Leadership Reflection

1. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 1
Leadership Reflection
I like to follow leaders who accept new ideas, respect and trust others, and challenge as
well as empower others. I prefer leaders with these characteristics, because they require a
conscious, consistent effort; as mentioned in Kouzes and Posner (2006), good leadership is the
matter of common practices. To be objective and to be open to others requires a great deal of
inner work. Leaders who put in that level of effort often have strong relationships and ambitious
but attainable long-term goals; what you see of them and what others say about them speaks
more to their character than their position title does.
Leaders who embrace new ideas are more likely to embrace change. They look for the
gifts and talents in others and are open to their ideas, even if they challenge or trouble their own
beliefs and values. It is a difficult practice, and for leaders to follow this, they need to not only
equally value others but also create a strong bond with them. To value and bond with others, one
must work continuously to practice love, forgive, and trust (Caldwell & Dixon, 2010). The love
mentioned in this context is beyond the simple care and acceptance of others. It is referring to the
kind of love in which one appreciates others not for what they can get out of others but for the
harmonies they will find in knowing other people. The idea presented in Caldwell and Dixon
(2010) where he emphasis on finding “oneness” is contradictory to my viewpoint because we
will not always be able to find oneness with others and should not rely on such a philosophy to
lead. I like the leaders who can embrace and love others for their differences. To be a good
leader and see someone truly for who they are, not in relation to you and your own identity, one
must practice having an open heart, mind, and soul. Following this practice takes additional
efforts and consistent consciousness because we are always influenced by our schemas. But to be

2. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 2
an effective leader in this globalized society, one must suppress their schemas, because schemas
make people judgmental.
We often admire leaders who hold similar beliefs or who use methods we are familiar
with, and then we often perpetuate these beliefs, values, and methods in our own leadership. Due
to this dynamic, leaders can often wield unchallenged control and power over organizations and
followers; this is referred to as command and control (Kouzes & Posner, 2006). Unchallenged by
their followers, there is no impetus for such leaders to challenge or rethink any of their views,
making their decisions based solely on one perspective. Unfortunately, this style of leadership
also discourages people who are independent thinkers, particularly new generations, from
voicing their concerns or even thinking of new ideas altogether. This negative cycle of leadership
leaves very little room for new ideas and change, which are essential for making a better world
for us all (Astin et al., 1996). For example, a teacher cannot be effective if they impose their own
learning style in teaching a new concept instead of considering the various learning styles of
their students. The teacher must discern and embrace the learning styles of their students to truly
engage them in the material and not just force them to memorize what they said.
Sometimes we experience a similar phenomenon in our workplaces. We face leaders who
cannot admit to being wrong and grow defensive when challenged. Such behaviors create
negativity and pass down the traditional leadership style to others. For example, in my
organization there are senior supervisors who still believe in maintaining strict power dynamics
and try to implement their decisions as norms and rules. The agency serves the population who
are totally different than those who make plans for their settlement. They hardly include staff
members with broader perspectives who might have a different opinion than those on the board,
because they don’t want to be bothered by having to make changes. As a result, the agency staff

3. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 3
struggle to make refugee families self-sustaining within the given time. Furthermore, I feel a
little discouraged by the agency’s culture because they do not include interns in decision-making
meetings. This experience is so different than what my supervisor shared with me about her
experience as an intern at a different agency. She mentioned that she was trusted and included in
meetings with stakeholders or any other decision-making process, which empowered and
connected her with the rest of the team. Although I know everyone at my internship site, I do not
see the shared principle within the organization that encourages me to stay connected. Some of
my organization’s leaders are respected based on their position title rather than their devotion,
which is probably not the ideal method for an institution that advocates for social justice (Astin
et al., 1996).
Unlike others, my immediate supervisor, Kaori, is a leader that I admire and follow. Her
orientation for social justice inspires me the most. She presents herself as a mentor and
constantly reminds me about my strength and abilities while challenging me to work harder to
achieve personal and organizational goals, which reflects the characteristics that our assigned
readings addressed, such as model the way and encourage the heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2006).
Her leadership has provided me with a greater opportunity to understand my own value as a
human services provider, which has increased my self-confidence. I have had several good
supervisors and jobs in the past, which gave me opportunities to lean and grow, but working with
Kaori has transformed my leadership skills. I am inspired by her transparency, objectivity, and
ability to infuse love and care within her leadership. There are times when she has become my
support system, whether advising or simply listening, both of which are essential for any human
to be successful at their work or internships (Sweitzer & King, 2013). Despite her busy schedule,
she continues to listen, advise, and comfort others. She is young, but she has a broader

4. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 4
perspective about the world and the issues that she handles. I learned many unique things from
her about human service and advocacy. She taught me something that our readings did not
address, and it is often not practiced in western cultures. The advice she gave to emerging leaders
was this: “People can be guarded or disguise their actions, but if you can try to engage them to
understand why they behave a certain way – you can not only learn a lot about them, you can
also work together with them. It takes humility and an openness to learn from others, but this is
what will keep you from becoming stuck in your own ways.” This is my main takeaway from her
leadership style. During our interview, Kaori mentioned that she was inspired by her previous
supervisor’s leadership style and still follows many of her principles. Going forward, I will also
integrate her principle into my leadership style.

5. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 5
Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Does Not
Meet/Partially Meets
Expectations
Points
Depth of
reflection
(40%)
Demonstrates a
conscious and thorough
consideration of the
assigned readings,
personal experiences, and
the assignment prompt.
Cites specific examples
from internship
experience, class
discussions, or assigned
readings to support
arguments.
Demonstrates a basic
consideration of the
assigned readings, personal
experiences, and the
assignment prompt.
Cites vague examples from
internship experience, class
discussions, or assigned
readings to support
arguments.
Demonstrates limited or
no consideration of the
assigned readings,
personal experiences, or
the writing prompt.
Cites no examples from
internship experience,
class discussions, or
assigned readings to
support arguments.
40
Response to
prompt
(40%)
Thoroughly covers all
elements of the prompt—
personal values and
styles of leadership,
values and styles of
leadership observed at
internship site, and
observed response to
leadership at internship at
site—including specific
examples of each.
Thoroughly covers all
elements of the prompt—
personal values and styles
of leadership, values and
styles of leadership
observed at internship site,
and observed response to
leadership at internship at
site—but doesn’t include
specific examples of each.
Does not cover all
elements of the
prompt—personal
values and styles of
leadership, values and
styles of leadership
observed at internship
site, and observed
response to leadership at
internship at site.
40
Quality of
writing or
presentation
(20%)
Content is engaging and
flows easily, using
sophisticated language
and flawless or near-
Content is solid but lacks
flow and has multiple
grammar and/or spelling
mistakes.
Content is choppy,
sentence structure is
unvaried, and numerous
grammar and/or spelling
mistakes exist.
17

6. LEADERSHIP REFLECTION Thapa Chhetri 6
Reference
Astin, H. S., Astin, H., Boatsman, K., Bonous-Hammarth, M., Chambers, T., & Goldberg, S.
(1996). A social change model of leadership development: Guidebook (Version III).
Higher Education Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles. http://www.
heri. ucla. edu/PDFs/pubs/ASocialChangeModelofLeadershipDevelopment. pdf.
Caldwell, C., & Dixon, R. D. (2010). Love, forgiveness, and trust: Critical values of the modern
leader. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(1), 91-101.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2006). The leadership challenge (Vol. 3). John Wiley & Sons.
Sweitzer, H. F., & King, M. A. (2013). The successful internship. Cengage Learning.
flawless spelling and
grammar.
Total 97