Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Professional Corner: The Most Influential Leadership Experience(s) I've Had...and Why...
This month, the professionals will talk about their most influential leadership experience(s) they have had and why. As individuals, we personally and professionally grow through constant flux with our identity and experiences. Throughout these experiences, we begin to recognize which have been the most powerful in shaping our leadership identity. Take a few moments to browse through the invaluable advice as these professionals recap their own impactful leadership experiences.
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Any time one has to lead an organization where the members are not "at peace" with one another is a learning is experience. I have led organizations where I have had to smoothe ruffled feathers and at least attempt to bring peace to members of an organization, and I have grown the most through those trying times.
ReplyDeleteUnbeknownst at the time, college provided my first leadership experiences: editor of the student newspaper and president of the investment club. Trial and error quickly taught me that teamwork was the key to success. It was very difficult at first, not getting my way, but I quickly learned that I couldn't do it all by myself. "Cooperate and graduate" became my mantra. This mantra has served me well from Infantry Company Commander through numerous management positions. When I became a teacher, I changed the mantra to learning how to "play well together". My students' success again validated the importance of learning how to facilitate teamwork.
ReplyDeleteGetting involved with student organizations during my first year of college was critial in my development. The organizations eventually offered me an opportunity to take on leadership roles that taught me some very important lessons (and gave me some of the best memories)during my college career.
ReplyDeleteThe most influential leadership experiences I had was while I was in college. I joined the Asian cultural organization at my undergraduate institution and took a leadership role every year.
ReplyDeleteThrough this involvement and the roles that I had, I made life long memories and relationships. The skills that I took from my experience and continue to use in my career is understanding how to work with diverse people and personalities, utilizing collaboration and teamwork whenever possible, and recognizing the importance on one-on-ones. My leadership opportunities during my undergraduate career also ultimately influenced my career decisions and what I am doing today.
Being a resident advisor was one of the most influential experiences I had in college as an undergraduate student. I learned many many things that helped me to be a successful graduate student later on, a professional, a wife, and a mom today. I learned to manage time, to problem solve, to build relationships, to listen, to be a role model, and so forth, particularly about rejection.
ReplyDeleteThe most influential leadership experience I had was founding and being president of my campus's first bi/multiracial student organization. It was powerful to be part of a group that was needed and supported. It was, by far, the most rewarding experience. It had been a population that was overlooked on our campus often. The other students I got to work with were just as passionate as I was about the bi/multiracial experience and issues. We were able to gather together and lead the conversation around bi/multiracial issues on campus through programming and dialogue.
ReplyDeleteAnother influential leadership experience I had was helping to start and co-managing a campaign to end the sale of single-use bottled water on campus. It tapped into the activist in me, and I continue to stay active in the issues that I am most passionate about.
:) Gretchenrae
It's hard to pinpoint one, since all of my leadership experiences have taught me something valuable and different about myself. But an early college experience that really shaped me was getting involved with my residence hall council. I joined because some of the residence hall staff encouraged me, even though I was a freshman! So I gradually helped out with activities, then some meetings, then attended a leadership retreat, starting meeting new people, and every experience taught me new skills and helped me to develop more confidence so I just kept finding new, different, and bigger things to do! Eventually this led to me becoming Hall Council President, a Resident Advisor, and chair of a regional leadership conference.
ReplyDeleteSo the lesson here is that you don't necessarily need to know everything to get involved, but a willingness to get involved, openness to new things, and encouragement from others can go a long way! This is also one of the reasons that I decided to go into college student affairs as a career--so that I can help to encourage others to get involved, develop self-confidence, and realize their full potential that sometimes we don't even know we have.
LDPHE: Leadership Development Program for Higher Education (Sponsored by LEAP and APAHE)
ReplyDeleteBy far the BEST leadership experience i've ever participated in. Being a mid-level professional who has worked in Higher Education/Student Affairs for nearly 12 years, LDPHE offered a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth. What made this unique and worthwhile was due to the following: (1) intended to enhance the development/movement of APA professionals for senior level roles in higher education; (2) mentoring/networking with senior level APAs in the field; (3) ability to put learning into practice.
LDPHE was inspiring, transforming and validating!!!
My most influential leadership experiences took place during my college summers. Each summer I volunteered to job shadow a different industry executive each summer in order to learn more about the industry he or she was in, the daily/weekly duties they were in charge of and how they arrived at their position.
ReplyDeleteI chose diverse companies/industries each year in order have exposure to various areas of the business world. Banking, Biotechnology, Architecture and Business Management were my selections.
I highly valued the leadership techniques I observed at each company, as each executive held a unique set of values that they were basing their actions off of.
Looking back, I would have job shadowed each semester instead of each summer in order to gather in even more experience and knowledge.