Running head: LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY 1

Leadership Philosophy

Lizz Giordano

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

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For me leadership can present itself in many ways. During my undergraduate experience

I served in many leadership roles such as Community Service Director and President of the

Rotaract Club, a service organization, Recruitment Counselor for Panhellenic sorority

recruitment, and Dancer Relations Chair for Dance Marathon, a philanthropic event to raise

money and awareness for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. As an undergraduate student

leadership meant having a title, delegating tasks to other board members and committee chairs,

and being a role model to other students.

After graduating I began working at a pediatric doctor’s office; after three months I

served as the Internship Preceptor for undergraduate students majoring in Public Health from my

alma mater. I was tasked with training these students on how to scribe for providers, learning

how to navigate the electronic medical record, and guiding them in their path to the medical

field. That experience showed me that sometimes leadership means that you are in a superior or

supervisory role to others and serve as a mentor and guide for students. This still felt like having

a title mattered more than the traits you possess. The more time I spent working with students at

the doctor’s office the more I wanted to become a student affairs professional.

Upon entering graduate school, I became the Secretary for the Higher Education Student

Association. I was tasked with correspondence, meeting minutes, and social programming. I was

then elected the President of the organization and continued to work on programming. I realized

that I still had a title but the idea of leadership changed for me drastically. It was no longer about

the title I held or the delegation of tasks, it was about bettering myself and learning how to be a

more civically engaged citizen. I also decided to complete the Bronze, Silver, and Gold

Leadership Challenges through the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement through UNC
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Greensboro. These programs taught me that leadership is an inherent trait and that servant

leadership is an important model to live by as a civic minded leader.

When starting this course, I had recently taught Peer Mentors through First-Year

Experience at Greensboro College about Transformational and Servant leadership.

Transformational leadership, according to Northouse (2013), is a process that changes and

transforms people (p. 161). I really believe that transformational leaders strive to motivate

followers allowing for goals to be achieved by both sides. When teaching the Peer mentors, the

students gravitated towards the four factors that shape transformational leadership: idealized

influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration.

These four factors made me think about my own leadership and how I navigate that in my

various roles. For example, when working with Peer Mentors I want them to think about how

first-year students will idealize them and see their influence as the key to success. I also want to

motivate the students to find the answers on their own and shape their futures to suite their needs.

When working with students in one-on-one appointments in the Career Services Center, I usually

lean towards an individualized approach because although many students come to the office with

similar quests, their story and their knowledge are vastly different. My approach may be similar

but each student requires a personalized touch.

Northouse (2013) describes servant leadership as being attentive to the concerns of their

followers, empathize with them, and nurture them (p. 227). I believe that servant leadership has a

special place in student affairs. For me it is not just about the work, it is also about serving the

students and becoming a voice for them so that they feel like someone hears them and someone

cares. I also think that servant leadership is important because I believe that giving back to the

community and the institution in other ways than just my full-time role will allow me to become
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more well rounded and will move my career further. I was very intentional during graduate

school to gain experiences that will shape me as someone that is dedicated to the field.

My leadership style is to serve students and help guide students individually to their

desired outcome. I do not know if I will become a high-level leader in the field, like a Director or

Associate Vice Chancellor, but I know that I will do my best for the students in any role that I

take on in my career. I hope that I can teach future student affairs professionals to be strong

leaders, whether they hold a title or not. For me, becoming a faculty member in a student affairs

master’s program will be more impactful than becoming a Director of an office.

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References:

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. 6th Edition. Sage publications.