https://anchor.fm/lou-groundwater/episodes/Interview-Verbal-e1hfrtk

What?

            Common purpose is about having the same goal in mind as a group. As a group, you have full commitment from each person. I first learned about common purpose when I was a kid. I may not have known it then, but I do now. As a kid I played soccer, while not much happened on the field, we still learned that we all had a common purpose, to win the game. I also learned this when I was in high school on color guard. Our common purpose as a team was to look good and perform well so we could score high. And by scoring high we could place high or even move up in divisions. In college, I learned this by playing rugby and having to be in sync with my team, know the plays, and know how to play the game. Another way I learned in college is through the comedy troupe I’m in. I have to put the effort in by going to rehearsal, knowing my lines, and blocking.

So What?

            Common purpose is important so the whole group is on the same page. Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone in the group thinks the same, but it means we all share a common goal. In teams, it is important to share ideas and think outside the box, but as members, we also have to stay on track and reach the target. Having a common purpose allows groups and individuals to strive for something great. Common purpose also allows us to develop our skills in decision-making.

Now What?

            Common purpose has and will continue to have an impact on me throughout my whole life. Having skills in common purpose will help me as I transition from school to the workforce. Within each industry, the common purpose will change greatly between each company too. I plan to work within the environment, so my common purpose won’t change too much if were to change jobs. My goal as a person is to be able to help people and the environment. I hope to be able to find a job that has similar ideas and goals to mine. A good example for me would be the camp I am working at over the summer. The common purpose across the whole camp is to have fun and keep the kids safe. This purpose is shared at all levels of the camp. I remember even seeing campers holding each other to this by keeping each other safe while also maintaining a fun environment.

References

Komives, S. R., & Wagner, W. (Eds.). (2017). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.

 What?

            Collaboration is working together through communication. Through collaboration, we can build relationships and trust. Collaboration has always been a part of my life. I have collaborated as a kid by working on partnered class projects or working as a team in gym class. As a teenager, I learned to collaborate by doing similar things as a kid like working on projects. I also learned through working as a team for color guard. As a young adult I also learned collaboration through group projects, but I also learned it more in the jobs I have held and the classes I have taken. All of the jobs I have had so far in my life have been very collaboration-based. While you can complete the tasks at hand by yourself, it’s much easier if you have someone there to help and support you.  

So What?

            Collaboration is important because it allows us to grow as people. One of the things that I remember greatly from my leadership classes is that when working in groups, you want to have people who are different than you. This is because this is a great way to learn. Throwing yourself into unfamiliar territory may be scary but you will learn far more than if you went the safe route. Through collaboration, we teach and show one another new ways of thinking and doing. If we all thought the same, there would be no innovation.

Now What?

            Collaboration is an ongoing thing in all of our lives. You will collaborate in relationships, jobs, and practically all aspects of your life. This summer for me is going to take a lot of collaboration. As I have stated in my previous posts, I will be at a summer camp for the second year in a row this summer. This year we are revamping the program I direct and will need lots of ideas and help from other directors, as well as other staff members and even the campers. I want to be able to make a great program that will last. Last summer was difficult and I didn’t receive much collaboration from the other directors and was really left in the dark as to what I was supposed to do. Many mornings I didn’t have a clue as to what I would be doing in my classes. This summer is going to be much different since I have more confidence in having more collaboration and communication.

References

Komives, S. R., & Wagner, W. (Eds.). (2017). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.

What?

            Commitment is fully engaging in the goals of the group, while also maintaining personal values, ideas, and motivations. I learned about commitment at many different points in my life. As a kid, I committed myself to girl scouts by going to meetings, and activities and selling cookies. I learned this in middle school when I auditioned and got into the musical. I committed myself by showing up to rehearsal, giving my all, and showing up for every show. I learned this in high school when I joined color guard. All four years of high school, I would show up to rehearsal, show up to shows, practice outside of rehearsal, and give it my all. In college, I learned this by committing to Virginia Tech, putting in hard work by going to class, doing my homework, and passing my tests.

So What?

            Why as we grow up do we need need to understand commitment? I believe commitment is vital to being a good member of society and not only that but also being a good leader. As people, we have many things in our life that we need to commit to. We need to commit to a school, family, friends, relationships, work, and many other things. If we don’t commit, we can have many holes in our lives. When we don’t commit, we can find disappointment in ourselves or in others. Not only that but we can also find a lack of trust if we don’t follow through. Commitment is about following through on what you said you will do.

Now What?

            As I talked about in my previous post, I discussed the summer camp I work at. This year, I almost didn’t go back. I found there was a lack of commitment to communicating the next summer with staff. This includes contracts getting out on time and responding to emails about them. It took me two months to hear back from the camp about getting my payment bumped and changing how the program works. I found that I had to reach out to other people at the camp that are more committed. I was able finally able to get the change I wanted in order to make the camp better for this upcoming summer. I find myself to be committed to this camp and the girls that go to it. I want to be able to make an impact on the camp for years to come even if I can’t be there in the future.

