Leadership

Leadership in Practice

SCOWCROFT INSTITUTE STUDENT EMPLOYEE

August 2016-Present

As an employee of the Scowcroft Institute my second year at the Bush School, I served in what ever capacity was asked of me. I was an asset in the organization and operation of Scowcroft events, and was able to assist in editing and reviewing scholarly articles and policy recommendations for publication. I also took the lead in the editing, formatting, and compiling of chapters for a book that is to be published. This experience has taught me the value of taking the initiative at the office, and that the more you accomplish the more responsibility you are given.

AGROPUR INC.
2011-2015

Factory Lead Operator: 2014-2015

I aided the supervisor in the operation and oversight of the entire factory on a daily basis. Assisted the training of new hires, supported the shift supervisor where needed, and ensured all paperwork and data was recorded and completed as necessary according to company, OSHA, and USDA regulations. This included ensuring all master sanitation tasks were accomplished, rectified any inventory or paperwork discrepancies, and certified all current manufacturing procedures, safety protocol, and company policies were actively followed by employees. Finally, I managed the entire factory in the absence of the shift supervisor for 3 months.

DORDT COLLEGE

Football Team (2007-2010) Political Club President (2010-2011)

As a member of the Dordt College Varsity Football team I served as the Special Teams captain and facilitated out of season workout and training sessions and actively participated in the team Big Brother Program that reached out to and mentored boys from the area.

As Founder and President of the Dordt Political Action Committee I assisted in the scheduling and organization of presidential candidates to present their campaign as part of a lecture series through campus promotion, community round table organization, and local media support. I also prepared and promoted discussions on campus to increase student involvement in politics and awareness to key issues

Leadership is a complex concept. It is studied, taught, and experimented with. People argue over where it is best obtained, but all agree it is obvious when a person has it. I have had the privilege to work with a variety of leaders, some introverts and others extroverts, some innovative while others were very structured on pre-approved SOPs. The attributes and skills a person has may point to the type of leader they will become, but as political scientist and theorist Joseph Nye says, leadership is a learned ability.

Skills that I have used in my own leadership experiences include interpersonal and written communication, time and project management, and organization. At the beginning of 2015, I was the acting supervisor of a night shift crew consisting of roughly 15 people. In this capacity, I was placed in positions where I had to react quickly to problems that arose and direct personnel through proper response procedures. It took time and effort to get to know the crew to make sure that each individual was placed in a position where their strengths could be most realized and their weaknesses did not worsen the situation. It also took time management and organization to make sure the assembly line ran as it was supposed to, and the cleaning and sanitation system met the proper USDA regulations. In my experience, the acceptance of my leadership came after the establishment of trust, which came after a demonstration of dedication to the crew. I learned that employees react more positively to a leader who has done the worst job in the organization without complaining. I made a point never to ask an employee to complete a task that I would not be willing to do myself. I have discovered that there is no job that I am above.

Joseph Nye says that effective leaders usually need both managerial and organizational skills, they are not merely deciders, but they “help a group decide how to decide.” In the end, it isn’t the pure IQ of the individual that empowers those around them; an effective leader demonstrates emotional intelligence and practical knowledge. The effective leader is skilled in reading a room and understanding how best to move forward based on the environment in which they find themselves.