Leadership, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility

Leadership and stepping up

• Opening context: a teacher or facilitator remarks, citing a large number of students (the transcript mentions about 3000 students) and a small room where about 20 stepped up to help others. Emphasizes taking initiative rather than remaining disgruntled.
• Core maxim: “If you don’t like the leadership, become the leadership.” The point is to position yourself to take action and lead rather than complain.
• Observing leadership dynamics: leadership is relational and cultural; the speaker notes that leadership is still a relationship built through culture.
• Practical leadership stance: if you disagree with how a supervisor is doing their job, you can and should step into a leadership role yourself rather than remaining passive.
• Personal reflection on leading: the speaker emphasizes that leadership involves choosing to act and to embody the standards you expect from others.

The you-centered reflection exercise

• Prompt: “Let’s talk about you. If you were deciding to work with somebody who was just like you, would you be excited or concerned?” The exercise asks students to reflect and write down their answer.
• Self-assessment prompts:
  • Would you be excited about working with someone like you?
  • Would you be comfortable being supervised by someone like you?
• Personal caveats discussed:
  • The tendency to overthink can lead to anxiety about doing the right thing.
  • Realistic concerns about supervising peers (e.g., sophomores vs. juniors/seniors) and potential lack of engagement (
    e.g., emails, flow meetings, attendance).
  • If meetings are sparsely attended, the speaker notes a tendency to continue with communication (emails) but not force participation.
• Key takeaway: you may feel both excitement and concern about collaborating with someone like you; this frames future teamwork and supervision.

Self-supervision vs. external perspective

• The speaker candidly says, “I would not supervise myself.” While they acknowledge they would work hard and be a good supervisor, they also admit they would miss a necessary external perspective to learn and grow.
• The reason: one person cannot provide all the perspectives; a different vantage point brings new insights, challenges assumptions, and supports growth.
• Implication: even strong self-motivation benefits from diverse input; self-supervision is limited without external feedback.

Qualities and prioritization for teamwork

• The prompt invites ranking of personal qualities. The discussion centers on:
  • Self-awareness
  • Reliability
  • Communication
  • Integrity
  • Support
• The speaker notes that you don’t necessarily need to answer immediately in the session, but they connect this to the broader theme of forming a reliable team.
• Why these matter:
  • Teams require trust and shared experiences; you must believe in one another to do what you say you’ll do.
  • Capturing and reflecting on experiences helps memory and future performance (the speaker mentions taking pictures during his military career because those moments are forever).
• The role vs. job distinction:
  • Know what your role is and how others may perceive it.
  • People may see your role differently; some may expect you to do only what you’re told, while others may view you as capable of more.
  • Perspective is shaped by what we know and what we don’t know; gather information before deciding.
• Information-first approach:
  • If you have more information but still disagree, you should make an informed decision rather than reacting emotionally.
• Introduces a self-assessment line: consider different profile types related to control and accountability, and recognize that over-control can hinder team growth and burn you out.

The seven-minute exercise and discussion goals

• Instruction: a seven-minute activity where students discuss the pros, cons, and other aspects of roles and teamwork according to the screen prompts; sharing is encouraged but not required to type responses.
• Objective: practice articulating the benefits and drawbacks of specific leadership or teamwork approaches and to prepare for peer feedback.

Ball hogs, collaboration, and role clarity

• Analogy: basketball and football terms are used to describe a team member who always wants to “have the ball” (a ball hog): someone reliable when others lack energy, who keeps pushing to complete tasks.
• Strengths:
  • Consistency and drive when the team is underperforming or lacking motivation.
• Risks:
  • Potential conflict with teammates who feel marginalized or excluded.
  • The relationship can become lopsided if one person dominates decisions or activities.
  • In a work environment (e.g., floor duty), a controlling person may sideline others, affecting the entire team.
• Guidance: when collaborating, come with a solid plan for what you will do, not merely what others should do for you.
• Reflection prompt: “Which one of these roles do you want to be known for this year?” Write this down to set your tone for the year.

Philosophy and the lion metaphor: identity and leadership

• Deep, philosophical prompt: “How does a lion know that it’s a lion?”
  • The discussion uses animal metaphor to question how identity and leadership emerge: is leadership or strength innate or recognized through behavior and actions?
• Two sources highlighted for papers (in the transcript):
  • A 1934 work (likely George Herbert Mead) discussing how identity and social self are constructed through interaction.
  • A second source suggesting that being a lion is not predetermined and that leadership emerges from actions rather than labels; this echoes Bakhtin-like discourse about identity being formed through practice and language rather than fixed categories.
• Practical takeaway: leadership and “being a lion” are not fixed labels assigned by origin or stereotype; they are earned through actions, decisions, and how you handle situations.
• Implication for students: do not be bound by labels (e.g., ZIP code, background); focus on what you do with what you have to become known for your chosen leadership tone.
• Follow-up discussion: the instructor invites students to discuss the philosophy and references with them and to use these ideas in semester papers.

Practical implications for leadership roles (RA and beyond)

• The instructor connects the discussion to real responsibilities: “You said you’re going to be RAs. You’re going to be leaders. Now is the time to do it.”
• Encouragement to take action: choose leadership roles, step into responsibility, and apply principles of trust, communication, and adaptability.
• Final note: a reminder to continue engaging with peers, reflect on roles, and be prepared to collaborate effectively in future team settings.

Closing observations

• The session closes with a sense of momentum and invitation to ongoing collaboration.
• The speaker thanks participants and expresses anticipation for working together.

Key formulas, numbers, and references

• Number of students in the scenario: 3000 total; 20 participating in the described room.
• Time-bound activity: 7 minutes for a structured exercise.
• Philosophical reference year: 1934 (the year of the cited philosophical work).
• Concepts to remember for the exam:
  • Leadership as action and relationship, not a fixed label
  • Self-awareness, reliability, communication, integrity, and support as core team qualities
  • Trust and shared experiences as the foundation of teamwork
  • The difference between role and job, and the importance of information-driven decisions
  • The dangers and benefits of the “ball hog” dynamic in teams
  • The value of external perspectives to avoid echo chambers and promote learning
  • The lion metaphor: leadership emerges from action, not predetermined identity