Leadership

Before entering the MLIS program I had challenges seeing myself as a leader. I thought of myself more as a follower. Three things changed this perspective over the course of my studies.

First and foremost I have to credit the "Management of Information Organizations" (LIS580) class I took in the summer of 2007 with Professor Hans Jochen Scholl. The course widened my understanding of what leadership entails. It also prompted me again and again to reassess myself in the light of what I learned. There we defined leading as one of the four major functions of effective management (the other three being planning, organizing, and controlling). I found this framework helpful. The examples, the case studies, the class discussions, and my self-evaluation made me realize that I may be more of a leader than I thought so. More importantly it freed me from the potential prison of self-fulfilling prophecy of not being able to see my leadership abilities.

The most significant way I practiced leadership in my iSchool years was taking charge of student groups. Every time when our classes required group projects I took charge and facilitated the process. I performed most of the tasks below for seven classes (LIS510, 520, 550, 551, 560, 570, and 580):

• opening the online forms to conduct our work
• creating the initial structure, opening items
• inviting my groupmates to join
• making sure everybody was heard in the conversations
• ensuring that we all share the work equally
• facilitating the conversations if necessary
• keeping us on track to produce the deliverables

When I moved to Seattle a few weeks before my first quarter at the iSchool I walked in to the library of Hillel UW, the Jewish student union, and immediately noticed that nobody is really taking care of it. I knew very little of library sciences but decided to take initiative and inquire whether I can be of any help. I described the results at the Service section of my portfolio. This was a leadership experience, because I

• created and led the project
• was solely responsible for its success
• assessed the requirements
• worked together with Hillel's technical person asking him to perform the necessary technical steps
• trained the users of the system

I believe the management class, the repeated facilitating of groupwork, and the Hillel project all made me a better leader. Taken together they constituted a significant change in my view on leadership and enabled me to move towards becoming one.

My feelings towards the concept of leadership also changed. Previously the word "leader" had negative connotations for me. Being brought up in communist Hungary I associated it with the despised and sometimes feared state leaders. The iSchool opened my eyes and made me realize that there are other kind of leaders and styles of leadership. Intellectually I was aware of it, but with the help of the systematic study I could internalize it. I am no longer uncomfortable with facing leaders or facing the possibility that I can be and am a leader myself. My view of the concept also broke down to from its monolithic and oppressive aspects to simpler things such as project management. This--being able to see less complex tasks than leading a country as leadership--is a new and liberating experience for me.

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