Lead as You Wish to be Led

Leadership is an idea which may not be easily defined. Having delved into the topic more in-depth the past seven weeks has proven the idea that one definition is incapable of encompassing every leadership role. However, there is a set of ideals that are needed to transfer between each leadership role. With this being said, I love how the book proposes the topic as a philosophy, and one which should be unique to the individual.  So, what is leadership? For me, it's never leading in a way in which you yourself wouldn't want to be led. I always expect leaders to be moral, centered around the good of others, and possessing superior communication skills.

Ethics is the central concept to how I live my life, and in turn my leadership style. Having dealt with people possessing corrupt values gave me a sense of distrust. There is the old adage, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me," which relates to my idea of unethical leadership. Once I realized how inefficient and untrustworthy an unethical leader was, I vowed to never follow one again and surely not be one myself.  Being corrupt is one way to get to the top, but it also provides a faster way to fall down to the bottom.  Centering yourself around others is another way to lead morally.  Anytime an individual is in a group, whether it be in a position or as a follower, they should be concerned with the good of the group.  

Communication is an idea which the classroom lacked at points throughout the course. It's a hard topic to address and overcome being that everyone has their own personalities. Undoubtedly, there are always people whom like to out-talk others, while other individuals are more quiet. Communication is less about talking in leadership, however, and centered more towards listening. When you're in charge of leading others, it is your job to get their voices and opinions heard which can only be accomplished through listening. While this idea is far from new to me, it stood out as a result of the class not communicating effectively with one another.

Leadership evolves through a person's life experiences creating specific emphasis on different values. If you asked me in middle school what being a leader means my answer would have been a vague list of traits. However, thanks to both positive and negative experiences over the past years I've fine tuned this list to a precise set of values. The greatest change ESHESA 2570 has made on my thoughts toward leadership is the idea of inclusiveness. In the past, I would've never concerned myself with the diversity of a group. However, class has opened my eyes to how varying opinions can be. For a leader to assist a group effectively, they must first understand the diversity present amongst the members. Overall, while ESHESA has been beneficial in building my views toward leadership, I know my opinions on the topic will continue to grow with my life experiences. 

Re-framing My Take on Leadership

            It's difficult to compress the abounding amount of mental notes I have taken throughout the classes. I have experienced different viewpoints, and appreciated learning peer's perspectives to broaden my own. Every classmates has provided me with a perspective regarding the ideal leader through their thoughts and experiences. However, this previous meeting taught me more than just theories and opinions.  

            EHSEA class setting is similar to that of any group or organization in which a leader may be a part of. It is centered around conversation with the intent of having everyone in the meeting take part. Typically, there is one, or a handful, of people who distance themselves by not partaking in the conversation. When leading a meeting I have also attributed a person's meekness as a sign of an uninterest, therefore allowing them to sit in silence. Without a doubt this past class session taught me how wrong I have been regarding this idea.

            Leo is a fellow classmate who frankly I did not know what his name was, nor had I ever heard a word come from him. Thanks to the in-class activity I finally got to meet who Leo is. There is no doubt I was hesitant to pair with him as I thought we would have difficulty holding a conversation, but was astonished when the quiet guy easily talked with me regarding his interests and personal life.

            Talking with Leo got me thinking about inclusiveness in the Relational Leadership Model combined with the recent discussion of introverts. How do we take the idea of inclusiveness  and conform it to introverts? Clearly, Leo wasn't shy to share about his life with me he just seems unwilling to in a large group setting. This is a shame as he is pleasant and knowledgeable.

            Having grown up in a different culture than my own I am interested to get his take on leadership. As Exploring Leadership for College Students Who Want to Make a Difference puts it, "The purpose, vision, and values of the whole come to life as each individual member describes and applies them" (Komives 2007). Therefore, it is difficult to be considered a whole when not everyone is contributing. Inclusiveness is about mixing cultures but that is hard in a setting where Leo seems unwilling to share. 

            What I have learned, thanks to Leo, is sometimes it's important to individualize the group. This means that if a peer seems uninterested, I will talk to them on a one-on-one basis. Having introverted tendencies myself, I understand how it may be easier for individual conversation as opposed to that of groups. I would never want the individual to feel uncomfortable, so the conversation would take place outside the meeting. Therefore, going forward I will make all attempts to have every individuals opinions expressed, because sometimes the best ideas are those that go unheard. 