References

Komives, S. R., & Wagner, W. (Eds.). (2017). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.

What?

Consciousness of self is the understanding of yourself and the people around you. Having the capability of fully taking into account our and others’ actions, as well as taking in our strengths and weaknesses. As leaders, we have to utilize ourselves to the best of our ability and that starts with knowing ourselves. I believe I learned this value time and time again throughout my three years at Tech. In my sociology courses, I learned how to better understand the world around me and understand who I am in the eyes of society. In my philosophy courses, I learned to see the world from many different perspectives and to analyze everything taught to me. In my leadership courses, I learned how to lead not only others but myself as well. In my leadership courses, I was given the skills to work with people who are much different than me.

So What?

            Why does understanding yourself and others matter so much? As I have grown up, I learn more and more each day. To me understanding yourself, makes you a better person. The better you understand yourself, the better you are at understanding others. At the same time, we can’t know ourselves fully, so we need to take others’ insight as well. This is how we become better people. Giving and receiving feedback is vital for change.

Now What?

            Given this information, how will I apply it to my life? I had an interview recently discussing an internship I had last summer. I explained how the internship taught me many new things but left me realizing I have much more to learn. This internship was at an all-girls camp in New York. When I first came, I was under the impression that I would be an in-bunk camp counselor for about 10 girls and help run programs. After being there for two weeks, and getting certifications in lifeguarding, CPR and RTE, I was approached by the directors. They wanted me to lead the program I was a part of. They saw my potential as a leader and promoted me. This was not what I expected, and I most definitely didn’t anticipate how the rest of the summer went. While the program I lead went fine, it could’ve gone much better. I was not prepared for this role, I wasn’t trained on what to do, and when I had questions, they barely got answered. This taught me a lot, it mainly taught me how to think on my feet and do what I can. I’m going back to this camp this summer and the head director reached out to me to help him change the program. He saw that the program had many flaws and wanted to take in as much help as he could. I’m excited to go back this summer, I feel more confident in my ability to succeed there and to learn more.

References

Komives, S. R., & Wagner, W. (Eds.). (2017). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. John Wiley & Sons.

What?

In the summer of 2021, I went to a beautiful camp in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. That summer I bloomed the second I stepped foot on the camps peninsula on Brant Lake. During my first week there I was trained in CPR, RTE, and Lifeguarding. And through that week, all the directors saw how great of a leader I was. Within the first week of being there, they trusted me and promoted me to director of Wilderness Adventure and Discovery. This was huge! I felt lots of pressure, but I knew I could do it. This was a difficult role to take on considering the camp was still dealing with Covid regulations and management problems. But I persevered.

So What?

Having this position thrown at me made me have to act quickly. I had to learn the position to the best of my ability, program plan, understand the rules of the camp, the legalities of what I could and couldn’t do, and work around Covid. I had to step up to the plate and show that I was capable of my duties. I had meetings all the time to make sure things were going smoothly. On top of being director, I also had to lifeguard after my morning shift was over. I was busy. This job taught me how to better manage my time and learn how to better run a program.

Now What?

I plan to go back to camp this summer. I have many ideas on how to make the program even better, and the owner/director agrees. I’m excited to make the summer fun not only for the kids but for me and my staff. I’m glad I get to being more leadership knowledge and skills to the camp. I want to make sure things not only go smoothly on my side of the camp but also on others. Seeing how last summer and the past few months have been in terms of communication, I want to help and see improvement. Leadership is vital at any level and any age. I hope to also help some of the campers who hold leadership positions at the camp, become better leaders.

What?

 Through all of my classes throughout my time at Virginia Tech, I have shared the same classes with the same people. I have seen them flourish and thrive as leaders. These men and women are the ones I got to grow, learn, and create with. My professors and their Teachers Assistants have also had a grand impact on me. Even though I had come to Virginia Tech with prior experience and knowledge of leadership, I continued to learn a lot. This also applies to going from one leadership class to another, each gave me a new tool for my future.

So What?

Why is all of this important to me? I think it’s a no-brainer when it comes down to it. The biggest key event for my leadership is my major and minor. I wouldn’t be typing this blog if it wasn’t for them. I have learned a massive number of ways to make myself, others, and organizations better through everything I have learned. One of the assignments sticking out to me right now is all the organizational reviews I have done. Breaking down and seeing how things work and flow in each company, charity or organization has helped mold me to be the leader I want to be. Every leader is different, and no leader is perfect either. There is not one perfect leader for this world. Each scenario has its problems and no one person in the world can solve everything.

Now What?

When it comes to being a leader, we have to continuously learn. We cannot stay stagnant in our old ways in a world that is constantly changing. That’s why I’m grateful for coming to Virginia Tech to not only learn how to lead from my professors but also my peers. I always have and always will find it fascinating how 10 people can come up with many solutions just for one problem. I saw this many times in all of my leadership classes over the past three years. I plan to take everything I learn into the workforce and also keep myself open to more opportunities to learn and grow as an individual.

