The Growth of Leadership

By Contessa Scroggins

Leadership in Higher Education: SHSU 01/31/2016

Developing a Leadership Identity: A Grounded TheorySusan Komives, Felicia Mainella, Julie Owen, Laura Osteen, and

Susan Longerbeam [Article]

The researchers chose a group of 13 people (not really these people) for a sampling to research the process that leaders go through.

Leadership Identity with Five Categories

• Essential developmental influences• Developing self• Group influences• Changing view of self with others• Broadening view of leadership (Komives et al., 2005)

Developmental Influences: Adult Influence

Adults play a significant role in building confidence and encouraging young people. These are the building blocks from which future leaders develop.

Developmental Influences: Peer Influences

• Older peers promote motivation to join groups and take on roles of leadership. Modeling and learning from positive influences can play an important role in development.

Developmental Influences: Meaningful Involvement

• Participating on a team or group involvement helps develop new skills and learn about themselves. This can also build values and the ability to work as a teammate.

Developmental Influences: Reflective Learning

• Thinking about all the experiences that the participants have had develops a persons perspective of leadership. Participating in leadership classes or training helps teach the language and theories that can later be applied.

Developing Self: Deepening Self-Awareness

• As the participants matured, they realized how the many different aspects of self affected their leadership identity such as gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Developing Self:Building Self-Confidence

• Meaningful experiences help build self-confidence. With positive influences, they began to feel more empowered to take risks and higher levels of responsibility.

Changing view of self with others

• Engaging with people that are different from themselves or have different opinions from them enhanced:– Listening skills– Respect and

understanding– Effective

collaboration

Group Influence :Learning from Membership Continuity

• As students tried out different groups and developed a better sense of self, they narrowed their group interests to what was more meaningful.

• This improved: – Relational skills– Dealing with conflict– Handling transition issues– Sustaining organizations

Broadening View of Leadership

• As the students learned more about themselves, learned to trust others, built their confidence and relationships, they realized that “I can be a leader even when not being the leader”

(Komives et al., 2005)

Dr. Susan Komives: Wisdom from a Leading Scholar [Podcast]

Points out:• Leadership is socially constructed• Experiences help guide the development of

leadership• Leadership is enhanced when engaging with

different points of view through discussions• Shared responsibility comes from relational

leadership and servant leadership• “None of us is as smart as all of us” Kenneth Blanchard

General Stanley McChrystal: Listen, Learn…then Lead [Video]

• Build trust and faith in each other• Leadership values a shared purpose• Leaders can let you fail but not let you

feel like a failure• “Relationships are the sinew

which holds the force together”

ReferencesKomives, S. R. (n.d.). [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from http://www.podcasts.com/student-leadership-podcast- leadership-development-higher-education-social- entrepreneurship-productivity-30/episode/slp-010-wisdom- from-a-leading-scholar-dr-susan-komives

Komives, S. R., Owen, J. E., Longerbeam, S. D., Mainella, F. C., & Osteen, L. (2005). Developing a Leadership Identity: A Grounded Theory. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6), 593-611. doi: 10.1353/csd.2005.0061

Retrieved January 25, 2016.

Mcchrystal, S. (2011, March). [Video]. Listen, learn ... then lead. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from https://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal