Leadership Philosophy

“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others”– John Maxwell

I have always been a person who people listen to, in charge of things, commanding the work and making decisions when no one else wanted to. Before I started learning about leadership, I thought that leadership is about the authority. I believed that people need to listen to you and follow you, as a leader, because they admire you. For me leaders were always charismatic, influential and fearless; they were people who everybody listens to and no one questioned their opinions or decisions. I used to think that leaders have to be powerful and no one should question their authority. Now, almost 4 years after I decided to start Leadership and Social Change Minor, my point of view about leadership is totally different. I believe that leaders are people who motivate, not force, others to work toward a common work. When I took my first leadership class, I have learned a lot aboyt the types of leaders. I personally believe that transformational leaders are types of leaders that people follow, but not because they have to, but because they want to. James McGregor Burns in his book “Leadership” defines transformational leadership process as “leaders and their followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.” Transformational leaders care about their followers and understand that giving orders might be what bosses or managers do, but it is not what the true leaders do. I believe that, as a transformational leader, I should set expectations high and set the clear goals so people know what they are working for. I should encourage them, motivate and recognize their hard work. Inspiration, setting a personal example and motivation are also extremely important, and have to be done in the atmosphere of integrity and fairness. When I realized that being a leader is not about how many people listen to you, I was ready to develop my skills and broaden my knowledge to become a true leader.

Course LDRS 2014 has helped me to understand the leadership more than anything else in my life before. Throughout the whole course, I learned and applied Five Leadership Practices in my leadership within my team. I believe that all five practices are critically important to become a great leader and to effectively lead others. Modeling the Way and Inspiring the Shared Vision should always be first steps. Clarifying values and goals, and establishing rules are really important to put everyone on the same page and make people realize why they are doing what they’re doing. However, talking about values and goals don’t change anything. Leaders should find the way to make people care about common goals by making these goals important to them personally. Setting a personal example and showing people that I, as a leader, am the person who actually is guided by these values are a really important part of this process. Starting a new project is not that difficult but making people work hard throughout the whole process is more challenging, that’s why Challenging the Way is critical for good leaders’ practices. Leaders should look for opportunities and should be willing to take risks to achieve the common goals in the most efficient way. This part of leaders’ practice is followed by Enable Others to Act. Sometimes, people within the team don’t work that hard to achieve the common goal, because they don’t care enough to make an effort. Leaders should continuously motivate and build the team spirit to involve everyone in the process. On the top of that, leaders cannot forget about setting a personal example in everything they do, because people around based their behaviors on leaders’ actions. By recognizing people’s small victories and awarding the great work leaders show that they care about every person and they make people valuable and confident. Price 5 – Encouraging the Heart, make people do things that they would never done and show them that hard work pays off. Leaders should not only recognize the wins but also pay attention to contributions, to show people around how important their work is. They should regularly give people feedback to show that they care about every individual, and recognize what is done great and what could be done better. I think that Five Leadership Practices are the great approach to leadership in today’s world and they really helped me to become a better leader than I have ever been. True leaders should remember that every step in the process is important and that the smallest change can make a huge difference.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”– John Quincy Adams

Resources:

• “The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model.” The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
• Editorial Team, Mind Tools. “Transformational Leadership: Becoming an Inspirational Leader.” Transformational Leadership. Mind Tools, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.

Personality Profile

I took a Clinton Strengths Finder to recognize my top 5 strengths: activator, relator, restorative, deliberative and command. This test really helped me understand what type of leader I am, and what I need to work on to become better.

1. Activator

People talented with activator theme are people who tend to start things and are impatient for actions. As an activator, I can turn thoughts into actions and I don’t need things to be perfect to start it. Activators are judged by what they get done, not by what they think or say. Action matters the most. Strengths finder says that activators “naturally see how to turn ideas into action. As a result, they make things happen.” Activators always are willing to take assignments or tasks that no one is willing to lead. They made decisions and start acting because only results matter.

2. Relator

People talented with the relator theme enjoy and focus on close relationships with each other. They enjoy working hard with the group of friends. As a relator, my relationships with friends are close and trusty; I am also careful when it comes to starting new friendships. People tend to ask me about my opinions and views, because, as Strengths Finder explains, “Perhaps they turn to you because you have specialized in certain fields. Maybe you have gained skills or gathered expertise beyond that of the average person.” As a relator, I am an honest person who dislike working with people that are less than truthful.

