My Leadership Philosophy

In early 2018, I wrote my first version of my personal leadership philosophy. At the time, I did not know what Organizational Leadership truly was – in fact, I was not even sure what drew me to the program. However, as I have taken each new class, I have found more of myself, more of my style of leadership, and more of a sense of confidence and fortitude with my life in general. In ORGL 535, I wrote in one of my papers about how this Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership affected my day-to-day life: I found myself challenged in every aspect of my life - in work, in family relationships, in friendships, in my faith. And in every challenge, in every difficult situation, I would pick up my text book for the assigned class and all of a sudden, my challenges made sense. Each class gave me the exact tools I needed to face what I was dealing with. In every class, I picked up a new skill to use at work, with my friends, around my family, or just to better myself.

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I took the Student Leadership Practice Inventory 360 in my first ORGL class. At the time, I realized that there is much I needed to work on. Since I have always been a big encourager and I tend to put other first, I was not surprised that I scored highest in the 'enable others to act' category. I enjoy acts that foster collaboration and strengthen others. However, I was surprised that my responses for 'challenging the process' varied so much from what others thought – I scored myself much higher than others ranked me. I realized that this was an area I needed to improve on and grow in. Thus, through the rest of the program, I sought out opportunities to demonstrate to my colleagues, supervisors, and mentors that I do have initiative and innovative ideas. I began to step up and take risks. Every time a risk led to a win helped me build a more confident approach to seeking out innovation and challenges. Overall, one of the biggest takeaways I learned was to become the leader I wished to be, I simply needed more experience to build my repertoire. I needed to be more willing to seek out opportunities outside of my comfort zone. 

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            Through each class I have taken, I have learned new ways of stepping outside my comfort zone. I have learned forgiveness from Dr. Ferch, discernment and listening from Dr. Spears, and conflict resolution from Dr. Keator. Just as Siddhartha learned from his experiences, the river, and the ferryman, so did I learn from my classes, my teachers, and my personal experiences. Like Siddhartha I learned “how to listen, to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgement, without opinions” (Hesse, 1951, p. 106). I have always been a good listener, but through my class with Dr. Spears, I learned a deeper kind of listening that quiets the mind and allows one to listen to others as well as oneself without judgement. Even as I was learning to listen deeply to those around me, my ability to forgive selflessly was challenged. During my class with Dr. Ferch, I was abandoned by someone I considered a very close friend. That experience taught me not only how to reach out to others to build and continually reinforce friendships, but it also taught me a lot about letting go even when one does not understand the whole story. While I still struggle with that feeling of abandonment, I have learned that forgiveness and healing is a process – one that takes daily maintenance and attention. My class with Dr. Keator taught me to no longer run away from conflict but to step into it with the intention to communicate and create dialogue around the conflict. Up until that class, conflict caused me great anxiety. One of my deepest desires is to be in harmony with the world around me. However, through conflict resolution, I have learned the benefits of healthy conflict and the art of constant communication. This concept alone has helped me work through difficult transitions at work, such as asking for a raise, explaining a problem I was having with workload, and asking for help on a new project of which I was put in charge. I have learned, as Ott (2014) notes, “Often conflict needs to be extended and inhabited in order for long-lasting conflict transformation to result” (p. 175).

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Additionally, each class I have taken has reinforced key elements of leadership within me. I believe deeply that all things are connected and that we as humans cannot live disconnected. As a leader, I strive to bring connection and understanding to everyone I meet. As Kouzes and Posner (2017) end their book, they state, “Leadership is not an affair of the head. Leadership is an affair of the heart” (p. 313). Through connection, I plan to bring my heart into my leadership. Of course, this is not a task I can take on alone. This is a task that requires connections with other human beings. It requires vulnerability, openness, dialogue, and work. It is no easy thing to accomplish – it takes a lifetime. So, my goal as a leader is to grow a group of people who are willing to work together and tackle not only the little complications that occur in a workplace, but also the big problems that occur in our lives. I want to foster an environment where people can come together and be open with one another. I wish to cultivate a safe place where dialogue, listening, creative conflict, forgiveness, and innovation run freely.

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            When writing my first leadership philosophy paper, I imagined a willow tree sitting at the edge of a pond. This image of myself has not changed. In fact, my creative artifact I crafted for ORGL 615 was a willow tree. Through undergraduate school, work, and now graduate school, this idea is continually reinforced within me, so I will end with this image. Willow trees, to me, have always represented a sort of bridge between the earth with their roots and the heavens with their flowing, whip-like branches that blow in the wind. They grow tall and strong, connecting the world around them – earth, water, and air. They have constant growth, but they also provide protection. A hidden cove behind their leaves where birds and beasts may rest. I strive to be like a willow tree – a place where all things come together and find a safe environment where they can connect and grow. A willow tree is a bridge that is constantly expanding. This is the sort of leader that I am learning to be. A leader that constantly grows, challenging the world around me, growing in strength and durability, but also creates a haven where others can come together for connection, innovation, and safety. I want to be a leader who encourages new ideas, not squashes them. I will be a leader that allows dialogue and disagreement for the betterment of the team. I will be a leader that brings her heart into her actions, grows connections, and searches for creative solutions.

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References

Hesse, H. (1951). Siddhartha (H. Rosner, Trans.). New York: Bantam Books.

Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Ott, D.J. (2014). Nonviolence and Moral Equivalency, American Journal of Theology & Philosophy, 35(2), 172-183.