The Leadership course, LDR 101: Sit-ins, Kiss-ins, and Die-ins, has provided me with a multitude of skills, strengths, and strategies that will not only benefit me throughout my next few years at Agnes Scott College, but also as I go into both graduate school and the professional workplace. This course provided various opportunities for the development of my critical thinking, public speaking, writing, digital literacy, and teamwork skills. With assignments such as thought provoking readings from authors with diverse backgrounds who have strived for social changes, to research papers discussing the social challenges that are present currently, I have grown in my capacity to lead through a new perspective on what leadership actually is.
Agnes Scott teaches that a leader reflects, analyzes, and then acts. In order to follow those aspects that create strong leaders, specific skills need to be learned and strengthened. Critical thinking, a skill that is necessary for leaders, goes beyond considering a situation or prompt in a new light. It is taking the time to reflect on what has happened in history to get to this current point and from there, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses. By thinking critically, one can evaluate effective responses, followed by an action put into place. This course has strengthened my ability to question a thought and to discuss new aspects of a situation that may not have been obvious. My improvement in the area of critical thinking has allowed me to see new perspectives before discussing them further and feel more comfortable questioning statements.
Digital literacy is a skill that leaders should acquire. Not only does it improve presentations of important material or information, but it also promotes how one can show how they have worked towards finding their stance on a concept. By compiling one’s work in an online format, such as the D Portfolio, they can easily show others what they have accomplished in an orderly way through utilizing the digital literacy skills that have been enhanced. Presenting these ideas one has reflected upon is the next step to take before working collectively in order to participate in an action. Discussion among classmates provides the best learning experience while improving public speaking skills. This course involved a presentation on a research topic that we studied in great depth. One can spend hours researching and solving a problem, but without speaking out about the issues, nothing will change. This has taught me that looking at a situation critically can bring thoughtful conversations that need to be had. By clearly presenting an opinion, idea, or research, an individual can collaborate with others in order to work towards acting in more beneficial ways. This course promotes this by forming a class that allows for discussion to form topics discussed in large groups. While reading Charlene Carruthers book, our conversations for class the next day were created based on presenting concepts within the book that we found interesting or challenging. To create meaningful conversations, we had to think deeply about what points peers mention and listen to the information they were presenting. Individually, this promotes a sense of leadership in terms of understanding, reflecting, and analyzing experiences which in turn leads to effectively articulating a plan. Leadership 101 has taught me to discuss issues with my peers and analyze situations collaboratively to combine various perspectives, strengths, and types of leadership to find successful outcomes. Through the StrengthsFinder survey, students can identify their top five strengths and learn how to work collaboratively. I have learned that I can not rely only on myself because working together with a team provides a more inclusive solution. For example, my quiz results highlighted my achiever strength, which helps me in terms of being able to push through and challenge a situation in order to find a solution. I may, however, need to rely on an individual who has more of a communicative skill in group assignments or tasks. This course has had moments when those in teams or groups disagree, yet they can interpret the other person’s views and understand a new perspective on a situation that they might not have considered. This is what grows education and creates strong, well rounded leaders who can share leadership power with voices that may not always be heard. By bringing new conversations and points of view, an individual learns more skills that allow them to be a successful leader. As an individual, there are issues that I might never experience. When working with other people, their stories and experiences can allow me to learn about various challenges.
Leadership is a challenging word to define as it looks different among every person. A leader is anyone who is taking action to do what they feel is needed. Srilatha Batliwala’s “Feminist Leadership for Social Transformation” was the opening assignment for this course. In her writing, she discusses the idea of feminist leadership and how it differs from the standard definition of leadership by detailing the countless ways individuals can lead. Her writing stuck with me throughout the duration of the course as I asked myself not only what kind of leader am I but also what kind of leader I want to be. All leaders will be different in terms of their skills and abilities, yet each individual has a role they perform. This means that not all leaders will look or act alike. Everyone has a job to do that is necessary for progress. When we look at leadership stereotypically, a leader is the one who gives up the most of themselves, has the loudest voice, and is the most charismatic. Yet through this class, I have grown to understand that one specific image of a leader is not the only image available. Personally, I am a more behind the scenes leader who can plan out timelines effectively and solve new issues that arise. My capacity to lead has grown as the value of history and past experiences have been highlighted through every reading and assignment during this course. The stories of the past and by other groups of people are some of the most important stories to be told, no matter what kind of leadership role that individual participated in. It is the collection of different leaders and their skills that create solutions and change.
