As a department leader with significantly expanded non-role institutional commitments, I believe I am more firmly between the ‘intermediate’ and (lower) ‘advanced’ competency levels. Additionally, I have been able to develop a year-long weekly Leader Workshop Series, based on the Leadership Learning Framework (Guthrie & Jenkins, 2016), which weaves together “Knowledge,” “Training,” and “Development” -themed workshops. The workshop series will be presented at the spring 2025 University Scholarship & Best Practices (USBP) exposition. Unfortunately, campus adoption of the weekly programs remains extremely limited (<5 annual participants). 

Goals

1. Focus on student participation within the year-long weekly Leader Workshop Series by highlighting positive student outcomes.
2. Apply a integrative/synthesizing and reflective framework with brings together non-role institutional commitments (collaboration/between-committee-work).

Having met both of my Summer 2022 goals (two non-role institutional commitments and launching a revised leadership learning program) while continuing to read and drive my leadership educator identity forward, I believe I am inching toward a (lower) advanced leadership competency. This is asterick’ed by the fact that although I now lead a leadership learning program, I do not have other significant institutional leadership capacities. As I progress into a lower-mid-level professional career stage, I will continue to seek non-role institutional commitments and leadership opportunities. 

While I have been able to continue advancing the alignment of leadership programming to Leadership CAS standards and the ‘leading’ leadership theories through the creative use of technology, many of my goals of becoming involved in non-role institutional commitments fell to the wayside during the job search and move away from Florida State University. It will be my goal to quickly become engaged in non-role institutional commitments at Johnson & Wales University – Charlotte. I have more solidly synthesized a leadership educator professional identity, and I am excited to continue to grow in my (deep) ‘Intermediate’ competency. 

I continue to believe that the depth of my ‘intermediate’ competence is notable and that my initial forays into the ‘advanced’ competencies have already proven rewarding. As I had hoped in previous reflections, I have worked to begin consolidating and aligning student leadership outcomes to Leadership CAS standards and to the ‘leading’ leadership theories. I have also been able to use technology to overcome barriers to leadership learning for students during the coronovirus pandemic. Next, I hope to begin working on my own leadership development by becoming increasingly involved in non-role institutional commitments.

Intermediate with depth and clarity – I think that when I said “intermediate” two years ago, I was perhaps a bit ambitious. Maybe not wrong, but maybe only considering my ideal self. My understandings of the leader-leadership relationship, the purpose of leadership, and the role of identity, efficacy, and capacity (through a culturally relevant framework) have grown incredibly (and in some cases begun to exist for the first time). While I did not end up serving as a TA for an LDR course, I have instead been able to host two different 8-week long leadership development training series for students engaged in service. I have also critically examined the difference between campus partners and campus sponsors – with a special interest in the collaborative opportunities present in partnerships. I am happy with my leadership development.

The delegation of tasks to undergraduates to involve them in the leadership process and help them develop their leadership skills has propelled me in this competency. I have also applied and been accepted to serve as a teaching assistant for Gender and Leadership during the Fall 2019 semester. I have further served on two Center for Leadership and Social Change committees (Multicultural Program Coordinator Search Committee, and NASPA D&I external review lead team). The goal of joining a division committee seems to be the highest reaching goal of my competency plan thus far, but I remain hopeful and will keep supervisors at the Center aware of my interest. My branching of involvement within the Division working with SGA and Facilities may help me find opportunities for involvement.

Intermediate – Having worked previously in leadership development for an international fraternity I have read and come to understand many models of leadership theory, most of which position leadership as a process and leader as a developed identity rather than a position. That previous organization, as well as my current department and division, also took considerable efforts at instilling the importance of understanding mission and vision in accomplishing group tasks. All of these represent identified foundational and intermediate outcomes of the LEAD competency. Most notably within the intermediate outcomes I have had limited experience serving as a formal or recognized mentor/role model. I also have limited experience leading organizational/departmental/divisional teams, outside of previous experiences as an undergraduate. Recognizing the post-undergraduate/work difference in leadership, I acknowledge a need to grow within this area.