HDF 190:

FIRST YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCE

LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO

Emily Short
SPRING 2018

emily_short@my.uri.edu
emily-short.weebly.com
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Strengths SLIDE #3
Opening Statement SLIDE #4
Section 1: Self Leadership SLIDE #6
Section 2: Leadership Theories SLIDE #8
Section 3: Inclusive Leadership SLIDE #11
Section 4: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership (#1) SLIDE #14
Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership (#2) SLIDE # 17
 Signature Strengths
Achiever
Relator
Connectedness
Learner
Restorative

Values in Action Strengths

Love
Creativity
Humor
Bravery
Kindness

M
 OPENING STATEMENT
Hi! My name is Emily Short and I am a pharmacy major with minors in
leadership studies, biology, and Spanish. As I have grown within my
leadership, I think the most eye opening idea to me was that there are many
leadership styles. I had always been stuck in the mindset that there is one way
that leadership happens- a leader steps up and take command of the followers.
Although I am extroverted, I am not the most confident in my abilities and, for
this reason, I never felt sure enough to step up and take command. However,
since learning that a leader does not have to be the loudest and most confident
person in the room, I have realized ways in which I lead on a daily basis and
have become more sure of my ability to lead. Now, I try to apply leadership on a
daily basis, whether it be ethical, relational, or servant because I truly believe
there is always an opportunity to make a difference and be an effective leader.
 SECTION 1
SELF LEADERSHIP
#11 Student will describe goals and objective statements regarding personal issues,
career issues, and community issues

Target class: HDF190

*Description on next slide

My overall goal within my personal, career, and community matters is to become more appreciative. I am
somewhat of a perfectionist and therefore have very high standards for myself. Sometimes, despite my best
efforts, situations inevitably do not work out in my favor. When this occurs, I often blame myself for failure and tell
myself that I could have done better. Although reflection upon mistakes is vital to better decision making in the
future, the negative tone I assume often brings me down. Therefore, it is important to learn to appreciate my own
efforts and find constructive criticism, rather than blaming myself and promoting further self doubt. As far as my
career, I think making an active effort to appreciate my field of work is going to be key in staying invested in my
job. As a pharmacist, I might not always feel actively appreciated by others. It will be important for me to
understand that my patients do not have the same knowledge as a healthcare professional and may disagree
without reason simply because they are in pain or suffering. However, if I stay focused on the grateful patients and
constantly remind myself that my work is helping every patient, even those who seem displeased, each day will be
more fulfilling. As far as the community, I think that appreciation is a large part of acceptance. I do consider myself
very accepting of other people, especially when it comes down to cultural differences. I think this appreciation
more so applies to people directly involved in my life. As aforementioned, I hold myself to very high standards. In
turn, I hope for others to hold me to these same standards in order to help me to grow as a person. However, as a
result, I hold my friends and family to equally high standards. Most people tend to welcome the high level of
investment in their personal growth I display. However, sometimes my enthusiasm to push people to be the best
version of themselves comes off in a pushy or aggressive manner. It is important that I learn to remind myself that
sometimes people just need someone to listen to them and not necessarily advise them. Furthermore, what I see
as guidance can often feel like criticism to others, so I must be more sensitive to this reality and learn to actively
show my appreciation for others. Overall, I think I need to make my tough love a little bit more tender and realize.
that a direct approach is not always the most productive approach.
 SECTION 2
Leadership Theory and Models
#28 Student will describe personal application of the above theory (Greenleaf)

