LINKING LIVES STUDY ABROAD FALL 2015 What? Last fall, I spent 2 months living in Lugano, Switzerland and traveling around Europe. My time in Europe was followed by 5 weeks in Nyumyumba and Butare, Rwanda teaching Enligsh and computer skills to kids while also helping around in the community. On the trip I saw first hand the necessity of collaboration in leadership as our programs leaders worked with people in Switzerland and Rwanda and back at Virginia Tech. So What? There were many moving parts and complex aspects of our programs, which is one of the reasons it is so unique. One of those unique aspects is the semester-long grant proposal project. Students are tasked with writing a project proposal asking an organization/funder to fund that project on behalf of an organization in Africa. We were each assigned a location and organization and tasked with creating a project to help the community, without ever stepping foot in the community. These organizations and their leaders were doing amazing work, but needed help from others to continue to advance their amazing work. The leaders were smart to seek help from else where so they could donate their time where it was really needed.
Now What? Collaboration is a vital part to leadership. Even the most qualified leaders need help and ideas from other to lead most effectively. This also includes delegation. Leaders need to have enough faith in others to allow them to complete tasks so the leaders can focus on the larger ideas and overall leading of the community. This will be important to keep in my because although you may be the head of an organization, it doesn't mean that others are not valuable or could be helpful in leading the community.
VIRGINIA TECH RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM RELATIONS COMMITTEE What? My sophomore year of college I was a member of the team relations committee for VT relay for life. I had been a member of the fundraising committee my freshman year, but found my second year on committee significantly more fulfilling. I think that this had a lot to do with my exec member, Holly. So What? Holly did an incredible job of motivating my committee members and I as well as bonding and uniting us as a committee. At our first meeting she got a cookie cake and we often would receive little treats or handmade crafts from her. We even had a secret santa gift exchange party and bought matching purple tutus for the day of Relay for Life. Holly showed me that leadership was more than just being in charge of a committee and making decisions for us. It was also about inspiring her committee members and motivating them to do their best work, both for them and the greater good of the organization. Now What? Holly has graduated and I am no longer involved with Relay for Life, however the lesson I learned about leadership have stayed. I learned that leadership isn't only about making decisions, but also about motivating a team and getting them to do their best work, not just hat you tell them to.
VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION EQUITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE What? My sophomore year of college I was also a member of the VT SGA Equity and Inclusion Committee. The committee meetings were always awkward and eventually we stopped having meetings all together. I couldn't even tell you the name of my exec member, but his poor leadership style was memorable. So What? My exec tried to be a good leader, but wasn't particularly good at leading meetings. He never really had a plan for the meetings, and the committee members did not respond well to the informality of it. I saw the benefit of being prepared and adapting your leadership style when it wasn't working. Instead of adapting, my exec stopped contacting us and organizing meetings. Now What? This year I am the fundraising exec for the Linking Lives club, which is relatively small and still getting of the ground. Many of us are inexperienced as club leaders and have nothing from previous years to go off of. It will be important to keep this lesson in mind as we grow as a club. We will need to adapt our methods depending what we determine to be working or not working. It will be vital for the success of our club that we are leading it in a way that is good for our members.