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Unit 2 Inspiration: Leader Identity Narrative

Ally N. Baker

Arizona State University

Professor Trista Guzman Glover

OGL 482: Pro-Seminar 2

March 30, 2024

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Unit 2 Inspiration: Leader Identity Narrative

My life has not been perfect. There have been many highs, and many lows. Throughout

my experiences, both good and bad, I have learned how to reflect on them and discover how I

grew from them. There have been many events in my life that have specifically impacted on my

leadership qualities as well as the version of the leader I see myself becoming in the future. From

winning my first soccer championship, growing my career at Starbucks, and to even becoming a

homeowner and getting accepted into college, these events have taken place in my life and have

affected me the most. In this reflection, I will be going through each one of these events and

connecting them to my leadership journey. I will highlight my biggest takeaways from these

events and what I have learned from them. At the end of my paper, I will also include my turning

points graph to further illustrate the events that have influenced my leadership. Let me assure

you that these events were not easy, but I would never be the leader or person I am today without

them.

Soccer Championship

The first event that had a significant impact on my leadership journey was when I won

my first soccer championship. This event took place when I was in the sixth grade. Soccer was

always a part of my life. I started playing soccer when I was four years old, so the values of

teamwork and communication were instilled in me at an early age. The years prior to winning

my first championship were preparing me for that very moment. When I reflect on this event, I

can point out what made this year different for me and my team. I started to develop my

leadership skills. I started to lead and give directions rather than follow. I started to notice those
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around me taking instructions and coming to me if they were not sure about what they should be

doing or what position they were in. Before the start of a match, I would give my teammates pep-

talks and words of encouragement. At the time of doing this, I was not aware that I was

becoming a leader for those around me.

Looking back, I know that I learned these leadership qualities from my father. My father

was our soccer coach and I looked up to him. I did not take all my leadership qualities away from

him at the time. My father was an aggressive and stern leader. While his leadership did work best

in certain situations, it was not always appropriate. I learned to offset his leadership by becoming

an uplifting and optimistic leader.

Volunteer Work

The second event that significantly impacted my leadership journey was when I led

volunteer work at my church. Between 2019 and 2020, multiple hurricanes hit the United States.

Many people were left without food, water, shelter, and necessities. I asked my stepmom if her

church was preparing to do anything for those affected. She told me that nothing had been done

yet so I asked if she would join me in starting something at her church. I asked all church

members to donate food, water, and self-care items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, toilet

paper, etc. Members quickly started to donate. I then asked members to gather at the church on a

Saturday and prepare emergency bags for those affected by the hurricanes with me and my

stepmom. Shockingly, we had a big turnout that Saturday. I did not know anyone at the church

because I had never regularly attended church before. Regardless of this fact, the members of the

church looked up to me and were willing to do anything they could to help the cause. Organizing

a volunteer event like this was incredibly challenging for me. I was a senior in high school, and I

was not aware of all the work it would take to make this happen. With help from my stepmom
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and the church members, we successfully gathered and delivered supplies to those affected in

North Carolina.

I learned so much from this experience. A good leader must clearly and effectively

communicate and give instructions. I had to learn and adapt to this huge event which also meant

I had to become a good leader as well. My biggest takeaway was learning how to get others

around me motivated for a cause. Sometimes all people need is for one person to step up and

start something. I also learned how to organize an event and people. This required me to have a

clear goal and deadlines that I wanted to meet. Lastly, I learned that a leader must be willing to

ask others for help. Sometimes pride can get in the way of my leadership, but reflecting on this

event I know I would not have been able to do it without the help of others.

Acceptance Into ASU

The third event that affected my leadership journey was getting accepted into Arizona

State University. When I started to apply to college in my senior year of high school, I was not

confident that I would get accepted into a good school. I always had good grades in high school,

but I was unsure of how I would perform in college because I had not seen anyone in my family

go to college. College was not something that my parents pushed on me or my brother, and if

anyone in my family went to college, they ended up dropping out. My assumption was that

college was challenging and I had many doubts about myself. I asked myself, am I smart enough

for college? Will I be able to pass classes? What will I do if I feel like I cannot make it? Fast

forward, I started working at Starbucks in my senior year of high school and I was given the

opportunity to go to ASU through their college reimbursement program. I was hesitant to apply

but I ended up taking the risk. I shortly found out that I was accepted, and I was so happy after

learning the news.

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This event shaped who I was as a leader because it gave me an enormous confidence

boost. I learned that if I apply myself and stay dedicated to something then I can achieve

anything I set out for myself. I also learned that it is sometimes good for leaders to take risks. If I

never took the risk and applied to ASU, I would have never been accepted and given the

opportunity to pursue a college education. I learned that just because I come from a background

where college may not be the norm does not mean that I cannot do it as well. This idea is

something I not only remind myself often of but also to those around me as well. When leading

others, I remind them that they can do amazing things if they work diligently and believe in

themselves.

Shift Supervisor Promotion

The fourth event that has shaped my leadership journey was when I was promoted to a

shift supervisor at Starbucks. After working at Starbucks as a barista for a year, something

pushed me to apply for the newly opened position for shift supervisor. I had no previous

experience leading others in a professional setting, but I felt confident in my abilities as a barista.

I applied for the position because I was looking forward to starting something new. After

applying, I did feel nervous because this was something completely new and out of my comfort

zone. I ended up getting the position and soon started my training. Everything felt natural and I

began to feel like a real leader. I also learned a lot in this position. For the first time ever, I was

solely responsible for a team and ensuring that the partners on my floor were doing their job.

Something that arose often during this time in my life was conflict management.

Here in my life is where I learned to manage conflict and differences among people.

During this time, I was also taking conflict management classes in my Organizational Leadership

degree. These classes helped me tremendously because I learned different conflict management
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skills. One of my favorite lessons I learned was from OGL 340 The Akido Way. This class

focused on the martial arts of Aikido. Aikido focuses on redirecting energy rather than reacting

and attacking back. This lesson is something that I still practice to this day, and it has shaped me

in my leadership journey.

Store Manager Promotion

Another experience in my life that shaped my leadership journey was when I became a

store manager at Starbucks. After supervising for a little bit over a year, I felt ready to progress

in my career at Starbucks. I applied for the position, went through the interview process, and I

ended up getting offered the job. I accepted and was extremely excited to start because this felt

like my calling. This was the high point of my leadership journey. Throughout my training

experience as a store manager, I started to see the realities of what it is like managing your own

store. I understood most expectations required of a store manager but there was something that

really did not sit well with me. My life started to revolve around work. I desperately lacked

work/life balance. My days off were not really my days off because I ended up having to go back

to work most days. During this challenging time, I reached out to my leaders and got little to no

support from them. The consensus was that this is just the life of a store manager, and you should

suck it up. My mental health quickly declined, and it was the most unhappy I have ever been in

my life.

In this event I was faced with making an extremely hard decision. I had to decide

between demoting back down to a shift supervisor or remaining as a store manager. This

decision was a hard one to make because I wanted to take care of my mental health, but I also

did not want to lose everything I had worked so hard for. There was also the feeling of letting

everyone who has helped me on my leadership journey down. Ultimately, I made the decision to
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step down and return as a shift supervisor. This was a low point for me in my leadership journey.

I learned that it is still important to take care of yourself despite trying to uphold perceptions of

being a strong leader. I also learned that others can be negatively affected by you if you do not

ensure you are doing well mentally or physically. The biggest pill I had to swallow was

understanding that I cannot lead others by example if I am not following my own advice.

Homeownership

Shortly after being demoted back to a shift supervisor, me and my fiancé purchased our

first home. I moved from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio. This was an exciting step in our life,

and it also became another high point in my leadership journey. Becoming a new homeowner

can be incredibly challenging and I was faced with conflict that I have never experienced before.

Every week, we discover something new that is wrong with our house. One week, our furnace

goes out. The next, our roof is leaking. My fiancé and I felt like we could never catch a break.

