Growth

                There is no one definition of leadership; just like there is no one way to be a leader or follower, no one way to accomplish a goal, and no one way to be an effective group. What I've learned in this class is that leadership is an experience that is felt when a group of people come together to work towards a common goal. The idea of the group as a whole is the biggest part of leadership, because nobody can be a leader without the support of his or her followership. The group itself decides what kind of leadership it is going to follow, whether that is one person taking the lead or coming up with a path together.

                This class is what first fostered my understanding of leadership now. I thought it would be easy to transition the theory to everyday activities like group projects and student organizations especially given that we experienced our own leadership abilities and the reactions of others in class. However, it’s very difficult to change the interactions of well-established groups especially when they have not been through the same leadership class. This showed me that those in my class inherently had experiences and beliefs in common because we went through the class together, but in the real world, we have to recreate those positive learning and relational experiences in order to be on the same page about how the organization will be run. In the case of short term group projects, that doesn't have to be quite as extensive as long term organizations. This is why I hope to bring the activities from class to some of my student organizations as a way to bond during retreats.

                One thing I have drawn through my experiences is that communication as it is received by others is the most important part of succeeding as a group. Misunderstanding is often the root of all problems, whether that misunderstanding is in deadlines, tone of voice, or overall goal of the group. Nothing can function if even one person doesn't feel involved, empowered, or useful. A lot of communication has to do with understanding how everyone feels, something I have disregarded in the past. The leader of the group may believe that everything is running smoothly but does not know that a follower feels excluded or that a part of the process is broken.

                Through my experiences in this class and the “real world,” I have concluded that leadership is hard. Yes, this may be a simple realization but it’s important to note that something is going to difficult before you can begin to tackle it as a concept. I went into the class believing that leadership could be taught in one course and that there were simple ways to become a great leader. The reality is that there is no simple way, no one path, and no right leader.