An Evolution of LeadershipA Spoken Word Piece by: Andrea De Leon

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I used to think leadership was a line on a resume or a plaque on the wallMy parents and teachers and mentors kept sayingColleges want leadersIf youre not one, they wont want you at all

So I subscribed to the system and I racked up the hoursI was president, and co-chair, and the one with the powerThe resume grew longer and the pride spiked higherSociety was selling, and I was the buyer

OSU was a dream, but I saw all the flawsStudent leaders were royalty making the lawsPositional leadership flooded the campusElitist leaders were faces of the school on a canvas

It all felt like high schoolAll over againRun for an e-board position, they saidBut I didnt have time to become the eliteI worked two jobs and just couldnt compete

So I decided to study leadershipI would take a class, or possibly sixMaybe then I could claim all the leadership tricks

But instead I learned to put myself into a boxI was extroverted, and futuristic, a true goldI felt lockedFirst the MBTI, then LPI, then EIL and StrengthsI swam in alphabet soup and, again,My listed skills and talents extended in length

It didnt feel rightIt didnt make senseLeaders shouldnt be locked in by a fence

But then I took capstoneAnd changed my point of viewIt was real, and authentic And my ideas of leadership were new

Now I saw leaders as vulnerable beingsPeople who were humble, and risked being seenI aspired to be a leader of this kindAnd sought to develop the leadership thoughts in my mind

Graduate school was where this learning would occurIn Leadership in Higher EdA class Id love, I was sure

I read Heifetz and NorthouseAnd Dugan et. al.I learned theory and practiceAnd tore down my walls

I learned that leaders are efficacious and courageousSelfless and servingThey are learners and seekersListening and observingI learned about bravery, and friendship, and uncensored loveI saw everyday leadershipIn the peers Im proud of

And now I see leadership in a new lightIts not a title or roleBut a way to ignite

Ignite in ourselves and in others we knowA passion for justice and loveAnd planting seeds that will grow

It is naming identityAnd sharing our soulsIt is listening to storiesAnd eliminating roles

Leadership is having the hard conversationsAnd expressing our fearsIt is fighting togetherAnd embracing our tears

It is saying yes to what is rightAnd no to what is notIt is challenging humanity To question all weve been taught

Leadership is the practice of love And the pursuit of connectionIt is critical hopeAnd creating directionI love words. I have this thing about them that I cannot quite explain, but I know that when I write or when I speak; when I listen or when I think, I feel fulfilled. So, I knew that words would be involved in this project. It would have been easiest for me to write a traditional paper, or to even write this poem and just leave it at that, but this semester, Ive been courageous and I knew that speaking aloud would be just that. I wanted to detail my understanding of leadership as it has evolved over my lifetime, and not just in this course. I think that communicating how I understood leadership before I began this course adds weight to the true impact that this course had. It is clear that I used to see leadership as positional and elitist. Now, I see it as relational and progressive. It is learned and not born. It is hard and not easy. Leadership is practicing courage, and vulnerability. It is being authentic and feeling your feelings. The readings and the projects throughout the course of this semester have influenced my new thoughts. Grace Lee Boggss work was probably the most influential. The fact that I simultaneously read texts for Critical Social Theory provided an added lens through which I began to see leadership. I now see it as love for humanity and creating direction so that we can get to a place in which that love truly exists. Aside from the readings and projects, though, I learned most about leadership from my peers. The community that we developed in our class was real. There were no walls up, no blinders on. Each week, every single one of us showed up, ready and willing to be seen. We told our stories and we heard them too. We grew together and learned together, and thats what leaders do.So, as I walk away from this class, I know that I need to do. I need to continue to allow myself to be seen, and to hear others stories. I need to both name and embrace the realistic struggle, and I need to hold on to the critical hope that I have. I will continue to fight for the love that we all deserve. I will be the leader Ive been looking for.2014-12-10T13:45:37-0600com.apple.VoiceMemos (iPhone OS 7.1.2)