My Path to Leadership & Leadership Growth

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Since I have been at VMI, I have wanted make a difference. There are things that I like at VMI, and there are also things that I think should be changed. Whenever I have had an opportunity to hold positions where I could actually help make some of those changes, I took advantage of it. I have had three leadership experiences while I have been at VMI, and I have gotten a lot out of each of them.

My first leadership experience at VMI was being the ECE class representative for my class. I got this role by being elected by my classmates to serve as the class liaison between the students and faculty (aa). What I enjoyed most about this role was being able to represent my classmates and make sure their concerns were actually heard by the department. I also ran the study sessions and mentor program for the class below me. This was really rewarding because I got to help people who were going through the same classes I had already struggled through (!a). The hardest part was helping to mentor the class below me. I think this was due to it was my first real leadership position, and I had never really mentored people in an academic setting before (ba). It was hard to stay patient sometimes, especially when I was trying to do everything by myself and give everyone the help they needed with their classes. The most important thing I learned from this experience is that leadership is not always about doing everything yourself. I also learned that it's very important to be patient, and equally important to learn how to support others without burning yourself out (ca).

My second leadership experience at VMI was being an S2 Corporal (1b). I was selected for this role during my 3rd Class year through a competitive interview process. The role included being an academic resource for the class below me and helping new cadets connect with the academic resources they needed. My favorite thing about the role was helping anyone who was struggling with academics (!b). I enjoyed this part because I understand that academics do not come naturally to everyone, and I struggled academically for all of my life before I got to college. Being the person who helped new cadets find their academic resources was incredibly rewarding. The hardest part of this role for me was public speaking (bb). I was assigned to a company of rats, and I had to talk to around 50 people at a time, which was nerve wracking at first. But eventually, This role taught me how to be a more confident leader and how to speak in front of large groups of people (cb).

The third leadership position I had at VMI was being a cadet facilitator for the D.O.I. workshops. I got this role by demonstrating that I understood the mission of the D.O.I. office at VMI (ac). While this role was incredibly frustrating at times, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to challenge people to think differently and consider perspectives they may not have been open to before (!c). One thing I struggled with in this role was not reacting too visibly when people said things I strongly disagreed with (bc). At VMI, some people come from pretty sheltered backgrounds, so some of the opinions I heard were frustrating to listen to. This role taught me how to navigate interations with people that held differing opinions from mine, without being confrentational. It also taught me how to show up and be engaged even when I was tired, because these sessions were at 8 a.m., and I am not a morning person at all (cc). This role taught me that as a leader, people feed of your attitude, so it is important to show up energized, even when I may not be. It also taught me how to respectfully disagree with someone, while still showing that I value their opinion, and while also not making a scene.

These leadership opportunities at VMI have taught me a lot about what leadership actually looks like. I am glad to be at a school that pushes you to become more of a leader each year.

The first year at VMI is meant to make you learn how to lead yourself and how to be a follower. My experience as a 4th Class cadet lines up with this because one of the first things I learned at VMI was how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I came out of high school having no idea how to succeed in school, and I had never really applied myself academically. When I got to VMI, I put myself in a hard major, and because of the tools VMI gave me, I was able to do well academically for the first time. I was able to succeed because I learned how to lead myself. I learned how to focus, study, apply myself, and most importantly how to take the hard right over the easy wrong (d).

From Kelley’s Followership Questionnaire, on a scale of 0-60, I scored a 49 on independent thinking and a 37 on active engagement (2aa). That honestly fits my 4th Class year pretty well. I was good at thinking for myself and figuring out what I needed to do to survive and succeed at VMI, especially academically. I did not just wait for someone else to fix my problems. At the same time, my active engagement score being more average makes sense because rat year was mostly me trying to figure out the system and keep my head above water. My independent thinking helped me grow, but I think my active engagement had to catch up later as I became more comfortable at VMI (2aa).

My 3rd Class year was when I really started learning how to lead and influence others, especially after becoming part of the cadet chain of command as an S2 Corporal. This lined up with the VMI Leader Journey because 3rd Class year gives cadets more chances to lead people directly and indirectly (e). I took on as many leadership opportunities as I could during my 3rd class year, and I learned a lot about how much I could handle and how to be better at communicating.

