Running Head: LESSONS AND REFLECTIONS

Lessons and Reflections from a Semester of Leadership in Higher Education Roy Rodriguez Loyola University Chicago

LESSONS AND REFLECTIONS Introduction Leadership is an elusive concept. From the late 1800s to present day, numerous

conceptualizations of leadership have emerged, grabbed hold of the masses, and influenced individuals to conduct themselves in ways they believed yielded results and motivated others for change (Dugan & Komives, 2011; Heifetz, 2001; Kezar, Carducci, & Contreras-McGavin, 2006; Northouse, 2013). Leadership has undergone transformations that mirror the time and social context in which leaders, researchers, and practitioners have found themselves in (Bordas, 2013; Kezar et al., 2006). During the Industrial Revolution, for example, leadership focused on the individual leader, on the traits and characteristics he possessed, and how to lead onto others in order to maintain the status quo and yield the most profit (Dugan & Komives, 2011; Northouse, 2013; Ospina & Foldy, 2010). As the century wore on and as social unrest lent itself to fueling the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, a noticeable difference in the ways in which leadership was utilized and manipulated led researchers to scramble for answers that could account for how the historically marginalized could rally together and shift the social systems so deeply embedded in the nations character and history (Kezar et al., 2006). This reconceptualization of leadership, or a shift towards a postindustrial paradigm of leadership, sought to understand and make meaning of the ways in which the various social movements of the era were able to motivate and inspire individuals to work collectively towards change in the midst of strong resistance (Dugan & Komives, 2010; Northouse, 2013; Ospina & Foldy, 2010). Leadership was no longer viewed in a singular, totalitarian light; rather, leadership was seen as a collaborative process in which the overarching goal was to achieve some type of social change for equality (Dugan & Komives, 2011; Northouse, 2013; Wagner, 2009).

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Leadership has become an increasingly popular topic and value in American higher education today. It is an area of study that pulls knowledge and examples from various disciplines and professions (Northouse, 2013). Heifetz (1994 & 2001) examines leadership, power, and authority from a biological/evolutionary standpoint that places primitive human evolution as a core, vestigial influence on how members of communities and society act today. Heifetz posits that much of human interaction and condition can be partially understood by examining how humans have evolved over time and by observing the social structures and interactions of animals, namely primates such as mountain gorillas and chimpanzees (Heifetz, 1994). Taking such an approach gives Heifetz a solid and (largely) indisputable platform on which he can support his conceptualizations of leadership. Leadership researchers and theorists such as Kouzes & Posner (2007) observe how leadership is enacted in the business realm and what the influential leaders of the business world do in their own personal leadership styles to run flourishing companies. These two different approaches to understanding leadership and leadership development reveal the innate complexities of these concepts and the drive people have to understand how to control, manipulate, and package leadership (Northouse, 2013).

Philosophy of Leadership My philosophy of leadership, and through extension leadership development, has been shaped by my experiences as a self-identified member of numerous, intersecting marginalized communities. As a Latino growing up, rarely did I see what some deem to be traditional leaders that looked like me or that came from a similar background as me. As a Latino growing up in a low-income community, leadership was a luxurious experience that took away from a solid work ethic and making money to support your family; no te crees, do not fool yourself with such

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nonsense. As a gay Latino coming from a low-income community, leadership exuded a fear that kept me from accepting my self, my desires, my abilities to lead, and from believing that I could be someone people would want to follow (Fassinger, Shullman, & Stevenson, 2010). But as I have journeyed through my own identity development and identity acceptance, coupled with the knowledge I have gained from the course this semester, my philosophy of leadership and leadership development has come to this: The transformative and collaborative process of leadership should do more than just influence social change. Leadership and leadership development should instill within individuals and groups the hope, the motivation, and the skills necessary to overcome adversity for the advancement of individuals and the society/community as a whole. Then, and only then, can true social change be achieved, sustained, and accessible to all (Ayman & Korabik; 2010; Bordas, 2013; Dugan & Komives, 2011; Eagly & Chin, 2010; Ospina & Foldy; 2010; Wagner, 2009). This philosophy on leadership and leadership development was not as clear or precise to me at the beginning of the course. Over the span of the semester, course content, class discussion, and my continued experience through my work have shaped this philosophy. I had been exposed to much of the content gone over in class this semester throughout the year and a half that I have been the graduate assistant for Leadership Development & Second Year Experience (LDSYE) at Loyola University Chicago. The social change model, for example, serves as the theoretical framework for the office and is infused into many of the programs and services that are provided to our students. Various leadership pedagogies, inventories, and interventions are used by LDSYE to effectively deliver leadership education to the Loyola community and continue to prepare Loyola graduates to lead extraordinary lives while being people for others. Coming into the class, I must admit that I possessed a minute hubris around

