Blog Post #1
We are all leaders in this world, it just comes down to the question of what type of leader you are? After personally taking the Clifton Strengths Student Assessment, my highest strengths were Includer, Adaptability, Restorative, Futuristic, and achiever. Gallup, Inc. (2012). [ Agali Chacon ]: Your Signature Themes Report.)
In my viewpoint, I see all of the following as being
- Includer: Someone who is always welcoming everyone no matter the situation or circumstance, never leaving anyone with the feeling of being excluded from something.
- Adaptability: Being able to cherish every moment without hesitation and always having an open mindset to going on adventures or trying new things out that are out of your comfort zone. Tend to go with the flow because you never know what will come your way.
- Restorative: Being a people pleaser, putting others before yourself in the sense of always wanting to help whether it be something small or big, it still makes all the difference.
- Futuristic: Always having the mindset of thinking above and beyond and never setting limits for yourself but always exceeding your expectations.
- Achiever: Having an outlook on life to always want to make a difference or change in your everyday life, having a sense of accomplishment. Staying true to your goals and not worrying about how others are defining your accomplishments or day to day choices.
The theme I’m most encouraged to utilize throughout the course of KNR 171 would be futuristic. I personally feel as though this would benefit me because when working on group projects or on individual tasks, the greatest opportunity you can give is to always challenge yourself to do more than what you set your mind to. This allows for growth not only personally but professionally and being confident when presenting your work. In this class we focus on improving our leadership skills as well as learning about others and building off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
When I think of effective leadership the first words that come into mind are organization, communication, and confidence. In the textbook titled, “Leadership in Leisure Services, Making a Difference”, it lists a variety of leadership styles which are unique to each individual based on their strengths and characteristics. We all can work together by collaborating, exchanging and developing off of each other’s ideas in the classroom but also with daily obstacles we face in our fields of work or in the real world.
I would like to consider myself as a good and efficient leader because of the experiences I have had in my life and the opportunities that have come up. I am part of a sorority here on campus at Illinois State University (ISU) called Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority Inc., through my time in being a member of this organization I have had the opportunity to hold the secretary position, which came with responsibilities such as reserving rooms, keeping track of fines, creating agendas, updating our chapter calendar, as well as reminding sisters of upcoming events. This was something I had to manage on my own, and not only keep myself accountable but also my sisters. I have held other positions such as community service and marketing chair, but I was also our delegate for our United Greek Council here at ISU. I was in charge of making decisions on the spot for my chapter and voting on date approvals, required attendance at events, etc. I have had multiple jobs in the past years, but I have always gotten feedback from my managers letting me know, I am a hardworking employee. I currently work at a McDonald’s and it has happened a handful of times where the managers have had to step out and do other work and have left me in charge to run the front of the store. It is intimidating, but I need to make decisions to make sure we are completing everyone’s order in a timely manner. I also work for the Sorority and Fraternity life office as a Greek Ambassador, I do presentations on what greek life is, and what to expect if and when a student decides to join one. I was always scared to get up and talk to a group of students, but now I’m more comfortable and I know I can only keep on improving from there.
As a leader, I always tend to accommodate others and make sure their input is implemented in what we are working on. Everyone’s voice should be heard and being able to implement it all takes creativity and organization to receive the same or an even better outcome. I have been in the wrong sometimes, and when that occurs we just need to move on and learn from it, so when something similar occurs again we don’t take the wrong path. I also think encouraging one another when working or saying something is useful because it provides some type of feedback.
Everyone has qualities they are most proud of and for me that would be how good of a listener I can be; I take others considerations into play. I believe I have the determination to keep others accountable for their work. I know if something is supposed to be worked on for a greater time period than usual I tend to try to emphasize the importance of working on it earlier. I am also very well at thinking on my feet, so if something does not work out how it should be, we can adapt to what went wrong and continue or always have a back up plan or idea for precaution.
I will be writing a short letter to myself after the course KNR 171 is completed.
Dear future Agali,
Through the experiences and hands on exposure to practicing your leadership skills throughout this course, I would hope you feel more comfortable when having to lead group discussions or feeling confident enough if and when you need to come up with a recreational activity to ensure you get the best outcome. I hope when you are put in a position to express your leadership skills, you are able to take the proper steps and execute your performance with no hesitation. All it takes is that leap of faith and not giving up on yourself to staying motivated and having the mindset to keep on improving.
Sincerely,
Agali (At the end of the KNR 171 course)
Agali Chacon's Blog 