3. Restorative

People talented with a restorative theme are great with dealing with the problems and are really good at figuring out what is wrong. Strengths Finder describes people with restorative theme talent as “They enjoy the challenge of analyzing symptoms, identifying what is wrong, and finding the solution. (…) In short, they bring courage and creativity to problematic situations.” As a restorative person am not afraid to take projects that are impossible to save; I analyze the situation, identify the problems and make the necessary changes to find the best solution. As a restorative person, I also have a rational thinking style and might help illogical or emotional people with their decisions, because I can always find more than one solution.

4. Deliberative

Strengths Finder says that “Those with strong Deliberative talents bring a thorough and conscientious approach to making decisions. They take care to consider options, thinking through the pros and cons of each alternative.” This strength is closely connected with the previous one, because it shows that I make correct choices by identifying the dangers, analyzing the problems and finding the best solutions. My rational way of processing facts helps me to make good decisions. That strength also helps me to separate private life from public life and says that I don’t care about popularity. People with this strength also tend to reduce risk and prevent problems through participation and carefulness.

5. Command

Words, which described people that are talented with command theme by Strengths Finder: “People with strong Command talents naturally take charge. They see what needs to be done, and they are willing to speak up. They are not frightened by confrontation” perfectly describe me. As a person with strong command strength, I have emotional clarity and am not afraid of making decisions. It helps me resolving conflicts and showing people that they should be realistic and honest while they are dealing with me. Sometimes, my personality intimidates others, especially because I am constantly searching for evidence to make my points. This strength helps me to see things how they are, speak up and make practical decisions based on the best evidence.

Resources:

• Gallup Report 834749721 (Weronika Paluszek)
  © 2000, 2006-2012 Gallup, Inc.

 

Citizenship

Citizenship

What?      Citizenship is the only community value and it is not only the right to vote. It is also something more than our political rights in a democratic country. Citizenship is an active participation in the community and our responsibilities for the community we live in. We have not only privileges from being a part of community, but also responsibilities towards it and we should work with other community members to make the community better. I learned about Citizenship the most as a member of Swimming and Diving community. We all try to do things, not only connected to our athletic performance, to make our community better and more enjoyable for each other.

So what?       It is really important to understand that every single person can make a change in their community. Our collaborative effort should help us make our community better and everyone should be actively participating in it. Being an active member of a community is important because we all create the character of the group together.

Now what?      In high school, I was always an active community member and I always tried to make a change in my community. Coming to a different country brought some problems to my life that I didn’t have before and I wasn’t that engage in my communities as I could. I know now that we can always make a change no matter how long we are a member of the certain community. I will always try to look further and make the environment and community that I am a part of better.

Controversy with Civility

Controversy with Civility

What?      Controversy with Civility is necessary in order to have a change. Nothing will change if the ways that people do things stay the same. The biggest advantage of people working in groups is a number of different ideas and different points of views. We need to be able to challenge the process and question other people’s ideas in order to find the best possible solution. I learned about the Controversy with Civility the most when I was picked as a captain and had to present to my coach the new ideas for the upcoming season. It was hard to tell the educated and qualified person with experience that he has to change something in order to have a better team, but that was the only way to achieve the team’s goals.

So what?      It is really important to understand the difference between controversy and conflict. Controversy is crucial in order for change to start. People need to know how to express their options and emotions in front of others in the ways that no one gets hurt so a conversation can be open and problems can be solved efficiently.

Now what?      As a really out-spoken and honest person, I always try to say what I think and what my opinion is. For the future, I always have to remember to do it in a non-offensive way. Bringing out controversy needs to be done really carefully so people will understand the issue and not take the problems personally.

 

Common purpose

Common purpose

What?       Common Purpose is the group value, and it’s made by the values, visions, aims and goals that the team or group share. It is really important that all of these are known and established in order for the group to work well. Common Purpose can motivate people more than individual goals and it can help individuals to stay motivated. I learned about the Common Purpose of course through sport. Especially during my junior year, when I became a captain in my team. All the members of the team really wanted to succeed but we all knew we had to do it together. We had to work together to achieve our common goal- finishing top 3 in our conference. With the big amount of hard work and Common Purpose we succeed.

And what?      Common Purpose is really important in any type of teamwork because without it the team will not be united and focused on what they have to do. Having the same vision helps to achieve efficiency and make us enjoy every aspect of our work.

Now what?      My experience has taught me that Common Purpose is significant in any group environment. Every time I will have to work with the group I will make sure that we are all ‘on the same page’ and we all want the same things. It will not only help with achieving our goals but it will also make the group members happy and easy to work with.

