Philosophy Reflection

I think this was a really great exercise for us to review our initial and final leadership philosophies. The compare and contrast between the two was eye-opening as to how much I have learned through the Leadership Certificate. Overall, I noticed that my passion to serve the community has not changed. The fact that this theme was present in both scenarios highlighted to me that my future leadership position as a physician has a strong influence. I think that helping the community has always been a part of me since middle school, and I am looking forward to maintaining it as I fulfill one of my goals of providing effective patient treatment. Secondly, in both my philosophies, the concept of being a good human was emphasized. Since I was young, this is a value that my family has brought me up with. Thus, even in a new role as a leader, I do not want to forget my roots which is why this concept was present in both my philosophies. In addition, based on discussions with my first coaching session, being human was an idea that was discussed in detail and resonated with me. Despite a natural gravitation towards human doing as a STEM student, we talked about how it is important to be a human being and pursue things which bring me joy and show that I care for other individuals in addition to a human doing.

As I read my initial leadership philosophy, I realized that I was trying to touch upon a variety of different competencies. I understood that being a leader is when you can address the majority of those competencies. But the Leadership Certificate program has shown me otherwise. As I wrote my reflections for coaching sessions and experiences, I noticed a trend wherein there were certain competencies which stood out to me. As a result, I refined my leadership philosophy emphasizing those qualities which resonated with me and shortened my leadership philosophy. Furthermore, I wanted my leadership philosophy to represent my story. I observed that in my original leadership philosophy, a lot of my ideas were put together as facts. But in the current one, I tried to lead into each of my ideas with a transition to highlight my leadership growth. While both of my philosophies talk about the bidirectionality of leadership, my new philosophy refines this idea and includes specific examples of groups I learned through the Leadership Certificate to illustrate this. Bidirectionality is important because as a lifelong learner and leader, I know that I am not the only person from which change can originate from. The diverse groups around me can also make a difference and shape my leadership identity.

My vision for leadership is that I want to continue working towards being a leader for which I would also want to look up to. I understand that communication plays an important role in leadership, and I want to create an environment which values this by demonstrating empathy and integrity. As a medical school student and eventually doctor, my leadership will involve providing the highest level of care of my best ability. I will strive to increase and be an advocate for health awareness for patients by building relationships which combine the stories of others and me. But as much as my leadership vision is for my community, I want to value myself as a leader as well. Thus, on a daily basis, I want to practice gratitude towards positive aspects of my life (i.e., family memories, weather, act of kindness, etc.) to develop a healthy mindset and surpass obstacles in my future.