followers, and how unbiased I am when people express their ideas and opinions. It was necessary to accurately and intently listen to my mentee when I was an Honors Mentor in order to determine the content and advice that they were seeking. The importance placed on actively listening within this relationship allowed me to develop listening skills that benefited my overall leadership capabilities.
Lastly, working in Residential Life taught me how these abilities translate to bigger work settings. The most important aspect of this role was the cohesive unit the front desk workers became because we are all held up to the same standard to make sure the desk runs smoothly. In this position, I was able to reflect upon my role within our group and team setting and practice these skills with team members, so we were able to work toward our common goal. My favorite part about being a front desk assistant was that I can help students develop their sense of belong during their first few months on campus. I used my friendly and welcoming personality to help the students get used to a new environment, and I became a better listener for them. There was a[WLE1] high level of importance on building relationships among the staff and students in the residence halls. Cohesive relationships were important among the staff because we were working together throughout the entire semester towards achieving our group goals as employees. We had to complete our tasks for the day otherwise our role at the desk wasn’t complete.
Overall, my undergraduate experience has allowed me to expand on my knowledge as a leader and show me how I adapt my styles in a variety of settings. I have built upon my leadership values and strengths and learned to control my weaknesses within team and personal leadership settings. As I finish my last semester at MNSU I will use my leadership skills that I have developed throughout the years and use them in my future career in journalism. With my leadership skills, I will be an effective interviewer, communicator and facilitator.
I learned during my Honors First Year Experience class that, according to the Strengths Finder Assessment, I am a maximizer and a relator. I think these strengths are very accurate when I think about how I interact in face-to-face and group interactions. I am someone who focuses on people’s strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I also, as a relator, enjoy close relationships with others to achieve a goal. I used both of these strengths while I was the Honors First-Year Learning Community Coordinator. The most important thing I learned in this position is that I cannot always communicate effectively when I use the same form of communication with everyone. People in group settings all communicate differently, so I had to adapt my communication style to what they needed so they could learn and grow. I was able to practice group member skills and the ability to work together toward a common goal and create a general leadership philosophy to guide future tasks within groups. By attending weekly one-on-one meetings with my GA and weekly team meetings with other LCCs, I was able to reflect and challenge myself in my role and learn to be a better resource for my students.
Through my experience in the Honors Leadership and Interpersonal Communication course, I was able to develop my ideals behind my role as a leader on a more personal level. Through discussions in class and reflections made in these essays I was able to identify strengths and weaknesses I have as a leader. Some of my strengths as a leader are how open and honest I am with my followers, and how unbiased I am when people express their ideas and opinions. It was necessary to accurately and intently listen to my mentee when I was an Honors Mentor in order to determine the content and advice that they were seeking. The importance placed on actively listening within this relationship allowed me to develop listening skills that benefited my overall leadership capabilities.
Lastly, working in Residential Life taught me how these abilities translate to bigger work settings. The most important aspect of this role was the cohesive unit the front desk workers became because we are all held up to the same standard to make sure the desk runs smoothly. In this position, I was able to reflect upon my role within our group and team setting and practice these skills with team members, so we were able to work toward our common goal. My favorite part about being a front desk assistant was that I can help students develop their sense of belong during their first few months on campus. I used my friendly and welcoming personality to help the students get used to a new environment, and I became a better listener for them. There was a[WLE1] high level of importance on building relationships among the staff and students in the residence halls. Cohesive relationships were important among the staff because we were working together throughout the entire semester towards achieving our group goals as employees. We had to complete our tasks for the day otherwise our role at the desk wasn’t complete.
Overall, my undergraduate experience has allowed me to expand on my knowledge as a leader and show me how I adapt my styles in a variety of settings. I have built upon my leadership values and strengths and learned to control my weaknesses within team and personal leadership settings. As I finish my last semester at MNSU I will use my leadership skills that I have developed throughout the years and use them in my future career in journalism. With my leadership skills, I will be an effective interviewer, communicator and facilitator.
