Running head: FINAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Final Reflective Essay

Amy Weatherford
Loyola University of Chicago

FINAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY

On the first day of class, we were asked to write our definition of leadership on an index

card. This was my very first assignment in graduate school, and I wanted to ace it, to write
down something insightful and clever, some profound thought that would prove, to myself, I
think, more than anyone else, that I am cut out for graduate level work. When I put pen to paper,
however, I drew a blank. What is leadership? How can one begin capture such a broad concept
in a few words? As I thought, I became overwhelmed to the point where I could not even decide
if leadership is a noun or a verb. I handed in my index card, covered with scratched out halfformed thoughts, rather reluctantly on that first day, but am happy to submit the following
thoughts on leadership today.
Philosophy of Leadership
Although my philosophy of leadership is still evolving, and will likely continue to
evolve, I can state that I believe leadership to be a dynamic process that empowers individuals to
work collaboratively for positive social change. My personal philosophy most closely aligns
with the social change model. This is not to say that I do not recognize valuable aspects of other
theories. On the contrary, I think many of the theories we have studied have some merit. There
are benefits to developing the behaviors, skills, and adaptability to situations in leaders, but the
leader-centric quality of the industrial leadership theories is the foundational flaw that prevents
me from fully embracing them. I believe there are ways to incorporate aspects of these theories
into newer models, to take the best from [our] history into the future (Heifetz, 2010, p.15).
Two of the core values of the social change model are particularly salient to me. The first
is change, the ideal that the leadership process must be for the benefit of others and should be
focused on an improvement or alteration of the status quo (Cilente, 2009, p. 51). The second is
collaboration, which gives every person both the right and the imperative to participate in the

FINAL REFLECTIVE ESSAY

leadership process (Cilente, 2009; Wagner, 2009). Desmond Tutu, as quoted by Wagner (2009)

sums up the importance of collaboration and change: that the essence of our humanity is caught
up, is inextricably bound up (Wagner, 2009, p.19) in the humanity of others.
I think one of the primary challenges to the widespread adaptation of such a collaborative
leadership process is the focus on the individual and individualism that is ubiquitous in our
culture (Hoppe, 1998; Wagner, 2009). A paradigm shift to a mindset that values working for the
benefit of others, and understands how communities and individuals can strengthen and support
one another is necessary for truly collaborative leadership to be embraced (Wagner, 2009).
Prior to taking this course, my views on leadership were primarily informed by my own
leadership experiences, most of which have been in positional leadership. Although I have had
some wonderful experiences working in collaboration with others, I did not have the theoretical
vocabulary to be able to recognize and articulate those experiences as leadership.
Administrative Leadership
The process of studying a variety of leadership theories to develop my philosophy of
leadership has compelled me to critically examine how those theories are manifested in my
work. I have very little positional authority in my current position, but a fair amount of what
Heifetz (2010) describes as informal authority. Much of this can be attributed to the overt
displays of leader-member exchange theory (LMX) practiced by members of my department
who do hold positional authority. As a member of what Northouse (2010) characterizes as the
in-group, I am given more responsibility and much more authority and privilege within my
school than my title and job description would suggest.
In observing the goings-on in committee meetings and in the day to day operations of my
department, I am able to identify a number of ways in which we are falling short of the social