Additional Experience: RhodyThon

*Description on next slides

On March 24, 2018 I participated in the University of Rhode Island’s first ever Rhodython. This was an event in
which I participated in a dance marathon, which entailed dancing for 8 hours straight, in order to raise money for
children at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Within the experience, I think I most strongly applied conceptualization,
stewardship, and building community, 3 of the 10 characteristics of a servant leader. The experience as a whole
entailed a lot of conceptualization, as I was not working directly with those that I was serving. Instead, I was
reaching out to friends and family for donations to the cause and trying to get others involved in participation.
Because I was not in direct contact with the children I was helping, it was important for me to focus on the long
term goal and focus on envisioning the impact my service would have in order to stay on track. Next, both
fundraising and actually participating involved stewardship. Although fundraising can often feel confrontational
and bothersome, it was important for me to put my service before all else. Although it sometimes felt a little
awkward to constantly ask for donations, my shameless fundraising paid off and I ended up doubling my
fundraising goal. Stewardship also was present within the actual night of the dance marathon, as the event was
very physically exhausting. But, I always kept the real reasons why I was participating in mind and constantly
reminded myself to put the families I was serving above myself. Lastly, I think building community was the most
prevalent characteristic within RhodyThon. The event brought people from all around the URI community together,
dancing without fear of judgement, united under one common goal. The process itself also involved people from
all over the county, as participants reached out to distant relatives and friends for donations. The community
building aspect of RhodyThon is also what I believe brought empowerment to the participants. The families served
within our efforts were very empowered, not by the donations and money, but rather by seeing how many people
cared enough to sacrifice their time and energy for their well being, something that became very apparent as I
listened to families of Hasbro Children’s Hospital thank us before the event even began. Yet, those that danced
were equally empowered. The moment in which our fundraising total was revealed was surreal and left many of us
in tears. Not only did we surpass out goal, but set a record for the most money raised in an organization’s first
dance marathon. This reveal brought a sense of pride, but also humility. No matter how amazing I felt that we had
destroyed records and exceeded personal goals, the part that moved me the most was knowing that the money
would be used to fund chemo treatments or hospital stays for Hasbro families. This empowerment was unlike I
had ever felt, as I have never fundraised and served on such a large scale. Because of this, my natural inclination
to continue serving the families of Hasbro Children’s Hospital is ever present and I hope to further involve myself
in RhodyThon in the upcoming years, perhaps even getting involved on the executive board.
 SECTION 3
Inclusive Leadership / Diversity and its application to leadership
#87 Student will show knowledge of effective leadership as it relates to change
agency

Target Class: HDF190

*Description on next slides

In HDF190 I learned that a change agent, or a person or group of people with the ability to understand situations
and motivate those around them in order to create change, is vital to the social change model. The aspects of a
change agent can be subcategorized into what they must understand, what they have, and what they should
demonstrate. First, a change agent should understand that change is a process. This means that the change agent
must be willing to fully commit to the social change movement aware of the fact that the change will likely take a
long time to visibly or tangibly occur. They also must understand that within the process there will be resistance
at all levels. This could include resistance from opposing parties, from the group supporting the movement, or
resistance within self doubt. Therefore, a change agent must have a keen understanding of how to overcome
resistance at every level and also know when to implement each strategy. Next, a change agent should possess
positive perceptions of change itself. Many people are uncomfortable with any sort of change, so it is very
important that a change agent fully believes that the change will bring positive effects, as they cannot be easily
discouraged by the inevitable resistance aforementioned. In order to develop this positive attitude, a change agent
should have a high level of comfort within moments of transition. In moments when the future seems ambiguous a
change agent must remain sure of their willingness to work through it. They also must have high levels of self
confidence and patience. The aspect of self confidence is what combats any resistance arising from self doubt
and patience with one self and those the change agent is working with are equally important in order to maintain a
positive environment. Part of this self confidence is a willingness to step out of their comfort zone, as they must
trust themselves enough to take risks that could successfully progress the change. Lastly, there are important
attributes a change agent should demonstrate to others. First, a change agent must have the ability to influence. If
someone is unable to successfully and ethically persuade others, the change movement will probably not gain
enough momentum to seem worth the effort to others. Next, they must establish a sense of urgency. Although
change is often a long process, promoting urgency will help progress the process and the slight pressure will
cause problems to be resolved quicker. A change agent must also demonstrate the ability to explain their personal
vision. Without having the ability to make others see their vision, it is unlikely enough support for change will
develop. Lastly, a change agent must show willingness to take risks. In order to make a difference, they must
inspire others with their courage and ability to take risks that they think will have a positive outcome. This is also
vital to the movement because trying new strategies often calls attention to the matter at hand. Overall, a change
agent must be strategic, brave, aware, and, most importantly, dedicated to the process in order to facilitate
successful social change.
 SECTION 4
Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills
#133 Student will describe personal examples of group development in use
(Tuckman/Tuckman & Jensen, Bennis or others).

