I have been told throughout my life that I am a natural leader with valuable traits that should not go unused. I never really believed this, because I wasn’t even sure what a leader really was and didn’t think I was capable of guiding and influencing others in this way. By being challenged to grow in this capacity during my time at Minnesota State University, Mankato, I believe I have a better understanding of the meaning of leadership and its significance in accomplishing goals. Through participating and leading in numerous and diverse experiences, I have been able to identify and cultivate my leadership values, skills, and ability to work in a team setting.
To begin my leadership journey, I first had to learn who I was as a leader, specifically what my core values, strengths, and weaknesses were. I took the StrengthsFinder Assessment and discovered harmony, learner, belief, responsibility, and achiever were my biggest strengths. I was not surprised with these results, for they coincide well with my personality and how I live and interact with others. To continue reflecting and begin implementing what I had learned about myself as a leader, I took the Honors Seminar ‘Developing Your Mentor Philosophy’ course. Through readings, group discussions, and reflecting on past experiences, I identified my most important values as knowledge, experience, and emotional intelligence. Through my mentor relationship, I was able to implement my strengths, specifically harmony and belief, and become more aware of my weaknesses, like flexibility and perfectionism.
My knowledge of who I was as a leader became even more clear through being a member of the Women for Global Leadership Program. I learned the importance of leading with passion and owning my life story to help others reach their full potential. The concept of being real and vulnerable emerged as one of my essential values, for I believe it creates more meaningful relationships and a sense of trust and openness. By listening to different speakers and reading related articles, I was able to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and how I desire to grow as a leader. It was helpful to intentionally write out my weaknesses so that I could see where I was lacking and develop a plan to grow in those areas.
After learning about myself as a leader, I began to evaluate different leadership styles and use my own leadership theory to guide others. By being a Girls on the Run Assistant Coach, I saw many leadership styles from the different coaches, some which were effective and others that were not. I learned the most successful leadership style was one that consisted of a genuine desire to be there and a willingness to put one’s own needs and wants aside for the benefit of the girls (i.e. servant-type leading). However, I do believe different leadership styles can be effective and should be adapted based on the type of people one is leading and the specific goals. By being a part of this program for three years, I had the opportunity to practice what I had learned about myself as a leader through classes, experiences, and personal reflections to lead the girls in a fun, interactive environment.
A large part of leading is working with others in a team or group setting. A significant experience that helped me learn the different roles within a team and grow as a team member was being on the executive board of the Pre-Physical/Occupational Therapy Club as the Secretary and later on as the President. Being introduced and immersed in the formal roles of a team opened my eyes to their importance in creating a successful team that is capable of achieving its goals. I did face the difficulty of working with a few individuals who were not fully committed to the club or leading purposefully. Through this, I realized that not everyone will always be interested in leading for the same reason or have similar values and strengths. This is acceptable as long as the common goal exists and is sought after, for each individual has their own beliefs and there are many ways to be a successful leader. Being a student leader for the Honors Annual Fall Retreat helped instill this idea in my mind to a deeper level. I was able to work with two other determined, successful Honors students that each possessed their own unique strengths and styles of leading. Although we did not have clearly defined roles on our team, we each capitalized on what we did best to reach the goal of educating the incoming Honors students about the research competency. Through these experiences, I developed my own leadership philosophy that focuses on my values and strengths to help guide future collaboration within teams, such as within the medical field as a healthcare professional.
All of these experiences have had a significant impact on who I am as a leader and team member. The lessons I have learned along the way have been very valuable and important for my personal growth. I will use these experiences and the knowledge I have gained to help guide my actions in future leadership positions, which will likely occur in physical therapy school and even within the profession.