Analysis!

Leadership development

A platform for practicing leadership;

Five interviewees (Daniel, Mary, Alice, Frej, Mikaela and Jessica) believed that their involvement in boards of the student organization gave them an opportunity to learn and practice the basics of leadership. For example, Mary stated that the opportunity to serve as a vice president positioned her at a great position to lead diverse teams and to form friendships with people of different cultures. She was able to understand the roles of a leader of being diplomatic, considerate and visionary. Similarly, Daniel argued that the participation in the boards of the student organization exposed him to the multicultural leadership environment which is applicable in contemporary leadership. Daniel stated “I think for me I got to practice leadership…I think we study a lot of leadership skills but we never get to practice them.”The organization therefore gave him a platform to interact with multicultural teams. Frej also indicated that the opportunity to work in various boards of the student organization presented him with the opportunity to practice the theoretical knowledge he had learned in the classroom. He stated that he was undertaking a degree course in business management and logistics engineering which had equipped him with leadership knowledge. Lastly, MIkela and Jessica indicated that the organization provided a platform to design and coordinate events.

According to Mainella (2017), the student organization provides a ‘holding environment’ that enables students to learn and practice new behaviors and to incorporate the new perspectives that they learn from their peers. The leading platform tasks leaders with establishing goals and targets for their followers. This involves developing and inspiring the group’s vision (Skillsoft, n.d.). Students who rose to the positions of president and vice president in their respective boards were more likely to practice this role. They were therefore able to apply classroom knowledge to a real leadership situation and this led to leadership development. Secondly, a leader at a student organization is likely to be involved in ensuring that an orderly and supportive environment is maintained. The student leaders thus experienced the role of setting the tone for an organization. In the role of designing and coordinating events, the student leaders got a platform to build trust and collaboration among the students. In this case, Mary stated that fairness is a characteristic of good leaders

Workshops and training programs:

Mary, Frej, Dardo and Mikela stated that leadership organizations provided workshops and training programs that enhanced leadership development. Other than the school earned knowledge regarding the practice of leadership, the student organization exposed participants to successful leaders who gave lectures and insights about good leadership. Jessica stated “I had experiences with some good leaders who were very patient and very good at listening.” The effective traits of leadership were thus communicated during these workshops and training events. Daniel also noted that there were exchange programs that exposed the students to a variety of training programs. In most cases, the leadership competencies mentioned by the interviews were learnt in the workshops and training programs and put to practice via execution of actual leadership roles in the student boards.

According to Skillsoft (n.d.), training programs and workshops involve facilitation guides and leader-led activities. There are also reflection questions and knowledge checks that seek to evaluate the participant’s understanding of the subject matter.

Showing leadership capabilities:

Theodora argued that leaders should be in a position to show their complex knowledge of their world and their business. The involvement in student organizations gave the students an opportunity to lead others and show their vast knowledge of issues in relation to their followers. For example, Mikaela stated “as the vice president, I exhibited time management skills to balance between the board and other things.” This could be easily translated to the contemporary leadership where leaders need to support and give direction to their followers

Preparation for international leadership:

Frej believed that his involvement in the boards of the student organization prepared him for an international career. He interacted with people from different countries who oriented him with different international cultures. He also gained the trait of intercultural communication which is crucial for multinational leaders. Dardo stated “we were more like friends rather than colleagues.” The contacts he gained and the friendships he established with colleagues from the international scene would be an added advantage if he was to function internationally.

Leadership competencies

The most popular leadership competencies include integrity, good communication skills, honesty and risk taking capabilities. In addition, competent leaders are always visionary (ability to plan ahead or charismatic), just and trustworthy. When questioned about the effectiveness of the student organization in impacting leadership competencies, the interviewees listed a number of competencies that are listed below.

Communication skills:

All the interviewees agreed that the ability of a leader to communicate effectively was a significant leadership competency that was gained during the stay at the organization.For example Mary stated “you learn of course to listen to people since as a leader you have to pay close attention to what people say.” Frej also compared his capabilities before and after his time as a board member of ESN. “Before joining, you don’t know how to communicate with other people from other cultures,” he said. Alice also felt that working boards involved dealing with people who at times had different views from the leader. Moreover, organizing events in the organization required the leader to coordinate with other members in his team. All these scenarios required the leader to communicate effectively in order to ensure that everything was moving in the right direction.

