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Artifact 2 S Awong Elps 419 Leadership Philosophy
Artifact 2 S Awong Elps 419 Leadership Philosophy
Sherene Awong
December 1, 2020
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challenged the stereotypical ideals of what is a real leader. I have learned that leadership
is ongoing, a lifelong process that is dynamic and will change depending on the context.
Leadership requires an individual to work with others to not only meet the goals of the
group but to seek social justice within these goals. The process of leadership and working
through group dynamics is just as important as the objectives. We must also consider that
no one leadership theory is perfect. To have effective leadership, we will take parts from
several types of theories to find the perfect balance for each context.
There have been many pre-conceived ideas about leadership especially the debate
about a leader being born or made. Dugan (2017) examines the four leadership domains:
capacity, enactment, motivation, and efficacy and how they all play a role in the usage of
formal theories. In leadership capacity, Dugan (2017) stated, "Just because someone can
do something does not mean that the person will actually do it. Leadership capacity does
not necessarily translate into leadership action" (p. 36). I found this to be a powerful
colleagues have advanced degrees and yet do not hold major leadership positions at their
schools. There are reasons why a person may not be a leader, but it is up to educational
institutions to offer more leadership opportunities. In both the secondary and higher
education level, I would like to see may programs and initiatives that focus on creating
leadership roles for women and people of color. Leadership enactment is also important
because it shows practice in action. Every person has the capacity to be a leader, but the
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question remains if they will lead. Leadership motivation is critical to the process.
Whether a person enjoys being a leader or see it as a sense of duty, an effective leader
must have a desire to lead. Finally, leadership efficacy will determine success. It will be
up to the leader to find the individual strengths of the group. These domains remind me
teaching theories that will encourage students to become leaders while on campus but
leadership. Over the years, there has been a shift in leading educational institutions like
businesses at both the secondary and higher education levels. Principals are now called
directors. The student is not only a consumer of knowledge but also a client. Most people
do not know how to distinguish the differences between management and leadership.
leadership is about seeking adaptive and constructive change" (p. 12). While schools
need structure, the educational setting allows educators and students to be creative and
innovative. Leadership and management should work together but it is important to find
the right balance that works toward the goals of the group. In my own personal
experience, I have seen how management becomes the priority for many leaders. Using
educators can do more to bring social justice to their institutions. For example, as more
schools seek diversity and inclusion, leadership will require schools to do more than
universities will have to create spaces for these students and offer leadership courses and
trainings that will show the benefits of having students from these different communities
on campus.
Authentic Leadership
leaders who are real and honest about who they are. In leadership, these individuals must
demonstrate how their own beliefs can support the group in reaching their goals.
Northouse asserted, (2018) “Authentic leaders understand their own values, place
followers’ needs above their own, and work with followers to align their interests in order
to create a greater common good” (p. 208). Being an authentic leader is not always easy.
Coming to a consensus in some groups can be tricky. Having the skills to be objective,
being self-aware of one's strengths and weaknesses, and finding the true needs of the
group is what an authentic leader does (Dugan, 2017). Along with these skills, the
and resilience (Dugan, 2017; Northouse, 2018). Being confident that a group or team can
complete their tasks is useful especially when things do not go the right way. Confidence
also allows participants to build trust with their leader. Hope inspires the leader and the
team in accomplishing their goals and to have the willpower to finish the project.
Optimism accepts that failures are a part of the process but that a positive outcome is still
achievable. Resiliency demands that a leader recover from adversity. These are qualities I
want to have when being a leader. As an authentic leader, I want the students and
colleagues that I work with to know what my values are but that I am also aware that I
will not always have all the answer. Working in international higher education, I hope to
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use authentic leadership to build connections with people from all over the world and use
experiences like COVID-19 to show that we can be innovative in our work in bringing
internationalization to students.
Servant Leadership
educator, many times I have put the needs of my students first. Dugan (2017) and
Northouse (2018) analyze various behaviors in this theory including emotional healing,
helping followers grow, and creating value for the community. I hope to continue to
support students as they navigate the college campus environment. Students who study
abroad will have challenges and is up to leaders to help students transition to a new
country and offer leadership programs that will teach them more about the new
communities they are living in. One of the major issues with studying abroad and
international programs is that not everyone assimilates well into a new environment. In
our student development course, we read about the struggles of Asian international
from the U.S. (Zhao et al., 2005). As a servant leader, my job as an educator is to find
ways to make international students feel more welcomed at on-campus activities while
still respecting their goals of academic achievement. Northouse (2018) affirmed, "Servant
leaders make followers' career development a priority, including mentoring followers and
we are helping them both academically and professionally. This theory requires us to
Transformational Leadership
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leadership emphasizes the importance of promoting ethics and moral values (Northouse,
2018). It advocates the importance of social justice and progress over time. Being a
encourage intellectual stimulation, and listen to the needs of the followers (Northouse,
2018). I hope to promote critical thinking for students and to challenge the status quo.
