Student Leadership Conferences

In today's competitive job market, a college degree will get your foot in the door but actually entering the room may well require something more. Employers are often looking for people that not only have knowledge but also know how to use that knowledge to effectively accomplish something. Productivity involves a wide variety of skills, from leadership to multicultural competency to the ability to stay focused.

In addition to skills development in the classroom, another fantastic way to build your repertoire is through student development activities. These may include international study abroad, service learning projects, internships, student organizations and student leadership conferences.

A group of TRIO SSS participants recently attended the student leadership track of the annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) National Conference. Over the course of three days, these students listened to nationally-renowned speakers on the topics of leadership, networking and career development. They also made connections with peers and prospective employers from around the country.

One TRIO SSS participant noted, "Around every corner was a new eye-opening experience for me, from meeting people from all around the United States and Puerto Rico to opening a whole new chapter in my life as a leader to my community."

National conferences often offer scholarships for students to attend. There are also many local student leadership conferences, including a number of one-day events specifically for students of the Auraria Campus.

TRIO SSS students networking with the Lt. Governor of Colorado at the HACU Conference.

Do they know you?

The saying goes, "It is not what you know, but who you know." (In my experience, this saying is a little too sly, for both who you know and what you know matters.) You must ask yourself the question: do they know you?

As a college student, "they" includes fellow students, instructors, support staff, facilities staff, administrators (such as Directors, Deans, and the President), prospective employers, civic leaders...the list goes on and on.

I will be the first to admit that I have long despised the high praise assigned to the concept of networking. As a person that tends toward introversion, I am perfectly content not knowing tons and tons of people; it is exhausting and - to be honest - not always that interesting. As a rationalist, it is frustrating to think that  "It is not what you know, but who you know." How are you supposed to be effective if you don't know what you are doing?

Nevertheless, I have undergone a change of heart - of sorts - through some of my personal and career experiences of late (read more on my post Helmets). Like it or not, it does matter who you know and networking is important.

If it helps, think of it as friendraising. We all like having friends. Friends share with us. They provide honest feedback. They introduce us to other friends.They make even the most unexciting of activities enjoyable. Friends go out of their way to help us.

For example, does each of your instructors know your name? Do they know your career goals? Do they know a little bit about your day to day life? Because if they do, they can guide your learning better and point you in the direction of good opportunities. And if "life happens," you will have someone in your corner that wants to see you succeed in class nevertheless.

So go introduce yourself to your instructors after class during the first week of school. Stop by during office hours to ask questions about an assignment. Ask them advice for how to be successful in the course. Ask them why they choose the career of teaching. Say "Hi Mr. So and So" when you see them in the hallway. Shoot the breeze.

If you are like me and not necessarily a born chit-chatterer and tend to run out of things to talk about fairly quickly, remember this: people universally appreciate the chance to tell someone about their passions and interests and experiences. Most people also like to give advice and share their perspectives.

What do you think about that?

Working with Others

Whether collaborating on a group project, working with an instructor, or participating in an internship, the importance of being attentive to relationships and emotions cannot be understated. As long as we are interacting with humans, and not robots, this will remain imperative to the work we do.

It is plain to say that some people we more naturally relate with and understand, and others less so. This comes about through varying personalities, shared and divergent experiences, similar and different emotional profiles, and so on. For example, as an advisor, I often times work with a student older and more experienced than myself, or a student with eight times the street cred, or a student with a chip on their shoulder, or a student coming from a very different place. Yet it is contingent upon me to establish trusting relationships and a genuine emotional connection with each individual, regardless of the ease or difficulty of doing so.

Growing up, I remember my dad reading the newspaper every night. However, he only had one book in his library: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. From a young age, I was captivated by this book: I loved all the books in my own burgeoning library, and thus was very curious about the singular tome in my father's; even more so, the title of the book always struck me as odd. Out of serendipity, I recently cross paths with this book again, 20 years later. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to give it a go.

A classic text first penned in the 1930's, How to Win Friends and Influence People had sold 15 million copies by 1981, while being translated into nearly every written language in the world. So the jacket informed me, as I turned the book over in my hands. Still, I could not see the title as anything other than a euphemism for How to Manipulate People and Get Your Way. Just as before, it seemed a strange topic.

To my surprise, though, there are many interesting and good strategies outlined in the book (sprinkled between plenty of cultural anachronisms - interesting in themselves). Certainly, one could use these strategies to manipulate people and get your way. But just the same, one could use these strategies to show genuine interest in others and expand your circle of concern. The underlying objective depends on the current status of your ego. The Jedi Force is used for both good and evil.

The grand strategy outlined by Carnegie - translated into contemporary language - is to value people and honor their contributions. When we escape our own narrow concerns, and go out of our way to truly listen to what others say and feel, then we can establish a strong foundation for partnering toward shared outcomes.

For example, when working with a colleague, I always start by asking questions, listening, and learning as much as I can about the other person's contributions. I make it a point to affirm the strengths that I hear in their ideas. I tune in to the their emotions, and attempt to put myself in their shoes. I am mindful of checking my own judgments, and open myself to the vibrancy and perspective of the person sitting across from me.

