DLAB Leadership With Others

The third session of D-LAB on January 30, 2017 was titled “Leadership With Others.” This session shifted from focusing on individual’s values to how these values interact with the surrounding communities. Prior to this session, participants had close friends select the five values they thought best described them. The session began with participants discussing in pairs whether the values their friends chose matched the values participants chose for themselves. This conversation allowed participants to reflect on how their values may be seen by others within different social and academic contexts.

The group then came together as a whole to discuss the quote by Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Specifically, our group talked about how this quote was more applicable in high school, when one’s family was the people one spent the most time with; however, in college, the five people one spends the most time with may be incredibly different individuals from a variety of places on campus.  

Following this, participants discussed real-world scenarios where values came into conflict with a group. For example, participants discussed what they would do if a member of a friend group was making derogatory comments about women, and how to best address that situation. Participants reflected on how “intent” versus “impact” play a role in such conversations. For example, when someone does something that unintentionally hurts you, they want you to understand their “intent” differed from their “impact;” however, you want them to understand the magnitude of their “impact.”

The transition from individual values to values of a community will continue in this week’s bridge activity. Participants will reflect on what they believe are the top 5-10 values of the Dartmouth Community.

Written by Sarah Han '17, D-LAB Student Facilitator