My leadership philosophy

As a Servant Leader it’s important to see and understand situations from multiple perspectives. My interactions with diverse groups of individuals and people from different cultures through volunteering in Jordan and Turkey a couple of years ago has helped me understand how different people view the world. This experience has made their thought processes and actions more comprehensible to me. My leadership style is a mix of compassion and understanding paired with firmness and punctuality. I believe a leader must have compassion and understanding to earn respect rather then fear from the members of his/her team. At the same time punctuality is necessary, as without it a leader’s goals will remain unachieved, so I believe a leader has to have compassion and punctuality in order to be able to guide a team towards a common vision/objective. What motivates me is having the possibility of waking up everyday knowing that as a software engineer I will be working on projects that actually assist people. My end goal is to open a startup specializing in creating technology to help those with missing limbs. I envision creating solutions that will replace hands, legs, and more. My entire life I have felt that is my purpose, which in turns allows me to strive towards it everyday.

I live with the expectation of effort and the pursuit of excellence, from myself and others. My vision is that of a society in which all are on the path to their highest self, thus propelling humanity to uncommon height. Success, to me, is being the best version of oneself, which in turn looks like engaging passionately in work that your heart screams for, while providing for your family. The lessons from LEAD classes could not have further confirmed my identity as a servant leader, providing the space and place to exercise my voice amongst peers who were also engaged in productive conversations. It was there that I learned a 7 Cs philosophy and was introduced to a variety of skills that would be incorporated in my approach to leadership many years later. My leadership philosophy aligns closely with the 7 Cs of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, with each element of my character fitting neatly into one of the Cs. An example of where I applied this philosophy is when I was helping a friend study for the SAT. She would constantly talk down to herself and say that she was not going to achieve the score she needed. I immediately put a stop to it and continued encouraging her because I saw her potential. Once she changed her mindset, she achieved the score she needed, thanks to a change in the way she thought about herself and her willingness to reach the potential I saw in her. As another point of example, punctuality aligns well with the Cs of commitment, common purpose, and congruence, further demonstrating how relevant skills support this model.

Essentially, leadership to me is more than just steering; it is about creating an environment that brings patience, understanding, firmness and punctuality together to result in productivity, inclusivity, and growth. It is about creating a culture of mutual respect, continuous learning, and accountability that paves the way for our collective ushering in of a future that meets our aspirations. This approach, one that is holistic; enables me to be a repository of assets that I can bring to bear on any team, guaranteeing that we move forward together towards our collective goals.