Living Leadership

Utah Valley University Student Association 2010-2011

My experiences in the CAL helped me create relationships with many on-campus faculty, clubs, organizations, and departments. I looked for opportunities to serve and stand as an advocate for underrepresented students as well as participate in campus-wide service projects and student rights campaigns. Over the next several years, I was exposed to a plethora of leadership styles and I began to identify which leadership characteristics I wanted to acquire and which ones I did not. 

Dinar, Rhett, and Alex of International Student Association

One of the main themes identified through my own observations and experiences was the importance of virtue-based leadership. When we look at leadership through a virtue-based theory we see leaders by their character. Individuals who lead with virtue demonstrate courage, generosity, self-control, honesty, and fairness (Northouse, 2013). They develop unity within a group despite difference of opinion and encourage action in order to facilitate growth in their followers.

Alumni Leadership Team Members and speaker Tom Krieglstein.

At first, as I held more and more leadership positions, I judged and accused others of being too autocratic and inhibiting the growth of not just a few of their followers but everyone associated with their vision. While developing closer relationships with my colleagues, I realized that many individuals followed a similar course of leadership development. Some because of failure, selfishness, or unaccountably allowed themselves to plateau and became their own Achilles heel. They allowed their discouragement or personal gain to distract from their original purpose and oath to serve the students, to advocate for those under their jurisdiction. And from there, they made every meeting, every event, and every task unbearable for their followers. 

Utah Valley Student Association 2011-2012

What I took from these observations was a fierce determination to lead with self-awareness. To be a morally good human being and to believe that others can learn to be virtue-based; that it is not only available if previously a part of their disposition, but can be taught and acquired. I desire to be a leader of practice, from the beginning until the end. To act each day in accordance to my beliefs so that these beliefs literally become a part of my identity (Northouse, 2013). With this identity I hope to encourage what Frankena (1973) and Pojman (1995) believe that"by telling the truth, people become truthful; by giving to the poor, people become benevolent; by being fair to others, people become just".

ULA Conference with Utah Valley University Student Association