I began to explore my leadership style early on in my Freshman year. I was elected as president of the Spanish Club my second semester and so my leadership skill were put to the test. Being my first leadership position in college I had many expectations, but I soon realized the value of adaptability (Values Level 1). Casting aside an idea you have put forth is never easy, but realizing that it is best for the team is a humbling experience. This was my experience as many of the ideas that I first put forth did not fit well with the rest of the board members. It was my job as president of the club to accomplish our purpose of bringing the Spanish language to students, but also to make sure that the rest of the team could do so as well in a positive manner (Teams Level 1). During my second semester as President of the club a new Vice President was elected who was particularly gifted at incorporating creative ideas and activities for our meetings. I realized that she did a far better job at this than I did, so I decided it was best to let her fulfil the role she was naturally talented in (Teams Level 2). Not letting pride get in the way and being able to take on differing roles depending on the needs of the team is one of the greatest lessons I took from my time as President of Spanish Club.

My Mentor Philosophy course involve much introspection. We learned about Emotional Intelligence in particular and also revisited our StrengthsFinder qualities taken from introductory Honors courses. Although the test measured a different thing, there was an apparent relationship between Emotional Intelligence and the StrenghtsFinder. My primary strengths were in ideation, achievement, and intellection. This combination is often present in leaders who are involved behind the scenes and hands on with the numbers and the data. Coincidently, my weakest trait in Emotional Intelligence was connectedness to people. I found that this was an accurate reflection of my leadership style. As I mentioned previously, I found it easy to let the Vice President of the Spanish Club take over meetings since this was a role she did better. I also found myself more involved with other administrative details of the club (Values Level 2). Still, I realized circumstances change with every group and decided to not only improve my strengths, but also to work on my weaknesses. Being a mentor meant that I had to develop a professional, yet sincere, relationship with another student. Interestingly enough, I also found myself doing just that with students outside the Honors course. Over the course of a few months I built a mentoring relationship with students outside the Honors Program and we eventually began to discuss the possibility of them joining the program. I answered many of the questions and concerns they had and I was pleased to find out that they had applied and been accepted not long after.

           

I experienced one of the most effective leadership lessons while serving as the Junior Class Representative of the Honors Program. The position had many important roles and cooperation was crucial. A major project each class representative was tasked with was putting together a community service event. For my project I chose to do Rake the Town, a popular event held in the fall. I utilized many of my strengths for this event as it involved much planning and coordination behind the scenes. However, it also involved coordinating with my other team members to communicate the specifics of the events to all volunteers. I reached out to our council secretary and others who worked closely with social media to communicate the specifics of the events with all interested (Teams Level 3). This reflects well the greater purpose we served as student council leaders. We were charged with bringing the questions and concerns of the general Honors student body to the Faculty led Honors Council. Although I learned much about leadership in my position of class representative, I learned many great lessons while attending the Honors Council meetings. Despite being just college students in a room full of faculty making important decisions, we did not feel like just college students. In fact, we felt a sense of respect and empowerment not often felt as a student. Students success was a real priority. Seeing this style of leadership from our directors and advisors was a real inspiration. So much so, that the authentic care and empowerment I felt immediately became a practice in my leadership style (Values Level 3).

           

Research is very important in the field of psychology, so I was very thankful when I got the opportunity to be Vice President of the Psychology Honors society, or Psi Chi. Being in this position meant that I would be mostly in charge of running the research meetings for our club. At first it felt comfortable to slip into a familiar role of researcher. However, I realized that this differed from the other research positions I occupied. My responsibilities went beyond being a researcher. In a way, I wanted to inspire our club members that they may acknowledge the great importance of research (Values Level 4). This position involved managing differing research experience and interest to guide a team from the formation of an idea, the creation of a survey, collection of results, and finally the completion of a research study. Through this process, I had many ideas for the direction of the project. However, I recalled the greater purpose of my role. I recalled how great it felt to be empowered and acknowledged that I used this as an opportunity share this empowerment with our members. I practiced a more authentic leadership, and when the situation called for it, a democratic leadership style. Other times, previous experience proved valuable and executive decisions were taken (Teams Level 4).

Above all, I realized the value of adaptability as a leader. Being able to identify how you can best serve your team or organization is an invaluable skill, and one that is challenging and always subject to improvement (Values Level 4). I have been fortunate to have many leadership experiences throughout my time in college. Some better than other, and all challenging in their own way. I have learned practical skills and done much introspection which has improved the way in which I lead. However, if there was only one lesson I could take from it all, it would be what my Freshman self did but perhaps did not realize—to not be afraid to lead. I believe I am a better leader now than I was before, but I also realize that this is not the end of my learning experience. If I want to continue to grow, I have to do what I did when I was just a Freshman and have the courage take charge, no matter the outcome. The lessons to be learned outweigh any missteps along the way.