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Quinn Christianson
Andrew Miller
UNIV 390
9 February 2015
Leadership Reflection Paper
Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes, some of which are amazing to work with while
others are less than desirable to be around. Through the readings from this internship, completing
the Leadership Profile assignment, and growing as I work at my internship site, I have
discovered many of the different types of leadership styles that exist and the qualities that are
associated with them. From this information, I have been able to identify my style of leadership
and the qualities that go along with it. I have also been able to identify the values and styles of
leadership that are present at my internship.
From what I have discovered about my own leadership style, I strive to create a space
where people can try new and creative solutions to problems (Caldwell 93), I model the way that
all the different parts of the job should be done no matter how undesirable they may be (Kouzes
14), and I give my peers and superiors the tools, information, and space to grow and experiment
(Kouzes 18). These are the major traits that I have identified in myself and am currently
cultivating.
Creating a space where people can try new and creative solutions to problems is
important to me because without risk there can be no large growth. It is the risk and support of
that risk that allows for innovative solutions to problems that were once thought unsolvable to be
developed and implemented. I do this when anyone tries new things on the Smart Board,
including myself. You never know how the residents will take to a new site or activity. Often it is
a failure, meaning that no one likes what they are doing and you lose control of the class for a

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little while. This failure can make you feel disheartened if you are really invested in the idea. It
can also make you look foolish. I push people to do this and give them all my support, because it
is from these ventures that we have found some amazing sites to work with. An example of this
behavior is when I encourage new staff in the Smart Board room to try to run a lesson their way
after becoming acquainted with the board, providing advice along the way. No matter how badly
it goes, I think everyone gains from the experience.
I model the way that different parts of the job are important to me because you cannot
expect someone to do a job that you would not do yourself. By modeling how the job should be
done, you not only show your team members that you do not think you are above the work they
are doing, but you build a bond of shared work and set an expectation of quality for them to
meet. The results of modeling the different parts of a job are vital to a team working well, while
without them your team might become discontent and you may fall into disrespect among some
of the members. I model this by continually asking if there is anything that someone needs me to
help with. No matter what the job is that they give me, I put my all into it to show that I am
willing to do anything and everything that needs to get done. One example of this is wiping
down tables after people eat. I saw that no one wanted to do this job, so I asked if they wanted
me to so that I could prove I would help with anything I could.
I provide the tools, information, and space to grow because it is important to have a
strong team to back you up, and not just be talented by yourself. Alone, your talents will only get
you so far and you will eventually have to lean on your team for support. Allowing your team
member to grow and learn from different experiences strengthens not just them, but also your
team. This strength is what will support and push you and your team to heights that separately
you could not get to. An example of this is when I help the staff with the technology. I train the

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staff in ways to use the equipment that they have available to them and also show them resources
to use on that technology. While it lessens the impact that I alone have, I also see how they are
then able to enhance their classroom lessons even when I am not in the room.
I will now discuss the values and styles of leadership that I have identified at
Misericordia during my internship so far. I have seen many different and sometimes clashing
leadership values and styles at Misericordia, but the most prevalent and shared ones I have seen
are: Caring about the welfare of others (Caldwell 92), modeling how things should be done
(Kouzes 14), and emotionally supporting each other through hard times that arise (Kouzes 19).
These are the three aspects of leadership that really make up the core of the leaders at
Misericordia, even if they are not present in everyone.
Since I have arrived at Misericordia, all of the upper staff have really modeled caring
about the staff and not just treating them as disposable. They asked about peoples weekends and
families, called them by name, and made an effort to greet everyone. One moment that sticks out
to me is when one of the instructors said that she made a point say hello to everyone that walked
into her door by name and smile. This really showed to me that people at Misericordia cared
about everyone there, not just the people they consider their friends. It also makes me want to
reciprocate this friendliness, so I have started to learn the name of everyone that I meet.
The leaders at Misericordia also model how they want their staff to behave at all times.
When there is a job that needs to get done, the supervisors do not go to get someone else to do it.
They just quickly and silently do the job themselves. This modeling was made clear to me when
I had a meeting with my supervisor, but I had to wait because they were cleaning up a mess that
they had found. The supervisor cleaning up a mess that could easily have been passed on to

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someone else showed me what leadership means at Misericordia. I now have begun adopting this
mentality into my own leadership style and taking charge of situations around me.
Finally, a really big part of the leadership that I have seen a Misericordia is emotional
support for the staff and residents there. Everyone seems to be willing to listen about how you
are feeling and try to help you feel better. An example of this was after a very stressful class, the
instructor came up to me and asked how I was doing. After talking together for a while, they
offered me some advice and said that I could come talk to them anytime. I have now started to
talk to my coworkers in the downtime at Misericordia in an attempt to get to know all of them.
This is so that I can cheer them up better or give them advice when possible.

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Works Cited
Caldwell, Cam and Rolf Dixon. Love, Forgiveness, and Trust: Critical Values of the Modern
Leader. Journal of Business Ethics Spring 2009: 91-101. Online.
Kouzes, James and Barry Posner. Introducing the Five Practices. The Leadership Challenge:
How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done In Organizations. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 1995. 13-20. Online.