SKELLS 1/18/18

Stefan Kells
EDUC 5373
Innovative Leadership for the Digital Age
Dr. Moore
Leadership Exercise – Week 1

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 1-3: My Leadership Portfolio

Here, we ask you to begin developing a leadership portfolio that will be a personal document of your
leadership capabilities and experiences. In each chapter, we will recommend new entries for your
portfolio. At the same time, we encourage you to use your imagination in determining what constitutes a
suitable addition to your leadership portfolio.
We suggest you begin your portfolio with a personal mission statement that explains the type of
leadership you plan to practice. An example might be, “I intend to become a well-respected corporate
professional, a key member of a happy and healthy family, and a contributor to my community. I aspire to
lead many people toward constructive activities.” Include your job résumé in your portfolio, and devote a
special section to leadership experiences. These experiences can be from the job, community and
religious activities, and sports. (See Leadership Self-Assessment Quiz 1-2.)

Personal Missions Statement:

To teach and inspire with enthusiasm and creativity, while maintaining a
professional, confidential, and efficient work environment for faculty, staff and
students.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 2-3: My Leadership Portfolio

For this addition to your leadership portfolio, first select five of the traits, motives, and characteristics
described in this chapter that you think you have already exhibited. For each of these attributes, explain
why you think you have it. An example would be as follows:

Humility: I am a very humble person. In fact, I’ve had to practice this trait quite a bit in
my new position. I moved from an area where I knew a great deal about my job to an
area where I don’t and I can’t do it all.
Trustworthy: I developed this trait a long time ago. As a teenager, I was trusted to run
the library by myself. In my current line of work, I’m trusted with sensitive information
about students. This trust had to be proven and earned.
Strong work ethic: I developed a strong work ethic in grade school. At the time, I was
diagnosed with a reading learning disability. In fact, for the longest time I couldn’t read.
I had a teacher tell me that I would not amount to anything because I couldn’t read. So
from that point, I set out to prove her wrong. Before I started high school, I was formally
diagnosed with dyslexia. Even though I already learned to cope with my disability,
knowing what was wrong made all the difference. I continue to prove my grade school
teacher wrong by everything that I have accomplished by having a good work ethic.
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Emotional intelligence: I am an empathetic individual. I have the ability to read and
understand the emotions of others and control my own.
Enthusiasm, optimism, & warmth: I always try to have a positive attitude, especially
when events become more difficult. I am compassionate, which helps put others at ease
when I’m around.
Second, select several leadership traits, motives, or characteristics that you think you need to develop to
enhance your leadership skills. Explain why you think you need this development, and how you think you
might obtain it. An example would be as follows:

On the outside, I appear to be extraverted, self-confident, and have courage, but in

reality that is a front I put up when in public. I need to work on these three areas in
both my personal and professional life. It is easier for me to be extraverted and self-
confident while at work.
Flexibility & adaptability: We all could use some work in this area, no matter how
flexible we think we are. I practiced taekwondo through my teenage years. I was very
physically flexible. However, it took daily work to remain that flexible.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 3-2: Charismatic Leadership by Storytelling

Instructions: Gather in a small problem-solving group to develop an inspiring anecdote about something
that actually happened, or might have happened, at a current or former employer. Search for a scenario
that illustrates an important value of the firm. For example, the CEO of a large international bank while
on vacation discovered a company ATM that was not working properly. He immediately went inside the
bank branch to investigate the problem and what could be done about it.
Share your stories with other members of the class, and discuss whether this exercise could make a
contribution to leadership development.

In my previous position, we would have camp-fire meetings to discuss random

things that happened throughout the week. These meetings were to reflect on a
particular event, like SE Live or a difficult situation. Sometimes, they were to build
each other up when morale was getting low. These sessions could be started by
anyone in the office and usually happened towards the end of the day when
everyone was powering down their tasks.