Transformational leadership advocates for social justice and can be essential in helping
is also not a perfect theory. While the Civil Rights Movement has made momentous
changes in American history, politics, and law, there is still more work to be done. As we
currently see in the United States, there are major threats voter rights, racial equality, and
equity in education. This theory can also seem elitist when the people who truly need to
benefit from social justice are only receiving a small portion of equity. Being a
means questioning policies and rules that oppress students. By having more leaders that
are women, people of color, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities, we allow for more
Leadership (EIL) theory, the focus is on the awareness of self, others, and context of a
situation (Dugan, 2017). This framework also overlaps with many of the critical values in
the Social Change Model. Both theories discuss the consciousness of self and
congruence. The leader has an awareness of their own beliefs and values. This also ties to
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authentic leadership and having self-control and knowing one's limitations (HERI, 1996).
This type of self-awareness is helpful when thinking about self-reflection and how to
requires changing behavior. Effective leadership takes deliberate practice" (p. 9). As a
leader, receiving feedback and critically analyzing it is one of the most important parts of
the development process. We cannot learn and grow and as leaders if we do not ask for
feedback and truly process it. By doing this type of self-reflection, we not only continue
others looks at the relationships we build within a team. This ties in collaboration,
common goal and negotiating ideas. In controversy with civility, we recognize that
conflicts may occur, but it is important to resolve them with respect. Citizenship involves
context looks at the setting or environment. We must look at the common purpose and
make sure goals match up with the needs of the people that we serve. We can also look at
how level of commitment may vary depending on the type of group or situation.
Discussions about race, gender equality, and LGBTQ rights have become part of
mainstream media and are emerging topics in leadership. Culturally Relevant Leadership
(CRLL) looks at ways to, "... dismantle Eurocentrism in leadership education and replace
it with an intersecting representation of activism and social justice" (Anthony Jr., 2018, p.
42). Many of the leadership theories that we have learned in class focus on leadership
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development for White cisgender men. CRLL pushes back on these hegemonic norms
and calls for leaders to make changes that stop the oppression of marginalized groups.
Leaders must do a self-reflection on their own leadership identity, look at the imbalance
(Anthony Jr., 2018). I have done some activism work as an educator and participated in
marches about gun violence in Chicago and educational rights for students of color.
There is still more that I can do. Working in higher education, I hope to do more on
According to Guthrie, Osteen, and Jones (2016), "For change to occur in higher
must converge" (p.10). This statement sends a clear message that there must be
commitment and involvement at every level. Changing policies can be challenging, but it
is necessary. By participating in activism and social justice, we are improving the lives of
As a woman of color, I have only had a small sample of people who look like me
Black female student leaders, enhancing the environments in which this development is
happening, as well as considering the world educators are preparing them for, cannot be
understated" (p.98). Not only do we need more initiatives that focus on Black female
leadership, we also must create more leadership positions where their voices can be
heard. At the beginning of this course, I did not see myself as a leader because most of
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the leaders in my life were White men. I have missed leadership opportunities because I
did not see myself in these roles. As I have learned in this course, I must take advantage
of these moments and find ways to tell my story to improve my life and the lives of
others that are oppressed. Meriwether (2018) asserted, "Helping Black female student
leaders navigate environments in which they lead with respect to their race and gender
identities have implications for others' reception, perception, and willingness to follow"
(p. 105). Investing in Black female leadership programs is an investment society as Black
women use their roles as leaders to help others in the community. I am encouraged by the
continuous changes happening in leadership and hope to see more Black women and
other women of color in leadership roles that will make positive changes in social justice.
Conclusion
acting with emotionally intelligence, and executing cultural relevance are all parts of
the role of a leader as I feel more comfortable in using leadership theories in my practice.
This dynamic process will create social changes on campus and in my professional life.
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References
Anthony Jr., M. (2018). Intersecting Activism and Social Justice Leadership Education.
In K. Guthrie & V. Chunoo (Eds.), Changing the narrative: socially just leadership
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/luc/detail.action?docID=4797456
Guthrie, K., Osteen, L., Jones, T. (Eds). (2016). Developing culturally relevant leadership
Levy Shankman, M., Allen, S., & Haber-Curran, P. (2015). Emotionally intelligent