Reflection: The authors of the text write that a) leadership is learned and b) leadership is a
relationship. Answer one of the sets of questions below:
1. Regarding the statement that leadership is learned, describe how you have learned to be
a leader. This could include formal or informal leadership, like leading a team, leading a
project, or managing others. What did you learn from that experience? How did it change
your leadership behaviors?
I learned to be a leader by watching people that I respected as leaders and attempting to
mimic their behaviors. The first time I remember conciously doing this was when I was a
counselor at an overnight summer camp for adults with disabilities. I was only 15 at the time,
and all the other counselors had much more experience than me. I watched how the leaders of the
camp interacted with the campers and empowered them to actively participate in the camp
activities. From this, I learned how to lead people with empathy and compassion. I learned to
always ask questions which changed my view of leadership. I saw that great leaders need to ask
their peers for advice, and they don’t just rely on their own thoughts and beliefs. This helped me
develop my capabilities as a humble leader rather than a selfish one. As I got more involved with
the organization that I volunteered for, I continued to watch the behaviors of the people who
were leading me. I also realized that other people were watching me, and I became a mentor for
others. This helped me to take accountability and step up as a leader within the organization. I
learned that leadership can be a chain of great leaders if you ask questions and learn from the
people above you.
Application: In this module, you learned about The Five Exemplary Practices of the
Leadership Challenge. From this brief overview, describe at least one of the practices that
you think you would like to develop in your leadership journey. What are steps you can
take that specifically improve your skills in this area?
In my leadership journey, I especially want to focus on improving my skills in inspiring a
shared vision. Inspiring a shared vision means getting other people excited and passionate about
the things that I find to be very important. I want to do this by challenging myself to talk to
people about the social issues I care deeply about, especially disability advocacy. I need to come
up with an “elevator pitch” type of statement, so I can quickly convey my ideas to people I know
or people I have just met. I need to learn how to spark hard conversations with people that might
be uneducated on the topic. Additionally, in the current political climate, it can be diffult to stay
enthusiastic when the future seems so unclear. This requires me to learn how to focus on the
positive aspects, while also educating people about the bad aspects. I hope to develop that skill
even more over my time as a leader in this field. The text says, “...you need to have an
appreciation of the past and a clear vision of what the results should look like,” (Kouzes &
Posner, 2018). It’s hard to get people inspired if you don’t believe in what you are saying, so I
need to really focus on how change can be made and not be bogged down in the current
situation.
References
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2018). The student leadership challenge: Five practices for
becoming an exemplary leader (3rd ed.). The Leadership Challenge, A Wiley Brand.
Copyright.