Consequently, the foundation of our working relationship is built on trust and understanding. In a strategic sense, this certainly makes our collaboration all the more effective.

In my view, though, it is more than just influencing another person.  By being true to the process, and allowing for it to reciprocate, then you too are being influenced by another person. And through such a process, we too grow - in our role as collaborators, in our role as people. When we open to this process, then we truly are genuine.

Growth Mindset Leadership

In his classic book on leadership, Dale Carnegie wrote, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

When working with other people, we must expect that there will be bumps along the road. There may well be unmet tasks, miscommunication, conflicts of personalities, unreasonable deadlines, differing standards, bad days, and so on. Unfortunately, the first impulse of human nature is to defend ourselves and cast the blame elsewhere. We often are quick to criticize the shortcomings of another member of the team.

Rightly or wrongly, have you ever been criticized by a supervisor or teammate? What was your response?

Nine times out of ten, our emotional response to criticism is anger, resentment, anxiety, or a combination of negative emotions. We may change our behavior out of deference, but not without harboring negativity. In the end, egotistical criticism and the “my way or the highway” leadership style destroys staff motivation and leads to the decline of team performance.

“There is nothing else that kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms...I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person an incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise,” asserted Charles Schwab (one of the first people in the United States to be paid a million dollar salary).

Criticism is reactive. Something does not go as hoped, so we point out all the things other people on the team should have done better. How often do we start by looking in the mirror?

It is much more effective to be a proactive leader, creating a culture of excellence that affirms the positive efforts of staff, and provides plenty of opportunities for members of the team to learn and grow as professionals.

Sometimes leaders need to have honest conversations with other members of the team. Team performance sometimes falters, and all of us make mistakes. But rather than taking an aggressive “point the figure” approach, an effective leader asks: What did we do well and what can we do better? What sorts of obstacles do we need to overcome – together – to do even better next time? Most importantly, an effective leader listens closely to what other team members have to say.

If criticism is to be in any way constructive, the impetus for change must come from within. By creating an affirmative culture of continual self-reflection and growth, mistakes and failures become learning experiences, not experiences associated with fear and negativity.

Emotional Intelligence, Part Two

In Part One, we examined self-awareness strategies to recognize and harness your individual emotional response. At a social level, building empathy for the emotions of others enables you to understand the point of view of another person and effectively collaborate, minimizing misinterpretations and useless conflict.

For example, imagine that you are working on a group project for your history class. You and another classmate are doing most of the work, while the third person is reluctant to participate, and the fourth person misses nearly every meeting.

What would you feel? How would you respond?

You may feel frustrated in your efforts to get the whole group involved and simply decide to do all the work for the non-participating students. While this may be, in the short term, an easier and more effective way to just get the project done, you're sense of self-righteousness may be leading to an emotional blindness on your part.

Alternatively, you may take a moment, pause, and assess the situation. As it turns out, the quiet student wants to participate, but is rather intimidated by your extroverted leadership style. The fourth student is frustrated because he has to work during the scheduled meetings, though he would wants to participate. By recognizing the emotions of others, you are able to respond more effectively.

To build empathy for the emotions of others, ask yourself:

#1 - What circumstances are shaping the emotional response of the other person? Your classmate may be short with you because they are a jerk, or because they are having a really bad day. Don't jump to conclusions based on how the world looks to you. Rather than snapping back, take a moment to pause and restart the conversation in a different vein. And even if the other person is being a jerk for no appropriate reason, simply returning the favor is not likely to help you reach your intended outcome. Sometimes you just need to be the bigger person.

#2 - How is your behavior impacting their emotions, and vice versa? Despite your good intentions, you may be doing things that frustrates, angers, or saddens the other person. Alternatively, your behavior may also be adding to the happiness, serenity, or excitement of the other person. Emotional intelligence requires that you take a moment, pause, and assess how you are affecting the other person, and vice versa. You may be able to make this assessment through observation, but dialogue is most effective.

For more on emotional intelligence, check out the interesting articles on TalentSmart.

Becoming a Leader

In a comprehensive review of leadership, Ralph Stodgill concluded that there are "almost as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept." Leadership, it seems, means different things to different people.

For our purposes, let's define the concept as such: Leadership is proactively applying your unique strengths and experience toward a shared outcome in such a way that inspires others to do the same.

By this definition, anyone can be a leader but it must be earned; leadership must not be confused with position, power, or title. Leadership can be shared. Each individual should lead in his or her unique way.

Would you like to be a leader in your course, your student club, your place of employment, your home, your place of worship, your...? Consider these principles of leadership.

1. Live Authentically (lead by example)

2. Value Every Person (empathy, diversity, empowerment)

3. Inspire a Vision (where are we going? more importantly, why?)

4. Take bold thought-full action (learn, strategize, act, reflect, learn, strategize, act, reflect...)

5. Be(come) who you are! (let your light shine)