Dolapo Oshin

Throughout this first unit pertaining to leadership that was offered in this introduction

to honors course, my conceptualization of leadership has changed rather drastically. Initially,

the age old portrayal of what a leader resembles had always been an individual who took

initiative, had charisma, and remained vocal. With that being said, I had always taken that

stance on leadership and never hesitated to follow and mimic it. However, as the unit on

leadership progressed, the personality test conducted confirmed some of my values, the

introvert quiz pushed me to reflect on my character and demeanor amongst various

environments, and most importantly, the leadership section has allowed me to assess a

different method of listening in order to gain a better perspective in decision making. The

results of the strengths finder assessment were relative accurate to my personality and values. I

say this because I myself notice that I have an innate tendency to speak my mind very openly

and unintentionally dominate conversations. Sometimes, it appeared very aggressive and I

previously tended not to care if socially, many people liked my vision or not. My main point was

voice my opinion. Furthermore, the fact that the strengths finder recognized my number one

strength as futuristic was very insightful because I am generally focused on my career and

schooling. My future goals in finishing law school and the necessary measures that are needed

to accomplish that particular goal of mine are being acted on regularly. Based upon the quiz

that I took, I do think that I am mostly an extrovert. I say this because in situations where it

comes down to deciding or debating, I am very vocal with respect to the given subject,

especially if I am knowledgeable on it. With my peers on the African Student Association board,

many of them have described me as rather assertive. However, my demeanor does indeed
change in some situation. Generally, when I am around older or more accomplished individuals,

I become an introvert. This is because I generally value what insight they happen to provide

which in turn forces me to listen to them instead of voicing my own opinions or experiences.

For example, while interning in Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services this past summer, I

organized an event in which different Somali community leaders and attorneys met up to

facilitate a discussion on how to improve the Somali youths integration in Mankato. During this

meeting, I was definitely an introvert because I was in an environment where highly influential

and educated individuals were discussing on making serious changes. The idea of speaking out

or voicing my opinion was beyond nerve racking to me. I learned that not only can introverts be

good leaders, they are more selective in their decisions. Previously, I was under the impression

that introverts were individuals who paid no attention to the general public. However as

statistics have suggested, introverts are more analytical in their thought process and decision

making. Susan Cain stated that introverts have an inclination to listen to others and lack of

interest in dominating social situations (Cain 57). This trait ultimately allows introverts to listen

to different viewpoints in order to make the best decision. The concept of an effective team

having these domains is relatively new to me. Prior to this course, I had retained a notion that

there is usually a leader in a team setting that orchestrates the agenda and with the help of

the other members, his/her vision comes to life. I now understand that it requires different

personalities to build a team and maximize efficiency. As stated in the book Strengths and

Leadership, it serves a team well to have a representation of strengths (Rath, Conchie 23).

Being on the African Student Association board this school year, I have learned that some of the

ideas that others suggest, I could have never thought of them and vice versa. Furthermore, I
have learned one of the most important aspects in a group setting is valuing and trusting one

another. If all team members feel valued and respected in their particular tasks, then they are

more likely to achieve their tasks in an efficient manner. The scenario highlighted within

Hamptons leadership group was very eye-opening with respect to how to build relationship

instead of pure competiveness. Allowing space for vulnerability in a group setting results in

openness and honesty. This concept is something I have learned too within the last year. When

deadlines are missed or event are slightly delayed because of technological malfunctions or

roadblocks, I have learned while interning at a legal aid last summer that it is best to admit and

address your individual fault instead of shifting the blame. It shows to your team members that

you are accountable and honest. And most importantly, it shows that you are a human who

makes mistakes. Throughout this section on leadership, I learned some very important content

that will assist me in a group setting. Some of the notions that I previously disregarded were

addressed in helping me recognize alternative methods of decision making. Furthermore, I

most importantly have learned to listen more in order to get a more thorough understanding of

a situation.