ALUMNI NEWSLETTERSPRING 2016

2 ILLINOIS LEADERSHIP CENTER TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

MODEL OF LEADERSHIPPersonal/self, interpersonal/team, organization, and community/society

LEADER IN RESIDENCETim McMahon talked with students and staff about leadership

NEW I-PROGRAMSIntroducing Inclusion and Innovation

WORKSHOP SERIESTaking leadership development to student organizations and the classroom

MEET THE TEAMGet to know some of the ILC’s student staff

FACULTY FELLOWSFurthering leadership research and education

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?Alumni Spotlight on author Ben Cober

BOOK FEATUREThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander

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4 ILLINOIS LEADERSHIP CENTER

FOR THE LAST YEAR, the Illinois Leadership Center has worked with campus colleagues to re-examine the Illinois Model of Leadership. The Illinois Philosophy of Leadership was revised, adding language that emphasizes the role of leaders in promoting inclusivity and respect.

Guided by David Rosch’s An Illinois Model of Leadership Education (2015), a set of 21 leadership competencies was developed, and organized around four discrete levels of practice: personal/self, interpersonal/team, organization, and community/society. For each of the 21 competencies, there are descriptions and examples drawn from both academic and co-curricular settings.

The ILC worked with marketing consultants Surface 51 to develop a visual model—including a 3D model—and an accompanying web site to launch the new philosophy, model, and competencies to the campus and broader community. Please go to http://leadership.illinois.edu/model/ to see our newly created model!

Our next step is to develop a plan to help the campus learn about the new model, and how they can use it in their work at Illinois. This will include development of an assessment for students to use to see how well they understand and practice each of the 21 competencies.We are excited about the Illinois Leadership Model and have received great feedback from our campus colleagues

and students. We have done several presentations at national conferences to discuss our work, and have also received great feedback from colleagues across the country.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions about the new Illinois Leadership Model. As always, if you are an alum and are visiting campus, please feel free to stop by our office, Room 290 of the Illini Union. You are always welcome at the ILC.

-Gayle Spencer, Ph.D.Director, Illinois Leadership Center

THE ILLINOIS MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

THE ILLINOIS MODEL OF LEADERSHIPby Gayle Spencer, Ph.D.

5LEADER IN RESIDENCE

THIS SEMESTER, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Timothy R. McMahon on campus. An alum of the University of Illinois, Tim has spent his professional life dedicated to leadership development, chaos and systems theory, and issues related to diversity. He was wonderful to have around because of his obvious passion for leadership education and how incredibly invested he is in getting to know students. In his week on campus, Tim spent time having lunch with students from a variety of groups on campus and presented his work to different audiences. I personally had the opportunity to work closely with Tim and he was one of the most jovial and caring people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. His lectures were always personable and open—he insisted that he sit at the table with students rather than standing at the head of the room and made sure to ask everyone’s name. I was profoundly impacted by his perspectives on chaos theory, when he told us that life is not about trying to find order, but rather giving in to the natural chaos and learning to navigate the most tumultuous of times. It was interesting to hear about a leadership model that promoted adaptability over attempting to have control. We so often accidentally equate control and order with leadership and Tim’s visit was a refreshing reminder that leadership is fluid and consistently evolving. A new initiative by the ILC, the inaugural Leader in Residence was a huge success!

-Sana Singh, Liberal Arts and Sciences

THE ILLINOIS MODEL OF LEADERSHIPby Gayle Spencer, Ph.D.

TIM McMAHON: LEADER IN RESIDENCEby Sana Singh, Graf Intern

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INTRODUCING: TWO NEW I-PROGRAMS

NEW I-PROGRAMS

INCLUSIONInclusion was a unique experience. I have a track record doing social justice work here on campus as a multicultural advocate (MA). As a MA, we were taught that being an ally to every group on campus is important. With this in mind, Inclusion was unique because it allowed everyone to get a sense for the world around them. It brought us to a common understanding that the world is diverse and everyone individual person brings their own diversity to any situation. There are differing ways in which people prefer to live life, different global priorities around leadership, and even different names with different stories attached to them. A unique blend of activities brought us all together to create a shared experience around the topic of inclusion. Inclusion was a great addition to my previous social justice work.

