DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS AS A LEADER: A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR VOLUNTEERS

Transcription

1 DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS AS A LEADER: A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR VOLUNTEERS E. Euclid Drive Centennial, CO P (303) F (303) GammaPhiBeta.org 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Getting Started 4 Self Reflection as a Gamma Phi Beta Volunteer 6 Applying Self-Reflection Outside of Gamma Phi Beta 7 Additional Resources 8 2

3 INTRODUCTION For you to be the best volunteer possible, it is crucial that you have a self-awareness about your personality style, strengths, opportunities, beliefs, emotions and motivations. Understanding how others may perceive you and how you respond to others in any given situation will give you the tools you need to be the best volunteer you can be for Gamma Phi Beta. After reading this guide, you will be able to: Communicate the benefits of self-awareness and reflection. Identify ways to engage in self-reflection as a Gamma Phi Beta volunteer. Discuss self-reflection results with your volunteer supervisor. Relate results to experiences outside of Gamma Phi Beta. Keep reading to learn more! 3

4 GETTING STARTED As an organization you choose to dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to, Gamma Phi Beta has a responsibility to help you develop into the best version of yourself. To do that, we have created tools for you to look internally to become a more self-aware leader. What is self-awareness? According to Gamma Phi Beta s member competencies, a woman who is self-aware can identify her personal beliefs, her strengths and weaknesses and engages in thoughtful reflection on who she wants to be. How do I increase my self-awareness? One of the most effective ways to increase your self-awareness is to engage in intentional, thoughtful self-reflection regularly. What is self-reflection? Self-reflection is the time spent thinking about your actions, goals, behaviors and mindset. What are the benefits of self-reflection? Self-reflection helps you: 1. Have a keen awareness of who you are as a leader. 2. Develop a sense of direction to move toward your goals and objectives. 3. Improve focus and effectiveness. With self-reflection comes a sense of clarity that allows you to prioritize tasks, activities and goals that will allow you to maximize your resources. 4. Stay motivated because you realize the benefits of your actions. 5. Achieve greater resilience. As challenges arise, you will be able to use your strengths to overcome because you have a more solid understanding of the skills and attributes you have. 4

5 SELF-REFLECTION AS A GAMMA PHI BETA VOLUNTEER As a Gamma Phi Beta volunteer, you have the opportunity to use many of your strengths, skills and actions to have a profound effect on the Sorority. Because you dedicate so much of your time, energy and effort to Gamma Phi Beta, the Sorority has a responsibility to help you develop as a leader both inside and outside of Gamma Phi Beta. In this section, you will learn about the resources available to you to help you increase your self-awareness. Do I need to do a self-reflection? As part of your ongoing training and development, Gamma Phi Beta asks that you complete a selfreflection at least once per year toward the end of each academic year. Why do I need to do a self-reflection? Completing a self-reflection about your Gamma Phi Beta volunteer experience helps you to set goals for your volunteer work, focus on how your strengths impact the work you do, engage in intentional development opportunities provided by the Sorority and apply your Gamma Phi Beta experience outside of the Sorority. Additionally, your self-reflection ensures Gamma Phi Beta is providing you with meaningful training and development opportunities in the areas of highest need. What resources are available to help with my self-reflection? Gamma Phi Beta has created a self-reflection tool for you to think back about the last year of your volunteer experience based on Gamma Phi Beta s member competencies. {TIP} A competency is a description of knowledge, skills or abilities a person demonstrates. Want to learn more about Gamma Phi Beta s member competencies? Visit GammaPhiBeta.org. When should I complete my self-reflection? Your formal self-reflection should be completed once a year between the months of March and May. Over the subsequent summer, you will schedule a one-on-one call with your volunteer supervisor to talk about your results and make a plan for how to act on them in the coming year. Are there other ways for me to engage in self-reflection? Gamma Phi Beta provides numerous formal opportunities for you to engage in self-reflection and increase your self-awareness. Self-reflection is integrated into many of the training and development opportunities provided to you as a volunteer. When you engage in REAL Leadership events and programs, you often have the opportunity to think back on your experiences as a basis for learning. This is a form of self-reflection. Additionally, soliciting feedback from collegians, alumnae on your volunteer team or your volunteer supervisor can all promote self-reflection. 5