Effective communication skills are manifested by a leader’s ability to enhance fruitful conversations. A fruitful conversation is a product of two or more individuals who come together with the perception that something new can be created from their understanding of one another (Griset and Raymond, n.d.). Speaking and listening are equally essential parts of the conversation. This implies that individuals need to not only validate their points of view by speaking but also need to listen actively in order to help their partners in conversation arrive at insights or feel supported. Furthermore, the listening part of the conversation also informs speaking (Griset and Raymond, n.d.). The leadership opportunities provided by the student organization enable student leaders to develop the effective communication competency.

Emotional intelligence

Daniel and Mary believe that the student organization gave them the opportunity to develop the leadership skill of emotional intelligence. Sometimes when leading in the organization, they encountered certain important issues that were sensitive to them or other board members. Discussions on the issues could lead to heated debates that could end up in unpleasant exchanges. However, learning the skill of emotional intelligence was crucial in such encounters. It enabled the student leaders to recognize their own emotions and those of others in order to facilitate healthy discussions. The interviewees noted that this competency was very important even in their current careers.

Cultural understanding and cultural intelligence

Daniel, Mary, Alice, Frej and Dardo indicated that their involvement in leadership positions at the boards of the organization enhanced the intercultural communication skills. This revelation explained a bigger leadership competency of cultural intelligence and cultural understanding that was noted by Sainath. These two concepts are closely related because they apply in communications where different cultures exist. Cultural intelligence enables leaders to express themselves in ways that are easy to understand by collaborating with individuals from different cultures. On the other hand, just like intercultural communication, cultural understanding is a component of cultural intelligence. It refers to the knowledge about cultures and application of this knowledge to conceptualize contextual factors in different situations (Solomon and Steyn, 2017). Daniel stated “working in the board cultivated a better understanding of how other people function in other cultures”.

When one deals with diverse cultures in student organizations, it is possible to develop the cultural intelligence leadership competence. Mary stated “certainly you had to know different cultures and understanding how they work.” This translated to the development of cultural understanding and intercultural communication traits.

Team leadership

Daniel, Alice, Mikela and Mary believed that when they lead in the various boards of the student organization, they learn a crucial leadership competency of teamwork. They understood the benefits of teamwork and the role of team leaders. “I wanted everyone to have an equal opportunity to participate in the event,” said Daniel. Alice also learnt that the role of leader in teams was to support members rather than controlling them

Conflict management

Almost all the interviewees mentioned the acquisition negotiation skills to resolve conflict during their time at the organization. Mikeala stated “We were a multicultural board and we had a number of conflicts.” Dardo indicated that conflict revolved around “how and who would be more effective …if the plan doesn’t work, don’t put the blame on me.” Sainath also stated “some people do not take their positions responsibly which leads to conflict.” The interaction of the leaders with people from diverse cultures enabled them to learn different negotiation skills that fitted different people. Additionally, they were able to understand the priorities of other cultures and to factor them in conflict management

Drive to inspire people

Alice, Theodora, Frej and Mary recognized the drive to inspire people as an important leadership competency which they reinforced during their stay in the student organization. When they functioned as presidents and vice presidents, they were involved in recruitment of members and in inspiring people to support the objectives of the organization. “We communicated in a way that would motivate people to join the ESN so that we could accomplish our roles as the board, “said Frej. Mary also stated that he learnt that a leader must show unswerving support to the vision of the organization. Drive enables this kind of internal motivations to “keep eyes on the ball”. When the leader inspires his/her followers to view things in a positive way, it’s possible to achieve the long term objectives of the organization

References

Griset, C. and Raymond, K. (n.d.). The Art of Fruitful Conversation. [online] Waldorflibrary.org. Available at: https://www.waldorflibrary.org/images/stories/Journal_Articles/GW52Conversation.pdf [Accessed 16 May 2019].

Mainella, F. (2017). Intentional Design of Student Organizations to Optimize Leadership Development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2017(155), pp.33-43.

Skillsoft (n.d.). Leadership Development - Skillsoft. [online] Skillsoft. Available at: https://www.skillsoft.com/content-solutions/leadership-development/ [Accessed 16 May 2019].

Solomon, A. and Steyn, R. (2017). Leadership style and leadership effectiveness: Does cultural intelligence moderate the relationship?. Acta Commercii, 17(1).

Thorn, I. (2012). Leadership in international organizations: Global leadership competencies. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 15(3), pp.158-163.