Over the past few days I got the amazing opportunity to be part of the RA Retreat and some leadership classes. I thought I knew what leadership truly meant and was fully capable and ready to become an RA. However, there is so much to learn!!!! There are so many personalities and identities that we as individuals aren’t aware of. Whether we are part of a dominant and/or subordinate group within society. These factors aren’t probably important to us at this moment, but as leaders to make real progress between different identities within a group, one has to know how to successfully address the hurdles from any angle. Therefore, I ask you to take a minute and look around you and see from a third person’s view of how you fit in a group and what you contribute or how others’ identities affect the group tone and progress. According to Richard Grant, “The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes a purpose.” If we realize how different and dynamic true identities of the people within our group are, then we can use it through diversity to make real change and progress as leaders of today. If you want to read more about self and social identity, which is a similar and cool concept as well (Purdue University).
What do you think?
Is it important to embrace individual identities to make a group stronger or should we label a group as one to be strong? Which one is better?
Let me know what you think!!! (:
February 6th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
Embracing the different identities within a group makes group stronger. If the whole group was labeled as strong the individual strengths of the individuals would be masked. Figuring out the different assets of a group is key in building a strong functioning group.
February 6th, 2013 at 8:12 pm
I definetely believe that exploring and accepting the identities of a group’s members as individuals is important. We can all learn something from everyone we know, and we can all teach them something as well. Real change comes from those in the dominant group really accepting those in the subordinate group and working along side them to advocate change. However, it also requires that those in the subordinate group be able to see why those is the dominant group want to join in their crusades and that they also respect their ideas and contributions. There are litterally a ton of types of dominant/subordinate groups out there and I truely believe that everyone is part of a least one subordinate group, so we should all know how it feels and want to lend a hand.
February 8th, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Embracing individuality is key! As our speaker mentioned, however, it is important to break down the combination of groups that create your individual identity and examine which groups you belong to an whether they are dominant or subordinate. There is no shame in being in a dominant group – in order to create change it is absolutely necessary for dominant and subordinate groups to cooperate. Just look at history.
February 13th, 2013 at 11:06 am
I prefer to look at the entire group as a whole. How does the group work together? How does the group handle issues together both outside and inside the group? I feel that embracing the individual causes difficulties in the project. I think we are just one whole group that works just as that a group.