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Reflect on your understanding of leadership. How has it changed over your time in PL? What do you think of leadership now/What does leadership mean to you now?
My understanding of leadership has changed over my time in PL because I now understand that leadership is not defined by positions of power. Before PL I was under the impression that the main leaders in today’s society are those who have high level jobs in the occupational hierarchy. However, I was being closed-minded and unrealistic because some of the best leaders are those who have no titles and are in fact just everyday citizens. Leadership is a philosophy in which one rises above the standards and uses their knowledge to guide others. The best leaders are those who arise from nothing and stop at nothing to change the world for the better.
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any one assignment.
2. Describe your leadership style referencing Strengths, leadership theories/styles, etc from class
My leadership style is both directive and achievement-oriented. When leading, I like to make sure that everyone is on the same page as to what needs to be completed. I am very direct in what I demand and expect the outcome to look like. Additionally, I am a huge advocate for setting goals and assigning rewards when these goals are achieved. I believe that without goals, there is no way to reach past the ordinary, and leaders are always extraordinary, therefore goals must be set. The main strength of this leadership style is that my team and I stay very motivated to work through struggles due to our intrinsic desire to reach our goals. Some other strengths of this leadership style include great organization and easy communication amongst the group due to the directness of all tasks assigned.
4. How have you used an element of leadership learned through PL in your life? (either a formal leadership role or a personal interaction).
I have used the idea of consensus leadership this year in my BMGT 350 class. In this class we were placed into groups that we have had to work with throughout the whole semester. When my group first met, everyone was wondering how we should go about completing the assignments. I stepped up, using my new knowledge, and suggested that we all have a say in what we were completing. By not assigning a leader, every team member was able to feel comfortable and understood, therefore producing better products in the end. My group has been successful so far and we have not gotten anything below an 85 on any one assignment.
3. What facilitated the change in your understanding of leadership? Upload at least 1 additional artifact as evidence and discuss WHY you chose it/them. Describing WHY you uploaded something is more important than the item itself.
The main thing that facilitated the change in my understanding of leadership was my interview with Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. I have enclosed the paper on my leadership philosophy based on our interview below. I included this paper because it really shows how I now have a greater understanding that leadership styles are all about balance. I discuss the need for authoritarian leadership, as it establishes boundaries and creates organization. In addition, I discussed how while there is a need for assertiveness in the workplace, there must be a consensus leadership style amongst the group. Overall, people respond best to flexibility, therefore a strong leader is adaptable and understanding of their subordinates.