by Lori Lawson
I really want to spend this last blog post of the semester assessing the changes I have seen since “Piedmont 2nd” first came together to form the super power of the combined Leadership and Community Engagement and Sustainability LLC floor. First, I would like to start with my own progress. While this self-reflection may not pertain to you specifically, I think you will be able to find some similarities in the way you grew as a leader. I know that I came into this experience as a sort established leader. I had organized events, ran service projects, and been elected to many leadership positions – no of which mattered here. The application process was over, I got accepted. Now I stood at the bottom of the totem pole.
Being at the bottom again was a highly uncomfortable experience for me. I had worked so hard to be the paragon of a student. For at least a week or two I was stuck on this fact. once discussion in class continued, however, I began to realize how much this didn’t matter. Being a leader wasn’t about all of the physical things I established and the titles I held, but more about the lessons I learned form those experiences. While the experiences themselves may be in my past, I have these skills to carry onward into the future. I wasn’t at the bottom, I had a head start.
Once I realized this I began to grow as a leader even more. I realized I really don’t need those titles and tasks to be a good leader and person. I saw first hand how unofficial leadership can be just as strong, or stronger, than the traditional organized style I had grown so accustomed to. Leadership and community engagement became about working collaboratively and maximizing the output of whatever we put into something. Once I abandoned all of the preconceived notions about what leadership should be is truly the only time I got a glimpse into what it really is.
Looking around me at the end of the semester, I see a lot of this revelations in the people around me. People who one discredited formal leadership now see its place and those who have never led before are taking charge. So, Leadership and Community Engagement LLC, great job! The lessons we have learned this semester are lessons that will carry us on into the future, giving us the edge we need. By adopting the principles we have learned into our everyday lives, we will never truly return to the bottom of the totem pole. Just never forget, things aren’t always what they seem!
December 5th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
There were many aspects of leadership that I had already known before I came to the LLC, but I agree with you when you say that the experience has taught you a lot about different leaders and their leadership styles. It is one thing to know something, and another to see it in action everyday!
December 5th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
This class taught me that there are a lot of theories that can be applied to leadership. Each person on the hall has their own style of leading. We have a very diverse group. The diversity comes with each persons background and ethnicity, but really how each person leads a group differently. With that, this diversity of ideas has enhanced the groups leadership capabilities.