Also, a notable mention, we are both 21 years old, so we have no idea what is going on.

Despite these challenges with our new home, I was able to gain and practice my

leadership skills. One of those was problem solving. When these problems arose, I had no idea

what to do. I quickly learned how to adapt and create a solution. Secondly, I learned how

optimism and negativity can play a significant role in your life and those around you. When

things got hard, I had to stay positive because me and my fiancé had to work together and lift

each other up. Lastly, I learned how to take initiative during conflict and anticipate what is next.

Learning these skills also translates to my professional leadership because I am now a more

confident leader. Working through the ambiguity of owning a house makes me feel like I can

figure anything out. I now have a stronger ability to think creatively, optimistically, and quickly.
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New Beginnings

Moving to a new city meant I had to work at a new store. I am still at Starbucks and now

I am a shift supervisor. This was a fresh start for me. No one knows me because I am in a new

city, and I can leave a lot behind me. While I was excited for new beginnings, I was also anxious

to start over. I recently had a terrible experience as a store manager, and I was worried that my

new store would not be a good fit. I often worry about people's perceptions of me and if they

take a liking to me. This is due to me being in a leadership position for so long. When others

look up to you, they have a good understanding of who you are. This is a comfortable state to be

in. When you are new to a place, it can be uncomfortable because no one knows you and there

can be more room for misunderstandings.

I went into my new store with an open mind and focused on being myself. Despite the

hardships I faced in my career, this was a fresh start, and I was willing to be vulnerable with my

new team. Learning how to be vulnerable is my biggest takeaway from this part of my life.

Showing my genuine and raw personality has allowed me to develop meaningful relationships

with my coworkers. This is something I have never had before. Sharing my story with the new

people in my life became very comforting and it made me feel like I was not alone. I learned

leaders must also show their emotions and vulnerabilities. After being put into an unfamiliar

environment, I was able to let go of all past expectations and pressures. I no longer have a feeling

like I must be a perfect leader because that expectation is unrealistic.

Graduation Approaching

As graduation approaches for me, I feel many emotions. On the bright side, these are all

positive emotions. Graduation represents so much to me. It symbolizes perseverance, dedication,

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hard work, struggle, happiness, and much more. This is the event in my life that is currently

taking place for me, and I feel like I am at an all-time high. This experience trumps all the highs

and lows that I have experienced in my leadership journey. My biggest takeaway from this whole

experience is that I am capable of anything, and I am worthy. Before attending ASU, I had so

much doubt in myself, my leadership, and my abilities. For a long time, I allowed my

background and self-perceived assumptions about myself to hold me back. Reflecting on when I

was debating applying for ASU, I saw it as a risk because I spent a lot of time thinking

negatively. Now, I view that as the smartest decision I have ever made.

Conclusion

My leadership journey has been shaped by many highs and many lows in my life. It has

not been an easy journey. Every experience I have mentioned in this reflection has shaped me to

be the person and leader I am today. I am happy to say that I have grown so much and have been

able to gain valuable leadership skills on this journey. To me, leadership is not a perfect journey.

I have struggled and made mistakes. Leadership is all about the lessons you learn on this crazy

journey we call life. Most importantly, I learned that leadership is not about perfectionism. I am

who I am, and I am proud of the leader that I have become. Throughout this process of majoring

in organizational leadership, I have realized that reflection is my best friend. Reflection has

allowed me to take away a lot from my firsthand experiences. Without genuinely reflecting on

my leadership journey, I may not have been able to learn as much as I have in my OGL courses.

Not only have my OGL courses served as great resources, but they have also served as points in

my life where I can reflect on what is happening. This leadership reflection will be included in

my e-portfolio because it documents major points in my life where my leadership was

influenced. This document will also serve as something I can look back on and view how I have
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grown. My leadership will continue to change and take form. What poses as challenges to me

now may not exist in five to ten years. You never know what life will throw your way so it is

important for me to reflect on it and understand how I can grow from it

Turning Points Graph

(I drew my graph because I do not have access to a printer).