There were many animated conversations and some serious contemplation on Monday (7 September), the second day of Stellenbosch University's annual Student Leaders' Conference (SU Leads).
This conference, co-hosted by the institution's Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development, is aimed at creating awareness among new student leaders in all structures at SU about the challenges of leadership in a rapidly changing higher-education sphere. The Conference is now in its seventh year.
At a morning panel discussion at Metanoia Residence, SU students and staff members focused on what people expect of leaders, reports Alec Basson.
The panellists were Lovelyn Nwadeyi, a doctoral student in Political Science, Pieter Kloppers, Director of Student Structures and Communities, Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director: Sport, and student leader Farai Mubaiwa.
Nwadeyi said leaders must be willing to participate in discussions on many different issues and things happening around them.
"Student leaders should understand the role of leadership and engage with other people," Kloppers said.
Groenewald emphasised the importance of interaction and said leadership is about listening to other people.
Mubaiwa said leaders should try to understand why some people feel a certain way about what is happening to them. She urged students to better themselves as leaders.
The value of self-awareness and how to maximise one's role as part of a team are highlighted as some of the conference aims.
At an afternoon session, The Power Within, facilitated by Monica du Toit of SU's Transformation Office, participants were challenged to rethink the notion of leadership.
Du Toit explained that the normal state of leadership means that the leader is in a comfort zone and sticks with what he/she knows.
- This leadership state is externally directed and complies with the wishes of others in order to keep the peace.
- It is also self-focused in that the leader's interests are placed above that of the group.
- And it is internally closed because the leader blocks external stimuli in order to stay on task and avoid risk.
In contrast to the normal state of leadership, the fundamental state of leadership is results centred and the individual ventures beyond the familiar to seek new outcomes.
- It is internally directed as the leader acts according to his/her values.
- It is other focused as the collective good is the priority.
- And it is externally open as the leader is willing to learn from his/her environment and recognises when there is a need to change.
SU Leads 2015 ends on Tuesday.
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