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change model. For example, while I think that my department professes to value collaboration,
in practice, we do much of our work in silos, completely isolated from one another. Because so
much of our time and work is done individually, or in very small groups, when we do come
together, it is evident that we do not all agree on a common purpose, which is essential to the
social change model (Cilente, 2009). It is also apparent that the presence of in-groups and outgroups has resulted in many individuals being left out of the leadership process.
I feel that it is incumbent upon me, as someone who now possesses some foundational
knowledge of leadership theories, and as someone who has strong dyadic relationships with
those who hold positional authority within my school, to find ways to help my department
narrow the gap between what they value and what their actions express, recognizing that
leadership is an integral part of the drama that plays out between the two (Astin, 2000, p.vi). I
am not certain how I will navigate through the complex web of relationships and politics to
facilitate this change, but I do know it will involve a lot of critical reflection, which an example
in the Preskill and Brookfield article cites as a means for understanding how to best
acknowledge and enhance the humanity of [ones] co-workers (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009, p.
42). I agree with Kezars (2000) statement that being reflective is important in developing
awareness of identity, positionality, and power. Being critical is important in negotiating the
various viewpoints that emerge, (Kezar, 2000, p.10) and I hope to be able to use critical
reflection to as means of initiating positive systemic change.
Developing Leadership in Students and Staff
It is my observation that, much like multiculturalism, leadership is often treated as the
province of specialized offices rather than the shared responsibility of everyone in the higher
education environment (Munin & Dugan, 2011, p.158). Just as multiculturalism and cross-

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cultural competency can and should be integrated into many aspects of the student experience,

leadership development should be modeled and infused throughout our curriculum, student
groups, institutional policies, and administrative practices (Astin, 2000). This is particularly
relevant to me, as I previously viewed leadership development as more of a by-product, or perk,
of the type of student organizations I hope to work with, and I now recognize that it can and
should be a fundamental element of every organization. I know from my experiences in teaching
that thoughtful, meticulous planning of events or classes is essential to helping students achieve
the desired outcomes, which gives me further evidence that leadership development must be
thoughtfully and purposefully woven into every organization.
It is crucial to foster the development of the leadership process of the group as well as the
individual, recognizing that currently little attention is paid to the process of leadership among
members of groups or of the influence of group culture on leadership development (Komives,
2011, p.12). Being able to foster learning environments that help students integrate knowledge,
skills, and experiences in meaningful ways (Owen, 2011, p.109), is paramount to leadership
development, as development will be stagnant if the campus climate is not encouraging. Just as
critical reflection is a core component of my leadership development, guiding students to reflect,
both as individuals and as a collective, and helping them interpret and process their reflections
will be central to how I help develop student leadership. Through this reflection and
development, I hope to empower students, by helping them develop those special talents and
attitudes that will enable them to become effective change agents (Astin, 2000, p.2), thus
bringing my leadership philosophy to fruition.

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References

Astin, A. W., & Astin, H. S. (2000). Leadership reconsidered: Engaging higher education in
social change. Battle Creek, MI: W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Cilente, K. (2009). An overview of the social change model of leadership development. In S. R.
Komives, W. Wagner, & Associates (Eds.), Leadership for a better world:
Understanding the social change model of leadership development (pp. 43- 78). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Heifetz, R. (2010). Leadership. In R. A. Couto (Ed.), Political and civic leadership: A reference
handbook (pp. 12-23). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hoppe, M. H. (1998). Cross-cultural issues in leadership development. In C. D. McCauley, R.
S. Moxley & E. Van Velson (Eds.), Handbook of leadership development: Center for
creative leadership (pp. 336-378). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Kezar, A. (2000). Pluralistic leadership: Bringing diverse voices to the table. About Campus,
5(3), 611.
Komives, S. R., Dugan, J. P., Owen, J. E., Wagner, W., Slack, C., & Associates. (2011).
Handbook for student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Munin, A., & Dugan, J. P. (2011). Inclusive design in leadership program development. In S. R.
Komives, J. P. Dugan, J. E. Owen, W. Wagner, C. Slack, & Associates, Handbook for
student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P. G. (2009). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Owen, J. E. (2011). Considerations of student learning in leadership. In S. R. Komives, J. P.
Dugan, J. E. Owen, W. Wagner, C. Slack, & Associates, Handbook for student
leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Preskill, S., & Brookfield, S. D. (2009). Learning as a way of leading: Lessons from the

struggle for social justice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wagner, W. (2009). What is social change? In S. R. Komives, W. Wagner, & Associates (Eds.),
Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership
development (pp. 7- 42). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.