During winter break of my first year at UC, I was provided the unique opportunity to attend a University of Cincinnati-specific session of The LeaderShape Institute along with 58 other UC students. While the majority of participants were first-year students at UC, the group was composed of students from all years of college. The program was a six-day, leadership-focused experience designed to facilitate internal growth and exploration of passions and values within its participants.
For me, the institute provided an opportunity to both reflect upon my past experiences as well as think deeply about what I want to pursue during my time at UC and beyond. Furthermore, it let me think critically about my definition and application of leadership in my life over the course of a week.
To me, leadership is a dynamic concept. There’s no room to be complacent or stagnant when it comes to leadership. Leadership starts and ends with having good motivations, intentions and visions. While leadership has a very clear impact on others, it comes out in people in all sorts of ways. In essence, leadership is an individual person’s approach to inspiring, organizing and motivating others to better themselves, their organizations, and the world around them.
At LeaderShape, I was allowed the time needed to process all the information I had collected through direct lecture, miscellaneous exposure and personal experience on the topic and find the best way for me to articulate my definition of leadership.
At LeaderShape, each day was given a theme surrounding leadership. Through large-group discussion, time with our small group “family clusters,” and theme-inspired activities, each day’s theme was given ample time to be understood.
From my understanding, the directed goal of LeaderShape was for participants to leave having learned the necessary skills to “lead with integrity and a healthy disregard for the impossible.” And while I am tremendously excited for having learned those skills, I am equally if not more thrilled about the more intangible rewards I took from LeaderShape.
The friendships I built with members of my family cluster are ones I will hold dear for a long time. The conversations I was able to have with friends and mentors are ones that will help shape my collegiate career and my life. And the great amount of time I had to think and reflect without any distractions on my past experiences with considerations including my newfound knowledge will help me move forward understanding why I make the decisions I do.
With that, I will be able to more effectively make sure that the choices I make align with my goals, passions and vision for the world.