Leadership synthesis

Reflection #10- What have you done to work on your leadership style? What are your plans and goals going forward?

I have realized that regardless of what my LPI results said, I’m really bad at “encouraging the heart.” I just tend to hold people up to very high standards and don’t really think people should be thanked all the time, because it takes away from the value of it. Then again, if I never thank them or say good job, etc. then it’s not doing much good either. So this is one area where I have consciously tried to improve—as I mentioned in class, I often write them down so that it’s almost like a to do list thing. I don’t know if that’s making it meaningless, but whatever works. Another very important lesson that I have learned is to reserve judgment until I know ALL the facts and have heard from every perspective. It’s not like I jumped to conclusions at the very first comment before I took this class, but just that sometimes, reserving judgment helps both the persons involved and you. My plan and future goals in terms of leadership is that I am looking forward to being an RA and using what I have learned in this class to other leadership positions. In the meetings I’ve had so far, I have heard some very creative ideas from many individuals. On that note, I think one of the best resources for a leader is from individuals from within the group. As such, I will capitalize on the ideas provided by the group and hope that helps not only in the planning I have to do as a student leader, but also in the actual skills that I will take with me, beyond my position.

Helping someone...what I did

Think of a time when you have helped someone through a tough time. Was it a good friends or someone you just knew? How did you know what to do/what to say? What would you do differently if the same situation came up again?

One of my friends, let’s call her Taylor for privacy’s sake, was just really spent out during the end of one of the earlier semester. We all know what it’s like at the end, when you’re trying to cram in papers and assignments at the last minute while studying for finals, etc. So one day, while we were all working together, Taylor just put down her pen, closed her computer, and said she was done. She was well aware that her grade in one of her classes depended on the presentation on which she was working, but I guess with everything else that was going on at that point, she had just had enough. I certainly did not want her to ruin her grade so I took her powerpoint notes and made a presentation for her. Of course, I didn’t do every bit, but I did enough to give her an outline that organized her thoughts and made it possible for her to do the least amount of work that would help maintain her grade. How did I know that doing her assignment for her would help? Well, it was a little obvious since that was what she was working on. But, sometimes even if it seems like doing someone else’s work for them is going a too far, that’s really all she needed. I was also really assertive and told her that I wasn’t let her throw away her grade. Seeing how keen I was, it just helped her get back her focus and take it from there. If the same situation came up, I would do something similar. I don’t think for one minute that Taylor is lazy or something like that—everybody needs a break now and then and if I can, I’ll give her that break.

Advice for young women leaders

-Be honest: be honest with both yourself and the people whom you are leading. Overarching goals are a very difficult to accomplish so be honest about just what you can accomplish so that you are satisfied, so that the people you lead are satisfied when the goals are met, and so that your job doesn’t seem impossible
-Be a go-getter: there are too many people in the world for you to be considered “special” enough to have people falling over you with opportunities. Instead, it is your responsibility to actively seek out the things that you want to do so that you continually expand on your aims and goals.
-Set realistic goals but aim high: remember you have other obligations as well so as I discussed above, don’t set goals you won’t accomplish; at the same time, higher expectations engender increased efficiency so don’t lower your standards regardless of time, other duties, etc.
-Be respectful of everyone: you never know whose help you need when so even if you cannot stand someone, feel free to not like them, but be diplomatic about it
-Be a woman makes you just as able as a man: I’m not a feminist. I’m not a masculinist, if that term even exists. I am a person. I am confident that regardless of my gender, I can clearly articulate my goals in a way such that others can share or diplomatically refute my ideas. I am positive that I can do what I want if I set my mind to it. These are my views and they’ve come in handy so in a nutshell, play to your strengths and improve your weakness would be my closing words.

Productive Leaders

What do you think makes you a productive leader? How do you get things done... and is there anything you'd like to do better?

