Sheila's Initial Thoughts on Leadership

One thing that I have learned during my years of leadership development is that there is more than what meets the eye in regards to leadership and leadership development.  On dictionary.com, the top three definitions of leadership are: (1) the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group; (2) ability to lead; and (3) an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction.  I consider these the basic definitions since I think leadership is much more than just these.

First and foremost, I believe that leaders are not just born, but can also be made.  In other words, there are individuals who have personalities that lead them to be leaders without much development.  However, I believe that the vast majority of the leaders in the world are made through experiences and dedication.  I am one of those leaders.  For my final proposal in TE 931, I completed an autoethnography which looked at my student leadership experiences.  In that assignment I shared that I ran for class treasurer each year during high school but was never elected.  I had the desire to be seen as a leader during high school, but was not the truth.  Granted, elections in high school are more of a popularity contest, but I would argue that even the popular crowd has some characteristics of a leader or those students would not be popular.  Although I was involved in four student organizations in high school, I did not develop my leadership skills until college.

My own leadership development through residence hall organizations is where the majority of my thoughts were developed.  During my five years at The University of Akron, I went from being an honors student living on the honors floor only to being recognized at an Outstanding Senior.  These experiences led me to my career in Student Affairs, specifically in university housing.  My leadership skills developed further when I took on the role of being an advisor to student organizations as well as becoming involved in regional and community organizations.

So, what has these experiences taught me about leadership?  In addition to my initial thought at the beginning of this, there is no cookie cutter answer to what is leadership.  Second, it is much more difficult than expected, especially when you are in a position that is the pinnacle of the organization, i.e. president.  Third, as the identified leader, a person will not be able to appease every person in the organization and the person must be okay with that.  With that said, those in leadership roles should be comfortable listening to others and then make what they believe is the best decision.  In my experience, people want to be heard; as long as that happens authentically, then people will more than likely go along with the decisions, even if it is not what they would like.  Lastly, I believe that a person can be a leader in any role and that a person does not need to be in the assumed leadership position.  A leader is someone who can help others reach a shared goal, is seen as a role model for others, and is not afraid to question.

The main characteristics of a strong leader are being a positive role model, developing a shared vision, being open to new possibilities, challenging the norms when deemed necessary, delegating appropriately, motivating others, and admitting mistakes.  Many of these come from Kouzes & Posner’s The Leadership Challenge.  As discussed in class earlier tonight, there are numerous leadership development theories and steps.  Yes, The Leadership Challenge is one of those, yet it resonates with me.  I cannot identify the first time I heard about this book and the five practices of exemplary leaders.  However, I know that I knew about when I started at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in 2005.  I connect with the five practices:  Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.  Since then, most of my presentations regarding leadership development revolve around The Leadership Challenge practices.

I know that there is more to leadership than what I have shared; hence, why I am in this course.  I hope that through this class I will have a better understanding of the difficulties leaders in colleges and universities face and how to work through the unknown.