Today we focus on building and maintaining groups and teams. “Teamwork makes the dream work!” is a saying you’re probably familiar with. Leadership exists through powerful relationships; no one can be a leader alone. Often the greatest leaders have reliable teammates who can see their true selves and can challenge the leader’s thinking for the betterment of the cause or group efforts. A key characteristic in building teams lies within shared purpose and committing to shared goals.
It is also important to note that one should strive to make connections and build relationships in an authentic manner. Connections and relationships should be forged with good intentions, not through manipulation or deceit. One of the best ways to nurture partnerships and teams is to listen and be present. Being a great leader requires creating a shared vision and developing rapport with your teammates, in order to ensure the group’s success. Take a moment to reflect on the list and quote below.
Five Commitments for an Effective Team:
1. Opening up and building trust within the team
2. Engaging in respectful discourse and conflict
3. Committing to the team’s purpose
4. Holding oneself and others accountable for their performance
5. Focusing on collective results
“All change, even very large and powerful change, begins when a few people start talking with one another.” Margaret Wheatley
Day 6 Challenge Questions:
What groups/teams are you a part of and how does each of these groups/teams impact your life?
BONUS Question:
Do you fall into a specific role or take on similar responsibilities within these groups?
To provide your answers using mobile, follow and share your comments on the Challenge Day 5 posted on the Campus Life Instagram (@umbccampuslife). Visit the Online Leadership Challenge page to access all the Challenge Day posts and for more information.
For Challenge Guidelines, click "Download Image" below.
A new academic year is on the horizon, and UMBC students will be back on the campus. Join us for a drive-in “Share-a-Thon,” to collect healthy, non-perishable foods, toiletries, and select cold-weather gear [hats, gloves, scarves] for students facing financial or housing challenges. Cash donations [in person or online] are also welcome. We’ll meet and collect donations at Parking Lot 22 (off Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road near the PAHB) on campus.
To donate food, toiletries or fund them remotely, you can place an Amazon Wish List order on their website. Lists of needed items to donate in person can also be identified from the food and toiletries listings in their website, Retriever Essentials
As communication about events such as this slowly ramp up, please share widely with your department, program, team, students and colleagues as well as anyone in the area who would like to donate.
For Challenge Day 4, we are going to focus on values. You may be wondering why values are important, or how do they connect back to leadership? The values that we each hold are important because they help us grow, develop, and create the future we want to experience. The decisions that are made on an individual and group level, are actually a reflection of our values and beliefs, and they are typically always directed towards a specific purpose or need. Think of values as a compass, that weighs in on inner judgments or beliefs, which then helps determine decisions and behaviors while navigating the life or reality an individual or group wishes to live.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on your own personal values. Individual values reflect how you show up in your life, your specific needs, the principles you live by and what you consider important for your self-interest. Below is a sample list of values, take a minute or so to go over each one.
After reviewing the terms above, post your top 5 values along with your response to the following questions.
Day 4 Challenge Questions:
What are your UMBC goals?
And how are these goals related to your values determined on your top 5?
BONUS Question:
Looking at the groups to which you belong (or are looking to join), how do the groups’ purpose/vision align with your values and interests?
To provide your answers using mobile, follow and share your comments on the Challenge Day 4 posted on the Campus Life Instagram (@umbccampuslife). Visit the Online Leadership Challenge page to access all the Challenge Day posts and for more information.
For Challenge Guidelines, click "Download Image" below.
For Challenge Day 3, we will focus on leader identity. Describing leader identity is integral to how we behave, show up and it can be the driving force for motivating development. Your self-concept influences your engagement in the activity of leadership. Therefore, when discovering yourself and practicing self-awareness, you are in turn discovering the kind of leader you want to be.
Leader identity is promoted through rituals, celebrations, relationships, mentoring, self-assessment, new experiences and reflections. Although not required when engaging in the activity of leadership, leader identity is a building block that creates meaning and organizes new leadership knowledge (Guthrie et al., 2016). With that being said, there are a myriad of different kinds of leadership styles out there that could be part of your leader identity. Below are some leadership styles for you to look up and consider:
Day 3 Challenge Questions:
What type of leadership style do you identify with? How does this leader identity show up on your day to day?
BONUS Question:
In what ways do you believe this can connect back to your UMBC experience?
To provide your answers using mobile, follow and share your comments on the Challenge Day 3 posted on the Campus Life Instagram (@umbccampuslife). Visit the Online Leadership Challenge page to access all the Challenge Day posts and for more information.
For Challenge Guidelines, click "Download Image" below.
Today’s challenge is all about YOU! Mainly, we’ll be focusing on the identities that make up who you are as an individual, leader, and person in the world. Identity is an ever evolving self-portrait; the ongoing take, retake and update of “who am I”. It changes overtime, and something important to note about identities is that some may be visible and some are not. Identity is also known to be a socially constructed concept grounded in: historical, political, cultural norms, and lived experiences. Ultimately, our identities result from our own navigation and meaning making of self, context, and relationships. Take a moment, and simply think about all the pieces that make up the complex being of you. Using a physical sheet of paper or a virtual blank document, write or type the following: Age, Sex, Gender Expression, Ethnicity, Race, Physical/Emotional/Cognitive Capability, Socio-Economic Class, Sexual Orientation, Religion/Spirituality, Geographical Origin
Reflect on the identities and descriptors mentioned above. On your personal paper or document, note the following:
Challenge Day 2 Questions: As you look at your words and markings-- what stands out to you? Which of these identities empower your voice as a leader?
To provide your answers using mobile, follow and share your comments on the Challenge Day 2 posted on the Campus Life Instagram (@umbccampuslife). Visit the Online Leadership Challenge page to access all the Challenge Day posts and for more information.
For Challenge Guidelines, click "Download Image" below.
]]>To kick-off the Online Leadership Challenge we will focus on leadership from the perspective of individual growth.
If you were to stop for a minute and reflect on your life until this point you would probably note moments of great achievement, overcoming obstacles, as well as lessons being learned. I’m willing to bet that you’ve even grown and developed in many ways in the last two years alone! At UMBC we believe leadership is a process of knowing yourself, what you contribute, and how you can best work with others to make a change in your community. The leadership learning process is about inner work and self-development just as much as it is about learning how to work with others. A pivotal tool for continual and ongoing self-development is: self-awareness and reflection. Far too often we are busy or dwell on situations rather than seek to learn from them. When you take the time to reflect on your actions, behaviors, thoughts and feelings you give yourself the opportunity to enhance your self-understanding and further propel your own individual growth.
These opportunities for reflection are occasions to learn more about ourselves, enhancing our self-understanding-- however, like stated before, we often miss these moments. Reflection can be an interactive process. In all forms, it can become a habit and a pivotal tool for continual and ongoing development. When you capitalize on these opportunities for reflection, you replenish your own resources. By reflecting on what has happened, you take time to think through your actions, think about how your actions may have affected others (even in your team), see links or connections that you may have not realized, or identify ways in which you could have shown up differently. For leaders to be effective, it is critical they must know themselves.
“Leadership development is self development.” - Barry Posner
Day 1 Challenge Questions:
What is your reaction to these ideas? What does self-awareness mean to you?
BONUS QUESTION:
What are some ways you practice self-reflection?