6 DISCUSSING SELF-REFLECTION WITH YOUR VOLUNTEER SUPERVISOR Completing your self-reflection is only the first part of the process of increasing your self-awareness. Often, conversations with others help you to organize your thoughts, act on your intentions and solidify your action plan. Why should I discuss my self-reflection with my volunteer supervisor? There are numerous benefits to sharing your self-reflection with your volunteer supervisor. Your volunteer supervisor will be able to help you see a different perspective. While selfreflection is beneficial, asking someone else to help you make sense of what you realized could help you think about your reflection differently, challenge you to try new things that align with your reflection or understand how others perceive your leadership style. Your volunteer supervisor can help you set goals as a result of your self-reflection. They will also hold you accountable to your goals and help you make a plan for accomplishing your goals. Your volunteer supervisor can help you identify resources that will help you accomplish your goals or further self-reflect. Your volunteer supervisor can help you relate your self-reflection to the work you do both inside and outside of Gamma Phi Beta. She can provide examples for how she has seen you demonstrate and improve on the areas you ve identified as high priority. What should I share with others about my self-reflection? During your discussion with your volunteer supervisor, you should share: Your experience. What experiences helped shape your self-reflection? What was it about those experiences that made them meaningful? Your observations. What did you notice about yourself that you had not noticed before? How have your actions, behaviors and experiences impacted the chapter you work with? Your goals. As a result of your reflection, what do you hope to accomplish in the coming year? How do your goals affect the advisory board and/or the chapter? Your plan. What are the first steps you will take to actualize your goals? What resources will help you to be successful? How will you hold yourself accountable to your goals? {TIP} Use the Setting and Achieving Goals as a Gamma Phi Beta Volunteer resource to help you set impactful goals for your upcoming year as a volunteer. Who else should I share my self-reflection with? If you feel comfortable doing so, you should share your self-reflection or parts of your self-reflection with the collegians with whom you work. Doing so models reflective behavior for them and demonstrates its role in leadership development. 6

7 APPLYING SELF-REFLECTION OUTSIDE OF GAMMA PHI BETA Gamma Phi Beta is committed to both developing you as an alumna and volunteer, but also developing you as well-rounded woman both personally and professionally. Self-reflection is a great tool to help you think about not only your life in Gamma Phi Beta, but also how you can apply and relate your self-reflection to life outside of Gamma Phi Beta. Why should I apply my self-reflection to life outside of Gamma Phi Beta? According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the top competencies employers desire to have in their employees are problem-solving, teamwork, communication and leadership. These top four areas are represented in Gamma Phi Beta s member competencies either explicitly or implicitly and understanding the ways you demonstrate each in your volunteer role will help you be more intentional about tasks, projects and activities you engage in at work. How can I apply my self-reflection to life outside of Gamma Phi Beta? Each of the competency areas, Be Yourself, Grow with Others, Lead Your Community and Learn for a Lifetime are all highly desirable attributes regardless of the context in which you are applying them. Once you have reflected on the work you do within Gamma Phi Beta, ask yourself the following to take your reflection into another context: If I were thinking about my professional and personal life, would I feel most/least confident in the same competencies? If so, how? If not, what can I apply to feel more confident in any area of my life? Where in my professional and personal life do I demonstrate Gamma Phi Beta s member competencies? What resources or training from my personal or professional life have helped build my confidence in each competency? How have others from my personal and professional life helped me develop in Gamma Phi Beta s competency areas? What competencies do I want to develop in the coming year to most help me in my personal and professional life? Be Yourself Grow with Others Lead Your Community Learn for a Lifetime Self-Awareness Confidence Resiliency Communication Teamwork Mentorship Diversity and Inclusion Philanthropic Spirit Community Participation ΓΦΒ Knowledge Critical Thinking Applied Learning Personal Excellence 7

8 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES The Key Attributes Employers Seek on Students Resumes. National Association of Colleges and Employers. November 30, 2017, 8

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