Leadership Skill-Building Exercise 3-3: My Leadership Portfolio

How much charisma, or how many charismatic behaviors, have you exhibited this week? Think back to
all your interactions with people in this last week or two. What have you done that might have been
interpreted as charismatic? Review the characteristics of a charismatic leader described in the text and in
the Guidelines for Action and Skill Development. For example, did you smile warmly at someone, did you
wave to a person you see infrequently and address him or her by name? Did you help your team, club, or
group think seriously about its future? As part of this same exercise, record your charismatic behaviors
for the upcoming week. Be alert to opportunities for displaying charisma.
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I wouldn’t consider myself to be very charismatic, at least not compared to those I
view to be better at this trait. Honestly, these last few weeks have been crazy busy
and anything that could go wrong, did go wrong (Murphy’s Law).
Earlier this week, a student stopped by my office just to check to see how things
were going. She is finishing up her freshman year and plans to transfer once she
receives her associates degree. Her question related to a class she was enrolled in
and if it would transfer or not. Together, we called several offices on Main Campus
and discovered that this course would indeed transfer if she completed her
associates degree. We have an agreement that clears all general education
requirements if a student completes their associates. I made a point to thank her for
starting the transfer process early. She turned to me and said “I’m putting myself
through college. No one in my family has attended. I’m really glad I don’t have to
take a different course. You don’t know how much you’ve helped me.” I’m not
sure if I was demonstrating charisma or not with this student, but I put her mind at
ease.
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STEFAN M. KELLS
PO Box 309, Bells TX 75414-0309
Cell: (903) 821-3300
Email: brisingr729@gmail.com

PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE
To serve as the SE Academic Service Coordinator at Grayson College, while maintaining a professional,
confidential, and efficient work environment for faculty, staff, and students. Although my long-term goal is to
pursue a Master’s of Information/Library Sciences, my immediate goal is to continue my education to obtain a
Master’s of Education in Curriculum & Instruction: Educational Technology. I have been accepted into the School
of Graduate Studies at SE. My program start date is August 2017 and ATTD is July 2018.

EDUCATION
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
425 W. University Blvd; Durant OK 74701
Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal & Applied Studies; Minor in Spanish: May 2013
Grayson College
6101 Grayson Drive; Denison TX 75020
Associate of Arts in Teaching: May 2010
Bells High School
PO Box 7; Bells TX 75414
Diploma: May 2008
EMPLOYMENT & VOLUNTEER WORK
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
425 W. University Blvd; Durant, OK 74701
Admissions Counselor/Recruiter, DSO / (Specialist): Work with students/parents/teachers/counselors with the
admission process; review applications and admit students to the university; counsel/advise prospective, returning,
and current students with their educational goals; work with and plan cultural programs/field trips for international
students, serve as a Designated School Official (DSO) in SEVIS; work in POISE and Microsoft Office programs;
support in the implementation of a new recruitment manager called JRM (Jenzabar Recruitment Manager);
scan/index student files in Docubase (an imaging system); receptionist and clerical duties including answering
phones, filing, records management, and sorting mail; assist the Director and fellow co-workers in various tasks;
help supervise student workers; assist with SE Live/Transfer Day and other large events on campus; help
schedule/guide individual/group campus tours; maintained office budgets; and other special duties as assigned.
Barnes & Noble Bookseller - January 2012 – present (temp aid for special events): Work football games/other
events outside normal business day; general book and apparel sales; assist with locating college text books and
supplies; assist with buy back at semester end and Rush at the start of the semester.
Student Worker - January 2011 – July 2013: Receptionist and clerical duties including answering phones, filing,
records management, mail pick-up and delivery; assisted professors in copying, and other tasks as needed. I worked
in various offices on the Southeastern campus including Teacher Education Services, School of Education and
Behavioral Sciences, Educational Instruction and Leadership (EIL), and Housing & Residence Life. TRIO:
Upward Bound Tudor/Mentor & Resident Hall Supervisor: I was responsible for high school students living on
the campus of SE. I provided 24-hour supervision of residential life for the program students; conducted weekly
room inspections for cleanliness; participated in program field trips; insured that all students observed program and
host rules on campus; scheduled night supervision duty of residential tutor/mentors; and other duties as needed.
Resident Assistant (RA): I acted as liaison between the residents and the Department of Housing & Residents Life;
updated monthly bulletin boards and door decorations; maintained regular office hours; worked resident check-in
and check-outs; designed resident programs and activities; completed room verification logs and safety checks;
filled out Maxient reports; reported maintenance issues; volunteered as a Resident Community Leader; and other
duties as needed.
Whitewright Public Library
PO Box 984, Whitewright, TX 75491
Volunteer Librarian Assistant/Intern - March 2004 – present: Responsible for front counter check-in/check-out
of library materials; issue library cards; aid in new material cataloging; shelving library books and other media;
weeding under circulated books and other media; help library patrons locate books and information; teach library
patrons how to research microfilmed documents; assist in networking/updates to library computers for patron use;
promote community advocacy for the usefulness of the public library; basic clerical and banking duties; assisted in
coordination of monthly video media presentations for middle school and high school age students; helped with
scheduling of spring break and summer library programs; and volunteer for library fund-raising efforts, book sales
and other special projects as needed.