My biggest takeaway from PL is my understanding of leadership itself. It was rather limited when I began my first courses. I viewed it primarily as a tool used by those in official positions of power whether in a business or political setting. Now, I see it as a set of beliefs and tools that one can use to achieve any goal that he sets for himself or for his community. This is a more abstract concept, but it has made me feel more self-confident in my ability as a leader as a result because the corollary is that everyone is capable of leadership in some way.
In my first paper in PLCY201 (Public Leaders and Active Citizens), I argued that Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa was an inspired establishment. My main points were that the OWLAG is a small scale but focused learning environment to cultivate leaders in the future, and the large amounts of funding focused there will lead to quality education. I argued that this is superior to funding South Africa on a macro scale, where the budget is spread across too many facets of civilization to effectively accomplish any goal. Winfrey also being a powerful person able to effect noticeable change fit my worldview of leadership perfectly. |
K, Cedric. “FabAfriq Magazine.” The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, South Africa, 4 Aug. 2019, www.fabafriq.com/articles/the-oprah-winfrey-leadership-academy-for-girls-south-africa.
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However, In CPPL101 (First Year Colloquium II), the grant assignment (where students decided on which non-profit to give $1000 to) showed to me that there are more kinds of leadership, and smaller scale projects such as modest grants can also be effective for social change. It also showed me that it is necessary for a different avenue of impact such as this because it is impossible to help everyone with the quality over quantity approach that the OWLAG takes. I learned that thousands of small grants such as the Justice Grant (which my group gave) collectively do make an impact.
People who decide on how to appropriate funds to non-profit groups may not operate ideally or very effectively as evidenced by the length of our grant making process and all the productivity solutions we retrospectively wished we used (as I wrote in my reflection). In spite of that, I learned that grant makers are still acting as leaders because they are simply taking their personal and organizational beliefs and implementing their mission by providing the right amount of funds to the causes they believe in. |
For my group, the cause of justice was achieved by funding a group that gave Ghanaian students female hygiene products so that their education is not disrupted.
In my reflection, I noted that most of the time was spent deciding which non-profit exemplified “justice” the most (as the grant was marketed as intended for non-profits promoting justice). Everyone had a different idea of what “justice” was, and how to lead in order to achieve it. Looking back, I realize even more how individualistic leadership is. Contrasting this to my stance on Oprah Winfrey’s private school, I understand how community level leadership, while less noticeable in the grand scheme, is leadership, nonetheless.
LTC Feehan’s lectures in CPPL200 (Applied Leadership Capstone) further abstracted my view of leadership. From what I gathered from his teaching, leadership is really about developing plans with a vision and accomplishing them. The roadblocks along the way and the interpersonal skill development, while important, is secondary to this idea. My midterm paper in CPPL200 shows how I have come to view leadership as personal and more abstract. In the paper, I describe how my leadership relies on integrity and initiative used to help others while maintaining positive public perception, so my style is based on authentic leadership. The main idea is that if I am honest, I am seen as legitimate, and by seizing opportunities without hesitation, I can maximize success I intentionally described these tenets such that they apply to any endeavor in my life. It encapsulates my approach to strive to be an academically honest student who takes initiative to maximize his learning opportunities. It also applies to the future if I am a leader of a team project in a tech startup who does not wait for opportunities and bleeds enthusiasm and productivity into team members, which ultimately heightens the value and public perception of the company. |
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This view of leadership differs from my earlier, less open definition of leadership shown in my Louis XIV paper. For my final paper in PLCY201, I was to critique a leader, but I was not able to think of a “true leader” to criticize who did not hold official power. Eventually, I wrote my final paper on Louis XIV of France, who is an archetype of official (or political) leadership. This paper was fun to write and efficient as well because one can easily look at how an executive power affects his community as it is a direct leadership type.
This view of leadership differs from my earlier, less open definition of leadership shown in my Louis XIV paper. For my final paper in PLCY201, I was to critique a leader, but I was not able to think of a “true leader” to criticize who did not hold official power. Eventually, I wrote my final paper on Louis XIV of France, who is an archetype of official (or political) leadership. This paper was fun to write and efficient as well because one can easily look at how an executive power affects his community as it is a direct leadership type.
Contrasting my leadership style paper to my final paper in PLCY201, where I viewed leadership through the rudimentary lens of a political leader effecting change, now I see leadership as a belief system one uses to promote or implement his cause. However, I wrote about Louis XIV focusing on extreme personal glory and its effects on public perception of him. I retrospectively notice that my approach to leadership remains constant, but I now understand that it can be applied to anything, not just official leadership. Image source: Getty Images
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In my future endeavors, this wisdom will help me as I can remind myself that there is no right method of leadership. I will trust myself because I know my leadership is really the sum of my personal beliefs and the goals I set and implement.
In addition to leadership, I have already undoubtedly used nuggets of insight from PL in various walks of life since enrolling in the program, but one specific instance was recently, in the socio-economic and political atmosphere in 2020. Prior to this year and the intellectual debates it has caused in my circle, I had been affected by groupthink in ways everyone is bound to at one point or another.
I made acquaintances over the summer in 2020 whose beliefs were not in line with mine, and they were outspoken about theirs. Although I generally lack strong feelings about most things since I am not well educated enough in those topics, I found these people’s differing beliefs off-putting at first before I got to know them. One of the things I learned in PLCY201 was the sheer nuanced nature of many topics. In the course, there were three papers we were required to write arguing for a certain position (such as whether or not guns on campus is a good idea or whether or not Congress should pass legislation such as DACA). I remember being amazed by how well-articulated the arguments and data from each side were and how little I realized I understood about those issues.
In summer 2020, as my relationships with some of my friends and new acquaintances progressed, I realized the value of the position papers and the readings and discussion about groupthink and falling for logical fallacies employed to paint broad brushes over populations or topics that neglect their actual complexity. The discussion of the dangers of listening to just "one story" in particular was relevant to my experience. Instead of jumping to conclusions I simply listened to my friends and acquaintances and was able to hear enough to save my relationships with them and learn more in the process.
Indeed, the reason I chose to enroll in PL was to learn about social and/or political science ideas, and I am happy that critical thinking skills essential for this vast topic, and other walks of life, were addressed properly in all courses of PL, and I am certain I will, knowingly, or not, use them again in the future.
I made acquaintances over the summer in 2020 whose beliefs were not in line with mine, and they were outspoken about theirs. Although I generally lack strong feelings about most things since I am not well educated enough in those topics, I found these people’s differing beliefs off-putting at first before I got to know them. One of the things I learned in PLCY201 was the sheer nuanced nature of many topics. In the course, there were three papers we were required to write arguing for a certain position (such as whether or not guns on campus is a good idea or whether or not Congress should pass legislation such as DACA). I remember being amazed by how well-articulated the arguments and data from each side were and how little I realized I understood about those issues.
In summer 2020, as my relationships with some of my friends and new acquaintances progressed, I realized the value of the position papers and the readings and discussion about groupthink and falling for logical fallacies employed to paint broad brushes over populations or topics that neglect their actual complexity. The discussion of the dangers of listening to just "one story" in particular was relevant to my experience. Instead of jumping to conclusions I simply listened to my friends and acquaintances and was able to hear enough to save my relationships with them and learn more in the process.
Indeed, the reason I chose to enroll in PL was to learn about social and/or political science ideas, and I am happy that critical thinking skills essential for this vast topic, and other walks of life, were addressed properly in all courses of PL, and I am certain I will, knowingly, or not, use them again in the future.