Alexis Hiles

February 18, 2016

PLP Leadership Portfolio
Year 3: Leadership Philosophy
After using Simon Sineks golden circle to define my why during my
success meeting, I have found my commitment to authenticity, perseverance, and
dedication as key to understanding the process of leadership in a personally
meaningful way. My commitment to these three values has had a profound effect not
only on the way I view leadership, but also on the way I have come to view my
experiences at CNU. To me, leadership is a give and take process between the leader,
their followers, and the situation, in which all three forces are working in unison
towards achieving a common goal through adherence to common values.
About four years ago during my junior year of high school, I took a forensics
class that would forever change the goals I set out to achieve. From that point on I
knew I wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement, with the end goal of eventually
working for the FBI. I also knew that doing so was going to require a great amount of
authenticity, perseverance through difficult times, and dedication to the values of the
field, especially with the end goal of working for such a prestigious government
organization. I found ways in which I could translate these values through my
involvement on campus. I became involved with organizations whose values are not
only significant to me, but my future field of work as well, such as the Presidents
Leadership Program, CNU Athletics, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and
the Criminal Justice Honor Society (Alpha Phi Sigma). I adopted a major in
Criminology as well as changed my second minor from German to computer science
after being told by multiple FBI employees that the Bureau is very interested in
students who have worked that into their degree. My involvement through these
organizations and fields of study on campus has given me ways to integrate my
learning and experiences to understand leadership in a more personally meaningful
way than I could have ever imagined.
Leadership has taught me to remain true to who I am, i.e. authentic, while
pursuing these goals through my involvement on campus. I have found it is much
easier to gain someones respect when you portray your own character instead of
trying to adopt someone elses. Being an athlete has instilled dedication in me that I
will carry with me into my line of work after graduation. It has taught me that I will
always be a member of a team, whether I am the leader of that team or a member
under that leader, where full dedication of all members is crucial to achieving the
common goal. And lastly, the academic rigor of having a major and two minors has
shown me the importance of perseverance. It has taught me to never give up and face
every obstacle and hard-ship with an open mind, always finding the positive in a
situation that is clouded with negativity. I will keep these things in mind as I head
into my final year at CNU and my life beyond graduation. They have shaped the way
I have come to understand the leadership process and have greatly influenced the
paths I take on a day-to-day basis. I want those around me to remember how
important it is to stay true to who they are (authentic), give it everything they have
(dedication), and never give up (perseverance).