-Ismael Correa, Liberal Arts and Sciences

INNOVATIONAs I stood and watched the visibly tired but eager participants file into the ARC multipurpose room five, I imagined the confused thoughts as people tried to piece together what innovation and creativity has to do with leadership. Innovation in leadership particularly emerged from leadership theory in the last decade. The Illinois Leadership Center captures this essence in its newest i-Program, Innovation. I got the most value out of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory, a measure for problem solving, teamwork and creativity. After we took the inventory, we lined up according to our scores, turning the chaotic mess of participants into a spectrum of unique modes of processing. Looking at my peers, I knew that there was no other place I would rather spend my Saturday.

-Rob Klein, Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

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This year, the Illinois Leadership® Center (ILC) created new leadership development workshops to further aid in the mission of the ILC. The two newly created sessions focus on building and understanding different communication styles, and working towards creating more efficient teamwork skills. The workshops are conducted for classes, Registered Student Organizations (RSO’s), and in other group settings. They are facilitated by

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP SERIESby Lyana Delgado, Graf Intern

WORKSHOP SERIES

ILC trained facilitators and are between 60-90 minutes in length. The workshops are a great way to develop a group’s leadership abilities outside of i-Programs. The communication skills workshop focuses on learning your own communication style and how to utilize it to your advantage within a group setting. The teamwork skills workshop focuses on developing a more effective team by learning the errors of unsuccessful teams and working on strategies towards making them better. They are tailored to the organization and provide a great way for the participants to truly see what the ILC can do for them. They are interactive and engaging platforms to allow participants to learn about leadership in a group setting. This has been the first year in implementing these new workshops and we have reached over 800 students on campus. Since this has been a successful initiative the ILC will introduce three additional topic areas in the upcoming academic year.

-Lyana Delgado, Applied Health Sciences

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MEET THE TEAMThe Illinois Leadership Center employs students of all ages and backgrounds. Get to know some of our student team!

MEET THE TEAM

TAYLOR TIANGRADUATE ASSISTANT Taylor Tian Ph.D. student in Human Resource Development in the department of Education, Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL). She received a B.A. in Business English from Capital University of Economics and Business, in China in 2011 and an Ed. M in Human Resource Development from the University of Illinois in 2013. During her Master’s study at, she helped coordinate many cultural exchange programs and short-term visiting programs, and worked with different international groups of students, faculty and visitors, which gave her an opportunity to meet people with different backgrounds and learn more about diversity. Hard-working, detail-oriented, and a passion for work with students win her a good reputation among her supervisors and colleagues.

ALEX EVANSGRADUATE ASSISTANT M. Alex Evans is an Education Policy Studies Ph.D. student in the department of Education, Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL). After obtaining both his B.A. in Music and Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University, Alex looks forward to incorporating his previous studies of Ethnography, Education Civil Rights Law, and Critical Race Theory into his doctoral studies. As a proud native of the Old North State, Alex loves everything Carolina such as the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, NCCU Eagles, & the UNC Tar Heels, but is proud to be a part of the Illini Nation!

TIM CALLAHANLEADERSHIP PARAPROFESSIONALTim is a rising senior in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences majoring in Agricultural Education with a concentration in Leadership. Along with being a James Scholar, he is a member of the Division of General Studies Leaders Advisory Board, volunteers at the Intensive English Institute, and is the founder of Diabetes at Illinois. After graduation, Tim hopes to continue following his passions of leadership development and spreading awareness of diabetes. For fun, he enjoys basketball, playing video games with friends, and travels whenever possible.

SANA SINGHGRAF INTERNSana is recent graduate of Illinois, where she studies Global Studies and Sociology, with an interest in international development. She dedicates much of her time to social justice education as Co-Director of Alternative Seasonal Breaks and a facilitator for the campus FYCARE and I-Connect programs. Sana hopes to one day promote public policies that encourage both awareness and philanthropy. Her love for social justice is only rivaled by her love for reading and meeting new people. It was this love for interacting with new people that led her to apply for LeaderShape her freshman year, which has instilled a lifelong passion for leadership education.

