Veronica Wilkerson-johnson: this journey has taught me perspective. A transformational leader's emotional resonance will ultimately impact others, she says. Without this social capital a leader will have a hard time gathering and guiding his / her organization.
Veronica Wilkerson-johnson: this journey has taught me perspective. A transformational leader's emotional resonance will ultimately impact others, she says. Without this social capital a leader will have a hard time gathering and guiding his / her organization.
Veronica Wilkerson-johnson: this journey has taught me perspective. A transformational leader's emotional resonance will ultimately impact others, she says. Without this social capital a leader will have a hard time gathering and guiding his / her organization.
Veronica Wilkerson-Johnson Posted Date: March 3, 2015 3:24 AM Status: Published
What has your journey through this course as a culmination of the
DCCL program taught you?
This journey has taught me perspective. As we have learned
the many aspects of leadership - leadership styles, educational leadership broadly and community college leadership in particular, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the intrinsic merits of higher education. I have enjoyed the discoveries, learning, for instance, that leadership is evolving. While this course focused specifically on transformational leadership, we were also taught the more mundane factors of transactional leadership early in this process. For me this has been a learning curve, and I equate it to navigating from leadership theory to leadership
practice. I also have come to know intrinsically that a
transformational leader's emotional resonance will ultimately impact others. As we learned from the leaders we have studied in this course and in previous courses, people will observe and follow our lead when we are excited about it. A charismatic quality ignites interest in our faculty and staff, and it will carry them through the good times as well as the challenging times. Without this social capital a leader will have a hard time gathering and guiding his/her organization. As we progressed in our courses we began to talk more about leaders genuineness, authenticity, credibility, and trustworthiness. Drs. Shugart, Bumphus, and other leaders we reflected upon spoke about these qualities - the need to be ourselves, and the need to treat others with connectedness, patience and respect. As was one of the goals, this path to earning my doctoral degree has helped to shape and sharpen my reasoning. I can drill more deeply into any process as I expand my mind to better embrace and aid the environments in which I currently serve. I see opportunities that will assist my colleagues and institutions in ways that I might not have before, and this will certainly be an immediate benefit to them, and as I prepare for my next steps. Also, the group projects, the capstone and the discussions have aided my ability to conceptualize and navigate change across disciplines, and this is already aiding my institution's work on transformational projects. This ability to think flexibly and "outside the box" is going to be needed in our ever changing world. From the heads of state, to the heads of our institutions, we will see change. As we have learned in this course, change is imminent, and we are best prepared when we embrace it and plan to manage it. Dr. Bumphus managed the rebuilding of a college torn asunder by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In the face of such cataclysmic
circumstances as that, I take heart in believing that we too
are fortified with substance far beyond what we think. As well prepared leaders we will be able to call on this strength and presence of mind when we need it. How have you developed as a person, scholar, and community college leader in this course/program? It has been my goal to become a leader who influences and inspires by being a part of the team. I want to create an innovative model focusing on supporting the community in efforts to promote increased scholarship, opportunity, and educational involvement for people of all walks of life. My dissertation topic, creating a primer for parents of underrepresented students, first generation students and women seeking STEM professions, also heralds my interest to reach out broadly to aid these parents, and ultimately to aid their students for success. In this program we have been students, scholars, practitioners, mentees, and sometimes mentors. This is excellent training for us as we now seek to expand as leaders, influencing and inspiring others and forging opportunities for for many. Reflect on your Professional Leadership Philosophy (IDSL 825). Does a consideration of organizational change and culture change your philosophy in any way? My Leadership Philosophy in IDSL 825 stated that I wanted to embody many excellent qualities in the realm of leadership. While I still espouse the goal of being an inspiring, innovative and caring leader, what I have added to that ambition is a greater sense of tenacity, more coolness under pressure, and a knowledge that none of us have to do this alone. We have an amazing Cohort of fellow leaders who will also be traversing this path, and into the future we will
encounter many whom we will call friends and colleagues in
our professions and in our lives. As Professor Roberta Teahen told us at the beginning of this doctoral journey, this is a business where people become known very quickly, and when we extend our best, we are sought for opportunities. We have a network of fellow leaders, a professional family, with whom we can consult. Wherever our paths lead us, I am excited to have colleagues with whom I have walked this preparatory path. I value the opportunity to make a difference. Much is changing in the world of community colleges as it is in our society, and these changes bring tremendous opportunities for institutions of higher learning, but they also bring challenges that community colleges have not had to face in the past. I believe that good leaders must be circumspect and aware of these new realities, and that they must think deeply about what best guides them. As educators we have a long way to go in leading the charge into a new paradigm of empowered, no-holds-barred teaching. The principal upon which community colleges was founded, "education for the masses", must truly be one that we espouse, and not just for finance driven accountability based on student success reporting mandates, but because we really will be teaching scholars of tomorrow!
Shugart, Sandy, PhD. Leadership in the Crucible of Work.