Leadership

Leadership

The Leadership competency area addresses the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required of a leader, with or without positional authority. Leadership involves both the individual role of a leader and the leadership process of individuals working together to envision, plan, and affect change in organizations and respond to broad-based constituencies and issues. This can include working with students, student affairs colleagues, faculty, and community members (ACPA & NASPA, 2015).

I hope to assume many leadership roles throughout my career. More importantly, I strive to demonstrate essential leadership qualities in every position I take on, no matter the “positional authority” mentioned above. Some of these qualities can only be developed over time through experience. However, the higher education program has opened my eyes to a number of leadership strategies that can be studied and implemented at any level. The one that has resonated the most with me is the concept of psychological safety.

Psychological safety exists when group members are not afraid of being embarrassed by making a mistake. Scholar Shannon Wanless explains “rather than being inhibited by anxiety and identity management, individuals can focus on activating and accomplishing goals, regardless of the discomfort that inevitably accompanies new experiences and ideas…” (Wanless, p.6). Reading this set off a lightbulb for me. I have personally experienced both kinds of bosses - the one who says “if you mess up, you’ll get us both in trouble! I won’t trust you again!” And the boss who says “if you mess up, I’ll handle the consequences. I want you to focus on being bold and creative.” Not only was I far happier working for the latter, but my output was incomparably better. I think that it is critical for everyone to understand psychological safety because it does not just apply to leadership dynamics - holistic support and addressing certain insecurities benefits friendships, relationships, families, etc.

Psychological safety scholarship has been especially important for athletics. Kelsie Saxe and Robin Hardin write

"A team with high levels of psychological safety demonstrates high levels of trust and respect throughout the hierarchy; there is an appreciation for input, an allowance for experimentation, and a collaborative approach... A team with low levels of                    psychological safety is riddled with fear, conformity, and accentuated power distance. The leader exhibits unpredictable behavior and takes an authoritarian approach in which subordinates strive to please the leader rather than explore their highest potential. (Saxe & Hardin, p.203).

Although the hierarchy discussed is generally applied to coach-player dynamics, the values of trust and mutual respect have proven very important to my work advising student-athletes on name, image, & likeness matters. It is a new and confusing industry, and the opportunities usually involve pretty high stakes such as money and commercial relationships. I understand that student-athletes are navigating this new space for the first time, as am I!

Having benefited from psychologically safe leadership myself, I really want to pass it on however I can. To do this effectively, there is another component of the leadership competency that is extremely important: “self-awareness and continual reflection.” Specifically, leaders should be able to “describe how personal values, beliefs, histories, and views inform one’s perception as an effective leader with and without authority.” The higher education program has helped me to clarify what my own core values are through guided self-reflection. Through my final project in EDLF 7130 College Student Development, I created a personal philosophy presentation that describes my core values as patience, grit, compassion, and integrity. These values are not restated in my career vision statement, and will continue to serve as a personal foundation. I believe that leaning into these pillars will help me to create psychologically safe environments as a leader and peer.

Wanless, S. B. (2016). The role of psychological safety in human development. Research in Human Development, 13(1), 6-14.

Saxe, K., & Hardin, R. (2022). Psychological Safety in Athletic Team Environments. Journal of Sport Behavior, 45(2).