Post #3

My top five strengths according to StrengthsQuest are adaptability, input, intellection, analytical, and deliberative. Some of these surprised me, while others did not. The three strengths that I was completely unsurprised by were intellection, analytical, and deliberative. I have always considered myself to be an introspective, thoughtful person. I've also always considered my greatest strengths to come from my intelligence and ability to think things through thoroughly, while also being careful not to disclose too much information. While initially I was a little bit surprised by the presence of adaptibility on my strengths list, after thinking about it for some time it made sense to me. I have never been someone who needed a lot of structure, preferring to go with the flow. I rarely plan things out beforehand, and while this annoys people sometime (namely my mom) it has always been the best way for me to complete projects and assignments. The wild card for me in the top five was input. When I first saw the word, I had no idea what it was supposed to mean. It only confused me more when I saw that people with input as their strength were supposed to exhibit some sort of magpie-like hoarding tendencies, which doesn't describe me at all. However, in a less physical sense, I am a collector. I love having a broad knowledge base, and pride myself on knowing at least a little bit about a lot of different things, ranging from music to science. Now that I have a concrete list of some of my best strengths, I think applying it to leadership should be relatively simple. I know that I will never be the charismatic leader who uses their charm to pull a group in a certain direction, but I can use my broad knowledge base and deliberative nature to make sure that we are making the right decisions. In the last month, I have seen myself use each of my five strengths. When I hadn't studied enough for an exam, I was able to use my intellection and input to draw on previous knowledge from other classes and still do well. I used the rest of my strengths while working on a project at the free clinic that I volunteer at, using a combination of deliberation, analysis, and adaptability to successfully translate a colonoscopy preparation guide into Spanish for native speakers who do not know English. Knowledge of my strengths will definitely allow me to succeed in both leadership and in other projects.

Post #2

Leadership is a very important aspect in both the discipline of biology and Spanish. In biology, it is important to be proactive in terms of research. If there is an area of research that has not been explored heavily, it is necessary to take a leadership role. You have to attempt to secure grants, hire research assistants, and collaborate with other labs. In this sense, the paradigm that biology professionals share is one of collaborative leadership. Everyone’s research uses principles and methods that were developed by others, and oftentimes labs collaborate with each other when their research is similar. Each lab has a principal investigator who heads the lab, but everyone who works there has their own responsibilities delegated to them, and there is a definite sense of community among those who work in the same lab. Ethically, there are certain responsibilities when using human samples. It is important to not reveal any information about patients who have donated tissue samples to be researched. It is also important not to do research that might cross ethical guidelines established by the scientific community. Leadership is also important in the discipline of Spanish. Many Spanish majors become translators after graduation, and as a translator it is vital to be a part of the community. You are acting as a liaison between the English and Spanish speaking communities, and it is necessary to demonstrate authentic leadership. Ethically, it is important to treat everybody with respect. I work as a medical interpreter in a free clinic, and although the clientele are below the poverty line and often do not speak Spanish, they should still be treated like a patient in any other hospital. Regardless of your personal feelings on illegal immigration or other political issues, ethical leadership is critical in the discipline of Spanish interpretation.

Post #1

To me, leadership is defined by calm in the face of pressure. A leader is somebody who can guide people through a difficult task or event while ensuring that everybody remains in a normal state of mind. The people I know who I think of as leaders exhibit a cool head when they are looked to for answers. Thinking back, my greatest leadership experience came during my senior year of high school. I was assigned to a freshman homeroom to help guide the younger students. That was one of the first times that I remember realizing that I was a role model in their eyes, and I had to do my best to show them how to adjust to some of the difficulties of high school. Even though I still felt like a kid who didn’t really have anything figured out, I had to help them with problems that I had dealt with just a few years previously. Everything from new classes and coming from a grade school where they didn’t know anybody to talking to girls at mixers were brought up, and I had to do my best to assure them that they would turn out fine. While I clearly didn’t have the answers to all of their questions, this experience led me to be more comfortable both in my skin and in leadership positions in general. While before my senior year I tended to shy away from positions of leadership, fearing that people would not see me as capable, I realized that a lot of the time being a leader can be the same as being there for people. Since this experience, I have stepped up into several leadership positions, including captaincy for intramural teams that I never would have considered in the past. Due to this formative experience, the definition of leadership for me has become one more synonymous with empathy and a willingness to try rather than purely strength.