Program Artifacts

Personal Leadership Philosophy

ELRC 7603 Leadership in Higher Education

Dr. Emily Campbell

Definition of Leadership

I would define leadership as the goal-oriented action someone takes with others (coworkers, companions, etc.) as a person of influence.

I feel that my understanding of leadership has only grown from this course. It’s only been challenged in that I may be thought of leadership too trivially. This course expanded my understanding of how leadership can be shown through each layer of an organization and how detailed it needs to be. “This process of developing a leadership philosophy is akin to what Stephen Covey (1989) describes as ‘beginning with the end in mind’ (p.97) – a rich opportunity to imagine the possibilities of who you are and who you intend to be,” really challenged if I like to just turn this idea of leadership on and off and not continue to grow and learn more about it (Ruben, 2017). My interview with Dr. Corsi made me think more about this idea as he often described how he thinks through his actions and how they’ll be reflected back later. These are growth opportunities and we should be challenged as leaders, all while we’re developing into the leaders we’re continuing to be. “The lifelong leadership development journey may seem arduous, unpredictable, and complex, yet by maintaining a commitment to continually develop one’s skills as a leader, there will be opportunities to enrich and enhance one’s overall leadership experience,” affirmed a lot of my understanding of leadership and how challenges may occur, but the consistent goal has to stay in mind (Ruben, 2017).

A good leader in higher education is someone who’s ultimately thinking of the larger picture, is self-less, organized, friendly and has great integrity. Interviewing Dr. Corsi really helped me see how certain leaders may not be a good fit for higher education. He gave examples of how ultimately you must do what’s best for the school, and it may not be what you want to do. “College and university leaders can and do make a difference in organizational excellence, mediocrity, or failure…Regardless of one’s leadership role, a familiarity with the modern landscape of higher education is essential,” really made me realize the preparation that’s needed for higher education leadership – there’s such an impact and knowledge and background in it is absolute (Ruben, 2017). “One of the keys to leadership effectiveness is to become aware of and adept at observing and understanding these cultural practices, through a process described in this chapter as becoming an organizational ethnographer,” having self-awareness and an ability to stay relevant with what’s best for the students is key in higher education leadership (Ruben 2017). Overall, I found that autonomy, heart, determination, and great integrity are key in being a leader in higher education. Many can be leaders, but I don’t think all leaders could be a leader in higher education because of the lasting effect on students and the time you need to make sure you’re staying relevant.

Leadership Belief and Values

Leadership values are essential to developing as a leader. My personal leadership values are honesty, integrity, teamwork, communicative, authenticity, caring, and inventive. By committing to growing as a leader, I hope this list only continues to grow.

Honesty – Being an honest is key to being a good leader. An honest leader is someone who’s honest with themselves and others. Honesty not only drives other qualities like integrity, but also the way that systems are run. Good leadership has to have honesty to be able to run well and to its effective level.
Integrity – “Supporting and mobilizing others in support of the vision or a decision of a formal leader can be a decisive exercise of social influence,” this quote holds the weight that comes with being a leader, especially one in higher education (Ruben, 2017). So many decisions in higher education especially affect so many and it’s important that we know and maintain our morals, with that, integrity must be vital for a leader.
Teamwork – Not only does a leader need to be able to work with others, but also be able to tackle ideas, situations, together. Ruben says it well, “The leader of the team is responsible for the effectiveness of the group,” the leader needs to be able to direct the team and take responsibility of the direction of the team (Ruben, 2017).
Communication – As with many relationships, communication is key. To be able to explain yourself is really key in leading and directing a team. “Leaders are elected or selected to guide and coordinate this expansive array of interests and perspectives to create a whole that is, ideally, something more than the simple sum of the parts. But that is seldom a simple assignment, and almost never one in which the outcome can be achieved without careful planning and attention to details of communication,” this is an example of how much communication can really make a difference in a leader (Ruben, 2017).
Authenticity – When I spoke to Dr. Corsi I really saw how important this aspect of leadership was. Being yourself and being able to be trusted by others is so important, so that they feel trusted by their leader and vice versa, and that can’t be done without authenticity from a leader.
Caring – Being diligent and patient are very important as a leader and are both components to be a caring leader. Having empathy for others that regulations are affecting and being caring of your team are essential in leading a team that works best.
Inventive – Curveballs are always thrown at a leader. So, being inventive and thinking creatively to problem solve is so important for a leader to last and be a strong leader.

Through this course, I’ve been challenged to think more rigorously about my values and what true leadership looks like. A lot of my career has put this to the test, but I found it really valuable to layout my values and aspects that I would like to also grow in, in leadership. I hope to continue to uphold these values and to continue to grow in them as well.

Leadership Framework

The two frameworks that I found guide me as a leader are a situational approach and transformational leadership. The situational approach is best described as “…the traits needed for effective leadership vary based on circumstances. Different situations call for different approaches to leadership, including, for example, directing, coaching, supporting or delegating,” (Ruben, 2017). I found this approach to resonate with me because a lot of times in leadership you have to be inventive and intuitive based on the people and situation you are in. So, this approach really demonstrates the awareness one needs to be a leader. Transformational leadership is described as “an exceptional influence that moves followers to accomplish more than would normally be expected of them,” (Ruben 2017). I really liked this understanding of leadership because it’s inspiring and would help others feel led toward a higher goal.

I feel that my values align with the situational approach because it’s caring toward others, it’s remaining authentic to yourself, you have to inventive with your leadership, and it takes teamwork and communication to come to the right conclusion. Transformational leadership also resonates with the values, authenticity, teamwork, integrity, and honesty. By being honest with ourselves, our morals, and others we’re able to come to a more inspiring end result for our team.

Leadership Plan

I’m really thankful for this course to help me better outline the ways I want to grow and the ways I need to grow. The first three areas that I’d like to grow in, that come to mind are: confidence in the way I strategize, leading teams, and learning how to take on a healthy amount of leadership. First, to really learn how to grow confidently in the way I strategize, I think this comes with practice. But it should come with thoughtfully putting together strategies, double-checking, and going over the details of these strategies. One way I found that I could demonstrate this is to have more opportunities to present and to ask for more ways to lead. This brings me to the next area, leading a team. I’ve found that volunteering is a great way to learn more about this. As well, mentorships have really helped me grow in this area of leadership. Having others watch me and give me feedback, is really helpful for me to grow as a leader over a team. Lastly, I found that I often like to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to leadership. Because I really enjoy it and like to be challenged as a leader, I often want to have more and more responsibilities. However, as I’ve discussed in my values, communication, teamwork, and authenticity are really important, and knowing when to say no is very important to not let down your team. I’ve found that taking time to read more about leadership and again, having a mentor is really life-changing to learning how to adapt more as a leader and reach new levels, but also to know when to say no. Given these areas and their realistic growth areas, I plan on really taking note of this and being aware of the ways I can grow in each of these areas.

In the end, I really value the goals and learnings I gained from this course. I will definitely keep these perspectives, values, and goals at the top of my mind when continuing to learn about higher education. I’ve really enjoyed learning what it takes to be a leader in higher education, and I don’t take this lightly – I’m excited to see what’s to come for me in being a leader in higher education!

References Ruben, B. D., Lisi, R. D., Gigliotti, R. A., & Lederman, D. (2017). A guide for leaders in higher education: Core concepts, competencies, and tools (First ed.). Sterling,, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.