The leadership competency is demonstrated by understanding the 2 major themes: values and teams. To do this, I first had to identify my own personal leadership values. I did this by taking the Introduction to Honors course. We learned how to use our individual strengths to become leaders. The Strengths Finder Assessment allowed me to identify my top five personal strengths as a leader: consistency, harmony, input, intellectual, and restorative. Learning more about these strengths, and using them in my leadership experiences at Mankato State University, led me to develop my own personal leadership style.
A vital concept of leadership is the ability to consider the roles in a group and reflect on how they contribute to the team. My first experience with this was when I volunteered as a science fair judge and had to work with a group to collectively judge and award the student projects. It taught me how to be a team player, and I learned that although we were all judging the same projects, each person had their own unique contributions. My second experience with this was when I was doing research under a professor. When I was in my fourth year of college, I was promoted to lead team researcher. As the lead researcher, I was responsible for overseeing the group and teaching the techniques and procedures to the others. This role forced me to understand how each student played a role in the group and how to integrate each student’s contribution.
The ability to critique leadership is also a vital part of the competency. My first critique was actually a critique of my own leadership style. I did this while I was a peer tutor. I was responsible for teaching a Pakistani girl things such as studying tips and time management, as well as tutoring her in her science classes. This was my first experience as a leader, and I had to quickly learn what approaches worked and which ones did not. At my workplace, I had an opportunity to critique my own boss and his leadership style. As the assistant manager, I oversee a team of people and must direct them to properly run the store. Before I was promoted to this position, I was able to watch how my manager chose to lead the team, and learn from him. I used these critiques to practice being a leader myself to drive my team towards a common goal.
The final test of the leadership competency is the ability to use everything that I have learned and apply my theories of leadership to the real world within a group setting. I had my chance to do this when I was selected by corporate to go to California as a team trainer at the opening of a new store. I had to reflect on what I had learned and decide what kind of leader I wanted to be because I oversaw a large group of people and only had three days to teach them what they needed to know. I learned that I couldn’t be everyone’s friend and that I often had to be tough to make sure everyone was on track. This role allowed me to reflect on my five strengths as a leader and decide how and when I wanted to use them to be the most effective leader I could be. I took all my knowledge and applied it to the real world to demonstrate my understanding of the leadership competency.
A vital concept of leadership is the ability to consider the roles in a group and reflect on how they contribute to the team. My first experience with this was when I volunteered as a science fair judge and had to work with a group to collectively judge and award the student projects. It taught me how to be a team player, and I learned that although we were all judging the same projects, each person had their own unique contributions. My second experience with this was when I was doing research under a professor. When I was in my fourth year of college, I was promoted to lead team researcher. As the lead researcher, I was responsible for overseeing the group and teaching the techniques and procedures to the others. This role forced me to understand how each student played a role in the group and how to integrate each student’s contribution.
The ability to critique leadership is also a vital part of the competency. My first critique was actually a critique of my own leadership style. I did this while I was a peer tutor. I was responsible for teaching a Pakistani girl things such as studying tips and time management, as well as tutoring her in her science classes. This was my first experience as a leader, and I had to quickly learn what approaches worked and which ones did not. At my workplace, I had an opportunity to critique my own boss and his leadership style. As the assistant manager, I oversee a team of people and must direct them to properly run the store. Before I was promoted to this position, I was able to watch how my manager chose to lead the team, and learn from him. I used these critiques to practice being a leader myself to drive my team towards a common goal.
The final test of the leadership competency is the ability to use everything that I have learned and apply my theories of leadership to the real world within a group setting. I had my chance to do this when I was selected by corporate to go to California as a team trainer at the opening of a new store. I had to reflect on what I had learned and decide what kind of leader I wanted to be because I oversaw a large group of people and only had three days to teach them what they needed to know. I learned that I couldn’t be everyone’s friend and that I often had to be tough to make sure everyone was on track. This role allowed me to reflect on my five strengths as a leader and decide how and when I wanted to use them to be the most effective leader I could be. I took all my knowledge and applied it to the real world to demonstrate my understanding of the leadership competency.