Positive Disruption: Musings on a Changing Political Climate

Amanda Jensen

In our current society, leadership seems to be viewed as a static concept and has for quite

some time. Fortunately, creative thinkers are now breaking down that idea and influencing how

we look at leadership. Change is a powerful agent in guiding others and disrupting the status quo

can startle people into moments of clarity, leading to new ideas and solutions. Lisa Nichols, one

of today’s most popular motivational speakers, reminds people that changing the way you think

has the power to change your life. One growing leadership trend I’ve noticed recently is

abundance mentality, which I try to apply towards all areas of my life. This is simply the concept

that there is always more of everything, and plenty to go around for everyone. Adopting this

mentality has positive results for me, especially in my interpersonal relationships. Believing that

everyone can be successful without a negative consequence for myself allows the people in my

life to be more vulnerable and trusting with me. This is crucial for me as I volunteer at a local

homeless shelter and as a mentor for women entering recovery from substance use, eating

disorders, and abuse. I am a mature student, and before returning to college I worked in retail

management. There I found the chain-of-command style of leadership typical of middle

management to be ineffective and uninspiring. I believe that detaching from the norm in a

leadership capacity has a positive impact as it is usually more genuine, which inspires people to

be more authentic themselves. This leads to more interest and engagement when working toward

a common goal. When people are engaged in what they’re doing they’re not simply following

the status quo, they are invested, and they promote a culture of growth and empowerment. I have

chosen to focus much of my studies on the role of education in socioeconomic growth, and am

drawn to bell hook’s writing on engaged pedagogy, which is a practice of teaching where
teachers and students are seen as equally valuable to the education process. This concept stresses

the idea that those in a leadership role should not put themselves in a position of total authority

and should encourage those working under them to contribute. I think this style of leadership is

applicable in any situation and leads to more progressive solutions and ideas. Looking through

the lens of socioeconomics, engaged pedagogy offers great promise in helping improve

intergenerational mobility – a family’s movement to a position of higher status through

generations. I plan to earn a bachelor’s degree with a major in English and have an interest in

potentially moving into teaching in my future, so it’s important to me to learn as much as

possible about different styles of guidance and leadership. Positive disruption is an effective

motivational technique, and more leaders should and will move away from convention in the

future.