Change.

I think that so far, this class has been beneficial for me. I think that the discussion questions have been going over well, I think that the only problem has been that there are not enough students in the class to get a really strong discussion going. Sometimes, because we are very similar and share similar experiences, it is hard to find new topics to talk about, without bringing it back to being an RA. I think that having more discussion topics during one class period might be beneficial, because it would give us more to talk about. Perhaps doing one of the chapters and then one or two of the "hot topic discussions".

I think that next semester, the class will be better with more students. I think that so far it has been going well, the only thing that we are struggling with seems to be the size of the class and bringing different persepectives into it. I think that one thing we could try to do is work on applying the theories to our experiences more, with a longer discussion, as well as focusing on our questionnaires that we talk about on the facebook page. I also think the ideas we came up with in class will work too, like hand outs or youtube videos. I think that getting everyone to participate in different ways will help engage the discussions.

I also think that starting a Student Leadership Minor would get more students interested because it is a great thing to learn, however the class itself does not apply to any major/minor specifically. I think that getting people interested in the minor would get a larger group in class and stronger discussions/ participation.

Reflection

By this time you have completed several leadership questionnaires. Taking all of the results combined, what are your greatest leadership strengths/assets. What are your greatest leadership weaknesses. Think about - what are the themes that you are seeing emerge when you look at the larger picture of all of the questionnaries?

I think that there are a lot of things that I have seen emerging through the different questionnaires. First, I know that I am self-confident in my abilities, however there are moments where I second guess myself.

Second, I see that I like to find a balance in whatever skills we are talking about, or that my reaction depends on the situation. For this Skills Inventory I was surprised with my results at first. Then, after thinking about it I realized that I am trying to find the balance between technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. Although I am still working to improve upon my conceptual skills, I feel that finding a balance between the three that works for me will be a huge strength in my leadership journey. With the styles questionnaire, I realized that I do have a higher score in relationships than with tasks, but again this definitely depends on the situation. With certain things, I focus mainly on getting the goal done, while in most sitations I focus on the people.

With the situational approach, I learned that it definitely depends on the situation. In certain situations I can act one way, depending on the persons needs, and in other situations I can respond in a completely different way.

I think that overall, my greatest weakness is the fact that I constantly question myself. I look back on situations that I have been through and sometimes wish that I could have responded in a different way. I think that being able to figure out what works for me will benefit me as a leader. I think that being able to focus and find that balance between relationship and task orientation would help me as a leader because I think that I would be more successful at what I am trying to accomplish. I think that although forming these relationships within being an RA and in my organizations can be beneficial, I have to be able to look at the bigger picture (use my conceptual skills) and be able to accomplish whatever task is handed to me. I think that being able to balance these two things has been a weakness to me so far, but is something I hope to improve upon this semester.

Pick a situation in the coming week in which you must use situational leadership or delegation - use it/do it, and reflect on how the process/interaction went, particularly if it went well,the outcomes achieved, and your reflection/thoughts on carrying it out.

This week, I knew I had two different events I would have to use situational leadership for. First, I had a mandatory floor meeting. For this meeting we were working on recontracting. For this, I had to be high directive and low supportive. For this meeting, I explained what they needed to do, and they did it. I did not have to walk them through step by step and they did what they had to do. I spent more time focusing on the goal, which was them filling out the contracts, less time focusing on what they were doing.

In another situation, I had to work on being more supportive with one of my residents. I had a resident who was struggling with a personal problem, and most people were treating her in more of the "coaching" stage. They were being extremely supportive, however they were also being highly directive. These people were telling her what choices she should make and what to do. This is not what this resident wanted to hear. This resident just wanted support and someone to listen. I was in the supporting role by listening to her and letting her make her own decisions.

I think overall, both approached were successful. Depending on the situation, I adjusted how I acted in the moment. Depending on what people needed from me, I acted appropriately. I think overall, the mandatory meeting was succesful, because everything got done quickly and efficiently. The other situation with my resident also was successful, because I was the first person to actually sit down and listen to her, without being directive. I think that working on evaluting the situation and how I should respond will be beneficial for me in the future as an RA and in my organizations.