HEMA KAMARAJGRADUATE MARKETING MANAGERHema is a recent graduate of the Master’s of Business Administrations Program (MBA) in the College of Business. Before her MBA, Hema worked for three years at Tata Consultancy Services (India) in software development. Hema graduated in 2011 with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, in Chennai, India. She has a passion for data driven decisions and creativity with a focus on Marketing & Analytics. Hema is passionate about leadership, public speaking, traveling and reading. In her free time she enjoys hanging out at the library, grabbing coffee with friends and long walks.

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ALISON MAHGRAF INTERNAlison is a rising senior studying Community Health. Her passion for leadership development, teamwork, and personal development brought her to the ILC. Her involvement with the ILC began at her first i-Program, Intersect, in the fall of her freshman year. Since then, she has attended three other i-Programs, received her Leadership Certificate, worked as a Certificate Specialist for the ILC, and recently completed a year as a Graf Intern. She loves helping others find their path to self-discovery, develop new leadership skills and refine their leadership style. Alison also loves to travel. Her extensive exploring has included London, Germany, Shanghai, France, Belgium, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing and most recently, Cancun. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, cooking, playing tennis and practicing goshin jitsu. .

MEGHA MATHURLEADERSHIP PARAPROFESSIONALMegha is a rising senior studying Interdisciplinary Health as a James Scholar with a dual major in Spanish, as well as minors in Leadership Studies and Global Studies. With her iHealth degree, Megha hopes to pursue global health and work to implement new policies and procedures that improve global health. Megha has worked at the Illinois Leadership Center as a Certificate Specialist for two years, guiding students in completing their Leadership Certificate. On campus she has served as President of her sorority, Delta Kappa Delta, and will serve as President of Colleges Against Cancer in the upcoming school year. Megha is also a dancer of fifteen years and is trained in the Indian classical style of Bharatnatyam. In her spare time she loves to choreograph and perform new dance pieces, read thought provoking novels, and attempt new recipes!

DANIELA ARANDALEADERSHIP PARAPROFESSIONALDaniela is a rising senior in the College of Business majoring in Accounting with a minor in Informatics and a Leadership Certificate. She has taken two classes in leadership and has attended all the i-Programs. Her involvement in i-Programs made her very enthusiastic about leadership and encouraged her to work at the Leadership Center. After graduation she hopes to get a job in corporate accounting that allows her to utilize the leadership skills she has gained from the ILC.

ELENA ZHENGLEADERSHIP PARAPROFESSIONALElena is a rising senior double majoring in psychology and communication, and intends to pursue a career in human resources after graduation. Caught between two cultures, she is passionate about cultural diversity and aims to promote inclusion on campus. Inspired by the Leadership Center to become a leader, she wants to bring the center’s philosophy to the campus population and bridge the gap between vision and reality for the university’s leaders of tomorrow. In the ILC, she is defined by her love of superheroes and aims to continue creating impactful experiences with her team of superheroes in the Leadership Center.

HENRY LILEADERSHIP PARAPROFESSIONALHaoXuan (Henry) is a rising senior pursuing a degree in Accounting. He hopes to use his understanding of business to become a leader in both the corporate and non-profit sector, as well as have a positive influence in politics. His passion lies in sustainability and solving the world’s energy crisis. On campus, he serves as the Director of Consulting in Phi Chi Theta professional business fraternity, a senior consultant in Illinois Business Consulting, a teacher’s assistant for Business 101, a circle leader for the Masters of Science in Accountancy Program, an organizer for University Housing’s alternative spring break, and an alum of Global Business Brigades. Dedicated to social change, Henry postponed college to work for City Year, a non-profit whose goal is to end the high school dropout crisis in America. Through his experiences, Henry believes that positive and effective leadership can bring positive change to people and communities around the world.

10 ILLINOIS LEADERSHIP CENTER FACULTY FELLOWS

FACULTY FELLOWS

In 2014, the ILC created the Faculty Fellows program designed to encourage leadership scholarship and interdisciplinary collaboration at University of Illinois. Each year, four tenure-track faculty are selected based on their scholarly interest in the field of leadership. Fellows are provided with $5,000 to support their leadership scholarship. The Fellows meet approximately twice a semester and engage in dialogue about leadership research and education.

