Brianna Wallace Reflection Paper 1 Professor Wesley UNIV 392 Section 002 6/5/12

Shifting Perception of Leadership

Group projects, afterschool activities, and long class hours filled my high school schedule as I tried to gain experiences that would shape my identity and become an outlet for developing my interpretation of leadership. I had envisioned a leader as someone who was professional, positive, engaging, and always ready to take on difficult roles while increasing efficiency and team morale. My experience as an orientation leader and the activities I have encountered in training have left me with a new understanding of different types of leadership styles and a goal to utilize my leadership skills to positively influence others.

In high school, I always tried to be a leader in academic settings because speaking up in class and taking initiative in group projects allowed me to express my passion for connecting with others. My understanding of myself as a leader completely changed in my senior year when I was elected President of my schools community service organization. I was excited because I had the passion and creative ideas necessary to benefit the club and its mission, but I was hesitant and wary because I had never been placed in an official executive leadership position before. I had so many additional responsibilities; mandatory meetings, coordinating service events, interviews, phone calls and paperwork sullied my enthusiasm and turned my excitement into fear. Eventually, I realized that my leadership positions in group projects were merely reflections of the dedication and passion I already possessed in my personality. The extra tasks that came with being President were not what made me a leader. The club elected me because they felt I had the strength to stand and make order of the surrounding chaos, the heart to inspire others to work together to achieve their goals, and a sense of duty enough to put the interests of

Brianna Wallace Reflection Paper 1 Professor Wesley UNIV 392 Section 002 6/5/12

the group before my own. I was not a leader because of the title on my transcript. I was leader because of the characteristics I exhibited every day.

Through a series of evaluations during orientation leader training, I found that Loyola University celebrated various kinds of leaders, and a leader did not necessarily have to be the extroverted coordinator that I had previously envisioned. Everyone expresses their personalities differently, manifesting their passions and values through their own unique individual application of leadership. By participating in the StrengthsQuest evaluation, my eyes were open to the wide array of strengths and qualities that influence leadership style. Through the True Colors evaluation, I learned that those same strengths can be expressed very differently based on the individuals personality. In discussion, I realized that I needed to be more aware of group dynamics and how I can express information to meet the needs of someone with a different personality. Being a Blue, I prefer to give and receive individualized encouragement, but must be aware that I do not interfere with the plans and direction of someone with a different leadership style. My newfound skills were put to the test when I was placed in a group given the task of creating a LEGO motorcycle. Though many of my group members had the same strengths, we exhibited them through different personalities. Being aware of how each of us interpreted information and processed tasks, we were able to coordinate and communicate effectively to complete our assignment.

Over my few weeks in training interacting and working with orientation leaders, I have learned much about myself as a leader and how I can utilize my leadership skills in various groups connecting to a variety of tasks and interactions. My understanding of myself as a leader

Brianna Wallace Reflection Paper 1 Professor Wesley UNIV 392 Section 002 6/5/12

and my awareness of others with different personalities has drastically improved the effectiveness and experience of working in a group setting. What I hope to achieve in my experience as an orientation leader, however, is to live out the Loyola Mission and become a better person so that I can influence others to do the same. By exercising my leadership skills through service, dedication to learning, generosity, and interaction with students, I hope to become a leader who will promote justice in society and have the courage to perform my obligations, even in the face of adversity. I wish to become a leader who, through determination and an uplifting attitude, will influence the community to foster the intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth of others. These goals can only be reached through the realization of how I communicate with those around me in behavior and personality. By interacting with incoming students throughout the summer, I can reflect upon how I have grown in my attempt to live out my goals, and hopefully, the ways I positively influenced others.