What?

Ever since my senior year of high school, I have loved rugby. I have loved learning and understanding the mechanics of the game, but most importantly the manners of the game. Virginia Tech has an all-women’s rugby team. We play school from all over the state of Virginia. Here is a brief understanding of how leadership works in the field. You have the sir, all so known as the referee, your coach, and your two captains, one for the front and one for the back. When playing the game, you must be respectful of your teammates, the other team, and the sir. If you are not, you will be penalized. From rugby, I have learned many good leadership techniques and also witnessed some very bad ones

So What?

Why is rugby such a key event for me? When I stopped playing due to medical issues as well as time conflicts I came to learn of a lot of issues. Many of these issues were not surprising to me as I have witnessed them myself. The team became very cliquey. The A-side (starting side) shut out B-side. They did this by having their private lifting sessions and yelling and screaming at people on the field. I have gained word that this semester has been horrible and unfair. I learned that leadership has been slacking and being downright rude to people.

Now What?

As a leader, it floors me to see new and inexperienced people be yelled at, not allowed to play in games, and having them be excluded from certain activities. As a leader, this fires me up to be even better than the “leaders” I see in rugby and every other aspect of my life. We are all leaders, but some hone in on that skill and make the world an easier place to bear. As a leader, you should never bring someone down. If someone messes up, let them learn that lesson, help them figure out what went wrong, and help them get better and fix it. Leaders should give constructive feedback or criticism, but many use this as an outlet to let their anger out on other people.

What?

The first week I stepped onto the Virginia Tech campus, I was welcomed by screaming, commands, crying, and throwing up. Sounds horrible right? I was in the Corps of Cadets; it just wasn’t for me. But from there I learned many things about leadership. I found myself in an unfamiliar land, language and routine. Even though the Corps wasn’t for me, I still learned greatly from it. The program is great and I’ve seen my friends blossom in it.

So What?

Why is this a key event for me? The program was doing its best to set me up for success. It was teaching me how to listen but also how to lead a group when told. I have to learn everything through mistakes. That’s the one thing that truly stuck with me after two years of being out of the program. When you make mistakes, you will likely never make the same mistake again. Now since this is a military program, mistakes are at a higher stake. For example, in the military, there is a reason things are done the same way every time. Not to be strict or a stickler, but for safety. One of the things we got yelled at a lot was for “snakes” AKA our shoelaces. They didn’t yell at us for the fun of it, they yelled at us because if we tripped and fell, you or someone else could get hurt.

Now What?

From the Corps, I have taken in many new things. I realized that when I was a child and I messed up, my parents weren’t yelling at me because they were mad at me but because they wanted to protect me. Leaders want to protect you and make sure you are performing to the best of your ability. Some leaders are mean, some too mean, some nice or even too nice. At the end of the day, each leader has the same goal, to get the job done and for everyone to be safe while doing it. As for myself, I plan to take all the things I learned from the Corps and apply them to future leadership opportunities.

For the Leadership and Social Change minor, I had to take various classes. Many of which will help me greatly in jobs and help me in my own personal life.

Class 4: Elements of Team Leadership

I took the course Elements of Team Leadership in the spring of 2020. “The focus of this course is to enable students to develop effectiveness in leading, delegating, and communicating within a team environment. An emphasis will be placed on emotional intelligence in teams, team management, and effective team processes.” (HokieSPA) This class was at first an in-person class until the pandemic happened. After that, the class was online full-time. Just like this current class and all of Dr. Rateau’s classes, we had leadership blogs where we would do research on a leadership action that is important to us. These blogs allowed us to learn separately on our own. Originally for this class, we were to have a case study on an organization in the area, but due to the pandemic, we were unable to do this.

This course had 5 objectives: 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding in specific team leadership competencies: team communication, team management, and effectiveness in creating and leading teams. 2. Assess and analyze effectiveness in team management, task accomplishment, and project management. 3. Demonstrate knowledge of comprehensive team dynamic theories. 4. Obtain working knowledge of motivation and motivational techniques relevant to team leadership. 5. Engage ineffective team interactions and communications.

This class prepared me in many ways despite the setback of the pandemic. The blogs gave me the ability to get better at writing and research. These blogs also helped me better understand leadership concepts that were being taught in class. Aside from the blogs, we also had knowledge inventories called RATs or Readiness Assurance Tests. These tests were short quizzes that tested to see if we understood the material being taught inside and outside of classes. This class was the first time I really started to gain a lot more knowledge on being a leader, which has helped me in prepared to get and start jobs.

In terms of the social change model, this class focuses on all three parts of the model, society values, individual values, and group values. Within society values, this class teaches students to serve their communities and how to serve their followers as a leader. Within individual values, we had to commit to this class in order to fully develop ourselves as future leaders. We had to commit to our teams and study for the RATs that way we had a good group grade. This flows into group values as well. We had to be there for our team members and always show up to class. We also had to be civil with one another if we had a conflict.

Artifacts: