Hendrickson et al. (2013), identifies two ways in which leaders approach the concept of leadership: transformational and transactional. Transformational leaders are those who are self-confident and independent, able to exert a large amount of influence in the leadership process. They are the key decision makers and “big players” on a college campus. Transactional leaders are those who use a collegial approach to governance, being informed about institutional culture and history and working with others to inspire change (Hendrickson et al., 2013; Bolman & Deal, 2013). While success can come from both types of leaders, I personally strive to be a transactional leader as I rely on the input and support of other individuals. When working with students, I utilize instructional methods that provide them with the skills necessary to value diverse perspectives, recognize their strengths and areas for improvement, and be advocates for social change.
Sample leadership development programs are outlined below.
StrengthsQuest:
One of my personal philosophies as a leader is that people never stop learning, and I believe that this applies to both professionals and students alike. Within the Office of Student Involvement and Activities at Salem State University, every employee, whether they be students or professional staff, has participated in StrenghtsQuest training. During this training, individuals take a personality assessment which not only identifies their personality characteristics, but also identifies the positive and negative behaviors associated with those characteristics. At a session (a separate one for students and professional staff) individuals
revealed their strengths and within the course of dialogue were able to comment on how accurately they felt the results reflected them. Perhaps most importantly, both staff and students were able to share with one another what practices worked best for them, such as how to be approached during a conflict or how they prioritize tasks. They were then encouraged to use this information when working collaboratively with other members of the office. Having such knowledge made me better able to address a situation that arose when a group of employees were working together on an office assignment. One individual's main strength was focus, in that she was always attentive to detail and deadlines. However this also meant that she became impatient when others were not as focused as she was, or when she had to wait for them to complete their portion of the work before she was able to continue her own. Because I had knowledge of the group's individual strengths, I was able to effectively resolve the situation by creating a work and deadline schedule that included additional assignments for those who finished their projects early and which gave ample time for completion to those who were not as fast-paced.
Student Employee In-Services and Leadership Programming:
StrenghtsQuest was just one of several in-services I coordinated within my Graduate Retention Fellow position in Student Involvement and Activities at Salem State University. In-Services are student employee training sessions focused on leadership development. In the 2014-15 academic year, topics included StrengthsQuest, time management, crisis management/problem solving, communication and accountability, technology, stress management, and work/life balance. While attending each session, students were encouraged to remain aware of the fact that, though they may work in different areas and not always interact with one another, they are still a part of a team. Therefore, it is important that they recognize how their actions within their respective positions impact others, even if they may not see the impact directly.
In addition to in-services, I also worked closely with the Assistant Director of Student Activities in providing leadership programming to student organizations. The focal points of sessions within the 2014-15 academic year addressed a student’s interpersonal and intrapersonal development with topics such as time management, retention and retainment, and communication.
The Social Change Model of Leadership:
The leadership programs developed by the Office of Student Involvement and Activities are based off of the Social Change Model of Leadership. This model recognizes that leadership occurs across three dimensions: individual, group, and society. Each leadership program has learning outcomes which align with one or more of the 7’C’s of leadership outlined within the model. These C’s are divided into three values: Individual (conscience of self, congruence, and commitment), Group (collaboration, common purpose, controversy with civility), and Society/Community (citizenship), all designed to lead to the eight C of “Change" (Komives & Wagner, 2009; Austin & Astin, 1996). Through this model, students are encouraged to recognize their leadership capacity as individuals and how that ultimately impacts their involvement and engagement with society as a whole.
In order to assist student employees with the development of their 7 C's, as an operations supervisor I utilized S.T.A.R. as a part of our employee recognition and evaluation program. Each letter of S.T.A.R. (service, teamwork, autonomy, responsibility) relates to a specific aspect of the Social Change Model. Students were evaluated on their performance in each component twice a year, during which time we would talk about their current proficiency level in each of the areas, and how they can continue to progress in the future. Such a program served as a means of instilling students with leadership qualities that will not only enable them to be a better employee, but also a productive and influential citizen of the world.
As a student affairs practitioner, I recognize my role in shaping and developing the leadership ability of students and staff in order for them to have the skills necessary to work in communities where they are ethical, inclusive, and empowering to all involved (Komives, 2011). Being able to understand how their leadership capacity related to their social identity assisted students by not only enabling them to become better employees, but also productive and influential citizens of the world.
REFERENCES:
ACPA & NASPA. (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Austin, H.S. & Astin, A.W. (1996). A Social Change Model of Leadership Development Guidebook Version III. Los Angeles, CA: The National Clearinghouse of Leadership Programs
Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T. E. (2013) Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (Fifth ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Hendrickson, R.M., Lane, J.E., Harris, J.T., & Dorman, R.H. (2013). Academic leadership and governance of higher education: A guide for trustees, leaders, and aspiring leaders of two-and-four-year institutions. Sterling, VA: Stylus
Komives, S.R. (2011) Leadership. In Schuch, J.H., Jones, S.R., Harper, S.R. & associates (Eds.). Student services:a handbook for the profession. (pp. 353-371). San Franscicio, CA: Jossey-Bass
Komives, S. R. & Wagner, W. (Eds.). (2009). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development (2nd Ed). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Leadership
“The Leadership competency area addresses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of a leader, whether it be a positional leader or a member of the staff, in both an individual capacity and within a process of how individuals work together effectively to envision, plan, effect change in organizations, and respond to internal and external constituencies and issues.”
(ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 22)
SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP