The four subcategories of this competency are: Foundational and Theoretical Principles of Leadership, Self-Awareness and Continual Reflection, Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills, and Change Management and Innovation. In each of these, I find that the disposition for each taken together forms a comprehensive look at what successful leadership looks like. 

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• Foundational and Theoretical Principles of Leadership: Disposition to view leadership broadly, as a complex response to addressing the needs of people and organizations

• Self-Awareness and Continual Reflection: Disposition to reflect on one’s influence and to exhibit congruence between thoughts and leadership.

• Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills: Disposition to identify and develop skills of self and others.

• Change Management and Innovation: Dispositions to consult stakeholders; to think strategically, critically, and creatively; to take action in the face of criticism; to exhibit confidence in the capacity of individuals to organize and take action.

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When I reflect on leadership that I have experienced, I can say that the greatest examples I have come into contact with, embody these dispositions. Using these dispositions alone, I am able to outline the work of one of my most memorable supervisors. He possesses a complex understanding of how to manage those that worked with him, and in that, he took the time to manage and lead on both an individual level as well as a departmental level. As he held a high position, this also manifested itself as providing leadership to the entire college. He understood the foundational and theoretical principles of what it took to lead. Additionally, this leader knew how to grow from adversity, and change his approach as needed. He also knew how to develop the ability and capacity to grow, in his staff. He did both by being self-aware, and through continual reflection. This person, to me, demonstrated what real teamwork was meant to look like, and with it, what could be accomplished. He brought everyone in the department to the table when it came to talks about change. He consulted with the staff that he supervised, but also with those around campus, and with those who held intersecting roles, as needed. When projects arose that could be managed outside of his direct purview, he exhibited confidence in the capacity of the team to organize and take action – a confidence he had because he had helped to cultivate this team. Lastly, he was always transparent, because he knew that in order to work together toward common goals – be them small or grand – it was critical to have everyone on the same page.   

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This is an exceptional example of leadership, and one that I aspire to model my own leadership after. I believe that while I lack certain finite education to be able to consider myself to be at the intermediate level, after taking an average of where I land in each of the subcategories, it would be a disservice to myself to consider myself as foundational. The leadership competency is one for me that although I believe that I have a good grasp of the concepts involved, I have trouble articulating. This is where my education in the HESAA program is going to be very helpful.

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In the first category of Foundational and Theoretical Principles of Leadership, I am confident that I meet all of the foundational competencies. My success in the field of education thus far is based on my knowledge of and understanding of the vision that is outlined in documents like the Student Learning Imperative (ACPA, 1994), and the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs (ACPA & NASPA, 1996). I am also self-aware to my own strengths and weaknesses, and take frequent steps to grow from perceived weakness. I would say that returning to school to obtain a master’s degree mid-career, falls into this category. I understand and can articulate what great leadership looks like, and what a great leader is, but where I feel I fall short is my knowledge of leadership models. This is something that I have not been exposed to either casually through research of my own, or formally in a school or work setting. Therefore, as I work towards learning what those models entail, by attending more conferences and conversations around leadership, and hopefully also in courses like Internship I and Internship II as a part of my degree, I will learn, too, how to put those theories and models into action.

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As my competency relates to Self-Awareness and Critical Reflection, I believe that I am within the intermediate level of this subcategory. I attempt at all times to critically reflect on my authentic self, and let that shine through in the ways that I represent myself as a leader. As someone who is a passionate advocate for students, I try to express that authentic passion to those around me. Although I serve the people of my institution, I know that many look to me for guidance and leadership. I feel that I am able to inspire others with my passion by helping others to also critically reflect upon the truths that they themselves hold. One thing that I love to do is find more opportunities for training and feedback as often as possible. As an example, I make it a priority to go to workshops surrounding cultural competency, and encourage others to do so, as well. Seeing through our own shortcomings and overcoming them with education is what I feel this category is all about.