Additional Experiences: High school soccer team

*Description on next slides

Throughout all four years of high school I played soccer with the same core group of girls and I think that we
successfully progressed through all 5 stages of Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development my senior year. Each
year, we begin training for the upcoming season the spring beforehand which was when we entered the stage of
forming. The first few sessions are often awkward as returning members attempt to learn the names and faces of
incoming freshmen. The new members are also always very intimidated by the older girls, especially the seniors.
Returning members are also in a strange place, as new captains have been elected and roles from the previous
years shift dramatically. As we progressed into the summer practices, we moved onto storming. There was
bonding between new and old members as we practiced 3 times a week, giving ample time to get acquainted.
However, everyone was still very focused on simply fighting for s spot on varsity or starting spot, so there was
little to no unity. There was very obvious unequal power distribution as seniority determined rank. Even further, it
was difficult to adjust to two of the seniors being captains and ultimately the ones in charge of decision-making
and scheduling, which affected the previously established unity of returning members. This stage lasted the bulk
of summer training, as it was difficult to progress without a set division between varsity and junior varsity. After
tryouts, we progressed to norming rater quickly. We began to practice together every day and therefore built
strong bonds with one another. Also, a common goal of a successful season was established from the outset,
providing a basic level of unity. Conflict over power struggles diminished as people began to feel comfortable
sharing their viewpoint, and the captains began to be viewed more as a channel to relay messages to our coach
rather than the controlling body. Performing occurred throughout our entire season, as we displayed impressive
amounts of flexibility. Roles changed drastically throughout the season as some players were injured and others
floated in and out of the starting lineup and even within individual games as we needed to make quick
adjustments on the field. The key factor of this success was not blaming one another. Who played where was
ultimately up to the coach and each member prioritized the wellbeing of the team and strong bond among
members rather than individual success. Finally, after the end of our season, we reached the final stage of
adjourning. After captains for the coming year were elected, we all met to discuss goals for the coming season.
Although we were leaving the team, the seniors still attended the meeting in order to provide input on the
strengths and weaknesses of the team dynamic and how the next season should be approached. Finally, we
celebrated our success at our annual banquet, awarding some players for their contributions and reminiscing on
the memories we made.
 SECTION 5
Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills
#153 Student will describe personal examples of building relationships with members
as a leader

Additional Experiences: Group leader at Vacation Bible School

*Description on next slide

Each summer, I volunteer at a week long Vacation Bible School camp at my church. However,
in the summer of 2017 I got the opportunity to become a group leader. I was assigned to lead a
group of about 25 kindergarteners, a task which I expected to basically be a week long
babysitting job. But, to my surprise, I was amazed by how eager my group members were to
talk and build relationships among one another and even myself. At first, it was difficult for me
to try to connect with my group members, as the age gap just seemed to big of a barrier.
However, I eventually realized how important it was to forage relationships with these group
members, as in order to effectively teach them I needed to establish some sort of credibility.
My first step was attempting to remember every member’s name, as this made a more
comfortable environment. So, I began to run through their names in my head each time I had
them line up and, once I felt comfortable, no longer told the members to wear name tags. I
could immediately see the comfort levels among our group increase. Another strategy I used
was “circle time” to reflect upon lessons each day. Allowing the group to discuss freely not
only reiterated the overall message of the day’s activities, but also brought me down to the
same level as the kindergarteners. I held back any interjections and offered my own thoughts
to encourage conversation rather than posing discussion questions as a teacher. Eventually,
members felt comfortable enough to ask me to join in when making crafts for playing games. I
truly felt that I broke the age barrier and provided meaningful relationship building among the
kindergarteners and by the end it felt as if they viewed me as another group member, not their
superior.