During Summer 2021, I worked as a Chief Experience Officer (CEO) for school trips to Washington DC with a company called World Classrooms from Aberdeen, South Dakota. As a CEO, you are a camp counselor, chaperone, customer service representative, logistics captain, and tour guide all in one. Two CEOs co-lead each trip, working directly with a Local Expert who is the “content boss” as we navigate the DC area. The three of us work as one, constantly communicating with the bus driver, hotel, company liaisons, restaurants, and lead teachers to make sure everything runs smoothly. I reached out to a few of the lead teachers, Local Experts, and CEOs that I worked with over the summer to complete a performance evaluation for me- all performance evaluations can be referenced below this reflection.

          On each of my six trips, I was exposed to different leadership styles and group dynamics, meaning I had to adjust how I approached the group each time. Before I was hired, World Classrooms had me take a High Five strengths test to see if my strengths aligned with the role, then used these strengths to pair us with other CEOs to make sure we’d balance each other out.  My strengths are Optimist, Philomath, Storyteller, Coach, and Problem Solver. A common theme between all of these is that I take a very hands-on approach to leadership where I often am the first to speak up, take charge, and make sure others are heard. In the ­­­­­­­Gallup StrengthsFinder Test, which I took in my Honors 201 class, this aptitude for working directly with people “Influencing” (see my Gallup StrengthsFinder results here). On four of my six trips, I was paired with Alayne Daly. She and I balanced each other out very well in our leadership styles and were quickly able to seamlessly switch who was leading vs supporting the other, always making decisions together- an equal 50/50 team. Some of the places where I struggled, she was very strong in- for example, she has a gift for assuaging adults. She has a very strong ability to deliver disappointing information in a matter-of-fact way without it coming across as disappointing. I believe that adults took it better from her because she maintains a very stable and collected personality all the time, a great communication style for adults, whereas I have a tendency to be higher energy in an environment surrounded by children, which made me a stronger communicator with the students. We were both still very capable of delivering information to both adults and students effectively, and it was interesting to see it received differently as a result of our approaches. One thing that I struggled with was the sort of code switch of energy between speaking to students and speaking to adults, while Alayne would maintain the same energy level regardless of who she was talking to. She was also very good at remaining organized and being the bus DJ while I was in the back dancing with the students. We fulfilled different needs, and we were always very aware of the other, checking in throughout the day and recapping at the end of the night, making us a very strong team.

​

          On another trip, I was partnered with Shane Wagoner who is a few years older than me and a teacher. He is also a servant leader, but he was not used to sharing responsibilities due to his habits as a teacher, so on the first day it felt like an 80/20 team. Neither of us are were wrong in our approaches to leadership, but we were not on the same page. That night, we talked about how we could utilize each other’s strengths more effectively and work together to be a more cohesive team. In the end, we were able to get to a 60/40 leadership balance, and we become much stronger together. Even though it may be uncomfortable, recognizing strengths and weaknesses is essential to being an effective be a team member, and it’s important to use this knowledge to your advantage for the good of the group. This “for the good of the group” mentality is one that firmly informs my leadership philosophy. Leadership to me is about helping others achieve their goals, both individually and in a group setting. I believe anyone can be a leader, regardless of their position. I am a passionate servant leader with an emphasis on consistently clear and supportive communication with my peers to maintain a clear understanding of our goals. I aim to be approachable, helpful, optimistic, and flexible to the needs of the group. If a leader cannot adjust their strategies to better achieve the group’s goals, they are not leading effectively. This flexibility of leadership is what makes servant leaders so strong. The best leaders that I know are the ones that are passionate about what they do and don’t think twice about helping others, even the individual. There is an understanding that building up others builds up yourself, and I think that servant leaders embody that.

​

          Leadership is so fulfilling to me and brings me such joy. Working for World Classrooms allowed me to exercise my servant leadership almost constantly for an entire summer. This experience has helped me formulate my leadership philosophy and inspires me to continue to improve upon my strengths and weaknesses for any future roles I may hold, be it as a student, director, teacher, or simply an employee. At the end of the day, I think anyone can be a leader, regardless of position, and I want to inspire others to do so as well.