I love this quote by Jamie Tworkowski, and if I could have a senior quote, this would be it because it embodies my belief about the co-creation of the human experience. The best leaders help add a framework in order to achieve something; however, they are not dictators or micro-managers. Rather, they acknowledge that everyone brings something to the table and are valuable to the team. After learning about different theories, I most identify with the idea of Servant Leadership Theory because I'm a big believer in being a facilitator to helping others unleash their own potential to do great things. 

​

Growing up, I was taught using the banking model in schools. I saw a leader in terms of Great Man theory where they are a born, not made. As a painfully shy kid, I never saw myself as a leader, yet as I continued to mature I kept being told I was a "natural leader" which while nice, only continued to affirm my belief that leaders have some innate quality in them since I never wanted to be a leader but was told I was one. I also saw leaders as a controller, or the ones with all the answers. However, it eventually evolved to seeing leaders as aspirational and it's only through college that I've begun to see leadership as a more collaborative process and seeing myself as a part of that process. 

​

Now, I see leadership in a much more adaptive and flexible way. I want to embody Complexity Leadership Theory where leadership doesn't lie in a singular person, but rather is distributed in an interactive dynamic. I want to be a leader that focuses on the complex relationships and participates in shared leadership. I don't want to be merely a delegator or enforcer; I want to be a facilitator of change. I want to cultivate brave spaces for people to use their voices to be an agent of change. And above all else, I want to be a living, breathing screaming invitation to believe in better things.