WHAT I'VE LEARNED: MANAGEMENT VS LEADERSHIP

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When I started the Public Leadership program, I could not confidently differentiate between leadership and management. I suspect that many would fail this same task - a phenomenon perpetuated by the tendency of businesses to refer to their upper level positions and executives as "leadership".

 

Now, I recognize the danger of using this label. Executives at a company can certainly be leaders, but it implies that everyone else cannot. The Public Leadership program has taught me that a person's potential to be a leader is irrespective of their background, salary, or title. 

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Although management and leadership utilize similar skills and processes, the purposes of each are starkly different. The goal of a manager is to execute specific tasks and ensure that the people around them are doing their jobs. The goal of a leader is to seek new and exciting opportunities to make positive change in the world, and to achieve this change through cooperation with others.    

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What I have learned is that you do not need money, status, or authority to be a leader. You just need a vision for a better world and the dedication to make it a reality. 

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LEADERSHIP STYLE

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Another important lesson I have learned about leadership is that it can be practiced in a myriad of different styles. Furthermore, that theories exist about which are more useful in specific situations. 

 

One philosophy that has been especially impactful to me is servant leadership. This is the idea that a leader should strive to humbly serve their community rather than to be served by the people they influence. Furthermore, that a leader should be motivated not by the wealth or status they might get, but by the importance of their mission. I strive to be a servant leader by valuing and listening to the perspectives of the people around me. I also actively prioritize passion, not profit, in the decisions I make. 

 

I feel that my main strengths as a leader are emotional intelligence, ideation, and empathy. Paramount to me are the feelings of the people I interact with, and I excel in solving problems that require creative thinking. However, my creative thinking can get in the way when I have to settle on one decision. Also, I have to be careful not to be too empathetic and remember to prioritize my needs and the needs of the group. I strive to think critically about the choices I make and strike a balance between emotions and logic. 

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ARTIFACTS

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Myself as Leader Today

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This paper, which I wrote for CPPL100 in the Spring 2020 semester, characterizes my tendencies and aspirations as a leader. I chose to frame the majority of this paper as an analysis of Kwame Nkrumah's actions as former president of Ghana. I argued that although Nkrumah had made grave mistakes such as jailing dissidents and overlooking the needs of his people later in his career, there were many positive characteristics that he exemplified and that I sought to emanate. For example, Nkrumah had humble beginnings and used his experiences to appeal to working class Ghanaians and made changes that greatly improved the lives of the common man. He also used civil disobedience as his main strategy and constantly advocated for a free and united Africa. 

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As a leader, peacefulness and cooperation are essential to my aspirations. I am particularly affronted by partisan conflict and I want to contribute to a world that is more united. 

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APPLICATION

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One instance where I applied concepts from the Public Leadership program is in my experience as a pledge educator for Alpha Rho Chi (APX), the architecture professional fraternity. My job as a pledge educator was to teach prospective members about the history, structure, and practices of the organization at weekly classes over the course of two months. Typically, this means lecturing, running through slides, and reading directly from the organization's official handbook. 

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However, I saw the opportunity to do and achieve more in this process. When I took the course, I felt that the information could be presented in a more engaging way and that I wished I had been more prepared at the end when I was quizzed on what I had learned. I also felt that my pledge educators could have been more approachable. With this in mind, I set about creating a strategic plan.

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My goal was for the pledge class I taught to score higher than my class and for me to receive feedback indicating they had enjoyed the process. The means I had at my disposal were vast - I had access to years of past pledge education documents, experience as a student, and skill with digital media such as photoshop, word, and excel. 

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The first change I made to the course was to make it more interactive. Using my knowledge of emotional intelligence, I hypothesized that the pledges would retain more and enjoy the class if they had a chance to contribute. Instead of just lecturing to the pledges, I had them read aloud and draw on the chalkboard in front of the class. I also created several worksheets to help them practice the information and study for the final exam. Perhaps most importantly however, I made sure to seek and absorb feedback from the pledges. I constantly checked with them to see how they were feeling and what they liked/disliked. I learned in the Public Leadership program that leaders need to be receptive to feedback and guidance if they are to make the best decisions. 

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After enacting these changes, I was beyond pleased when my class performed the best anyone in the organization had ever seen. They had a strong grasp on all the information and were closely bonded to each other. It also seemed that they thoroughly enjoyed the process - my favorite example of which was when one told me that they wanted to become a pledge educator like me. My goals were accomplished and I am very thankful I developed the skills in Public Leadership to take a seemingly mundane task and turn it into an opportunity for development, learning, and communal betterment. 

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