Using systems thinking
As a leadership consultant, I have learned to develop my systems thinking in order to become a better leader. There are a myriad of on campus resources at our fingertips, and jit is all about creating a partnership that could help benefit the community. The sole objective of a system is to work together to create great product.
One way that I saw systems thinking in action was on our collaborative programs with the Office of Orientation Family Programs and Services. OFPS had some general ideas of how they wanted to structure their Siblings Weekend program, and called on LEAD to organize a service based initiative for the siblings.
Further, during the planning of the Mason Leadership Conference, LEAD partnered with a number of different offices on campus to help support our initiative of bringing leadership and well-being to the Mason campus. I noticed systems thinking in action during the committee meetings for the Mason Leadership Conference. We worked with offices such as: Mason Housing, Office of Diversity Inclusion and Multicultural Education, Career Services, Mason Rec and Social Action and Integrative Learning. All of these offices made it possible for us to deliver such an awesome experience to the Mason community. Without them it would not have been possible.
In addition, working on the Alumni Leadership Speaker Series and partnering with Mason alum was another eye opening experience of systems thinking. Their insight really added a special piece to the program, and that is something I won’t soon forget.