Cumulative Reflection
Growth in Leadership Competencies
The Leadership Certificate program contributed to my growth in...
Self-Management
Self-management is managing personal behaviors after knowing personal strengths and flaws. Having self-management is having control of my life. Knowing that I am conscientious and task-oriented person, I learned to set goals for myself and record my changes for my leadership development. Joining the certificate program has been keeping me motivated to achieve these long-term goals.
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Throughout the course I kept a planner for myself. Besides putting everyday tasks on it, I also set monthly goals to reach. It helped me finish my coursework, apply for internships, study for GRE and have time for self-care. Although I did not finish all the goals I set originally such as I am still deciding on graduate schools, I was able to achieve most of them and this progress of self-management makes me really happy.
Communication
Throughout the program, I learned that a good communicator should be a good speaker and a good listener. They should be articulate, confident, perceptive, outgoing, and empathic. I have always been a good listener but I am not a natural good speaker when it comes to serious occasions due to a lack experience. Effective communication should generate good relationships and make all parties comfortable. Sometimes I am hesitant to speak up because I am afraid of vulnerability. My goal is to train myself to be more articulate by taking communication classes and developing more experience.
Through taking CMN230, I have gained a systematic knowledge in interpersonal communication. I learned about theories and principles as well as developed skills in communication by applying them to everyday life. More importantly, I understand my communication competencies and therefore know how to improve them. I focused on managing conflict and acting assertive through the use of facework. I have also become more articulate through talking to my cohorts and facilitating meetings.
Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking is assigning roles and distributing tasks to achieve the goal in a respectable manner. By attending the ignite I-Program, I learned concepts and tools for navigating complex organizational and societal issues. More importantly, I started to think about leading change initiatives. I was able to grow my Systems Thinking perspective by looking more closely to my role as an executive board member of my fraternity. I acted proactively and brainstormed ideas to move the organization forward. Instead of making vague rules, I established procedures in a way that people can understand and follow easily. I designed specific tasks for each month and reported on my completion, conflicts and solution. Instead of being a machine carrying out rules and regulations, I asked myself why and how did things happen and think about the whole picture. This really helped myself to find purpose and motivate others.
Sustainability
Sustainability ensures the impact of work benefits the organization as well as the broader society. Keeping this concept in mind, I took classes and learned that there are three aspects of sustainability: social, economics, and environmental. Social sustainability is related to diversity and equity, emphasizing on inclusiveness. Economical sustainability means whether the resources available can ensure quality of life in a long term. Environmental sustainability is about caring about the environment we are in. The concept seems big so I took small actions to start. I worked on a task focusing on the local community to promote healthy lifestyle. I volunteered and interned for agencies that promote sustainable actions such as advocating for active transportation. From there, I applied what I learned about Sustainability into a broader context.
Reflection
My experience overall was inspirational and fulfilling. It has been very smooth and systematic thanks to the resources the Illinois Leadership Center provided. It connected me with more than expected resources including agencies, knowledge, and people. It helped me identify and navigate a lot of concepts that were important in my personal and professional experience. I was connected to amazing leaders who provided me with idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration. It was a challenge to find approachable coaches in my field, but the concepts being discussed were almost always relatable to me. Although my coach was not in my field, I was grateful I was helped by her. What surprised me was the abundance of research and programs in leadership development. Used to think that leaders have certain traits and behaviors, I now realize that becoming a good leader is a life-long process that is applicable to everyone, and there is always more for me to learn.
Through participating and reflecting on the courses, I-Programs, team experiences, and leadership training and workshops, I was able to see proof of self-growth. I have identified my strengths and weaknesses, understood my values and goals, worked to gain self-management, became aware of my surroundings, and became willing to make positive impacts. When I am in a leadership position, I have a more accurate sense of the leadership role. Besides doing what was in the job description, to be an effective leader, I have become more involved, more confident, more motivated, and more willing to embrace changes. I also understood that leadership is not about the title, so when I do not have a leadership title, I still engage myself if there are any issues or challenges.
There are plenty of definitions of leadership and I agree with ILC’s definition: Leadership is the process whereby an individual influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Before this experience, I would probably define leadership as the role of directing followers to accomplish the leader’s objectives. I was so used to listening to the person who had the legitimate power so I thought that was what leadership entailed. Now, I realize that the keyword, or the most significant action in leadership, is "influence". Leaders should, in fact, be knowledgeable and likable, to unify the power of their surroundings so their goals could be accomplished.
My Leadership Certificate experience could be compared to a compass, guiding me to navigate through problems, confusions, and challenges to become a competent leader. Following the compass pointers, I only knew the general direction but did not know what exactly was waiting for me in my destination – Followed the guidelines and requirements to complete the certificate, I did not know what kind of leader would my experience shape me into until I finished the requirements and looked back. Along the way, there had been unexpected obstacles and pleasant surprises, but anything on the journey could be turned into either detours or shortcuts. It was a matter of my attitude that helped me reach my destination. This destination, however, is just the start of many more journeys. Completing the certificate is the start of my leadership experience.