A Leader's Values

Leaders are among the soundest members in the group when it pertains to values. As with leadership, there again is no correct formula as to what value someone in an authoritative role must encompass. Being well-rounded, yet strong in the values of main importance to you is of upmost interest. With that being said, when it comes to leadership for me, the golden value to posses overall is honesty.

As touched upon in my class example, I have experienced group members twisted values and the overall effect. I was in a group selling t-shirts for the boys basketball state game when I was in high school. There was no defined leader of said group (our first mistake). Instead everyone naturally took roles best suited for them. When it came time to hand out the t-shirts to the customers it was revealed the member handling finances had overcharged each t-shirt by two dollars. Some people may observe a two dollar overcharge as nothing to make a fuss about. It's only a few bucks, right? Well, that is by no means how I viewed it. Our group had a decision to make. Do we confront the problem member or just let it slide in an attempt to save our reputation? Needless to say, the group confronted the unethical member and unveiled to the school what had transpired. 

Being a part of this group was an embarrassment and has since sculpted my view regarding the values of an effective leader. First off, the group should have assigned an operations overseer  as a leading figure to prevent foul play. On top of assigned roles, there should have been stronger examination into the morals of all group members. Yes, it is important having a leader with a high standard of morals but it's a group and every member should be held accountable. Not only was the corrupt member's reputation tarnished, but my hands were also blooded as I was associated with the group. This is why being ethical and moral are of superior importance in the values of leadership.

Aside from honesty, communication is key. Without an effective dialogue to present ideas it is impossible to influence people.  A prime example was Tuesdays class with the puzzle. My group had an open communication environment where each individual participated and was heard. When team members had an idea to solve the puzzle they presented it with clarity and illustrated it in a way that was comprehensible to everyone.   Multiple ideas where built off one another until we came to a reasonable conclusion. The situation was high tension, but my group left the lines of communication open and it paid off through trusting one another and listening to each others thoughts. Clearly, there are many more values present even within these examples, but honesty and communication are my main focuses when in leadership.  

My Relationship with Leadership

        Tuesday's class was scattered with a little voice in my head saying, "Oh my gosh what have I done, what have I signed myself up for, I don't know enough about leadership to hold such philosophical conversations!". Clearly, I was being dramatic but I truly felt as though my lack of experience would result in me being less beneficial to the class. Through this inferior thought process I was left reminded as to why I signed up for the class initially. ESHESA 2570 came to my attention as I scoured buckeyelink in an attempt to pick up some last minute credits, but credits that would prove useful. As the cartoon on the ESHESA 2570 blog addressed, it is more beneficial to get the mind thinking then simply memorizing unprofitable facts. So, why not take a class on team organization which will present me with strong transferable life skills?
         Leadership is precisely what I need to be studying at this time as I struggle to find ways to get involved. Being involved has always been a passion of mine, but it's been missing since my transition to OSU. My goal is to gain the confidence and skills to explore a leading role within the university or community. I need to start now as I have began planning for my masters program. It is important to me that I showcase my ability to be a leader. Anytime leadership is presented on an application it shows the student posses initiative and the desire to have an impact. Hopefully, this class will explore how to get started as a leader along with the roles of every individual within the team. I am eager to hear my classmates ideas on the various topics resulting in an expansion of my present views. If this is meet, I have no doubt I will be better poised to return back to my passion accompanied with even stronger, more valuable skills.
        After throwing around the word leader and leadership it is important to take a step back and evaluate what leadership means to me. Is there even a clear cut definition? If I began to create a definition to leadership this paragraph would never end, and trust me when I say neither of us want that. But, to me, the most valuable component is the silent leader. It is someone who has gained the honor and respect from their cohorts. This person, or persons, often make substantial improvement towards the overall goal but doesn't feel a need to draw attention to their contributions. Basically, being humble is an important aspect. A leader needs to account for everyone's viewpoint and realize what is best for the overall good, not just what in their eyes is right or wrong. Clearly, as just stated there is no wrong or right definition to leadership, but throughout the following weeks I plan to open mind-idly explores other's viewpoints.