Though I’ve only worked as an assistant campus director for
less than a year, I was able to make several improvements for my campus. I
established new strategies to improve the overall function at my campus with the
help of advanced computer knowledge, as well as making various outside
connections to reach out to potential students. Of all the skills, my boss,
along with many of my students look up to me for my caring and empathetic
nature. However I wouldn’t have been able to obtain and enhance these skills
without the help of another assistant campus director from a neighboring
campus.
Immediately after being hired, my boss stationed me to a
neighboring campus to receive training from Mrs. F (keeping her anonymous for
privacy purposes). Mrs. F is a longtime acquaintance and is a very kind and
cheerful individual. During the training sessions, we were often interrupted by
students that walked in to seek assistance. As Mrs. F handled the
students, I observed how she completed her tasks. Though her demonstrations
provided me a general idea of how to perform the job, how she handled her
students caught my attention.
Prior to the training, I lacked experience as an employee and therefore
believed that having the ability to get the work done was all I needed to be
successful. Though having the ability to perform is vital to any job, Mrs. F
demonstrated the importance of care and empathy in a people-oriented
position. At one point during the training, we had a student that came in and
argued about the struggles of finding a class. Rather than just finding the
class for the student, Mrs. F established a more welcoming, comfortable environment by talking with the student. Mrs. F spoke to the student like she was a friend of the student rather than a university counselor. She often made jokes and even shared her past experiences to let the student understand that she cares and want to help. Mrs. F also offered to make a degree map, which is a list of suggested classes for the student to ease the struggle of finding a class. In the end, not only did the student get what he wanted, but he was really satisfied with the outcome and responded in a similar manner as Mrs. F.
Another thing that inspired me was how she made her degree maps. Though a degree map is a simple list of suggested classes, Mrs. F told me to "always consider the student's side". She initially talked about the university requirements for the map, but she immediately told me to "never throw a bunch of random classes to the map". In short, she suggested me to put myself in the student's position and think critically on the pairing of the classes, workload, as well as the general life of the student. For example, Mrs. F pointed out that I should never mix a math class with another numerical class. Not only will different mathematical processes confuse students, but the workload might be overwhelming. She also mentioned other things such as the importance of family, as well as work schedules.
After working nearly a year at the university, I clearly see how Mrs.F depends on transformational leadership. As Northouse defined, transformational leadership is the way of changing people and it focuses on emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals (2015). Mrs. F demonstrated many of these traits by showing care for her students and satisfying their needs. This not only made the students satisfied, but it also encourages them to come back for future needs. During the training, I also saw many students come in to the office only to chat with Mrs. F. Not only does this enhance relationships with students, but it also provides a positive, successful image to the campus. Just seeing this outcome in-person seems rewarding, and as an individual who seek great success, I knew that doing more than getting the work done can make a completely different and more efficient outcome.
References:
Northouse, P. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice 7th ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publishing.
Another thing that inspired me was how she made her degree maps. Though a degree map is a simple list of suggested classes, Mrs. F told me to "always consider the student's side". She initially talked about the university requirements for the map, but she immediately told me to "never throw a bunch of random classes to the map". In short, she suggested me to put myself in the student's position and think critically on the pairing of the classes, workload, as well as the general life of the student. For example, Mrs. F pointed out that I should never mix a math class with another numerical class. Not only will different mathematical processes confuse students, but the workload might be overwhelming. She also mentioned other things such as the importance of family, as well as work schedules.
After working nearly a year at the university, I clearly see how Mrs.F depends on transformational leadership. As Northouse defined, transformational leadership is the way of changing people and it focuses on emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals (2015). Mrs. F demonstrated many of these traits by showing care for her students and satisfying their needs. This not only made the students satisfied, but it also encourages them to come back for future needs. During the training, I also saw many students come in to the office only to chat with Mrs. F. Not only does this enhance relationships with students, but it also provides a positive, successful image to the campus. Just seeing this outcome in-person seems rewarding, and as an individual who seek great success, I knew that doing more than getting the work done can make a completely different and more efficient outcome.
References:
Northouse, P. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice 7th ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publishing.
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