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the course content and theory. Because of this overconfidence, I also felt extreme pressure to perform and contribute significant, mind-blowing thoughts to the class. This pressure initially drove me to remain silent and protected for the first few classes until I configured a way I could challenge myself to adopt humility and engage deeper with the course content. This semester I challenged myself to become more comfortable with the process of acquiring knowledge and making meaning of that knowledge and content from the course. Before this semester, as I would read an article in preparation for class, rather than interpreting the reading I would try and formulate some type of response or find a take away to share with the class and contribute, superficially, to discussion. But as I went through the readings and course content for this particular class, I challenged myself to read not just to contribute and earn a participation grade, but also to go in depth in my understanding of concepts and to think of ways they could be challenged or deconstructed. In essence, I was critically reflecting about what I was reading, where I had seen it played out in my own life, and how what was being read was applicable to the communities I felt I belonged to or could identify with (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009a). By doing this, I noticed that I was able to engage in conversation with others in the class and effectively articulate my views on a particular subject. I was also able to understand how to be critical of other perspectives and opinions (especially if I felt that they countered my own) while still being able to take them into consideration. Another area of the course that helped to shape my philosophy towards leadership and leadership development came as I struggled with how some individuals from the class needed continuous reassurance and positive feedback from the instructor. To me, it was fascinating to observe how the literature and course content was asking us to deconstruct the hegemonic undertones of many of the leadership theories that are used today in order to further deconstruct

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systems of oppression and privilege in American higher education. In their struggles to accept ownership of their own learning and repeatedly speaking to the instructor rather than to the class while discussing a particular concept, I observed how some members of the class could not step outside of the ways they have been socialized to learn and bank knowledge (Freire, 2000). As the semester progressed, the need to rely on instructor feedback and reassurance from some of my classmates subsided as individuals began to feel comfortable with the learning environment and in their ability to contribute their own experiences and perspectives into class. It was as though the week in which we focused on leader self-efficacy drove many of my classmates to challenge themselves to build their own self-efficacy around the course content and to contribute their own thoughts in the presence of someone perceived to be an expert in the field (Hannah et al., 2008). This observation enabled me to think of ways to challenge my own learning and engagement in order to better challenge others for the sake knowledge acquisition and mutual learning. Identity, Leadership, & Social Justice As mentioned earlier, my philosophy on the significance of leadership and leadership development in higher education has been shaped by the various identities I possess and how they have intersected at various times in my life. Learning how to navigate various systems of oppression for safety and personal advancement provided me the ability to identify the importance of incorporating sociocultural awareness and dialogue into leadership development and practices (Dugan, Kodoma, Correia, & Associates, 2013; Ospina & Foldy, 2010). I welcomed the moments during the course in which we discussed how culture and leadership played into one another. I gravitated towards articles by researchers like Ayman and Korabik (2010) and Ospina and Foldy (2010) as they examined how factors such as race-ethnicity,