Leadership Essay
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For my Honors First Year Experience Class, we discussed as a class what it takes to be a leader. We all concluded that we all had different perspectives on what it takes to be a leader but in no way, shape or form do those different perspectives make us bad leaders because there is no one perfect way to be a leader. We understand that leaders can be made from a person's strengths and built upon by their weaknesses. I see leadership as someone who is willing to take control and responsibility of anything he or she is doing. During this class and while writing this essay I was able to learn how to identify my personal leadership values, reflect upon my personal leadership strengths and weaknesses and identify my various leadership roles in group and team settings whether it be in my future career as a journalist or in day to day life communicating with people I know. I learned that leadership is not a born quality, but that it is something anyone can do if only they have the perseverance to seize it, and the strengths someone finds in themselves is what he or she can build on to strengthen their leadership. In this essay I identify specific personal leadership values and how my leadership skills and knowledge developed through the readings and course discussion. It also helped me understand what my strengths and weaknesses were in leadership and how I can work on and apply my skills to develop my leadership for future situations. The essay had me reflect upon my personal leadership strengths and weaknesses and how I can work on and apply my skills to develop my leadership for future situations. This essay helped me identify how my leadership skills changed from a personal setting to a team setting. I am able to change how I lead people 1:1 and in a team setting, and I can identify various types of roles within group and team settings. This essay reflects upon my findings of my leadership skills, how I will use them and develop them for the future.
Leadership and Interpersonal Communication Leadership Reflection Papers
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For my Honors Leadership and Interpersonal Communication class, we discussed as a class the different types of leadership styles and how interpersonal communication has an impact on each of them. This class helped me achieve levels three and four in leadership values. I see my leadership style and approach as being able and willing to take control and responsibility in my role. I will be open and honest with my followers and motivate them to be the best that they can be. I want to be unbiased when communicating and make sure everyone feels like they have had the opportunity to share their opinions on any topic. I especially want to develop my own leadership philosophy and interpersonal communication skills, so I can become confident in my future career. In this essay I identify specific personal leadership values and how my leadership skills and knowledge developed through the readings and course discussion. The essay had me reflect upon my personal leadership strengths and how I can work on and apply my skills to develop my leadership for future situations as a journalist. Also, through these essays I was able to examine different leadership models. This class and variety of essays helped me criticize leadership style in intrapersonal and interpersonal situations then based on those critiques I was able to use personal theories and values in campus and community organizations, such as LCCs, Residential Life and MSSA. I learned to apply what models I found most beneficial to my leadership style and develop the way I use them to lead in group settings. Through this setting I was about to critique leaderships styles within a group context and discussion. Lastly, in the final essay I created my own personal leadership theory through models learned in the class, and I applied that theory when I was a Learning Community Coordinator and Res Life Desk Assistant. That essay helped me identify how my leadership skills changed from a personal setting to a team setting. I now can change how I lead people one on one and in a team setting, and I can identify various types of roles within group and team settings. Through these essays I describe and analyze my view on leadership styles and interpersonal communication tactics. These essays reflect upon my findings of my leadership style and approach, and how I will develop and use them while here at Minnesota State University, Mankato and in my future career.
Honors First-Year Learning Community Coordinator 2016-2017
One of the best decisions I made during my first year of college was to apply to be a Learning Community Coordinator. I was thankful enough to get the position as the Honors First-Year Learning Community Coordinator (LCC). Especially with being in the Learning Community my first year I knew the difference I could make in my students’ first year experience. With our different training and leadership styles as LCCs, I was able to work with my team members and students to help expand my leadership skills. One of the most important skills that I believe makes a good leader is their communication with other leaders and followers. The most important thing I learned in this position is that you cannot communicate that same thing the same way to different people because we all communicate in different ways. I may explain a situation to one person but that doesn't mean the next person will understand it the same way. I found that it really helped to explain myself in a few different ways, so I knew that every one of my students or team members knew what I meant. I also always made sure that I asked questions back so they could explain to me what I said. If they couldn't respond, then I knew I had to explain it in a different way. The best way to see if someone understands what you say is by having them explain it back to you. I reflected on my personal leadership strengths and weaknesses by talking to my GA about what activities and communications worked best with my students, and then discussed what I could do to improve them. Through this position I was able to understand what types of leadership roles worked best for my group of students because I was able to critique my leadership style by receiving feedback about what my students liked and didn’t like pertaining to my guidance. I see my communication style benefiting my leadership style because my leadership style is based on my followers understanding and having faith that I have the ability to listen and communicate well with them. This position has also helped me to expand how I think of my leadership style. I see my leadership style as being able and willing to take control and responsibility of anything my role may require. Whether it be communicating with followers or taking initiative and assigning tasks. This position mainly reflected on my roles as a leader in team of group settings. I was able to practice group member skills and ability to work together toward a common goal and create a general leadership philosophy to guide future tasks within groups. This role helped me identify how my leadership skills can change when I am with a group of peers (other LCCs) and when I was with my students. I have adapted my skills to act differently and adequately in each situation. In this position I had to attend a weekly 1:1 meeting with a GA and weekly team meeting with other LCCs. During these meetings we would reflect upon our role as an LCC and how we as a team can do better activities and be better resources for our students. Also, we practiced our group member skills when we planned events like the WOW or the MNSU Campus Cleanup. Our common goal was to get the students to interact with other learning communities and get involved on campus. All the LCCs learned that we could use each other as resources to help guide each other in future events and help each other make events for other LCCs. Our general philosophy was to share ideas and grow through learning from each other to make one another better as an LCC. This role helped me reflect on my leadership style and communication skills and showed me how I will develop and use them while here at Minnesota State University, Mankato and in my future career.
