LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY
What is Leadership?
To me, worthy leaders have equity and social justice at the center of their work. The ability to understand others’ circumstances is also essential to leadership. Life can seem like a constant balance of work and personal issues, and leaders understand the difficulty in striking that balance. Leadership also requires high emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. They are able to effectively communicate with all people, even those of differing opinions and experiences. Leaders are trusted to uplift the voices of others, both as an advocate and through an understanding of group dynamics.
Visiting the Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon (IIAP) in Iquitos, Peru
My incredible mother has always been the biggest role model of leadership qualities in my life
Evolution of My Definition of Leadership
Before university, I saw leaders as confident, outspoken, extroverted, and had an expectation that they were liked by everyone. Leadership meant being older and having some type of official title, such as class president or CEO of a company. Once entering university, I began to compare my identities, such as gender expression, with those of leaders I saw. Despite her loss of the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President of the United States played a big role in that shift. Also, in the time before high school and the present, I have deconstructed the idea that leadership entails having an official title. Not everyone with an official “leader” title is a good leader, and not all leaders have an official title. In high school, I wouldn’t have truly considered myself a leader. Through 4 years of life experiences and a deeper understanding of what leadership entails, I can see qualities of leadership in myself. As I gain more life experiences in the future, I know my understanding of leadership will continue to evolve.