My definition of “productive” is, as the question continues, one who does the things that he/she is supposed to do in a timely and appropriate manner. Key criteria that make a productive leader are having organization, delegation, and communication skills. In seventh grade, my social studies teacher told our class to memorize the following: “Organization is the key to success; success is organization” While my classmates and I did as he said, it has taken me many years to understand the true value of the lesson. Organization is not simply a matter of stacking papers in an orderly fashion; instead, organization encompasses the strategies of thoughtful planning, decision making, and implementing.
On the note of implementing, a productive leader also understands his/her limits enough to know that delegation of responsibilities is more effective than is shouldering all duties alone. However, a leader’s responsibility does not end with delegation: she must not only elect trustworthy individuals who are sure to complete their task, but must also confirm/remind them of their duties. After all, while delegation empowers the individual members of a group, it is ultimately the duty of the leader to ensure the completion of a given task. Thus, a leader must know to whom and to what extent the responsibilities must be distributed.
Lastly, since a leader is only defined as a leader relative to his group and others, it is crucial that she engages in fruitful communication both within and between the groups. Frequent and open communication prevents miscommunication and infighting that could have been avoided. In addition, it also broadens the group by informing the community about the group’s aims and missions. As a result, not only will the goals of the team be accomplished more readily, but also the membership of the group may increase and bring talents that move the group forward.

Madsen Presidents

What have you learned from Madsen's book? How have you seen yourself or other women around you represented in the stories of these women presidents?

As a student attending a women’s college, I am sometimes tired of the word “woman.” I understand the importance of stressing gender discrepancies, the history of discrimination, and other factors that make the politicization of women a necessary thing. At the same time, I also think that as a women’s college, we are sometimes so sucked into the whirlpool of “woman” that we fail to see the larger dynamics that govern the treatment and relationships of women. It is for this reason that I immediately resented having to read the Madsen book, for after all, here was another plethora of stories that glorified women leaders as though they were unreachable exceptions to frail and delicate beings, special leaders who were special not because of their abilities, but because of their gender.
While I would argue that the book does impart this gender glorifying motif, I suppose it also addresses things that are essential for a leader but beyond the circumscriptions of gender. For instance, one of the presidents recalled her upbringing and how her educational years helped shaped who she became. I can attest to this entirely, for my experiences in high school and more so in college have been instrumental in defining my values. In addition, considering the various backgrounds from which these presidents arose, I am able to see these individuals reflected in my classmates, be it in their personality or histories.
However, I still maintain that the vast majority of what Madsen highlighted was not unique to women, but simply to able and diligent leaders. Regardless of what I have learned from these presidents, I still maintain that distinguishing a leader as a woman leader should only be done if the actions of the leader merit the distinction. In other words, if the “woman leader” in question does what any “man (?) leader” would do, then I do not think that her actions deserve any special praise. So what have I learned from Madsen’s book? I have learned that accentuating the differences in gender is important, but is sometimes unwarranted. I have also relearned a very important lesson: diligence is rewarded and comes to fruition and it is independent of gender.

University X

If I were to design a University...hmmm interesting question and this post might be longer than 250 words. To begin with, I am going to name it University X for the purposes of this blog. University X will be a liberal arts coeducational college with approximately 2000 undergraduate students. The following lists specific areas where I would make changes from a typical college:
Financial aid: in addition to state and federal aid and institutional aid, University X will also provide every incoming freshman with a job that is outside of the campus. This way, the students will not only be "forced" (I'm looking for a softer word) to explore the world outside of the college, but also find a constructive way of earning. These jobs would be picked by lottery, and as they progress through college, by skill level. For instance, first-years can be matched up with private residences looking for a babysitter or a clerking position at a corporate office. Upperclassmen can be paired up with internships. Although Chatham does have a resource for jobs and internships, the only students who make use of it are the ones who are willing to take the initiative. The above alternative really hits the concept of the job market off-campus to the first-years. Of course, students will be matched based on their interests and can refuse, but a higher percentage will be willing to go after the suggested job than if they have to find it for themselves at a later time.
Environment: University X will be an entirely green campus: green technology in every building, old and new, and an aggressive recycling program and a garden/functional greenhouse site nearby that provides a large portion of the food required by the college.
Academics: the strength of University X will lie in academics. The admission standards will be in the highly competitive range and the professors will be strongly encouraged to continually engage in research. Their research support will be in the undergraduate students, who can then attend conferences with them. The emphasis on scholarship will be to an extent where obtaining a position with a given professor will be competitive. The tutorial will definitely be a requirement for graduation.
This is a very interesting prompt so if I had more time and space, I would probably come up with more ideas but for now, I think this is sufficient.

Expectations of an RA

Although students understand that their RAs are students just like themselves, they sometimes expect their RAs to somehow be above the very concerns and problems that plague them. Be it in the expectation that the RA should always be available to attend to their problems or that it is the RAs duty to, for example, call maintenance, even when the problem is really small enough to be solved by the residents, students expect RAs to be above them in terms of their efficiency in fulfilling the roles of their position. Similarly, administrators, while attuned to the demands placed on the RAs from school work and other commitments, also expect RAs to put forth the full effort even during times when the RA really needs time to attend to other duties. While these expectations are expected (since they are part and parcel of the position), it would be more advantageous to the RAs if they were somehow able to lessen their RA obligations at times such as finals, etc. If I am chosen to be an RA, I will manage the former issue concerning the students by simply doing the best I can, because frankly, there is no other alternative, for explaining the RA’s point of view to the student would only cause the student to lose faith in their RA and would also negate the authority of the RA in maintaining discipline in the house. As for the administrator’s expectations, it is best solved by the most efficient time-management skills. As I suggested above, perhaps I can shift my obligations around, for example, having the required programs a few weeks before finals rather than waiting till the last minute, in order to ensure that I fulfill my role as both a student and an RA.

Firstly, I was surprised that what I thought were my weaker points (model the way and challenge the process) were actually rated much higher by my observers. After considering my results, however, I realized that my observers were more correct than I was in these two areas and were correct in rating me lower in the areas of encourage the heart and enable others to act. Although I do encourage others, I have to consciously remind myself to, whereas I am simply outspoken by nature and motivated to change something that I do not like. Accordingly, modeling and challenging are probably most useful as an RA in terms of creative programming and enacting changes in the residence hall community. Nonetheless, I have to continue working on encouraging others since it is a crucial aspect in terms of being a role model and building teamwork. Having said that, I also think that there are other factors that need to be considered in terms of appropriate leadership. While one resident may need constant encouragement because of her personality, another may need a more aloof model who simply emulates the desired qualities of a community member. As such, I would also add flexibility and malleability as another characteristic that is crucial to key leadership in both the group project and being an RA.

Gender Differences that Govern Leadership

As we read in class, perhaps the most relevant and striking example of the relationship between gender and leadership is the recent presidential race where the role of Clinton’s gender was accentuated as a factor that determined not only the media’s bias, but also the voters’ decision. Although I agree that there are subtle differences that govern the uniqueness of each gender, I also believe that many of these differences are social constructions and not a true reflection of the capabilities of each gender. Accordingly, the extent to which gender affects one’s leadership style is largely a matter of how much the individual internalizes the ascribed social roles given to their gender. For example, an RA who is also a football player will most likely hesitate to make decisions where his image as a tough, strong individual is diminished. Similarly, although this is not as pressure-intensive as in the case of the hypothetical RA discussed above, a female RA who is studying education may be expected to exude the image of sisterly or even motherly and thus may force herself to act in this manner. In short, internalization of social roles is possibly the most influential factor that determines leadership styles. On the other hand, this may also be a function of who are the ones in the group that is being led. As a counselor for a camp for kids, I found it much easier to have boys as my campers rather than girls. There are differences in the behavior between the genders, even at a young age, that determine the most efficient way to lead a group. For instance, my male campers preferred to be left to their devices, only interfering to remind them of rules or provide help and participate in their activities. In contrast, the female campers expected me to actively seek out their engagement (or vice versa) and really merge with their group. To some extent, this is applicable even to older men and women as in college students. Thus, an individual’s leadership styles are a function of the extent of social internalization and the needs of the group, as determined by the genders of the members.

First residence hall experience

The first thing that grabbed my attention in the residence halls were the personalities on the door. Be it in the thematic name cards placed by RAs, the notes scribbled on the dry erase boards, or any additional images placed by the students, the doors were an immediate first impression that I remember long after I became acquainted with the residents. This was on upper campus when I was still a commuter and was visiting my friend. However, when I began moving my things into the apartments, I was surprised at the stark contrast between the constant activity and enclosed feeling that I got in the residence halls compared to the quiet and openness of the apartments. Both locations have their merits, certainly, but the differences were more pronounced as the year progressed. While I could hear people singing in the shower in the dorms, my music in the apartments (from other residents) was limited to the sound of my next door neighbor's alarm. Similarly, unlike the dorms, the frequency of other students knocking on your door just to drop by was not as often. For this reason, I do not know much about the other students on my floor except their names and I doubt they know much else about me. I do not mean to suggest that apartments are some dull, boring place to live. Indeed, I really, really like them because they are almost like the next step for upperclassmen in terms of residence—the transition from the comforts of a college campus to the “real world.”