How Do Emerging Leaders See Themselves as Leaders?

How many of us wake up each day and think about our leadership style and how it impacts our peers and colleagues? Probably not many, even though we know we should. In our own leadership journeys, more attention to reflective practice would have been helpful. When you are in a leadership position facing many crises on a daily basis, reflection often takes a back seat. Sherry believed strongly in collaborative leadership but did not exercise it appropriately shortly after she became chancellor of UMass Boston. In her first few days on the job she found that the university was facing a daunting budget crisis. She worked closely with the senior staff to design a plan to deal with the crisis. A few of the faculty were consulted but not about the basics of the plan—only on the principles involved such as not to cut across the board. Not surprisingly, when the plan was presented to the university community, it was rejected. All of it! Cuts had to be made anyway, but the experience was painful and all too common for many in leadership positions. Because several more cuts came along, there was a chance to try again and to use a more collaborative approach the next time. This meant having a broad-based group of faculty and staff make a series of very difficult recommendations. None was popular, but there was greater acceptance because of the broader involvement. So reflection took place—a lot of reflection—but after the fact and the reflection had a positive outcome. This experience reinforces the importance of reflection as not only helpful but absolutely necessary.1