Collaboration

Collaboration

“Don’t aspire to be the best on the team – aspire to be the best FOR the team!”- Unknown

What?      Collaboration is a part of the definition of the Social Change Model and it’s a group value. It is the ability to work efficiently with other people and the ability to share tasks, responsibilities and authority. Collaboration uses people individual strengths in order to achieve a shared goal. I have learned about the Collaboration through sport (as I have learned a lot of things in my life). Even if my sport- swimming, is considered an individual sport, in college we all work together to succeed and achieve our common goals.

So what?      As a really individual person, I always wanted to do things by myself without any help. Throughout my whole swimming career, I realized that teamwork and collaboration with other people are more efficient and it just makes everything better and easier. Collaboration gives us an opportunity to use other people’s strengths, which we don’t necessary have, and helps us understand problems from different points of views.

Now what?      I had to come a really long way to be able to understand that collaboration helps us not only to achieve common goals but also helps us with achieving our individual objectives. I will always try to work with other people and listen to their opinions before I will do something. Sometimes, the person next to me can actually have a better idea for solving the problem or completing the task. And I will always remember Michael Jordan’s words “Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.”

Commitment

Commitment

What?      Commitment is a passion and desire to do something we are not forced to do. It begins with Consciousness of Self and Congruence. Commitment starts with intrinsic motivation and drives the collective effort to achieve goals. It is an intense desire to do something, it is a passion that cannot be stopped. For me, as an athlete, a commitment was always the big part of my life, but my point of view changed drastically when I came to college and became a college athlete. I realized how much more we are able to do if we truly commit to something, especially if it is something bigger and we all have a common goal.

So what?      As a college athlete, I understand that teamwork and commitment of individuals can bring so much better results than an individual effort. In any aspect of our life commitment is crucial to simply be happy with what we do, and also to have better results. Commitment has to be non-forcible and has to be driven with passion, then people can achieve impossible.

Now what?      I realize that every single task that is done with passion and commitment is done better. I will try to always like what I do in order to not only do it better but also to be happy about it. No matter if it will be a job task or vacation planning I will always try to commit to everything I do because I know that results will be more efficient and I will be happy doing that.

 

Congruence

Congruence

What?      Congruence is the second individual value. Everything starts with the Consciousness of Self, after we understand who we are, we should match our actions and decisions to our values and beliefs. Congruence is about reflecting our values, principles, beliefs and priorities into our daily practices and behaviors. We need to first know what we believe in in order to act accordingly to our values. I learned about congruence a lot in my Persuasion (COMM 3064) class. The course showed multiple examples of public figures that have said something and done something totally different. It showed me how not credible this type of behavior make people look and how fast the trust of other people can be lost.

So what?     Congruence is really important because it shows other people that we are honest and that they can count on us and our word. It makes us credible, believable and respectable partner who other people want to work with or simply spend time with.

Now what?     I am really honest person and I have always been. Sometimes I say things I shouldn’t say only because I believe in it. Even if sometimes my point of view brings me some troubles, I will not change because that is what I believe in. I will always try to match my actions to my beliefs and values, so people around me will know that if I said something I will stick with it.

Consciousness of Self

Consciousness of Self

What?         A Consciousness of Self is the first individual value and is about being aware of what type of person we actually are. Knowing yourself, your values, moral code, ethics, personal style, skills and aspirations is crucial in order to know what kind of person we are. A Consciousness of Self refers to the awareness of our traits, strengths, weaknesses and the ability to see how other people and society affect us. I personally believe that we learn about ourselves for the whole life. I have learned a lot about myself throughout my whole swimming career. Coming to the US and completely changing my lifestyle have taught me more than I could ever imagine. Lately, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies class made me realize what I believe in and what I stand for. This course brought up really important issues within our society and it made me reflect deeper on my personal beliefs.

So what?      Knowing yourself is significantly important to have a peaceful life and ‘liking’ the person who we truly are. Acceptance of our weaknesses and recognizing our strengths is crucial in order to have a successful professional career and personal life. Also, knowing and understanding yourself is significantly important in order to understand other people. We need to know what we believe in first, and then we can try to understand others’ beliefs or try to convince people to our beliefs.

Now what?      As I mentioned earlier, I believe that process of knowing ourselves never ends. We learn about ourselves all the time with new situations, experience and people around us. It is extremely important to have an open mind and always learn our lessons from both negative or positive experiences. Understanding our feelings will help us to manage them and make better and wiser decisions.

.

The Social Change Model

The Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM) is about the positive social change. Working for social change means working together with other people towards common goals that affect the common good and make a positive difference. Social Change Model is built around three main areas (Individual Values, Group Values and Societal/Community Values) that cover seven components that will be discussed in separated posts.

https://www.pomona.edu/administration/campus-center/services-programs/leadership