The Role
Throughout my adolescence
and into adulthood, I have had many opportunities to develop and practice
leadership skills. One particular opportunity that resonates with me is my role
as a member of the Student Life Committee at Brock University, and the lead
planner of Brock’s VolunteerFEST. It was the summer after my fourth year at
Brock and I was hired onto a team of five student leaders who were responsible
for the planning of multiple events intended to enrich the student experience
on and off campus. This included everything from Orientation Week Activities,
Grape and Wine Festival participation, to hashing out the details of a new
course that was being offered. My major project of the summer was taking the
lead on VolunteerFEST. VolunteerFEST is an on-campus event where over 50
community organizations and businesses connect with students who are interested
in volunteering. It was my job to organize this event from start to finish,
with the help of many others under my leadership.
The Group
Months prior to the
event, I worked mostly independently to determine the key details of the event,
and communicated with numerous organizations interested in participating. I
planned the marketing, entertainment and scheduling for the day. But an event
like this cannot be executed alone, and so once September arrived, a much
larger team of about 15 students were hired to help with my event and others
like it throughout the year.
The Leader
The main thing that made
me the leader in this role was the fact that I was ultimately responsible for
the event. I was the #1 contact if anyone had a question, and I could make the
final decisions regarding the details of the day. If something went wrong, it
was my responsibility to fix it. The other thing that made me the leader was
that I was in charge of leading others. I was responsible for leading the
student staff to ensure everyone was aware of their role and did their job
properly. It was my job to assign tasks and communicate clearly and effectively
so that everyone worked together towards achieving the ultimate goal.
How it Felt
All leadership roles have
their ups and downs. I experienced many emotions over the months leading up to
and after the event. At first I was surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of
trust my managers placed in me, and the amount of responsibility that was put
into my hands. What if no students showed
up? What if my staff don’t follow my instructions? What if I forgot something
crucial to the success of the event? But after embracing my role, I felt
empowered by the opportunity I had to influence others. Working with the
student staff members was a bit awkward at first, because they were my peers
and many I had friendships with outside of our jobs. However, my approach was
to motivate others through my own positive actions and belief in the goal. If
the team was excited about the event, they would be more willing to do a good
job and to take ownership of their own tasks. The day of VolunteerFEST, I felt
a mixture of anticipation, anxiety and finally relief when it was over. But
mostly, I felt proud of the job that I did and the way that I managed my team.
Leading and Following
While I adopted the role
as leader of VolunteerFEST, I at the same time followed others. For example,
when I had questions about how the event ran in previous years, I would turn to
the leadership of my managers and previous student leaders in my position. Or,
when I needed answers related to the logistics of on-campus events like
parking, food services, and marketing, I would seek guidance from leaders in
each sector. I would listen to their feedback and follow their advice. Another
instance when I took on a role of following was when I was helping my
colleagues carry out tasks for their assigned events, such as the campus Food
Drive or Grape Stomp Event. Rather than being the lead, I was working with the
student staff that had helped me previously. I would complete tasks the lead
assigned, like setting up tables or organizing check-ins, and ask questions to
ensure the leader was happy with the results. This duality of leader and
follower within our team created a great sense of teamwork and mutual respect
for one another, as we all wanted our events to run smoothly, and knew we had
to rely on one another to make that happen. Overall, I feel that I learned a
lot about leadership in this unique role and can draw on my experiences still
today in my teaching profession.
