Service and Empowerment: 

Reflections on My Leadership Philosophy

The first leadership course that any Agricultural Leadership & Development major takes at Texas A&M is ALED 202: Introduction to Leadership. This course lays the groundwork for leadership studies beginning with defining your personal leadership philosophy. As a student in ALED 202, I outlined my leadership philosophy as, “serve those who cannot serve you; empower those who can serve others.” The leadership philosophy I defined as a freshman continues to guide my approach to leadership through a focus on service and empowerment. 

Serve Those Who Cannot Serve You

The first component of my leadership philosophy is focused on service. The importance of service and giving back was instilled in me by my parents through example. As a 4-H member, I participated in community service activities such as donating cans to food banks or picking up trash along the road; however, I soon realized that service is not contained to the traditional kinds. As a high schooler, I began to recognize that service included volunteerism, advocacy, education, and more. I utilized my passions for agriculture and youth development to serve younger generations through educational experiences. I advocated for the industry through social media, community events, and public policy. These experiences developed my desire for public service which led me to pursue a degree in Public Service & Administration at the Bush School. This degree expanded my perspective of the meaning and purpose behind serving others. I learned that serving others is not separate from one’s career and that employees in the nonprofit and public sector exemplify a servant leadership mindset. Today, I recognize that service looks different to everyone, and it is not constrained to volunteering at an animal shelter or soup kitchen. Service can be any activity that makes the world a little better because it happened. 

Empower Those Who Can Serve Others

In addition to service, empowerment is an important aspect of my leadership philosophy. I was empowered through my participation in 4-H and FFA to become a leader in the agriculture industry, and it is my goal to do the same for others. I believe that empowerment requires mentorship, education, and development opportunities. As a leader in Aggies & Mentors, I facilitated the development of hundreds of mentoring relationships between current and former students of Texas A&M. These mutually beneficial relationships allowed students to gain valuable resources and insights from professionals in their industry. They enabled the students to discover their path and empowered the mentors to create a lasting impact on the university. Additionally, I provided mentorship and education to freshman students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as an instructor for the Hullaballoo U First-Year Experience Course. In this course, I enabled discussions surrounding well-being, success strategies, healthy relationships, and respect and inclusion to encourage success beyond academics for these students. Both of these examples allowed me to empower others through mentorship, education, and development.

Conclusions & Takeaways

Leadership is a mindset more than it is a position of power. My leadership philosophy sets my mindset towards service and empowerment regardless of the situation. By serving those who cannot serve me and empowering those who can serve others, I show leadership in every situation whether I am the leader or the follower. Through my educational, personal, and professional experiences, I strive to live up to the statement I wrote as a freshman at Texas A&M.