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ABOUT ME

Hi there! I'm Emily James, and I am a junior at Illinois State University. I started out in the Elementary Education field, but this year I switched and am now studying Recreation Management. It is a much better fit for me. After college, I hope to work for before/after school programs and lead programs/activities for children such as camps, clubs, sport teams, and extracurriculars. My five personal strengths include woo (winning others over), responsibility, communication, positivity, and relator.

Effective Leadership

To me, being an effective leader entails someone being passionate about what they are teaching, leading, or facilitating. They get other people's input on how they are performing, including brags and builds to know what they are doing well at vs. what they need to improve on. They are effective communicators meaning they continually are speaking with the participants about the activities they may be leading, ask questions, and remind them of the goal. Most importantly, they keep everyone motivated by having them stay involved and engaged by giving them words of encouragement continuously throughout what they are leading.

My Leadership Style

Making Everyone Comfortable

Everyone has his or her own style or approach when it comes to being a leader, but there are many things that I believe are necessary when I am leading someone or a group of people.  My number one goal while being a leader is to make sure that each individual feels welcome and comfortable in the setting. I make sure that each participant is not going to be left out in the activities that are planned. Being observant of each individual and having variations or adaptations to each activity to increase comfortableness is key. If I see that one of the participants is not feeling comfortable while engaging during the activity, I will fortunately have those variations or adaptations (back-pocket activities) to make sure everyone feels equally content with the activity. In order for people to feel comfortable, especially if they do not know one another, is starting off with an ice breaker to have each person get to know a little more about one other and make the situation less uncomfortable.

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Participation

I also participate in the activities to show my engagement and to get to know each participant on a different level. I think it is important to build relationships with the ones you are leading, so they can look up to you and feel appropriate doing so. In that case, I enjoy having one-on-one time to build those relationships closer.

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Positivity

I am a very positive, outgoing individual, and I think that it is important to be that way because it shows the participants that you are engaged and excited about the activities or the plans for that day. While lightening the mood, it will bring up their spirits and make them more interested and likely to participate, as well. Being a positive influence can motivate others. Encouraging them along the way pushes them to continue participating and gives them motivation and incentive to want to keep going.  Giving them words of encouragement also lets them know that they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it. I go off of situational leadership which is when the leader must adjust his or her style to fit the development level of the group he or she is trying to influence. I come prepared for anything that comes my way, so I know how to act on it.

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Enjoyment

One last thing I include while being a leader is to make sure each individual is having a good time because who wants to participate in something they are going to walk away from knowing they did not enjoy themselves? Having a good time means the individuals will want to come back and re-participate. This will also spread the word and get more participants to join the next time around. I make sure that each individual is safe by going over the precautions before the activity is started. As much as I love when they have fun, I do have to constantly remind myself that being a leader does have some authority to it, though, just to make sure the plan gets accomplished and the goal of the activity is constantly being striven for.  

My Top Leadership Qualities

1.) Responsiblity

I am a very responsible individual, so when it comes to leading one or many people, I know what roles need to be taken. I also understand that if the roles aren’t carried out, that they are my responsibility to be taken care of. 

 

2.) Motivating

I love motivating others to make them feel better about themselves because when leading something, chances are, there are some other people in group that have not done that activity before. There’s a sense of equality, so making everyone motivated will continue that participation flow.

 

3.) Reliability

Being reliable is extremely important when being a leader. I need to be available to the ones I am leading for guidance, help, and to serve as a role model. I will continue to show them I am there for them through thick and thin on a personal level after we’ve made the connection.

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My Top Team Member Qualities

1.) Go-getter

Being a go-getter is a good quality to obtain when working with a team. No matter if I am interested in the what the team is working on or not, I still strive to get the work done to the best of my ability, as soon as possible, to have time to make corrections.

 

2.) Trustworthy

I consider myself to be trustworthy, which is extremely important in any group setting. Trusting a team member is the only way you can accomplish a goal. Without trust, it’s impossible to get anything done. You need trust in each teammate to know the work will be done and that it will be done correctly.

 

3.) Compromising

While working in a group setting, it may get frustrating because you all have different ideas to complete a certain goal.  Some disagreements may happen, so with me compromising, it is an effective way to accomplish the goal. Being respectful while compromising is key. Never bring anyone down for their ideas. Each person is different, so bringing in all the ideas into one or just all agreeing on one idea while making adjustments, makes the work go by a lot more efficiently.

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