“I don’t even know what I’ll be qualified for when I graduate!” I pounded out while screaming internally and looking at job descriptions. I brought this thought to my boss/life coach/surrogate mother, and she listed out basically all the stuff I had been doing that summer and the previous year for her: event planning, operations management, budgeting and proposal writing among other things. This quelled my fears, at least for now.

I soon realized that the thing I feel the most prepared and qualified to do is lead. This summer has been the first time that my leadership capabilities are being put to the test. As an Orientation Coordinator, I am responsible for leading my fellow coordinators and the rest of our orientation team to execute a successful orientation as well as the First Year Programming I’m over; our mentorship program.

This summer our mentorship program is being restructured to better serve the needs of incoming student. I have been tasked with overseeing the restructure and developing a strategy to market the new structure to new students. I must also make sure to accommodate those who want to participate in the current structure.

In addition to overseeing the restructuring of our mentorship program, I’ve also been responsible for working to make sure all six new-student-orientations run smoothly. This means I’m partially in charge of leading our 13 orientation leaders and making sure they’re able to do their job accordingly.

What I’ve learned from this experience is that respect is a two-way street. To be an effective leader you need to be respected, but you also need to respect those you are leading. These people want to make sure the job is done right just as much as you. I’ve found that if you respect those you’re leading they are more likely to take your leadership seriously.

We’ve all had those people leading us who demand respect, but don’t give it back. It’s frustrating, and we often don’t feel like putting in our all when working. Frequently, we waste time and energy on critiquing their leadership capabilities. The lack of respect from the leader will ultimately make the lines of communication shutdown which, take it from a Communication major, is the most detrimental thing that can happen in a group.

On the flip side, if the person who is leading us respects us, we’re more likely to work harder for them and find value in their leadership. The lines of communication will always be open, and the general team morale remains high. These are the types of groups I wish to lead, and also be in.

Everyday when I’m working I try to respect every person that I am leading. I respect all 13 of those orientation leaders and all 18 campus involvement team leaders. Their fervor for involvement is the first step in creating students who, like me, find themselves more involved in their university than they ever thought possible.

I want to be respected as a leader, I think I’m a very good leader. However I know that to be respected one must also respect.