Golden Flash Handbook of Leadership

  THE GOLDEN FLASH HANDBOOK OF LEADERSHIP

Welcome

This handbook has been developed to provide you with resources to enhance your personal and organizational leadership skills. The information was designed for students in various stages of leadership development. Whether you are new to campus and just starting to explore your leadership path or are the president of an organization, you will find useful information, resources, activities, and reflection questions to meet your needs.

If you have questions about any of the resources in this handbook or about leadership development programs, contact the Center for Student Involvement, 226 Kent Student Center, 330-672-2480, or lead@kent.edu.

Why You Should Use This Handbook

The Center for Student Involvement uses the Social Change Model of Leadership as a basis for our leadership programs. We have chosen this model because it is inclusive, focusing on the process of leadership and the development of leadership qualities. In addition, it focuses on three aspects of leadership – individual, organization, and community/citizen.

In addition, the skills you develop now will stay with you long after you graduate from Kent State. Employers look for people with leadership skills and well-rounded educational experiences, including both academic and co-curricular involvement. Skills like communication, listening, planning, organizing, initiating, managing, problem solving, and facilitating will serve you well in life after Kent State!

How to Use this Handbook

The handbook has been organized into six sections. Each section contains information and resources specific to that topic area.

Section 1 – Personal/Individual Leadership

This section includes information on skills an individual needs to master in order to be an effective leader.

• Assertiveness (PDF)
  
• Burnout (PDF)
  
• Communication Skills (PDF)
  
• Conflict Resolution (PDF)
  
• Decision Making (PDF)
  
• Ethics and Ethical Decision Making (PDF)
  
• Etiquette Tips (PDF)
  
• Goal Setting - Personal (PDF)
  
• Interpersonal Skills (PDF)
  
• Leadership Styles (PDF)
  
• Listening Skills (PDF)
  
• Networking (PDF)
  
• Organization (PDF)
  
• Prioritizing (PDF)
  
• Problem Solving (PDF)
  
• Public Speaking (PDF)
  
• Saying No (PDF)
  
• Stress Management (PDF)
  
• Time Management (PDF)
  
• What Does It Really Mean to be a Leader? (PDF)
  
• Written Communication Skills (PDF)
  

 

Section 2 – Organizational Leadership

This section includes information to help student organizations function more effectively.

• Accountability (PDF)
  
• Fighting Apathy (PDF)
  
• Brainstorming (PDF)
  
• Creativity (PDF)
  
• Creativity continued (PDF)
  
• Delegation (PDF)
  
• Empowerment (PDF)
  
• Facilitation (PDF)
  
• Followership (PDF)
  
• Group Decision Making (PDF)
  
• Group Development (PDF)
  
• Group Goal Setting (PDF)
  
• Meeting Management (PDF)
  
• Motivation (PDF)
  
• Officer Transition (PDF)
  
• Recognition and Rewards (PDF)
  
• Recruitment and Retention of Members (PDF)
  
• Risk Taking (PDF)
  
• Team Building (PDF)
  
• Vision and Mission (PDF)
  

 

Section 3 – Assessments

It is important for you to know where you are in your personal leadership development.  Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, ways in which you lead a group of individuals, and what skills you would like to acquire will benefit you in your development.  The following assessments will help you learn more about yourself as a leader.  If there is something you would like to change or add to your personal leadership style, you can always set a goal for yourself to do so!  This can be helpful in Section 5: Action Planning.

This section includes the following assessment tools:

• Collage - This site contains numerous self-assessment instruments (Link)
  
• Higher Level Thinkers - This assessment helps you identify your strengths and areas of improvement in the realm of higher-level thinking (PDF)
  
• Leadership Interviews - This exercise guides you through an interview process with someone in a position of leadership (PDF)
  
• Leadership Self-Assessment - This assessment guides you through a self-examination of your leadership abilities and helps you identify ways to improve. (Link)
  
• Leadership Self-Assessment Activity 1 - This survey is designed to provide feedback about your level of preference/comfort with leadership characteristics and skills. (Link)
  
• Leadership Self-Assessment Activity 2 - This self-survey provides you with feedback on your feelings about leading others. (Link)
  
• Leadership Skills: Rate Yourself - This assessment helps you rate your abilities on several emotional intelligence competencies (PDF)
  
• Leadership Skills Assessment Questionnaire - This survey helps rate your leadership skills (Link)
  
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Link)
  
• Organization Standards and Assessment Program - These questions are designed to help guide a group assessment (PDF)
  
• Skills, Qualities, and Characteristics of Leaders - These checklists provide an opportunity for you to determine your skills and areas of improvement (PDF)
  

 

Section 4 – Reflection

We never stop developing our leadership skills and abilities - and it takes effort.  This section contains questions designed to get you thinking about yourself, your skills, and what you bring to the table as a leader.  Refer back to these questions over the next year (or longer).  Use them as potential journaling starters.  As you identify areas you wish to improve upon, talk with other students, faculty or staff about opportunities available to you.

This section includes the following reflections tools:

• Individual Leadership Reflection Questions (PDF)
  
• Group Leadership Reflection Questions (PDF)
  
• To Be or Not to Be - an activity to help guide your actions and philosophy as a leader (PDF)
  

           

Section 5 – Action Planning

This section includes information on developing your own personal leadership development plan.

• My Action Plan (PDF)
  

Next Steps

Leadership development is a never-ending process. This handbook is designed to be a quick reference guide. It is just the beginning. The Center for Student Involvement encourages you to explore other campus resources. We are also available to meet with individual students and organizations to design leadership experiences specific to meet your needs.

Best of luck on your leadership journey!