WHAT In the residence halls at Virginia Tech, Residential Learning Coordinators are required to post fliers given to them by the central Housing and Residence Life office. Recently, a flyer for a Catholic church was provided, and coordinators were asked to put them up around the halls. One of the coordinators, Tessa, noticed the flyer and sought resources related to other religiously affiliated groups so as to promote inclusivity in the hall. When told she needed to post the flyer despite the lack of fliers for other organizations, Tessa took the liberty of searching through GobblerConnect to create her own informational fliers. Prior to putting them up, Tessa sat down with her staff to discuss the importance of inclusivity and providing options to all identities. Since the conversation, Tessa’s staff has put up bulletin boards regarding diversity and inclusion to ensure their residents feel safe, respected and valued. Additionally, her staff members have become more aware of their residents’ identities and begun challenging things they see as non-inclusive. Tessa used her leadership to motivate her staff and challenge the process many would simply skip over. SO WHAT Tessa exercised transformational leadership in her situation, as she created an environment that raised awareness and motivation of her staff members. Additionally, rather than simply putting up the new flyer, she took the opportunity to develop her followers, or student staff members. The steps she took are in concordance with transformational leadership and some of its factors (Northouse, 2016). On a daily basis, Tessa works to promote inclusivity in her residence hall. This example demonstrates the inspirational motivation Northouse (2016) discusses in his book, Leadership: Theory and Practice. Tessa inspired her staff to embody inclusivity as a vision for the hall. Lastly, Tessa challenged the status quo by confronting Housing and Residence Life leadership about the issue, which demonstrates one of Kouzes and Posner’s five fundamental practices, challenge the process (Northouse, 2016). Ultimately, Tessa’s approach to the situation allowed her to demonstrate many pieces of transformational leadership. NOW WHAT
When is it appropriate to draw a line between doing what’s best and doing what is required? All practitioners regardless of their role can embody Tessa’s approach to this situation with transformational leadership. Promoting inclusion and diversity is critical in today’s world, and as a Housing and Residence Life coordinator, I can use Tessa’s situation as a reminder to promote inclusion and diversity in my residential community. Additionally, people need to acknowledge other’s identities and understand when it is appropriate to challenge the status quo and support efforts of inclusion. To take it a step further, rather than simply taking action, sharing the why behind it is even more important, as it may motivate others to take action in the future. References: Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
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Erin CoileyThis is a blog about different types of leadership theories through real world experiences. ArchivesCategories |