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culture, and gender influenced the way in which individuals perceive leadership, experience leadership, and who historically has had access to leadership in the United States. Such articles provided me with the tools I felt would be essential in continuing the work to advocate for issues around social justice while also learning how to develop the leadership knowledge, capacities, and self-efficacy of the students I worked with (Dugan et al., 2013; Hannah, Avolio, Luthans, & Harms, 2008; Ospina & Foldy, 2010). As the semester progressed and as we dove further into the various theories of leadership and leadership development, I noticed a significant lack in the incorporation of culture in leadership in both the readings and in class discussion. Although there were several classes devoted to talking about culture and cultural identity in leadership, I felt that whenever I would mention my own leadership experience and how my cultural identity impacted those experiences in class, I was largely met with blank stares or no comments. But once some members of the course had acquired the language to talk about such topics from the weeks reading, they felt more comfortable with being able to begin discussing how various cultural identities impacted the leadership research and theory. This was a learning experience for me because it taught me to be weary of the claim some individuals, whether in higher education or in other fields, have towards being advocates for social justice and inclusion. Although we may be in a course that incorporates how leadership and social justice play into one another, we come from varying degrees of understanding and experience in some of the concepts that were covered in the course. I may have over-estimated the developmental readiness of some of my colleagues and, in turn, imposed my own thoughts and expectations on them as a result of them being enrolled in a higher education program and in an institution that claims to advocate for social justice (Day, Harrison,

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& Haplan, 2009; Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). Rather than allowing this experience to deter me from engaging in difficult conversations with colleagues, supervisors, and my students, it pressed me to understand how to best reach out to individuals who may not readily have the knowledge as to why its important to understand how culture and cultural identity influence leadership and leadership development. This experience informed how I continued to engage with the course content and how I have since carried myself as a leadership practitioner and advocate for social justice. It has also framed how I work towards living out my philosophy of leadership in hopes of maintaining congruence between my beliefs and my actions. To believe that race-ethnicity, culture, and social justice do not play a role in leadership and leadership development is a farce. Ignoring the ways in which race-ethnicity and culture influence the leadership capacities and leader self-efficacy of our students and ourselves is detrimental to effectively supporting students in becoming socially responsible leaders in our society (Ospina & Foldy, 2010). Leadership development programs in higher education must be as complex and dynamic as is the phenomena that are culture and cultural identity (Ayman & Korabik, 2010). But how can this be achieved? And what must leadership practitioners do to achieve this? Philosophy to Practice Throughout the semester we were challenged to think of ways in which the course content might play out into practice in the field. I spent much of the semester reflecting on how the institutions I worked with approached leadership and leadership development. Through this discernment process I was able to come to the belief that in order to effectively utilize leadership and leadership development in the quest for social justice while nurturing students to engage in socially responsible leadership, leadership educators must take part in a continuous effort

LESSONS AND REFLECTIONS educate themselves about the dynamic and changing nature of leadership (Owen, 2012).

Leadership development programs must also be driven by a clear definition of leadership, a commitment to some type of theoretical framework from the leadership development literature, and understand that the increasingly diverse world that we live in will require that the voices of historically marginalized communities on our campuses will need to be heard and listened to as well as be incorporated into the grand leadership narrative in the U.S. society (Kezar et al., 2010; Owen, 2012). In adopting a unified conceptualization of leadership and grounding program development in a theoretical framework, it can become easy for leadership development programs to idealize certain models and theories of leadership. One size fits all programs are counter-intuitive to the idea of leadership for social change as they fail to take into consideration the immense complexities of leadership theory and of the individuals that take part in the leadership process (Dugan et al., 2013; Owen, 2012). For example, leadership theories such as the social change model look to leadership and leadership development as a catalyst for social change, but from my own experience working within an office for leadership development, the social change model will often serve as the sole basis for a program and ignore other factors that play into leadership that leave out the voices of students from historically marginalized communities (Cliente, 2009; Dugan, 2011; Wagner 2009). In order to mitigate such practices in student leadership development, leadership practitioners must take ownership of their own learning and continuously educate themselves on the rapidly changing nature of leadership development (Owen, 2012). Subscribing to peerreviewed leadership journals, higher education journals, attending conferences on leadership development, and regularly connecting with various university offices on current trends within

