My Top 3 Leadership Values

What are my top 3 leadership values that I possess? Growth, Community, and Authenticity.

I believe that without growth there is no innovation or progress; sometimes the hardest situations are the easiest to learn from. Within the last four years, I cannot begin to explain the amount of growth I have experienced without writing an entire book. One of the many experiences I have had where I practiced this value was my sophomore year of college. I know it sounds cliche, but coming to UNC-Chapel Hill my first year resulted in imposter syndrome with a side of culture shock and identity crisis. My mental health was not in the best place and after having a horrible first year, sophomore year was my turning point. Who would’ve thought that the student that dearly struggled his first year would turn around the following year to make Dean’s List while taking an 18-hour course load? Growth is not about just becoming better, it is about evolving in a sustainable way.

I believe that community is essential to anything we do; there is strength in numbers, especially when you are giving it your all and need a little extra push. Community not only strengthens us as leaders but motivates us to learn from one another. Community can mean many things to different people, but community for me is finding a network of diverse-minded people that are willing to build bridges to understand and support one another. The North Carolina Fellows Program has served as one of many communities to me. Many of us think differently about the world, are entering different fields of work, yet regardless of our background, we have established a mutual love for people and leadership. This has been shown through our deep conversations, which at times become heated, but end with a better understanding of everyone’s diverse perspectives. I hope to expand my understanding of community in the future, although my cohort has made those shoes hard to fill; they’re quite amazing!

I believe that authenticity is needed to serve as the glue; it allows us to trust ourselves and each other. Authenticity empowers us to be who we are to our maximum potential and therefore empowers others to do the same. Authenticity has always been a value I have held dear to myself, but sometimes there are parts of ourselves that we struggle to share with the world. This is where we have to work to further understand who we are, and then remain true to that. I have and continue to practice authenticity in my daily life by being honest with myself and others, while also being unapologetically me. In previous work experience, I found myself biting my tongue when coworkers shared their offensive opinions and beliefs steeped in hate. After a while of being very tolerant, I eventually had to stand up for myself and others. While this later resulted in me leaving the project, I was then able to land a better opportunity where I could put forth my best effort and be comfortable while doing so.

Let’s be honest, it has taken me a while to nail down my top three values, but I highly recommend that you do; it makes life and leadership so much easier!