Leadership models

     My role model for leadership and other aspects of my life, JoLeah, was the leader of my volunteer program this summer. She is a brilliant leader for a few reasons, but the most important reason is definitely that she legitimately cares about every volunteer she works with. The organization is set up to run on one-week volunteers, and yet JoLeah still takes the time to get to know them, even though she will probably never see them again. In my experience, her reaching out to me on my first trip connected me to the work we were doing, making me feel like we were working for something together, instead of me showing up for a week and helping her with what she was already doing. In fact, I felt so connected to the work that I wanted to return over the summer. When I did, I was more and more excited to go to campamento every day, and I know that a lot of that enthusiasm came from JoLeah making me feel like a real part of the team.
     While all of the post-industrial leadership models appealed to me, the Relational model particularly resonated with me because of my experience this summer. I never really appreciated the importance of relationships within a group until JoLeah demonstrated how effective a united team can be. Even though I was just one link in the chain of volunteers that go through the organization, I felt like I mattered. I felt connected to the work, and that drove me to give it my all. The model sounds nice in concept, but having a solid experience to relate it to proves to me that the idea is more than just nice, and is in fact a really great way to lead.

Part 2: These pictures are really just screencaps from this video. (Incidentally, JoLeah showed us this video in our weekly leadership meetings, and I highly recommend you check it out.)

The video comes from Sasquatch music festival. One guy was dancing like his life depended on it while everyone else was just sitting around watching him. 

Eventually, someone joined him. The two of them danced for a little while, while everyone else continued to look on from afar. 

Finally it snowballed into a movement. One guy messing around turned into an entire group of people having a great time. It's an interesting look at leadership, as it follows a whole revolution in under three minutes.

     I think this video represents the social change model because at first, all the bystanders have to compromise their own inhibitions and get over the idea that joining will be embarrassing. Once that happens, it stops being about the one leader and starts being about the group as a whole.


P.S. Outreach360 is a fantastic organization, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking for an international volunteer or travel experience. They work to supplement the education systems in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua to give children a life of choice. They're excellent with college students, speaking spanish isn't required (though it made my experience richer), and you can go for however many weeks you choose, whenever you want. And maybe you'll get the chance to learn about leadership under JoLeah.