HDF 190-First Year Leaders Inspired To

Excellence Portfolio
Sam Zabronsky
Spring 2016
sam_zabronsky@my.uri.edu

Table of Contents
Strengths
Opening Statement
Section 1: Self Leadership

Slide 5

Section 2: Leadership Theories

Slide 6

Section 3: Inclusive Leadership

Slide 7

Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership

Slide 8

Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership

Slide 9

Signature Strengths

Values in Action Strengths

Context

Curiosity

Activator

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

Woo

Forgiveness

Restorative

Humor

Positivity

Love

Opening Statement
In this class, I learned that there are many characteristics and values that can
make up a leader, but that is not what determines a good leader. A good leader is
driven by their why. The how and what can be determined after. In this class, I
learned how to be a better leader by using my why. I am a full blown eco-avenger,
so my why is almost always for the good of the planet.

Section 1- Self Leadership

Outcome 1- Student will demonstrate autonomy and minimized need for approval
When I first came to URI, I had my mind set on becoming very active in student life. This included
rushing a fraternity, a decision that will have a serious impact on the rest of my life. Usually, I would
ask my parents before doing something like this, but I decided that this was something that I really
wanted to do, so I proceeded without their knowledge. After concluding that I would be able to afford
it on my own, I only told my parents after I had already received and signed a bid for the Alpha
Epsilon Pi fraternity. To my surprise, my parents were not at all angry about this, and I now feel that
I am beginning to demonstrate to my parents that I am an adult capable of making my own
decisions.

Section 2- Leadership Theory and Models

Outcome 36- Students will demonstrate knowledge of the 4 Vs theory of
leadership by Grace (Center for Ethical Leadership)
The 4 Vs in ethical leadership are values, vision, voice, and virtue. Values in ethical leadership is about
understanding your own core identity before you attempt to lead others. This means knowing yourself,
and what drives you, your own why. Vision in ethical leadership is the ability to frame out your actions.
A leader needs a vision of what ought to be to accomplish positive change. Voice in ethical leadership is
communicating to others your vision, and convincing them that it is good. A leader gains support by
communicating their goals. The central V in ethical leadership is Virtue. Virtue is where the ethical part
of ethical leadership comes into play. Virtue is doing what is good or right, specifically keeping with the
common good. Most leaders have voice, values, and vision, but what separates an ethical leader from the
rest is virtue. This means supporting things like public welfare, equality, and many other principles. A
truly ethical leader can balance these.

Section 3- Inclusive Leadership

Outcome 89- Student will demonstrate proficiency of critical thinking
Of all the classes that I have taken at URI so far, Bio 102 has made me think critically the most. My
professors exams consist of interpreting the material and thinking critically, rather than memorizing facts
and processes. To show us this, he gave us a practice exam with the type of questions that he would ask
on exams. I worked through the short quiz easily, but got to the last question and frowned. It involved
applying a theory to a specific example. I knew the theory well, but the answer was not apparent. The
question was asking which of the listed options was a vestigial structure, a trait that has lost all of its
ancestral function but still resided in an organism. Three of the five choices fit the profile, and I had to
spent much time thinking about how each trait originated and eventually came up with the correct answer.
After this, my studying for biology changed completely, rather than memorizing facts, I now try to
understand concepts so that I can use critical thinking to fill in the small details on my own.

Section 5- Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and

Skills
Outcome 117- Student will describe personal examples of group dynamics and
group roles
In FLITE class, one of the biggest projects of the semester was a group project that involved carrying out a
service project, writing a paper about, and giving a presentation about it. Originally, it was tough. Working
in a group of 8 students is not very productive when everybody thinks that they are the leader of the group.
Once we accepted that this wouldnt work, everybody backed off and decided to lead a small part of the
project based off of their strengths. For me, this was the paper. I took the lead role as the editor, making
sure everyone did their individual piece so I could put it all together. I learned how to back off, and let
others take control for most of the project. This was tough to do, because I am used to taking the lead in
a group to make sure all of the work gets done. However, this time I mostly sat back and did what I was
told to. It was nice to be in a group where I didnt feel like I had to take charge for the work to get done.

Section 5(Again)- Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts

and Skills
Outcome 123- Student will demonstrate proficiency in informative and persuasive
public speaking
In Com 100, a large portion of the final grade entailed giving a speech on any topic of our choice. The
topic of this speech could be anything, but the important part was that the speech was well presented,
and demonstrated good communication through things like eye contact, diction, and engaging the
audience. I gave my speech on the sport that I know and love, Ultimate frisbee. Unlike most of the other
speeches in the class, I gave mine with the goal of not just informing my classmates about the sport, but
persuading them into possibly coming out to play for URI. I focused on making eye contact with the
audience the entire time, and even threw a frisbee at anyone that I caught not paying attention. In addition
to giving the basics of the game, I gave all of the reasons why I love the sport so much. While I was
successful in earning a good grade on the speech, I was not successful in sparking any interest in
Ultimate Frisbee among my classmates. What I drew from this experience was that inspiring people to
act by persuasive speech alone is difficult.