Collaborative Leadership

When I first came to the University of South Carolina, I did not know how to make an impact on those that I did not know and were different than me regarding their geographic origins and past experiences. To be quite frank, I was initially only looking out for myself and my transition to the school. My perspective changed when I completed the Close Family Emerging Leaders Program (CFELP) with the Leadership and Service Center on campus and started working as a community assistant for University Housing. CFELP helped me recognize my leadership style and how to work with others who have different styles, while also learning about different leadership opportunities on campus. This program allowed me to acknowledge that my leadership style included being direct, humble, and adaptable. As a community assistant, I sat at the front desks of residence halls around campus and was responsible for upholding rules of University Housing and serving as a resource for students, staff, and faculty of each building. While working in this position, I realized that I could make a positive impact on my peers, even while sitting behind a desk. It further inspired me to make a larger scale impact through attaining different leadership roles on campus and thus beginning my Professional and Civic Engagement pathway, with my roles as a resident mentor with University Housing and supplemental instructor (SI) peer leader with the Student Success Center. To experience success in my positions, implementing a collaborative approach to leadership was critical to gaining respect and trust from my peers.

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In order to create an inclusive environment that fostered collaboration and more effectively lead my peers, I utilized concepts learned in my Social Welfare Institutions, Policies, and Programs class (SOWK 222) and Principles of Management class (MGMT 371). In SOWK 222, we discussed the cycle of socialization, a concept that explains how individuals in society play certain roles and how oppression occurs and continues based on individuals’ lens of identity and experiences. Based on how an individual is raised and socialized, this shapes their values, roles, rules, and norms (lens of identity), and what institutions they are exposed to (church, tv, business, media, etc.) (lens of experience). These combine to formulate a society that either keeps up with the status quo (allowing oppression to continue) or interrupts the common thought and make a significant change (Harro). In order to be a leader for everyone and facilitate collaboration for groups you lead and work with, it is vital to raise consciousness towards your personal biases and recognize when your thoughts/viewpoints are harmful and oppressive towards others. Although this reframing can be challenging, it is necessary to facilitate a safe and engaging environment where people can trust and respect you. In an assignment I did for this class (Flash of Brilliance 1), I discussed how my high school demographics and experiences were vastly different from those of the peers I led, especially those I met in my role as a resident mentor where I really got to know my residents and their past experiences. I gained insights into my residents feelings and thoughts about different inequalities they faced and how it impacted their lives. For my assignment, this helped me discuss inequalities my residents and I have experienced in our society, and why I believe not enough is being done about them - because people in positions of power fail to recognize and act upon them (you can see my thoughts highlighted in yellow in this assignment below this). This is an important aspect for leaders to understand and work on as each person you lead or are in a group with is unique and brings different experiences with them, they need to be embraced and recognized to feel welcomed and supported.  

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In MGMT 371, an idea we explored is the difference between qualities of a manager and a leader. While one may consider all managers leaders, there is a distinct difference in the qualities between both, as you can see in the graphic ("What is Difference Between Management and Leadership?").

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When leading your peers, it is important to utilize both aspects of a manager and leader in order to gain respect and trust. In my roles as a resident mentor and SI leader, I wanted my peers to trust and confide in me, while also respecting me and following rules/procedures I set for them. In order to gain trust, employing aspects of a leader has proved more effective, in nurturing relationships and providing a sense of purpose in their transition to college. In order to gain respect, I have utilized aspects of a manager when I need to implement rules and policies, give out penalties in the case of violations, and gain their buy-in for different tasks.

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Beginning sophomore year, I was selected to be a resident mentor in a business-community residence hall where I got to directly mentor 30 first-year students and serve as a leader in a building of over 400 residents each year. I was hired based on my past work experiences and ability to demonstrate strong leadership skills that I learned about in CFELP. For the fall 2021 semester, I was chosen to be a University 101 (U101) peer leader for a business-section class of 20 students alongside Dollie Newhouse, a Darla Moore School of Business faculty member. In order to lead my peers in these roles, I utilized a collaborative leadership approach in order to gain their respect and trust. I accomplished this through promoting peer bonding with activities in and out of the classroom. From my CFELP experience, I knew that I also needed to be vulnerable with my peers to earn their trust as a leader and instill confidence that encouraged them to make connections and form relationships. My goal was for my students and residents to view me as both a leader and friend, they needed to feel comfortable coming to me for advice, problem solving, crisis situations, etc., while also respecting my authority. This was also important in the way I worked with those my coworkers, below you will see the East Quad RM staff of 2021-2022 and our Residence Life Coordinator, Marie Silver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On our staff, we worked together to plan events that were inclusive and engaging for all residents in our building and assist one another during crisis and other situations encountered in the building. In order to facilitate collaboration with my coworkers and serve as a leader on our staff, I continuously adapted my leadership qualities and adopted a diverse mindset that allowed me to consider all viewpoints and drive equitable solutions. As a result, I have led the creation and facilitation of many community events with my coworkers, which were well attended and enjoyed. Below you will see example flyers I created for the events I led that promoted DEI initiatives, community bonding, and financial responsibility.

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Similarly, while serving as a U101 peer leader, I was able to utilize my collaborative methods and open mindset to make activities and lesson plans with my co-instructor that created opportunities for diverse class discussions and the formation of relationships. The discussions we had in class promoted students to get to know each other and start to trust one another. Below you will see a picture of my class. There were many differences among my students based on where they were from, their past experiences/hardships, etc. In the middle of the semester, we did a presentation where each student talked about their journeys from high school to college and their first few weeks on campus. It was eye-opening to hear and see how each student decided to come to UofSC and what experiences and perspectives they had about their first few weeks of college. Under the picture of my class, you will see an example assignment I created, which highlighted where I was from, my interests and involvements, applying to colleges and what drew me to UofSC, and finally my first semester experiences.

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I believe this assignment, along with the other activities and discussions we had, instilled the confidence students needed to trust each other and me. This is because student were able to draw connections based on past experiences and form relationships based on common interests or things they were involved in. These connections and relationships led to more class participation and engagement. In U101, we had to discuss challenging topics, and by maintaining an open and inclusive environment throughout of the semester, it helped students feel confident in sharing their honest thoughts and feelings towards the topics and trust that the other students were respectfully listening.

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As I reflect on my journey from being a community assistant to resident mentor and U101 peer leader, I notice the shift of perspective I have had about leadership. Leadership is dynamic and there is not a one size fits all model. The most effective way I was able to make a positive impact in these roles was through an adaptable and collaborative leadership style. Both my residents and students trusted me and my ability to assist in their transition to college and mentor them through their first year. By understanding the different qualities I needed to use to gain both respect and trust from my peers, along with breaking the cycle of socialization to ensure everyone felt included and valued, I was able to accomplish my goals and feel confident in my ability to utilize these skills in future roles. I plan on implementing this growth mindset in the future in my professional life, where I want to work with people from all over the world at large international companies. Taking these experiences and academics from college will allow me to continue driving results by collaborating and gaining ideas with the diverse groups I work with.

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