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last updated:
May 16, 2005

Leadership Philosophy

Through my studies and experiences I have developed the philosophy that everyone has the potential to be a leader. I have come across a couple of people who do not agree with my philosophy. Some people view leadership as exclusionary – that very few people have the ability to lead within them. I have even been told that people like myself should be training our students to be good followers.

I disagree with the exclusivity that some people have placed on leaders and leadership. I believe that there will come a point in everyone’s life when they will find themselves in a leadership role, whether it will be at work, in their community, or in their family. I also feel that education and training in leadership – both in the theory and the mastery of skills, is an important part of a student’s development. A student doesn’t have to be a Leader (capital ‘L’ emphasizes the position or status of the leader, i.e. President) to take on leadership responsibilities. I feel that students should be provided with the opportunity and challenged to develop and master skills that have been identified as leadership skills, or more accurately, life skills: the ability to plan and problem solve; personal management and interpersonal skills; the ability to think critically and communicate effectively; conceptualize, organize and verbalize thoughts; to resolve conflict and to work with diverse people and ideas in teams. What employer would not want a member of their staff to have these skills? What college or university would not want to have graduates with these skills and abilities?

My experiences with the Social Change Model of Leadership have been a foundation for what I believe. The model is based on values that were identified during years of research by Helen and Alexander Astin and an ensemble of their colleagues. Their research has found that a lot of people we identify as leaders in social change movements and educational institutions had values developed through their passions and beliefs in issues that affected their lives. These passions and beliefs propelled them to action, and eventually to become recognized as leaders. Many of these people do not consider themselves Leaders and do not promote themselves as such. They had skills and abilities that are recognized in distinguished leaders.

Once we begin to break down the "mystique" of leadership with our students, the next task will be to help them to recognize their capacity to lead. It is important to help them to develop their skills, become more self-aware, and learn to work interdependently with other people. Leadership cannot be taught just by lecture or from a book. It needs to be touched, tasted, pulled at, and experimented within a supportive environment. I have attempted to pull all this into my work. The master’s project I created in graduate school became a living model for the programs that I coordinated as Program Advisor for Student Development at the University of Southern Indiana. I have continued my own leadership journey while working on my doctorate at Virginia Tech. I was fortunate to take classes on organizational behavior, change management in organizations, and leadership in organizations. In addition I have had the opportunity to teach LDRS 1015 & LDRS 1016 Exploring Leadership for the Residential Leadership Community at Tech. There is much more to learn and much more to be done.

Pictured Above: Fall (1998) Corporate Leadership Conference hosted by American General Finance, Evansville, IN. USI students are participating in a teambuilding session facilitated by David Sobotka.