Culminating Project

1. Culminating Project Dallas Rose-Gebrosky

2. Definition of Leadership • Before Leadership Minor: My definition was very naïve and limited. I believed leadership was getting people to like and follow you. I believed a good leader was a person who was charming and well-respected, charismatic, and was determined by a title. • After Leadership Minor: There are as many definitions of leadership as there are people in the world. Leadership encompasses so much more than one could put in a single sentence. However, leadership is a group of people working towards a common goal or purpose and positive change.

3. Who Do I Follow? • Every effective leader has people that he or she looks to for leadership qualities and role models. • God: First and foremost, the Word of God and his teachings are the foundation of my life. • Billie Cheek Fine: My great-grandpa was the most generous and selfless man I knew. He was generous with his time, finances, and warming smiles. He always put others needs before his own. • Rusty Allen Gebrosky: My dad is a significant spiritual leader in my life. He is a great role model of a godly father and man. He is a source of encouragement and support. • Tim Tebow: He is bold, unashamed, tenacious, and perseveres. He is an underdog that keeps surprising.

4. Know Your Why • Simon Sinek says that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. In other words, know your ‘why’ and out of that will come the ‘how’ and the ‘what’. We must know our intrinsic motivation before we can inspire others to follow. • My ‘why’ is all for the glory of God. Whatever I say, think, or do, I strive for it all to be for the glory of God. • I will do that by caring for people through my profession, extending mercy over judgment in my words, and demonstrating empathy towards others.

5. Understanding Oneself • In addition to knowing one’s ‘why’, one must continue to understand his or herself before they can lead. • This process includes understanding one’s strengths and core values. These concepts serve as a foundation of how one will operate in a leadership position or setting. • Without a firm grasp of these concepts, it will be challenging for one to be an effective leader.

6. Strengths’ Finder Freshman Year Junior Year Belief Positivity WOO Communication Maximizer • Empathy • Harmony • WOO • Adaptability • Developer

7. Strengths Continued… • As these strengths were identified, I began to intentionally find places to demonstrate them. My empathy was expressed late at night in the dorm room listening to my roommate’s latest hardships, I would intentionally try to find one thing with each person I met to connect and win them over, I became a field training officer to draw out the potential in others, in my academic group work I would serve as the compromiser. • When I discovered my new set of strengths, I began to apply them to the different areas of my life. The Fire Service has strong core values and I began to realize that my values aligned with them, I worked in teams constantly in different settings and had to utilize clear communication, I capitalized on my strengths of teaching, and I remained positive in different team settings despite the situation.

8. Why The Change? • Freshman Year: I was very much people-oriented. I wanted to get to know as many people as I possibly could and connect in some way, shape, and form with everyone. The positions I chose to be in reflected this people-oriented approach such as Campus Safety and Living Area Coordinator. These strengths proved to be helpful because they are all relational. • Junior Year: Because of my experiences, position changes, and maturity level, I gained different strengths than before. My role in Campus Safety shifted to a dispatcher and field training officer, I began to volunteer for the Pasadena Fire Department, and I worked in a hospital setting. Meeting new people was no longer as thrilling to me as it was freshman year and the positions I joined required communication, strong core values, and emphasizing my strengths.

9. Core Values • Michael Whyte first brought the concept of core values to life for me. I was aware that I had a moral and ethical compass, but I was able to identify these values that drive me and they are of utmost importance to me. I apply a certain set of values to my life in every situation, circumstance, or decision. They are constant and unwavering. They guide my behavior and influence my decisions. They determine the type of people I want to be in relationship with and the type of profession I want to enter into.

10. Values Acronym (V.E.R.T.I.C.A.L.) • V- vulnerability • E- empathy • R- respect • T- teamwork • I- integrity • C- courage • A- adaptability • L- loyalty

11. Values Continued… • Vulnerability: be authentic and genuine; show transparency and be open; trust people. • Empathy: see other’s points of view; change your perspective; seek to understand those that are different from you • Respect: is given simply for being human, everyone deserves it. • Teamwork: be a part of something bigger than yourself; work in collaboration towards a common goal.

12. Values Continued… • Integrity: responsibility and accountability; paying attention to details; strong core values and morality. • Courage: be bold and confident; step out of your comfort zone; speak out against injustice. • Adaptability: obstacles are inevitable and most of the time things won’t go according to plan; overcome adversity and keep progressing; be flexible. • Loyalty: be devoted and committed; 100% in; loyal to a fault;

13. Values Continued… • Vulnerability: Matthew 26:39-42 • Empathy: John 11:33-35 • Respect: 1 Peter 2:17 • Teamwork: 1 Corinthians 12:20-26 • Integrity: Colossians 3:23 • Courage: Joshua 1:9 • Adaptability: James 1:2-4 • Loyalty: Proverbs 18:24

14. Leadership Positions • Department of Campus Safety: Field Training Officer and Dispatcher • Winshape Camps: Counselor • Huntington Hospital: Patient Transporter • Pasadena Fire Department: Fire Explorer • Fellowship Monrovia: First Aid Team • Inter-Community Hospital: Cardiac Rehabilitation Intern • Emergency Medical Technician

15. Lessons Learned… • Teamwork and Communication: Campus Safety, Winshape, and Fire Explorers are all jobs in which teamwork and communication were essential. • Fire Explorers: Communication is paramount in the fire service. There are two instances where communication failed. One meeting we were training on the fire ground. We were loading the hose. Whenever we reach the coupling, we are required to shout “coupling!” so people do not get hurt. This particular time loading the hose, a team member neglected to shout coupling and it hit another team member in the head and he had a gash. • Moral of the story: Clear and concise communication is necessary in order to be an effective and efficient leader.

