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THREE SEMESTER REVIEW

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Reflect on your understanding of leadership. How has it changed over your time in PL? What do you think of leadership now/What does leadership mean to you now? 

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My understanding of leadership has developed significantly throughout my time in the scholars program. I entered college with a somewhat single-minded and even occasionally jaded perspective on leadership. I believed that hard power and vocal, directive leaders were the most effective regardless of the situation, as that was the style that I was used to and effectively worked with in the past. Throughout Policy 201, we learned about the copious different types of leaders and how they all have unique characteristics, strengths, and differences. To that end, non directive style leaders (citizen leaders, wielders of soft power, etc.), are often more effective with regard to reception of feedback/criticism and offer a more cooperative and demographic process. As we continued our studies of the varied leadership styles in colloquium classes and throughout sophomore year, I learned more about hybrid leadership styles, and how the most effective leaders were often a combination of the aforementioned characteristics directive leadership, confidence, but also humility, keeping an open mind, but also receptiveness to new ideas. Leadership doesn’t just mean being a group’s figurehead, it requires motivating the team, being an effective communicator, and representing all members of one’s group through the ideas presented. As I prepare to conclude the colloquium course track, I do so with a new appreciation for what I look up to in a leader and an inspired resolve for self- improvement. 

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Describe your leadership style referencing Strengths, leadership theories/styles, etc from class

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My leadership style very much takes the form of the “black hat”. For better or for worse I am always ready to give feedback or criticism before delivering a presentation or completing work. I am eager to consider multiple perspectives, and will always look for the “devil’s advocate” approach. In PL classroom debates, this was especially useful for composing rebuttals. With regard to the type of leadership, as previously mentioned I gained . While I will be vocal about something if I believe it necessitates sharing, I have improved my collaborative skills to try and be more of a citizen leader; “Talk to Listen, not Listen to Talk”.  

 

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What facilitated the change in your understanding of leadership? Upload at least 3 artifacts as evidence and discuss WHY you chose them. 

The Public Leadership essay (right) on Oprah Winfrey's school for girls was the first major writing assignment that we had in Policy 201. It was a significant and impactful assignment for my understanding of leadership and opened my eyes to the different types of leaders that might manifest in unexpected places. Before researching and thoroughly discussing the topic. I had written off Winfrey's school as a publicity stunt from an already famous person with too much money, which was likely ineffective and temporary. Though the classroom debates and copious research, my opinion shifted to appreciate her school as an inspired investment, that is effective, life-changing, and should be cherished regardless of it's few admitted downsides. Overall writing the paper made me less cynical and more appreciative of leaders from all walks of life.

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My leadership philosophy paper was another assignment that made a difference in my understanding of leadership. I chose to write about Napoleon Bonaparte, whom I had researched throughout high school and freshman year and was inspired by. Though I enjoyed studying/writing about Bonaparte and his impressive accomplishments in his early life, this paper was instrumental in my appreciation for a more balanced type of leader. Napoleon was stubborn, headstrong, and implemented exclusively directive leadership (Napoleonic codes, emperor of France, etc.). Though initially successful, his leadership style proved unsustainable and his inability to adapt, compromise, and change with the times led him to defeat. I was inspired by his successes but also learned to avoid hubris and other less desirable qualities.

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Another assignment that I’ve included is my term paper for Journalism 200, an analysis of a famous leader or journalist from history. I chose John F. Kennedy, as he is best known for his tenure as POTUS, and not his fledgling journalism career. However, from secondary school all the way to his political career in his 30’s, Kennedy was an established veteran & journalist covering wartime occurrences and writing for famous papers such as the New York Herald. In fact, his Harvard thesis was immensely successful and some even attribute it to jump-starting his political career. Kennedy didn’t speak often about his time as a journalist; writing this paper demonstrated to me the performative and curated image of many leaders; they are often more nuanced than they seem and encouraged me to not make assumptions about how they got their position. Writing this paper also furthered my appreciation for balanced leaders with diverse skill sets.

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How have you used an element of leadership learned through PL in your life?

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I took a formal leadership role in PLCY388, one of my elective courses. We were tasked with delivering a presentation to our class on global warming, but we were lacking a product/deliverable that would help us resonate with and remain memorable to the audience. With only two days to the presentation, I scheduled a zoom call with my group, and after assessing our various strengths and weaknesses, suggested we create a single-page social media infographic about carbon emissions. As one group member had done a substantive amount of scientific research, another was more visually/artistically inclined, and I was a more big-picture/black hat thinker, I thought it would be an engaging idea that used the best of our respective skill sets. I would not have vocalized such a specific plan before joining PL, but I was encouraged to speak up for ideas that I valued, and the project was successful and delivered without a hitch. For those interested, the infographic is linked below.

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