What have you learned about yourself throughout the course of the semester?

Throughout the semester I have gained insight into my dynamic as a leader and my own personal leadership style. Through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator I learned the personality tendencies which guide my decisions in leadership situations, and in everyday life. This has already been helpful in that when making a decision it has granted me the ability to step back and think about the reasons for making a particular decision rather than just considering the obvious options. Also I have learned that I have particular inclinations with regard to my own personal experiences having an effect on decisions I make in leadership roles. Being able to draw on this experience and channel it in a positive way will help me to be a more effective and successful leader in group situations. The most important thing I have learned this semester is to try to avoid regarding things as competitive. I am predisposed to be competitive and this can be negative in team environments. An example of this came in the group activity in which we were divided into teams and given the same task, at the time I devised a plan and kept it within my team. When we completed the task we had to wait for the other teams to finish. It was only after the exercise that I realized I could have shared resources and helped the other teams to finish in order to complete the activity. This tendency to be competitive blinded me to the ultimate goal of getting all the teams through the activity. I have learned from this to channel my competiveness to a larger scope in order to have everyone succeed in group and team environments, not just those directly around me.

Which theories/practices/concepts have had an impact on you and why?

The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posne had the greatest impact on me this semester as it provided me with a great insight into my areas of strengths and weaknesses in leadership characteristics. Through this I learned that I am proficient at enabling others to act. It is helpful to know that this is an area in which I excel. The fact that I am good at enabling others to act can be very helpful in leadership opportunities in group settings. I knew that I was good at getting others to be motivated to do work for a team, but the reinforcement of this activity has made me realize the importance it plays in leadership. I was actually surprised to know that I am not as strong at challenging the process. This is surprising to me as I feel that I am outspoken and willing to express my opinion when I disagree with something. However, after looking further into this it actually made sense to me with regard to my personality. I have since been working on ways to improve my aptitude to challenge the process in leadership roles that have come up throughout the semester.

What have you learned about your personal leadership styles?

With regard to my personal leadership style I have learned that my leadership style comes from a culmination of all of the events and experiences that make up my life. Many factors come into my decision making including my personal preferences, morals and beliefs. This has made me more aware of the root of my decisions and how that could affect the outcome. I have learned that I am very self-motivated and self-reliant and need to be aware of these tendencies in team environments. My values come into play in my leadership style and it is important to remember that when working in groups there are other people who have values separate to my own. I have made this a large focus of my growth as a leader because I feel it is important to be considerate of other peoples leadership styles in group situations in order to achieve the best result possible from the group.

How do plan on using your Leadership ePortfolio for the remainder of your academic career?

I plan on using my leadership ePortfolio throughout the remainder of my academic career to document my journey through its various stages. I plan to keep updating it in order to reflect what is going on currently in my career and how leadership plays a role in that. It will also be very helpful to refer back to the Leadership ePortfolio for reference when a question arises with regard to a particular leadership situation I may find myself in. I find the collection of my works and thoughts in a portfolio style arrangement allows myself and others to get a sense of who I am in my leadership style and how that will play a role in my decisions.

How do you plan on using your Leadership ePortfolio in your professional career?

I am actually very excited to be able to present my Leadership ePortfolio in my professional career. As a business major it is very important to market yourself correctly to potential employers and I think that this ePortfolio gives me a leg up on the competition as it is something that will stand out from the pack and separate me from other potential candidates. It will allow the employer to gain an insight into my leadership capabilities and styles that other candidates may not have the ability to show or represent in an interview setting. Overall I am very excited at the opportunity to use this ePortfolio in interview and impress the potential employer.