Leader as a Coach and Peer Mentor
In my second year, I also joined the peer mentor program from school of science. A peer mentor is kind of similar to a coach that we facilitate during the discussion. However, it focuses more on helping freshmen to transit smoothly to university life.
I once went to a REDbird workshop and the speaker talked about leadership in five aspects: character, confident, courage, communication and commitment.
1. Character
From my understanding, character refers to personality as a role model. As a peer mentor, I was the role model for freshmen. I saw many role models in my life and I learnt from them and reflected and developed myself to become better so that others can also learn from me. I think I can be viewed as a role model for freshmen that I balanced between my academic study and extra-curricular activities and I was hardworking and always tried my best to achieve my goals. I think I am someone that they can learn from.
2. Confident
Confident is really important for a leader. If a leader is not confident about his/her decision, how can other people follow? This is the area that I have always been improving. I am always scared of getting out my comfort zone and worried about I can not achieve something. But in front of my mentees or REDbird first year members, I tried to show that I was confident so that they would believe in me. Confidence also refers to confidence in others. For example, in a group work, I trusted my teammates could do well and I did not need to check over everything.
3. Courage
Leadership takes making bold and often unpopular decisions. Innovation involves tradition-defying ideas and takes courages. In my REDbird project, I did not come up with any risky ideas. But I think in a large scale project, a leader would come up with innovative but risky ideas and the leader has to bear the risk to achieve the common goal.
4. Commitment
If the leader isn't committed to a goal, why would others be? Of course we always meet difficulties, but if the decision is in the right direction, we should always try our best to achieve it. A coach and a peer mentor both require high commitment to the program. I also believe that how much a person can gain depends on how much effort he/she puts. Only if I am highly committed and eager to learn that I can gain benefits and really learn something.
5. Communication
As a leader, I have to convey myself well so that others can clearly get my idea. It is not about how fluent I can speak but more about conveying myself in a logical and easy-understandable way. For example, in my REDbird project, I explained my ideas in an efficient way so that my teammates can easily get what I was trying to say. Communication is two-way, so when others are talking, I also responded like nodding heads or asking questions.
Leadership also involves fostering communication among members. For example as a peer mentor, on the school welcome party day, my role as a leader was to lead the ice breaking games and create a harmonious atmosphere for my mentees to get to know each other. I helped my mentees to find commonality among them like same desired major, live in the same hall etc so that they can start their conversations about these commonalities.
I still remembered on the REDbird workshop, the speaker also told us that " If you want others to respect you as leader, earn it!" I will always learn from others and reflect on myself and never stop learning and developing myself!
I once went to a REDbird workshop and the speaker talked about leadership in five aspects: character, confident, courage, communication and commitment.
1. Character
From my understanding, character refers to personality as a role model. As a peer mentor, I was the role model for freshmen. I saw many role models in my life and I learnt from them and reflected and developed myself to become better so that others can also learn from me. I think I can be viewed as a role model for freshmen that I balanced between my academic study and extra-curricular activities and I was hardworking and always tried my best to achieve my goals. I think I am someone that they can learn from.
2. Confident
Confident is really important for a leader. If a leader is not confident about his/her decision, how can other people follow? This is the area that I have always been improving. I am always scared of getting out my comfort zone and worried about I can not achieve something. But in front of my mentees or REDbird first year members, I tried to show that I was confident so that they would believe in me. Confidence also refers to confidence in others. For example, in a group work, I trusted my teammates could do well and I did not need to check over everything.
3. Courage
Leadership takes making bold and often unpopular decisions. Innovation involves tradition-defying ideas and takes courages. In my REDbird project, I did not come up with any risky ideas. But I think in a large scale project, a leader would come up with innovative but risky ideas and the leader has to bear the risk to achieve the common goal.
4. Commitment
If the leader isn't committed to a goal, why would others be? Of course we always meet difficulties, but if the decision is in the right direction, we should always try our best to achieve it. A coach and a peer mentor both require high commitment to the program. I also believe that how much a person can gain depends on how much effort he/she puts. Only if I am highly committed and eager to learn that I can gain benefits and really learn something.
5. Communication
As a leader, I have to convey myself well so that others can clearly get my idea. It is not about how fluent I can speak but more about conveying myself in a logical and easy-understandable way. For example, in my REDbird project, I explained my ideas in an efficient way so that my teammates can easily get what I was trying to say. Communication is two-way, so when others are talking, I also responded like nodding heads or asking questions.
Leadership also involves fostering communication among members. For example as a peer mentor, on the school welcome party day, my role as a leader was to lead the ice breaking games and create a harmonious atmosphere for my mentees to get to know each other. I helped my mentees to find commonality among them like same desired major, live in the same hall etc so that they can start their conversations about these commonalities.
I still remembered on the REDbird workshop, the speaker also told us that " If you want others to respect you as leader, earn it!" I will always learn from others and reflect on myself and never stop learning and developing myself!