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Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills is also a category in which I would consider myself intermediate. I have countless examples of working collaboratively as a part of a team to successfully complete projects, and beyond that, have been fortunate to be a part of great departmental teams. From my committee work with putting on Commencement at Onondaga Community College, to the Online Tuition Appeals Committee at Colorado State University, I feel that all successful teams that I have been a part of have been so due to my ability, and the abilities of my teammates to engage and encourage one another. Functional teams that I have been on have been full of honest feedback. For example, at UCLA, I worked with a team to brainstorm and implement an antiquated work-flow process for the Law Library’s course reserves. In order to brainstorm, team members have to provide each other the space to get it wrong, and get feedback to each other’s ideas. Additionally, this category really provides the backbone for mentorship and role modeling, providing training to those who look up to you, and looking for training from those on your team that you look up to. I have experience with both ends of the spectrum, and am grateful for the people who have enabled me to be the role model I am able to be for certain students and supervisees.

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The last category for Change Management and Innovation is one that again I feel I land at an intermediate level. This category truly speaks to my soul in that I actively advocate on the behalf of students for change that I believe needs to be made to ensure success. One example of this is when I worked with students using Tuition Assistance at Colorado State University. As I took over this role, I was immediately faced with a challenge that was creating life altering difficulties for the students that I was working with. As the person in a role of leadership, I needed to do all that was within my power to get policies changed so that these students would not be forced to withdraw from school. I had to share data, student perspectives, and seek innovative solutions with my superiors, and I had to work collaboratively with not only the affected students and my superiors, but also high ranking governmental officials to remedy the situation. Ultimately, the work that I put into this conflict altered the course of the resolution and I was able to provide an innovative way in which to change the way that an entire system was being managed. To me, what the advanced level of this category looks like, is being able to do what I did in that one instance, at a higher scale and with more frequency.

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Since my first semester as a student in this program I have encountered over a dozen people in leadership roles as they relate specifically to me and my journey. Bosses, department heads, leaders of extracurricular trips, mentors, advisors - and all of them have taught me more about what a good and bad leader is composed of. More importantly, I've learned to see the nuances of leadership and how one leader may not be all good or all bad, but rather of a mixture of both coming out somewhere in the middle. Although I have been surrounded by folks in leadership roles throughout my entire career, I have not reflected as critically and with such an educated outlook in the past as I have this past year and a half. Like the leader that I spoke about in the paragraphs above, I believe that my roles in leadership should be able to unite and promote team collaboration and growth opportunities. In my recent HEA 620 Planning and Finance Class, we learned about what Jim Collins calls Level 5 Leaders. These leaders are powerful and willful, yet humble, kind, straight forward, and have an immutable desire to see their company (or in our case, college) succeed. This is a concept that while I have seen glimmers of in the leadership at schools I have worked for, seems almost too good to be true. According to Collins, this is the kind of leader that is needed to bring the greatest level of success to any one company.

 

Although I do not foresee my path being a leader of a collage, I feel that I can take with me this concept and apply it to any level that I find myself in a place of leadership. In my current role, while it is minimal, I do serve in a small leadership capacity. The student clubs in my purview look to me for guidance on budget and finance, rules, and policy as they relate to our school within the greater university. The internal work that I have done in HEA 624 and HEA 625 Internship I & II, as well as the work I am doing in HEA 620 as mentioned above, are elevating my understanding of how to manage these budgets, and how to offer guidance to the students in a way that is respectful to them and their expertise, as well as by doing right for the department and university. I also lead planning initiatives for all of the student events run out of our office - the greatest example being Commencement. Although I have been in my position for just a short time thus far, I have started to see students come to me more - and with more confidence that I will be able to help them. I feel that with more experience over time, a quasi-state of Level 5 leadership is something that I will be able to achieve. I am actively pursuing more education in the field of leadership models and theories. In my last semester as a HESAA graduate student, I will be attending the national ACPA (American College Personnel Association) conference for the first time, and anticipate building my knowledge through educational sessions on the topic. My time as a graduate student has been filled with opportunities like this, and it is my intention that by the time I graduate in May of 2020, I will have continued this concerted effort to understand leadership and be well on my way to becoming a leader in my field.