Erikas Organizational Leadership Reflection

In the first week of class, we had to write down our personal, professional, and civic
learning objectives for our internship. My goals included hoping to become more familiar with
the process behind investigating claims of discrimination in the workplace, gaining information
about the preservation of equal rights and our legal system which upholds these rights, and
taking my knowledge of present social and economic injustices to seek the advancement of
society. When reflecting on these goals, I realized that my ultimate personal, civic, and
professional objective is to be a leader.
Even though my internship at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did not
allow me to lead at my fullest potential because of its organizational structure, I was influenced
by my supervisors leadership approach. At my internship, it remained difficult to maintain a
leadership role because I was constantly directed and guided by other investigators. On the other
hand, I enjoyed observing the leadership role my supervisor took on. She always had the answer
to any question I would ask and she was constantly quick to aid other investigators with their
needs. In my entire year interning at EEOC, I never saw my supervisor treat anyone with
disrespect. She was consistently encouraging and empathetic while remaining authoritative and
assertive. It appeared that the other investigators sincerely respected her of her likeability and
spectacular leadership skills. Consequently, I admire my supervisors leadership skills and hope
to be as strong of leader as her one day.
Furthermore, my internship experience taught me that leadership in an organizational
context can occur at all levels. I have always viewed leadership as hierarchal in that those at the
top take on the highest leadership role. However, my internship opened my eyes to a teamwork
approach to leadership. In the investigative unit that I was apart of, the investigators, myself, and

my supervisor would work together on specific aspects of a case. Ultimately, my leadership style
approach has developed throughout my time at EEOC. I now know that I prefer a teamwork style
of leadership to a hierarchal leadership approach.