During my freshman year of college, I took a course titled “Introduction to Honors” (HONR 201) where I learned about the Honors Program and the three competencies that Honors students are expected to fulfill by the time they graduate. Our professor divided our classroom time evenly throughout the semester so that we would be able discuss each of these competencies in-depth, one of them being leadership. Through a series of readings, writing assignments, and classroom discussions, we talked about leadership and tackled some of the misconceptions that people have about this subject. After much educated research and debate, we agreed that there are many different leadership roles being played in our society within team or group settings. Therefore, you don’t need to be someone in a highly-recognized position of power to be a leader within a group. We also agreed that you don’t need to meet certain characteristics to become a leader. All it requires is that you identify your own values and strengths and use them wisely and effectively when working with others.  

 

Taking this class allowed me to fulfill Level 1 & 2 of the Values section in the Leadership competency, because it helped me identify my personal leadership values. After reading the course book Strengths Based Leadership by Tom and Barrie Conchie, I took the StrengthsFinder Assessment which identified my top five strengths as: 1) Activator, 2) Achiever, 3) Developer, 4) Strategic, and 5) Learner (written in no particular order). Although I am aware that the results of this assessment are not absolute, they strongly resonated with me because they explained myself very well in a way no one had done before. Besides helping me understand myself, it helped me articulate who I am to others (i.e. why I work the way I do, how I prefer working with others, etc.). It also helped me view myself in a more positive light as it turned some of my undesired characteristics into unique strengths.

 

Although I am aware that I have a lot to learn about leadership since much of it comes from putting knowledge into practice, I believe understanding this concept and identifying my own leadership strengths will allow me to guide others more effectively in future leadership positions.

 

Below is the Leadership Essay I wrote for this class where I expand on this reflection.