RLF Reflection: Practical Leadership

On February 24th, HK gave a presentation on Practical Leadership. He emphasized that the three frameworks that a leader needs to possess are cognitive, emotional, and dispositional. The most important one is cognitive, as leaders need to use different thinking strategies and mental frameworks when leading. They need to be open-minded and be open to learning from others.

Being a leader is hard, and HK knows from firsthand experience. During covid, he was the president of the Dartmouth Consulting Group, as well as his fraternity. HK shared an instance in his leadership where he believed that he needed to truly think outside the box and listen to his peers.

When the college had a strict no indoor gathering policy, a lot of the brothers were unhappy and wanted to find a way to enjoy their college experience despite these restrictions. As the president of the fraternity, HK had to follow these guidelines but he also listened to his peers and wanted to hear their views on the policies. Instead of ignoring their points, he went to the office of greek life and voiced his concerns. They were able to discuss alternatives to indoor gatherings and decided that obtaining a permit from the fire department to have outdoor gatherings was the way to go. The fraternity was able to have a term with fun and covid safe outdoor events which kept the brothers and the college happy.

Through this leadership experience, he concluded that leaders should actively listen and seek improvement, be open-minded to a variety of solutions, and take bold and prompt action. Practical leadership is extremely important as leaders will be put in difficult situations where they need to think outside of the box in order to find the best solution for everyone involved.

-Written by Mia Leko, Class of 2022 Rockefeller Leadership Fellow 

As Rockefeller Leadership Fellows, seniors gain a better understanding of the qualities and responsibilities expected of leaders. As Fellows take part in the workshops, discussions, and team-building exercises, they examine their skills, qualities, and attributes as leaders and analyze how these influence teamwork and achieving goals.