In March, the ILC held the inaugural Faculty Fellows Colloquium Series. Each fellow presented their research to the campus community, and led a discussion regarding implications and recommendations. Below is a synopsis of each fellow’s research.

Examining the Process of Leadership LearningDr. David Rosch, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Leadership Education

Many people believe that: a) leadership cannot be learned – that people either “have it” or they do not; and b) that regardless, measuring the degree of leader capacity is next to impossible. This research is focused on these two areas, 1) Mapping the trajectory of leadership development in young adults as a result of participation in programmatic intervention; and 2) rigorously assessing the methodology of leadership evaluation.

The Effects of Congruence in Member and Leader Organizational Identification on Work OutcomesDr. Ying Chen, Assistant Professor, Labor and Employment Relations

Drawing on social identity theory and self-categorization theory, we integrated research on shared social identity and identity threat to examine the effects on work outcomes of congruence vs. incongruence in both members’ and leaders’ identification with their organization. A multi-level polynomial regression analysis showed that when members and leaders were congruent in their organizational identification, they enjoyed higher (member) job satisfaction, higher (leader) organizational citizenship behaviors, and member-leader agreement on the member’s performance rating. These results demonstrated further that incongruence affected member and leader outcomes, in that a comparatively higher level of organizational identification on the part of one led to relatively higher job satisfaction and OCBO for that party in contrast to when that party’s organizational identification was comparatively lower.

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FACULTY FELLOWS

To learn more about the faculty fellows program visit:http://www.leadership.illinois.edu/research/faculty-fellows or contact Beth Hoag bhoag2@illinois.edu or Gayle Spencer at gspencer@illinois.edu

Double Whammies in Workplace Harassment: Implications for University LeadershipDr. Kathryn Clancy, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, PEEC, Beckman Institute

Examining workplace harassment in two academic science populations: fieldwork conducted by field scientists, and workplaces among astronomers and planetary scientists, the study found that gendered violence disproportionately affects female trainees and is often perpetrated by supervisors, representing a double whammy of gender and rank targeting. It was also found that women of color experience the highest rates of hostile workplace behaviors, representing a double whammy of gender and race targeting. Intersectional approaches are also introduced as an opportunity for university leaders to eliminate harassment.

The Eye of the Beholder: A Meta-Analytic Examination of the Convergence between Leader and Observer Perceptions of LeadershipDr. Nichelle Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Psychology & Labor and Employee Relations

The convergence between a leader’s assessment of his/her leadership behaviors and assessments from the leader’s subordinates, peers, and superiors—also known as “leader insight”—is critical for the understanding of leadership and is also linked to important organizational and leader outcomes. Unfortunately, many questions remain regarding the extent to which leaders have insight into their leadership behaviors. This study examines whether leaders’ perceptions of their leadership behaviors are similar to or different from observers’ perceptions. We also investigate whether leader-observer agreement is influenced by type of observer and type of leadership.

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Have exciting news to share? Email leadership@illinois.edu to be included in the next Alumni Newsletter.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BEN COBER

After graduating from the University of Illinois, with both the Charles K. Brightbill and John Bruce Capel Awards from Applied Health Sciences and the U. of Illinois Student Employee of the Year Award for his work with the ILC, Ben returned to Cincinnati where he worked in grant writing and public relations for the Cincinnati Museum Center. There he was most notable for his Bill Nye The Science guy-inspired web series “MyMuseum Center in a Minute,” and was a contributing writer for CiN Weekly regarding Flying Pig Marathon training. Ben then attended Indiana University in 2010 to earn a dual MBA in Marketing and Management from the Kelley School of Business in 2012, where he also served on student government and with the Indiana Sailing Club. Upon graduation, Ben joined tourism architecture firm PGAV Destinations as the Director of Business Development and Research, and published his first science fiction fantasy novel this spring, Encounter IX. Today Ben lives among the mountains and waters of Kirkland, WA with his wife Melissa and Airedale, Charlie.

Top Photo: Ben Cober (left) and his writing partner, Greg Zimmerman. “We actually met through the Illinois Sailing Club, and the book has a great deal of sailing in it.”

Bottom Photo: Ben’s new book, Encounter IX

13Interested in making a contribution to the ILC or volunteering? Visit leadership.illinois.edu for more information.

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