Before joining the Public Leadership program, I considered leadership as more of an individual’s trait that was dependent on one’s charisma instead of a more collective attribute. I thought that leadership mostly came naturally and focused on the leader more than the followers, but throughout the Public Leadership classes, I learned that leadership is also heavily influenced by followers. An effective leader tailors their leadership to their audience to successfully promote and share their ideas.
My leadership style depends on the situation; as a blue hat, my leadership adapts to the people I am working with and the skills that they possess. If there is a missing element in the group, then usually I take the initiative. For example, when some members of my group are quiet, then I ask them for their input. Additionally, I use a combination of consensus and directive leadership and tailor the balance between the two based on my group members.
Overall, the Public Leadership program has guided me and enabled me to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Most importantly, it’s helped me understand the importance of analyzing one’s leadership traits. This past fall, I was applying to an internship, and during the application process, I had to fill out a personality assessment. When I was interviewed for the position, the interviewer was explaining the assessment, and I brought up how, in the Public Leadership program, we took similar assessments like the hat test to understand leadership styles. During the interview, I was able to explain my strengths as a leader and how that makes me a better team member.