My Leadership Philosophy Statement
To me leadership is the idea of guiding a team of people to a certain objective. There are usually many different ways to do this, and different people have different styles of leading. I believe that I relate the most to leadership styles that are supportive, and guidance based. I believe that a good leader is able to effectively work in teams and works in a way that carries the whole team forward leaving nobody behind. I also believe that a good leader helps others find the leader within themselves and helps others nurture their inner leaders. Lastly, an effective leader also creates a space that is comfortable for all their team members and one wherein there is respect for each other and what they choose to believe in.
Over time, my idea of leadership has changed significantly. Before I entered college, I used to think of CEOs as leaders and often thought that leaders are usually authority figures that command a team or an organization. I also thought of leaders as people who know it all in their restrictive areas and are very experienced. After entering college, my idea of leadership changed slightly, and I started to see that leaders are found everywhere, and everyone has been a leader at some point or another. I also felt that leaders may not always be the most experienced but are usually good at interacting with people and skilled and filling in gaps in experiences in their team. For example, a good leader will recognize that they lack a certain skill and will find someone who can contribute that skill to the leader’s team.
Over the last year, my understanding of leadership has really expanded through my work as an Honors 100 peer educator. During our training, we went for a leadership camp and during the camp I learned that there are many different styles of leadership about the leadership quadrants. My understanding of leadership changed, and I felt that what I had previously known about leadership was just one of the many styles of leadership. Later, over the course of this quarter and the Husky leadership certificate, I think I have been able to understand the different styles of leadership more deeply and found the style that I relate to the most. I have also learned that even I have adopted several different leadership styles and identities over my time at UW. For example, in BWB, I play a more guiding role in the project whereas in MHEA, I play a more supportive role. As I continue to grow and engage with my different leadership identities, I feel that I will continue to further build upon the identities that I already associate with and find newer ones too.
Over time, my idea of leadership has changed significantly. Before I entered college, I used to think of CEOs as leaders and often thought that leaders are usually authority figures that command a team or an organization. I also thought of leaders as people who know it all in their restrictive areas and are very experienced. After entering college, my idea of leadership changed slightly, and I started to see that leaders are found everywhere, and everyone has been a leader at some point or another. I also felt that leaders may not always be the most experienced but are usually good at interacting with people and skilled and filling in gaps in experiences in their team. For example, a good leader will recognize that they lack a certain skill and will find someone who can contribute that skill to the leader’s team.
Over the last year, my understanding of leadership has really expanded through my work as an Honors 100 peer educator. During our training, we went for a leadership camp and during the camp I learned that there are many different styles of leadership about the leadership quadrants. My understanding of leadership changed, and I felt that what I had previously known about leadership was just one of the many styles of leadership. Later, over the course of this quarter and the Husky leadership certificate, I think I have been able to understand the different styles of leadership more deeply and found the style that I relate to the most. I have also learned that even I have adopted several different leadership styles and identities over my time at UW. For example, in BWB, I play a more guiding role in the project whereas in MHEA, I play a more supportive role. As I continue to grow and engage with my different leadership identities, I feel that I will continue to further build upon the identities that I already associate with and find newer ones too.