Who Am I As a Leader?

 When reflecting on who I am as a leader I am reminded of various leadership roles I have held over the past few years.  These roles varied in so many ways; types of organizations, responsibilities, coworkers or members of the organizations, etc.  I'm also forced to evaluate whether these roles were considered "official" or "unofficial".  

One of the main leadership roles that come to mind when reflecting on who I am as a leader is my role as Training Supervisor for a service dog training organization.  In short, my job was to oversee all hander and dog teams in the organization and conduct group and individual training sessions designed to help these dogs on their journeys to becoming active service dogs.  This collegiate, service organization presented a number of incredible opportunities for me as a leader and gave me the chance to fine-tune communication and other necessary leadership skills.  

During my time as Training Supervisor, I relied heavily on text message communication and meetings to guide my training teams.  My co-supervisor and I planned training sessions by texting different ideas while trainers and I communicated constantly via text as well.  We scheduled training-specific meetings weekly to allow training teams to focus solely on their work rather than the rest of the organization's needs.  Finally, my co-supervisor and I used weekly training reports to help our training teams keep records of weekly work and progress made.  

Reflecting on this experience, I feel as though this first attempt at leadership was mainly focused on efficiently completing tasks and attempting to make sure those relying on me felt connected and included.  That being said, when looking at my leadership style and who I am as a leader now, I feel as though my focus has shifted.

While I do not directly supervise anyone in my professional role as an admissions counselor I do feel that who I am as a leader is largely based on my interactions with students (both at the college and high school level) and my experience as the oldest of two siblings.  In this unofficial leadership capacity, I have found that using empathy, authenticity, and stability often provides the best results.  For example, when working with prospective students who are struggling with meeting application guidelines or the application process in general - offering guidance and a few extra minutes on a phone call or at a visit is often enough for them to feel comfortable reaching out with further questions or finding the confidence within themselves to do the work needed.  As an older sibling, I often find that my younger brother will come to me for advice or just because he wants someone to relate to and talk to.  Despite sibling disagreements, offering an empathetic ear and open communication often provides a sense of comfort that I think we all need with people in leadership roles in our lives.

If I needed a simple sentence to describe who I am as a leader it would be:

I am a leader who values empathy, honesty, and hard work and I provide the stability and openness needed for others to express themselves in honest ways in order for everyone to succeed.