HDF 190:

FIRST YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCE

LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO

Alexander Yonchak
SPRING 2016

ayonchak@my.uri.ed

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Strengths
Opening Statement
Section 1: Self Leadership
Section 2: Leadership Theories
Section 3: Inclusive Leadership
Section 4: Critical Thinking
Section 5: Interpersonal/Organizational Leadership

SLIDE 4
SLIDE 5
SLIDE 6
SLIDE 7
SLIDE 8
SLIDE 9

*If you do not have one outcome from each area of the Inventory completed,
you may opt to choose 2 from one of the sections.

Signature Strengths
Deliberative
Learner
Intellection
Focus
Restorative

Values in Action Strengths

Creative
Judgement
Perspective
Prudence
Self-Regulation

OPENING STATEMENT
It is rare that one of my classes becomes more than just a
class. But in HDF 190, my class became a place to grow,
learn, and it became a home. I learned about my Strengths,
my Values, and how to become a better leader. Whether I
am on my own, or with a group, what I learned in FLITE can
be applied to everything. And I will continue my growth as
a leader throughout the rest of my college classes and
throughout my life.

SECTION 1 - SELF LEADERSHIP

Outcome 8: Student will express a personal value statement:
In HDF 190, I used the VIA value test, and was given a list of my top values. My top value was Creativity
and my second was Judgement. I use these two values in much of what I do; I always seek the most Creative
solutions possible and I Judge everything critically so that I only accept the best options available. These two
values are also the most important to me because they mark my ideal self-image; if I want to accomplish my
dreams and ambitions in both personal life and career, I need to constantly seek Creative solutions to problems,
equally as I need to have steady Judgement of self, others, and my surroundings.
Secondarily to my main two values, VIA reported my third, forth, and fifth values as Perspective, Prudence,
and Self-Regulation; These three values are partially a continuation to my character, but also an addition to my
complexity as a human. Perspective is an elaboration of my Creativity, in that a Creative Perspective will make
Creative ideas. While Prudence and Self- Regulation are an elaboration of Judgement; These two values represent
good Judgement in terms of my actions (Prudence), and my emotional / physical states (Self- Regulation).
Through using these three values, I can build upon Creativity and Judgement, making more unique content, while
also controlling myself so I can act as a role model and be my best.

SECTION 2 Leadership Theory and Models

Outcome 26: Student will show knowledge of the Servant Leadership theory of
leadership by Greenleaf
The Servant Leadership theory by Greenleaf focuses on the relation between a leader and others, usually a
group or others who are higher in position. The model does this through 10 components: listening, empathy,
healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people,
and building a community. Listening, or more specifically active listening, is the act of receiving information and
advice through listening to better ones own leadership skills. Empathy is the process of understanding others, their
positions, and their emotions to better a leaders relationship with them. Healing is the act of repairing other
people, relationships, and situations to help those who need it and through that learn about what people need from
a leader. Awareness is the pursuit of understanding all that surrounds a leader so they can better what is needed of
them. Persuasion is the act of convincing others to a specific point of view or position. Conceptualization is the
process of visualizing a goal or actions to create plans. Foresight is the act of thinking ahead to help create plans.
Stewardship is the intention of leading others through persuasion rather than direct control. Commitment to the
growth of people is the goal of supporting others and their development. Building a community is the culmination
of the servant leadership theory, it means using all of the other 9 components to better all people and create a
community. All together the servant leadership theory is useful for all leaders as it allows them to build and
maintain relationships with others regardless of experience level.

SECTION 3 Inclusive Leadership / Diversity and its application to leadership

Outcome 68: Student will demonstrate how cultural anthropology / paradigms relate
to leadership
In APG 200, I learned about numerous cultures, people, and life styles, but what stuck with me the most was
the understanding that everyone can be different and can have different beliefs. Just within a continent, words can
translate to dramatically different meanings, gestures we view as normal can be rude or insulting, and clothing can
be inappropriate or socially unacceptable. To me, these differences create a large challenge for leadership because
a leader cannot be actively insulting people while trying to work with them. Thus, for a leader to be successful,
they must be accepting and understanding of all cultures and beliefs. Only by doing this can he or she truly work
with any population or people. But this idea doesnt just affect entirely different cultures, it can also affect a
leaders personal culture; just because I live in a culture doesnt mean I fully understand it. So if a leader wants to
work with people, even similar ones, he or she needs to understand and accept their beliefs, incorporating them
into their style of leadership. Through this, a leader can be fully inclusive of anyone and everyone and thus
function at their best

SECTION 4 Critical Thinking

Outcome 88: Student will show knowledge of principles of critical thinking (logic is
used in this minor)
I divide critical thinking into 5 steps: baseline knowledge, observations, objective statements, plan of action,
and then post-evaluation. The first step, baseline knowledge is doing research about the basics around a topic so
that I understand what I am attempting to work with or on. The second step, observations is the pursuit of complete
understanding of the current situation, question or etc, by listing all of the characteristics, setting, and other
involved factors. This portion is key because it can supplement baseline knowledge, and is totally necessary for the
development of critical statements. The next step, objective statements, is the formation of non-biased conclusions
about the topic, which allows for a complete understanding which is not marred by biases or logical fallacies.
Making a plan of action is the next step, and this step is the culmination of all the objective statements, baseline
knowledge, and observations to allow for the creation of the most ideal solution or response. The last step, one
which I value the most, is post-evaluation. This step is the reflection of all the other steps to identify any issues in
thought or logic which may have impacted the outcomes. For me, this step allows for learning about my errors so I
can better address them at a later time

SECTION 5 (Interpersonal and Organizational Concepts and Skills )

Outcome 104: Student will describe examples of giving and accepting feedback.
In HDF 190, I and my FLITE group gave individual 2 minute and 30 second speeches about the Social
Change Model of Leadership. During our speeches, we recorded notes on each individuals performance such that
we could give feedback about it afterward. During this process, I received specific constructive feedback about
two specific areas: voice tone and volume. During my speech I was very monotone and had too low of a volume.
The monotone was a known issue to me, but the groups feedback included a recommendation to practice each line
separately so I could better practice emphasizing key words to improve my inflection and overall tone for speeches
in general. As for volume, the group all agreed I needed to maintain a slightly louder volume. From this feedback,
I recorded these main two points and several smaller ones for personal use later. Moreover, to better receive the
feedback I asked numerous questions for both examples of what I did, how it sounded, and how to correct it. As
for providing feedback, I chose a general anonymous style for the sake of time.
While in my COM 101H class, we learned how to interpret speeches and how they are typically graded.
Through this knowledge, I learned how to grade and criticize speeches myself for both content and performance.
For content, I learned how to spot transition sentences, target audiences, and purpose. For performance, verbal
fillers, vocalizations, incorrect wording, tones, inflection, and speaking speed are areas I learned to analyze. I used
this knowledge when listening to the speeches of others in my group, but I felt it would take too long to provide
specific examples for everyone, so instead I made a longer list and went through it all generally. I provided
examples for each topic, but did not include the sources unless they were obvious, and provided rational solutions
to any problems or issues. But, because I felt everyone did a great job, I balanced each negative topic with a
positive one focusing on good format, content, and style