MY PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
- Adrien Hymiller
- Nov 21, 2021
- 6 min read
The key to being a strong leader is about being yourself. You ask yourself questions like, ‘What do I believe in?’, ‘Who have I become?’, and ‘Who am I?’ You ask these questions, which are faced daily through work experiences, coordinator of events, a young intern, or the first male cheerleader in a very conservative village. I still must ask myself these questions, but which allows me to focus on the group of followers for which I am the leader.
It is uncommon to hear of a mom-and-pop Italian restaurant to have a manager, especially if the owners are near their passing age. It is even more uncommon for an 18-year-old male to be in this position, as one of the youngest and least experienced workers in the restaurant. I was chosen to be in this leadership position because I was able to work as often as I could, and I would always be up for a challenge. I had a coworker and friend take two questionnaires that were provided by Northouse. Brittney Hirst, who has worked with me for the past three years and is a current college student at Ohio Dominican University, took the 'Servant Leadership Questionnaire' (Northouse, 2021). Her results of my leadership skills show that I focus on emotional healing, creating value for the community, and behaving ethically. This stood out to me because I have grown up to always be there for my friends, family, and community, so seeing that other people think of that allows me to continue pursuing those beliefs. As a leader, it is very important to be transparent about any issue, as if you lie to your followers, they will start questioning your skills.
As a local festival coordinator, I would attend monthly meetings, contact various companies, keep track of finances, and run the long weekend festival. The West Jefferson Ox Roast is all about roast beef sandwiches. I was voted into the role as the coordinator as an eighth grader, the youngest the West Jefferson Community Association has ever voted. The first two years, I had every trustee watch what I was doing, and the job was not as demanding as it is now. As soon as I became old enough to understand finances better, I became a trustee for the community association. Now, I can vote on various issues that affect my hometown community. This position has led me to be above others in the search for jobs and internships because I have been in a high leadership position for such a long time.
One of my biggest accomplishments was being an intern at Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. This fiscal management internship was through the state government and sponsored by The Ohio State University. If you were to have a full-time position through any state government organization, you must show traits and values that will help others. When taking the ‘Leadership Trait Questionnaire’ (Northouse, 2021), I had extremely high scores in most categories. To receive this position, you must be trustworthy, outgoing, determined, and diligent. These were my highest categories when I took the assessment earlier in the semester. When I accepted the position, I realized that I was the youngest intern through Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. I started a new partnership through the organization and The Ohio State University. Having this amazing opportunity as a high schooler has provided me the skills to be a leader in a bigger organization, even if you are younger. It has also taught me valuable life and technical skills.
Being the first male cheerleader in a very conservative village was an issue at the beginning. I was on the sidelines for all varsity football and basketball games. I also stood in front of over ten thousand people at multiple state championships at St. John Arena in Columbus. I wanted to be the person to create change in my community and since I have been a volunteer and the coordinator of the festival, the average age of 45 years, the majority of the forty-five hundred people, did not agree with my beliefs. This was a setback, as I wanted to build a stronger and open community. I continued the same steps of performing on the sidelines and mats throughout the fall of 2019. I had to get knee surgery in the middle of football season, and that is when the community realized how much of a gem I was to the culture of my community. I received many notes for a speedy recovery and had multiple adults come up to me during the next game saying that I was an important asset to the team. This allowed me to analyze and reflect on who I was because when I thought the people who I was cheering with disliked me, they turned out to enjoy my presence. Senior year came and by the time I cheered my last football game, I had multiple boys and girls come up to me giving me a hug, crying, and telling me that they want to be like me and create change. That was when I knew I made an impact on my community and that my leadership skills and beliefs were finally used.
Through all my previous experiences, I thought that I would be considered very inclusive and the ‘Inclusive Leadership Questionnaire’ (Northouse, 2021), told me that I am a leader who allows everyone to be a part of the conversation. I have taken all the assessments, but none of them individually stood out to me. As I gather and analyzed the results of these results, it just shows me that I am very open about anything. It told me that I am a leader who is open about anything. I am willing to adapt to different situations, and I can lead in various styles. From my personal experience, I have seen that people enjoy someone leading them who is willing to be different and not someone strict about everything.
This semester has been a struggle, as it is my first time back into the classroom full time since March 2019. However, throughout this course, I have been able to reevaluate myself as a person, which has allowed me to remember what I believe in. I have learned that there is not a capped capacity in how I can demonstrate leadership. That is, I can lead in any situation, whether you are an outspoken leader like Martin Luther King Jr. or if I am quiet in the back of the crowd leader, who will rise to the challenge when I consider all my options. I can be a leader who is also a follower because I have learned that you can allow your followers to stand up and rise to the challenge and watch them prosper, allowing me to reminisce about my previous experiences in high school.
The future is now, and with each second of the day, we change. It might be a tiny change in our body or a huge change in our personality or behavior. Although I have been a leader in many circumstances, I am going to develop my beliefs more throughout life. This allows me to develop my leadership skills by being more knowledgeable about certain topics, like climate change. This allows me to work with others who believe in the same social issues, and with each person’s knowledge, beliefs, and skills, we can tackle the issue as best as we can. Another step of action that I will take beyond this semester is transforming others while transforming myself. I need to continue developing my understanding of why others do what they do, but it is equally important that there is a benefit on both sides of the spectrum. Without these mutual benefits, the leadership process may be biased, which may start to lead to becoming a transactional leader.
Throughout this semester I have been able to learn more about the leadership process and analyze historical leaders and myself. This allows me to focus on what I believe in but allows me to start leading those around me who may not want to stand up for what they believe in. Asking yourself ‘What do I believe in?’, ‘Who have I become?’, and ‘Who am I?’ allows you to take a deep breathe to understand everything that you have done throughout your life. I believe in my capabilities to lead. I have become the best person I can be at this point, but there is always room to improve. I am AJ Hymiller, who can be a powerful leader or follower.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Chapter 12: Inclusive Leadership Case Studies and Self-Assessment. SAGE
Vantage. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://vantage.sagepub.com/student/HOWARD9585/ch12inclusiveleadership-case-studies-and-self-assessment.
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Chapter 2: Trait Approach Case Studies and Self-Assessment. SAGE
Vantage. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://vantage.sagepub.com/student/HOWARD-9585/ch-2-trait-approach-case-studies-and-self-assessment.
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Chapter 3: Skills Approach Case Studies and Self-Assessment. SAGE
Vantage. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://vantage.sagepub.com/student/HOWARD-9585/ch-3-skills-approach-case-studies-and-self-assessment.
Updated: Nov. 21, 2021, 4:09p.m. | Published: Nov. 21, 2021, 4:09p.m.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY - CLEVELAND, Ohio
By: AJ Hymiller
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