HNPL 2031: Character-Based Leadership
Isn't it crazy to think that I am already a sophomore... and that I have already completed my second Honors experience? My second Honors experience is a course I took in the Fall of 2016 called Character-Based Leadership. Character-Based Leadership was more than just a class to me. Sometimes in college you think that a class you are taking is pointless, that it isn't truly helping you and developing you into the person you want to become. Character-Based Leadership was the opposite of that description. Throughout the course, I grew as a person and as a Strategic Partner. I realized what it takes to better myself and to become the businesswoman I have always dreamed of becoming.
Strategic Partnership is comprised of numerous aspects, such as servant leadership, the career destination model, and the strategic value proposition. The first aspect, servant leadership, is the most important. Servant leadership is connecting, assisting, supporting, motivating, and inspiring others. Servant leadership relies on the principle that your individual success will be determined to a significant degree by the service you provide to others. I will integrate servant leadership into my life over the next 6 months by becoming involved in Cats on Deck and Bethany House. Cats on Deck is a section of the Lindner Student Association, an organization within the college of business, that allows older business students to act as mentors for the freshmen. Our job is to answer any questions they may have and build a relationship with them to be able to guide them in their life paths, whether that be academic or personal. Bethany House is an organization I have always been involved in, but haven't participated in in the last year or so. It is a house for homeless mothers and their children to seek refuge in while the mothers try to find a job and a better life for their family. I am going to get involved in Bethany House again where I can support the children in the house and motivate and inspire them to have a better future. Servant leadership is very important to me and is an aspect of my life that is very special.
The career destination model is centered around the question "How will what I am doing today move me toward becoming a Strategic Partner?" Throughout Character-Based Leadership, I mused over this question multiple times. I thought about my involvements on campus and the path I am taking academically. I have wondered if my major and some activities I am involved in really are for me. If I don't think something I am doing is getting me closer to becoming a Strategic Partner, I stop doing it immediately. I have focused in on achieving the highest grades possible and becoming involved in enriching, meaningful extra-curricular activities to further myself and my business persona. I work at Ernst & Young, which is a big-four accounting firm. I better myself every day in the workplace by trying new things and stepping outside of my comfort zone. My career destination model stems from this co-op. In five years, I am planning to have completed my CPA exams and be a Staff 2 at the firm. In ten years, I am planning to be a senior manager on a medical industry engagement, perhaps Mercy Health or Tri Health. I look forward to the years to come and am excited about the career plans I have made, thanks to Character-Based Leadership.
Finally, Character-Based Leadership focuses on the Strategic Value Proposition, a very integral aspect of Strategic Partnership. The steps of the Strategic Value Proposition are personal credibility, oral presentation manner and style, managing yourself around time demands and time contraints, cultivating business knowledge and consulting skills, maintain marketplace eminence, and leading others. I plan to excel in each of these aspects, but I am going to start with oral presentation manner and skill and leading others. Character-Based Leadership provided me with a great foundation towards improving my oral presentation manner and style.
At the end of the course, we had to give a 12-15 minute presenation to everyone in our class. The presenation had to focus on an influential leader and how they became a Strategic Partner based on their leadership style. My group presented on Senator Elizabth Warren. Regardless of your political beliefs, Elizabeth Warren is an influential leader. Especially in the recent political realm, she professes her beliefs and makes her opinions known. We discussed how she was born with next to nothing and was the first member of her family to graduate from college and then went on to graduate from law school. Senator Warren believes in the power of unity and paying it forward, which is a strong message and definitely something we need to think about in today's world. I attached our script to this page, which will give you a better idea of what we talked about in our presentation. We used powerful language that would keep the audience's attention and make them want to hear more. Our script portrays how I grew through the course as a speaker and aslo as a writer. My diction was able to get my point across and captivate the audience, which was something I struggled with before the coaching of our professor. I was nervous about the presentation, but beforehand my group told ourselves to present like Elizabeth Warren, which led us to doing a great job. I learned to speak clearly and slowly, pausing at the right times and using appropriate facial expressions and gestures. My presentation skills definitely benefitted from Character-Based Leadership. I will use these skills for the rest of my life and improve upon them along the way.
The other piece of the Strategic Value Proposition I am going to focus on is leading others. Leading others obviously goes hand-in-hand with servant leadership, so it won't be difficult for me due to the fact that I am very passionate about leading others. Like I said, I am going to involve myself further in Cats on Deck and Bethany House to serve as a mentor for those younger than me. But, I am also going to focus on serving others in my daily life. I am going to strive towards becoming a better leader. I am going to work to guide those in the organizations I am involved in and make sure that I am a positive role model for them. I want to help others reach their full potential and determine how they can become a Strategic Partner. Leading others is essential to my success and happiness because I will be bettering myself while helping pthers.
Overall, Character-Based Leadership was a wonderful experience that I wouldn't trade. I discovered how I can become a Strategic Partner through cultivating the principles of servant leadership, the career deinstation model, and the Strategic Value Proposition. I am now able to become the businesswoman I want to become. I can change the world and accomplish anything I put my mind to if I focus on the information I learned in the Character-Based Leadership seminar. I am extremely grateful for the course and I hope everyone gets the opportunity to have a similar experience!
