Mattie Smyth

Part I: Leadership Style

 

The Creighton Freshman Leadership Program is something special. While I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of this at the end of my freshman experience, I have learned and grown in ways I didn't even know possible this year as a sophomore mentor. As a freshman, FLP taught me the value of community and provided me with the opportunities and connections to obtain other leadership roles around campus. Without my knowledge of different leadership styles I'm not sure I'd be in the same place I am today. However, knowledge of these styles isn't quite as powerful as actually being able to put them into practice, just as I have this year. 

 

If you were to ask me at this time last year what my leadership style is, I'd say Integrity Leadership. In my portfolio I wrote, "Leading with integrity means striving to be the beset leader you can be. All of that being said, I think this describes me perfectly. I feel like I have a lot of integrity and I know that I always strive for more in my life. Integrity is related to the process of knowing yourself, and since I feel like I have a pretty good sense of that after the year, I know I can apply this leadership theory in my daily practices." After my year in the program, I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of who I was as a person. However, I've learned that you're never really done growing and learning. I learn about myself everyday because of the activities I'm a part of, the groups I lead, and the jobs I have committed myself to. While I would still say that I have integrity, I'm not necessarily sure that is what my leadership style is.

 

Last year I missed the seminar relating to Visionary and Transformational Leadership. However, after growing and learning for another year, I'd say that is my leadership style. It's the style I used most as a mentor, and therefore the one I have most developed since last year. A lot of times I get caught up in everything I’m doing and try to do everything by myself. I can’t do everything and sometimes I need to take a step back and ask for help. I think visionary leaders have a clear vision of what is possible and then execute their plans effectively by guiding and transmitting energy to others. Visionary leaders promote a partnership approach and create a shared sense of vision and meaning with others. My mentor partner (Merritt) and I tried our hardest to instill a vision of what the year could look like to our mentees at the beginning so that throughout the year they could feed off of our energy and get the most out of the program. 

 

FLP is not only the only avenue of leadership experience I've gained this year. Because of my confidence in my leadership potential, I decided to apply for a CSU Executive position this year and got it. I am now the leader of 10 coordinators and 14 street team members, who are all looking to me for direction. This is a responsibility I do not take lightly. Ethical Leadership is the most beneficial approach to this task. Being an ethical leader means that you have to lead with a purpose and that the most investible resource you have it time. Invest it in the the things or people that give back most. Because of FLP, I have found my core values have the courage to live them out in all parts of my life. As an ethical leader for CSU Program Board, I try to consider those around me and the effects that my decisions might have on other people.

 

 

Part II: Leadership Plan

 

If there's anything I've learned because of my leadership roles at Creighton thus far, it's quality over quantity. If you were to ask me a year ago what I wanted to accomplish leadership wise before graduation, I would have spewed off a long list of activites and roles within them. I want to do everything; and I still do I just have a better grasp on what that takes and I know myself well enough to not put that kind of unneeded stress in my life. Last year I wanted to become the president of my sorority, the FLP Resident Advisor, and then eventually coordinator of the program. Interestingly enough, my current role as CSU Vice President for Programming didn't even make that list. I feel as if this has been the most defining and impactful leadership role I've had up to this point and it was not necessarily "planned" for me to do it.

 

Therefore, I'm not necessarily sure where I want to go from here. I know that I want to continue my leadership across various campus programs, however I'm not sure which avenue I might take. I could get more involved in my sorority next year as President or Vice President of Organization, I could apply for another year as a CSU Executive and continue my involvement in Program Board, I could get involved more heavily with New Student Orientation and become a Summer Preview Guide or a Welcome Week Executive, and I could lead without a title in my everyday activity. 

 

Since last year, I've had a lot of change in heart in regards to what I want to do with my life. I've had a lot of really great mentors and advisors that have pushed me to reflect on my experiences and because of this I want to go into Student Affairs as a profession. I would consider this my ultimate leadership goal at this point. In order to achieve that, I will need to continue my involvement around campus and put my toes in a varity of different areas besides just FLP. However, this year has taught me that I don't need to do everything. Taking on a position in CSU while holding my mentor position still so close to me, was difficult and definitely pushed me to my limits. 

 

Like previously mentioned, the biggest skill I think I have gained is learning how to be present in all situations that I come to. This means quality must come before quantity of leadership roles in my life. It's not fair of me to hold every role in everything I do and spread mysef too thin because of it. Next semester will be the ultimate test of how this goes as I will only be involved with CSU leadership wise. I'm excited to be able to devote all of my time and energy into one thing and therefore make my team, events, and experience even better than it already has been. 

 

 

Part III: Mission Statement

 

 

Original Mission Statement:

 

To infuse passion and drive into those I’m surrounded by, to be creative, pioneering, and innovative, to be honest and uphold the highest integrity, to work hard and stick faithfully to commitments, to enjoy life, and to, “Go forth and set the world on fire.”

 

I chose to end it with a quote from St. Ignatius because I truly believe that this quote encompasses all that I hope to do in the future. I want to take the world by storm. If I had to change anything, I would add this quote by Fr. Pedro Arupe about always following your passions: “Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” 

 

I think I have definitey lived this mission out in my everyday life this passed year. As a student at Creighton, I have been presented with a variety of opportunities to develop a new set of skills complimenting my passion for event planning, recognizing the strengths of others, leadership development, and student affairs. Because of my go-getter attitude, I became involved so early at Creighton and that provided me the opportunity to find my passions so early. I have truly "fallen in love" with programming and mentoring others, and therefore my goal of becoming a Student Affairs Professional was born. 

 

My mission statement can be applied to almost every leadership position I hold, mentor inlcuded. Being a mentor this year has meant so much to me and the driving force in my success has definitely been to "enjoy life," which is possibly the most important part of my original mission statement. If you don't enjoy life then how can you expect others around you to feed off of your energy? I think my biggest strength as a mentor was the fun I tried to bring to an otherwise monotonous Tuesday night going thorugh the motions of dinner, seminar, and note taking. Merritt was my perfect compliment in that; he was definitely the one always making the mentees laugh.  

 

My favorite part about being a mentor was watching my 6 kids grow into the wonderful, confident, unique individuals they are today and knowing I had a hand in that. Although I was their mentor, they mentored me as well because without their presence in my life, I could not have grown like I did. It was cool for me to be the one welcoming these freshman into the program that taught and changed me so much. I am hopeful they all had an incredibly impactful experience and I only hope that somewhere along the way I inspired them to push the boundaries, get out of their comfort zone, and take charge of their futures. 

 

 

Jamaican Kiwis Don't Want None Unless You Have Fun Hun