Synthesizing Leadership Essay

Throughout my time in the Honors Program I have pushed myself towards novel
experiences that have fueled my leadership growth. It all began my first semester at MNSU when
I was shy and unversed with the Honors Program. I was in the First Year Experience course
exploring the basics of honors when I discovered my results from the Gallup Strength-Based
Leadership Insight. The results stated I was mostly executing with the themes of deliberative,
arranger, and achiever. I also had a bit of influencing with the theme of maximizer and strategic
thinking with input. I think these describe me well at the time and to this day because I like
information and being prepared. However, in the past I tended to be closed-off and keep my
private life from my public life.
I used this information to aid my first experience that I pushed myself to do while at
MNSU: being co-president of my resident floor. Although I was out of my comfort zone, this
experience gave me an opportunity to work with a team of people to host floor events. At first, it
was difficult because we had to establish roles and figure out how to work cohesively. However,
the second semester was better as far as event planning and problem solving. Looking back, it
may have seemed small, but this experience was a great way to kickstart my teamwork
experience under the Leadership Competency.
Continuously my Freshman year I was looking for leadership experiences because I
wanted to learn more, and that is when I would discover a program that would change my life.
One Fall evening during my Freshman year, I stumbled upon a Leadership U workshop. Each
week I would attend the sessions to learn about the different leadership topics. The next year, I
was the Strategic Direction Coordinator. This position gave me a chance to use my Leadership
style to lead the board meetings and facilitate workshops. Another way I developed my
leadership was an assessment called the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) developed by
Barry Posner and James M. Kouzes. I took one in the beginning and the end of the year to track
my progress. Not only did this position allow me to step out of my comfort zone in order to
develop my leadership and professional skills, it allowed me to push others to be leaders.
All these experiences were amazing, but I strategically planned the Integrated Business
Experience (IBE) Program because I am a business student. This experience gave me an
opportunity to work with a team of 20 students to start a business while in my main core classes.
The IBE gave me a chance to establish leadership roles within the company. Therefore, I was
able to practice my style of Leadership (a Democratic and Participative leader) and to see what
worked and what didn’t when I managed high pressure situations of starting a business. Also, I
was able to see other styles that I liked and disliked as well. For example, I didn’t like when I
couldn’t participate, or someone did everything without feedback. Overall, I learned how to work
within groups, and I have a general style of group leadership.
Towards the end of my college time I was able to take a College of Business leadership
class that helped me fine-tune my leadership and describe who I am. Although, I have been
already practicing leadership, this class helped me connect what I have been doing and how I can
improve as a leader. For instance, I need to work on confidence and persistence, and within
groups, becoming more innovative and creative. By the end of the class I had a Leadership
Portfolio that I can look back to guide me when working with people and situations.
Overall, all of these experiences have built on each other, and I have learned different
leadership styles and lessons in each experience. In the future, I will be using my leadership in
the Business industry. I hope to continue to develop my leadership in different ways as I start a
career after I graduate: mentorship, taking action, showing empathy, helping others, active
listening, etc. In the end, I hope to work in an environment where I can work and lead
collaboratively.