My followership scores also connect to this years leadership experience. Compared to other cadets, I scored two standard deviations higher than the average on independent thinking and within one standard deviation of the average in active engagement (2ba). My independent thinking helped me because I was not afraid to think for myself, solve problems, or question how something could be done better. This helped me in roles like being an S2 Corporal because I had to help younger cadets figure out academic problems and resources, which required a lot of problem solving. At the same time, my active engagement score being more average shows that I still had to work on fully putting myself out there and taking initiative all the time. During 3rd Class year, I think I started turning my independent thinking into more action, which is what VMI wants from a cadet third class year, as they begin influencing others (2ba).

My 2nd Class year has been different from the normal VMI Leadership Journey. Your junior year at VMI is supposed to be where cadets start leading more within the organization, and where non-commissioning cadets start building career-related skills. But due to some unforseen circumstances, my 2nd Class year started a semester late, so my experience has not fully lined up with that. Since I am a year behind in ROTC classes and was not here in the fall, I was not able to build those career-related skills the same way or apply for as many leadership positions as I normally would. I was still able to get a role in the Cadet Equity Association, which does line up with the VMI Leader Journey because it gives me a chance to help improve the cadet experience and lead within the VMI community (f).

My followership results also connect to my 2nd Class year. My high independent thinking helped me because my path this year was not normal, especially coming back a semester late. I had to think for myself and figure out what the next year would need to look like for me academically so I can graduate on time. At the same time, my active engagement score lines up with my experience this year, and shows where I still need to improve. Since I missed the fall semester, I felt that I had missed out on a lot, and felt super detachted. Because of this I felt that I had a hard time engaging with people and activities at VMI (2ca).

My First Class year is something I have high hopes for. The final year at VMI is meant to be when cadets exercise command within the Corps and also have opportunities to mentor and coach younger cadets, especially as a 'Dyke'. I am excited for the opportunity to mentor a new college student, because I know I struggled when I first got here, and I want to pass on the kind of advice and knowledge that would have helped me as a freshman. I am also excited to hold a position in the Cadet Equity Association because it would give me a real chance to help change some of the things I dislike most about VMI. Overall, these expectations line up with the VMI Leader Journey because they involve mentoring, leading within the Corps, and trying to leave the Institute better than I found it (g).

My followership results will also matter during my First Class year. My independent thinking score should help me mentor my rat. I will be able to think more independently and non-tradtionally about how to better help my rat get through the rat line. I do not just want to repeat things the same way just because that is how they have always been done. My active engagement is something I need to keep building during my last year here. For my First Class year, I cannot just think about what should change. I need to actually be involved, engaged, and follow through to use the position I have to help people around me and be the change I want to see at this school (2da).

This semester, I wanted to do well academically so I could be in good standing for leadership positions next year. I also wanted to work on my communication skills so I could be a better leader and friend. My last goal for this semester was to keep learning from the mistakes I make in leadership settings, so I can be a better leader than I was before (h). Now that the semester is coming to an end, I can say that I have achieved these goals. I am doing great in my classes, and if finals go according to plan, I should have academic stars next semester, which would give me a little extra positional power. I have also became a better roommate by improving my communication skills this semester. All there is to do now is to apply that same growth to my leadership positions next year, as I have not had much opportunities for leadership this semester (3a).

Now that this semester is almost over, I want to set three more goals for the next six months. My first goal is to become more patient when helping others. I will have several opportunities to practice this over the summer because my little brother just bought his first car, and he will need my help getting it working. That will force me to practice being patient while helping him learn. My second goal is to become a more adaptable leader. I want to get better at knowing when people need direct help, when they need encouragement, and when they need space to figure things out on their own. I will probably also practice this while helping my little brother work on his car too. My third goal is to get better at staying calm under pressure. When I get flustered, I do not think methodically, and I have a harder time building from my mistakes. Working on the car will probably test that too, because cars are annoying and things rarely go exactly how they are supposed to (3b).

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