Leadership
Founding Year
In 2023-2024 my junior year, Salisbury Academy Upper School opened. As one of the founding students and an upperclassman, I shouldered the responsibility of helping to initiate and build our school culture, and I was an integral part of leading our extracurricular programs. I served as Jr Civitan President and Vice President of the Student Government. Outside of school, I served on the board of the Salisbury Youth Council. I was a board member for my church's youth group as well.
Jr Civitan
I served as the President of our newly formed Junior Civitan Club. See details about that work on my Junior Civitan page
Student Government
I served as student government vice president for the 2023-24 school year which was the first year the school was open. as vice president I had the responsibility to...
Church Youth Committee
As a youth committee member I'm responsible for organizing and leading various youth activities and events. I actively participate in committee meetings, contributing ideas and feedback to improve the youth program.
Salisbury Youth Council
We, the City of Salisbury Youth Council, will always enhance and strive for a more positive community.
We are a group of 9-12 graders that live within Rowan County limits coming together to learn leadership, teamwork, responsibility, and lifelong skills to prepare each member for the future. Service projects, volunteer events, and community programs provides experiences for each value.
The Salisbury Youth Council has helped out with many events in the community such as Friday Night Out, Movies in the Park, Blockwork and other City events. They also partnered with Communities in Schools to have a school supplies drive. They have tutored the Mini Funk Factory for the past year. They have helped out many community organizations at different events.
Learning Leadership from Leaders:
I conducted interviews with leaders in the local community to deepen my depth of knowledge of leadership. I reflected on each of these interviews in my leadership blog. Explore my blog by clicking on the icon below.
One thing that stood out most to me was how leadership is more about serving others than showcasing superior ability.
Each of my interviewees spoke to was the emphasis of breaking down hierarchical barriers to foster trust and connection within a team and enhanced communication.
One piece of advice I found most helpful was the importance of creating safe, inclusive environments. I also learned about trusting your teams abilities, knowing that not everything will be exactly the way you would have done it, but this can allow creativity and the flow of ideas to flourish and with the responsibility divided more can be accomplished.
I also studied these texts
The Culture Code
Daniel Coyle
Creativity, Inc.
Ed Catmull
Creative Problem Solving
The most significant initial challenge in my school-founding leadership was letting go of control due to trust my support system and fellow organization members.
I addressed this challenge by relying on advice from leaders I had interviewed, specifically Cindi Osterhus. Eventually, I learned to allow others to contribute ideas and talents. I learned to understand that the final product wouldn't be just how I would have envisioned it but that doesn't mean that is not good. In fact it could be better since so many collaboration efforts were used, and others with specific specialties can contribute.
Ed Catmull's text Creativity, Inc was particularly helpful in that it helped me understand how to work through challenges as a organization evolves.
I'm most proud of the development of the Civitan Club because of how much effort I have put in has finally paid off.
“You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you will take offense when they are challenged.”
Ed Catmull Creativity, Inc
My Leadership Framework
Like Catmull did with Creativity, Inc and his experience at Pixar, I created my own Creative Leadership framework, based on my experiences leading at Salisbury Academy.
Culture is Key
Throughout the year I maintained awareness of how connection impacted the overall cultures of the Jr. Civitan Club and the school as a whole. I believe openness helped build a culture of safety at SA.
Initially, I found the idea of shaping a new school's culture to be daunting because I had never experienced anything like it before. But Daniel Coyle's The Culture Code provided strong insight into the importance of safety, vulnerability, and purpose for building culture. Throughout the year I found that culture develops and we have to develop for it even if those ideas may contrast.
“The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled.”
Daniel Coyle The Culture Code
Solitude and Leadership
At the beginning of the year I studied William Deresiewicz's 2009 lecture given at the US Military Academy at West Point entitled Solitude and Leadership.
Initially, I found the piece to difficult in that it the author is describing me as a student, but saying that I'm not a good one if I don't challenge the status quo.
The author William Deresiewicz reflects on his experience teaching at Yale and questions the true nature of leadership. He observed that, while their students were energetic, accomplished, smart, and ambitious, these traits did not make them leaders. I struggled with the idea that Deresiewicz argues, that leadership is distinct from just accomplishment, success, or excellence. He concludes that leadership must be a different quality altogether, otherwise the concept of leadership loses its purpose.
At the conclusion of the inaugural school year, I return to the text and find several new connections to my learning from leading, creating, and cultivating culture.
After mulling on the author's observations this past year, I have come to agree with him. Just because you have straight As or are a president of a club doesn't make you a leader. Instead leadership is more about guiding others towards vision and helping them reach their own potential within the process.
up to you