Make A Difference Project
The main event that really help me explore my leadership style as an LCC was our Make A Difference Project, MAD project. It was the first major community service project that I had to plan for a group of 20+ students. When I first started this project, I was trying to handle the tasks and some problems that came up all by myself. I saw my leadership style as being able to take control and responsibility of anything my role may require. The best thing I learned from this project was that it is okay for me to ask for help. It doesn't make me inadequate if I have to ask for help. I had my team members and my students and members of the Honors Program willing to help me and make this project a success. I reflected on my personal leadership strengths and weaknesses through planning this project to see what skills I can bring to make students more active in the project and help them in a group as leaders. The name of the project was Trick or Treat so Other People Can Eat. On Halloween night students from the first year and upperclassman Honors Learning Communities went around North Mankato and collected nonperishable food items for the Echo Food Shelf. We had a goal of beating last year's amount of 750 pounds. We raised 788 pounds of food. I learned that even if this was a project I was given to organize I didn't have to do it myself, and something that I will remind myself forever is that I can always ask for help when doing something. When organizing the project some students helped with organizing the echo shelf delivery, some help pass out bags to residents in north Mankato and other help make flyers and get paper bags. Then on Halloween night we all went door-to door collecting the food. This part of the project helped me identify various roles in the group setting and made me able to assign roles to the correct student. Whether it be communicating with followers or taking initiative and assigning tasks this position mainly reflected on my roles as a leader in team of group settings. I was able to practice group member skills and ability to work together toward a common goal and create a general leadership philosophy to guide future tasks within groups. This role helped me identify how my leadership skills can change when I am with a group of other LCCs and when I was with my students. The following January we attended the MAD celebration where we were all allowed to reflect on our teamwork and how our role in the project made a difference to the community and between each other in a group setting. As a collective unit using each other as resources and skills learned through training and each other we all worked together to raise 788 pounds of food for the Echo Food Shelf. This project made us all practice group member skills and the ability to work together toward a common goal. Since this project happened in October it helped further my leadership philosophy within this group setting and help guide me through future projects. Later in the year we did activities like Campus Cleanup and other Honors activities to deepen our leadership philosophy and created guidance toward future collaborations as a group. Through this community service project and organizational process, I reflected upon my expansions as a person, a leader and a friend, and how it will develop my leadership skills while here at Minnesota State University, Mankato and in my future career.
Residential Life
As a residential life desk assistant, I am a resource for the students in the residence halls to use whenever they have questions or concerns about things on campus. I help them when they have concerns about classes or ongoing activities that are happening on the campus. My favorite part about being a front desk assistant is that I can become a good friend with many of the students that live in the halls, and I can help them develop their sense of belonging all first-year students need during their first few months on campus. Another important aspect of this role is the cohesive unit the front desk workers become because we are all held up to the same standard to make sure the desk runs smoothly. In this position I am able to reflect upon my role within our group and team setting and practice these skills with team members, so we are able to work toward our common goal. I learned to use my leadership skills when I am being a resource to students and helping them get used to an environment they might not be used to. I became a better listener and motivating source for these students. Each of us workers had daily tasks for the desk. We must all complete our tasks for the day otherwise nothing good gets done and our role at the desk isn’t complete. We have bi-weekly meetings where we address what we can do as a staff to make the desk more enjoyable for each other and the students. The main point of discussion is how people can improve their tasks and role at the desk better. The desk workers have a collective goal to make the desk as accessible and enjoyable as possible, and we practice our skills every day to make the desk better. Through this community position, I reflected upon my expansions as a person, a leader and a friend, and how it developed my leadership skills here at Minnesota State University, Mankato. It also reflects on my future career in journalism when Ill be working in a newsroom where we will all be working together toward a common goal and need to rely on each other to get multiple newscasts prepared.