Public Leadership
Three Semester Review
To the credit of the Public Leadership scholars program, my understanding of leadership has grown tremendously. Prior to starting Public Leadership, my knowledge of governance was considerably close minded and limited. I saw leadership as simply being in charge of a group of people when it is far more than this. Thanks to the Public Leadership scholars program, I now know that leadership is the ability to influence a group of people towards a vision. Furthermore, I can confidently echo that leadership consists of emotional intelligence, different styles of leading, a combination of natural and learned traits, and a strong goal all of which is backed by supporters. All in all, the past three semesters of Public Leadership have transitioned my vague understanding into a more complex appreciation for guiding.
My Leadership Style
After taking Public Leadership, I have identified my leadership style as a citizen leader with a strong sense of emotional intelligence. To start, I perceive myself as a citizen authority figure. As a reminder, a citizen leader is someone who is not looking for control but rather stumbles upon it due to a deep sense of responsibility for the community. Personally, I am not someone who purposely strives to be a leader; after-all, I like to keep to myself and do not always love the attention that comes with power. Needless to say, whether it is within group projects in academia, my job, social circles, etc., I often find myself in charge out of respect of trying to achieve something. Especially in group projects, I often feel that the best way to accomplish the work is to organize and lead. Furthermore, I feel that emotional intelligence is one of my strengths when it comes to leadership. Emotional intelligence consists of five main attributes: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills. I believe that I am confident (to an extent) in all of these parts of emotional intelligence. I feel that I have a strong understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, can manage my emotions well (especially in high pressure situations), am highly motivated, can appreciate other’s feelings, and can connect with others well. Overall, my strength within emotional intelligence is relatability; I am competent when it comes to finding common ground with new people and inspiring through interaction.
Artifacts from my Studies
There are a few projects throughout my time in the Public Leadership scholars program that have shaped my understanding of leadership. Firstly, a position paper on whether concealed carry (of a firearm) should be permitted at the University of Maryland or not helped develop my persuasive skills. I believe that this paper on gun control issues is a fantastic representation of organizing my thoughts, pursuing an in depth argument, and appreciating the opposing side’s opinions. The ability to present an argument efficiently is a crucial task for a leader. Moreover, this past semester, I wrote a paper on my personal leadership philosophy, using former first lady Michelle Obama as a demonstration of this. This paper has aided me in crafting my personal beliefs on leadership - my ideal leader being someone who oozes passion and inspiration all while remaining authentic. Finally, I put together an analysis of the leadership style of Greta Thunberg, a world renowned climate change activist. My exploration of her authority style has pushed me to better appreciate my own way of governance while acknowledging the pros and cons of differing leadership techniques.
Personal Use of Leadership Studies
I have used my studies from Public Leadership the most for my job as a Resident Assistant. The Resident Assistant’s duty is to role model positive behavior, foster an environment of unity and acceptance, and develop positive interpersonal relationships with their residents - in essence, be a leader for residents. Public Leadership has really helped me identify a leadership technique for appropriately guiding my peers. The greatest lesson learned (that I was able to apply to this job) is how to balance between trusting and relating with my students while disciplining when needed without wrecking relationships; it is a fine, but difficult, balance to achieve.