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that particular area can assist practitioners in being able to have an on-going and diverse conceptualization of leadership and understand how to better serve the needs of their students. Leadership practitioners must also make a conscious effort to engage in conversations around race-ethnicity and other cultural identities so as to be able to become comfortable having such conversations, but also in developing their own capacities to ensure that students utilizing their programs, services, and resources are also engaging in sociocultural conversations themselves (Dugan et al., 2013). Aside from engaging in continuous learning, finding ways of maintaining critical hope will be equally important for leadership practitioners in remaining committed to leadership and leadership development in higher education (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009b). The concept of critical hope takes into consideration how destructive the absence of hope can be in wounding the human spirit while also being aware that the fight for social justice is a never-ending struggle and commitment (Preskill & Brookfield, 2009b). With regards to leadership development, critical hope is rooted in the question rarely asked in this field as to why do and continue on with this work (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002)? It is easy to be discouraged by the lack of participation at campus programs or by the lack of cultural awareness and understanding of both students and colleagues at an institution, but rather than being focused on the form through which success and change are manifested, the essence of that success and change should be focused on instead (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). By keeping sight of what is essential, usually working to support students on their journey to becoming socially responsible leaders so as to continue to work and improve our society, leadership educators are reminded of why we spend countless hours and energy to the work what we do (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). Critical hope highlights the significance of perseverance and commitment to social justice that infuses my philosophy of

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leadership and leadership development. Without critical hope, not only will leadership educators find themselves struggling with why they do they work that they do, but we will also lose sight of the importance of leadership and leadership development: instilling within individuals and groups the hope, the motivation, and the skills necessary to overcome adversity for the advancement of individuals and the society/community as a whole.

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References Ayman, R., & Korabik, K. (2010). Why gender and culture matter. American Psychologist, 65, 157-170. Bordas, J. (2013). The power of Latino leadership: Culture, inclusion, and contribution. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Cilente, K. (2009). An overview of the social change model of leadership development. In S. R. Komives, W. Wagner, & Associates (Eds.), Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development (pp. 43- 78). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Day, D. V., Harrison, M. M., & Halpin, S. M. (2009). An integrative approach to leader development: Connecting adult development, identity, and expertise. New York, NY: Routledge. Dugan, J. P. (2011). Research on college student leadership. In S. R. Komives, J. P. Dugan, J. E. Owen, W. Wagner, C. Slack, & Associates, Handbook for student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Dugan, J. P., Kodama, C., Correia, B., & Associates. (2013). Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership insight report: Leadership program delivery. College Park, MD: National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs. Dugan, J. P., & Komives, S. R. (2011). Research on college student leadership. In S. R. Komives, J. P. Dugan, J. E. Owen, W. Wagner, C. Slack, & Associates, Handbook for student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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Eagly, A. H., & Chin, J. L. (2010). Diversity and leadership in a changing world. American Psychologist, 65, 216-224. Fassinger, R. E., Shullman, S. L., & Stevenson, M. R. (2010). Toward an affirmative lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender leadership paradigm. American Psychologist, 65, 216-224. Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic. Hannah, S, T., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., & Harms, P. D. (2008). Leadership efficacy: Review and future directions. Leadership Quarterly, 19, 669-692. Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership without easy answers. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. (pp. 49-66). Heifetz, R. (2010). Leadership. In R. A. Couto (Ed.), Political and civic leadership: A reference handbook (pp. 12-23). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Heifetz, R. A., & Linksy, M. (2002). Leadership on the line: Staying alive through the dangers of leading. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. (pp. 207-223). Kezar, A. J., Carducci, R., & Contreras-McGavin, M. (2006). Rethinking the "L" word in higher education: The revolution in research on leadership. ASHE Higher Education Report, 31(6). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Komives, S. R., Dugan, J. P., Owen, J. E., Wagner, W., Slack, C., & Associates. (2011). Handbook for student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass. Northouse, P. G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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Ospina, S., & Foldy, E. (2009). A critical review of race and ethnicity in the leadership literature: Surfacing context, power and the collective dimensions of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 20, 876-896.

Owen, J. E. (2012). Findings from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership Institutional Survey: A National Report. College Park, MD: National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs.

Preskill, S., & Brookfield, S. D. (2009a). Learning critical reflection. In S. Preskill, & S. D. Brookfield. Learning as a way of leading: Lessons from the struggle for social justice (pp. 41-60). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Preskill, S., & Brookfield, S. D. (2009b). Learning to sustain hope in the face of struggle. In S. Preskill, & S. D. Brookfield. Learning as a way of leading: Lessons from the struggle for social justice (pp. 171-190). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Wagner, W. (2009). What is social change? In S. R. Komives, W. Wagner, & Associates (Eds.), Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development (pp. 7- 42). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.