16. Lessons Learned… • Bomb Threat: I was working in Dispatch for Campus Safety one afternoon when I received a call of a suspicious package in Segerstrom. I immediately contacted our University Resource Officer and he responded to the scene. He confirmed that the package was suspicious. As a result, I had to coordinate with EMS, Azusa PD, LACo Fire, and the bomb squad and supply them with all the necessary information. In addition, school officials had to be contacted and the building and those surrounding it were evacuated. Parent after parent called asking about their children as well as countless news stations. Eventually the package was secured and the threat was neutralized. • Moral of the story: In an emergency like this, it took a lot of moving parts to assemble. Every single person involved was necessary to contribute to this team effort. Every person had their role and executed it flawlessly. It was a group of people coming together to achieve a common goal.

17. Lessons Learned… • Patient transporter: This semester I was working and showed up to the ER to pick up a patient and take them upstairs. I knocked on the door and politely introduced myself. Immediately I noticed the distress on this elderly woman’s face. I came up next to her bedside and asked her what was wrong. She firmly grasped my wrist and explained to me that no one would listen to her. The doctors and nurses were busy getting vitals, poking her with needles, and running tests that they neglected a basic problem. She was cold. I ran and grabbed her another blanket and she was grateful. • Moral of the story: Listen to your customers and patients. Provide for their basic needs. Go above and beyond if possible.

18. Lessons Learned… • Cardiac Rehabilitation: Cardiac Rehab’s patients are mostly the geriatric population. I was given the task to lead the patients in their exercises for the day. As I began the exercises I gave the patients instructions. Almost simultaneously they hollered at me to speak up. In addition, I was unintentionally using medical language that they were not familiar with. I had to adjust and use diction that they could understand. I also was moving too fast for the patients and had to slow down. • Moral of the story: Know your target audience. Tailor to their learning style. Interact with them on a daily basis.

19. Change • Change has always been an uncomfortable, uncertain, and daunting reality to me. I am comfortable with tradition and consistency. I have always experienced resistance to change due to fear, satisfaction, selfishness, and lack of self-confidence. • Through academic education of change, my views of change had been changed in a positive manner. Change can be positive and should be embraced so progression and growth is possible.

20. Kotter’s Change Model • Establishing a sense of urgency • Creating the guiding coalition • Developing a vision and strategy • Communicating the change vision • Empowering broad-based action • Generating short-term wins • Consolidating gains and producing more change • Anchoring new approaches in culture • (Komives, 2013, p. 434)

21. Kotter’s Change Model in Action • Dilemma: Student-worker dispatchers in Campus Safety are understaffed and overworked. It started to feel like Worker-student. • Establish sense of urgency: Student dispatchers called a meeting with our supervisor and the chief. • Guiding coalition: Myself, another student dispatcher, our supervisor, and a lieutenant were put together and tasked with finding solutions to the issue. This included attempting to come to a compromise with the personnel that we had and looking at other options such as hiring more student or staff dispatchers. • Vision and strategy: potentially hiring a third staff dispatcher, re-working the current scheduled shifts, team building activities • Communicating vision: The guiding coalition team kept all involved personnel clearly informed every step of the way.

22. Kotter’s Change in Action • Empowering: Began to give incentives, reward, and encouragement to current workers to boost confidence and morale. • Short-term wins: Began the training process immediately for new student dispatchers. • Producing more change: People picked up extra shifts and covered shifts that people needed off. • Change culture: Today, there is a third staff dispatcher and a plethora of student dispatchers.

23. Faith Integration • John 13:4-17: 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

24. Faith Integration Continued… • Jesus was a king. Yet, he humbled himself and performed the job of a slave. Washing feet was considered the lowliest, dirtiest, and most disgusting job of the time. Jesus was not afraid to get his hands dirty and get fully involved in the mess. He lead by example and served and worked alongside those of inferior status. Jesus’ teachings were counter-cultural. He was a king, yet he claimed and demonstrated that he was no greater than any other man. Jesus did not ask his followers to do things that he did not already do.

25. Servant Leadership Model • This is the model that I most identify with and strive to demonstrate in my leadership positions. Being a servant leader is putting other’s needs before your own. Servant leaders are authentic and genuinely care. Servant leaders reach for the unreachable, are motivated by compassion, listen to others, honor second-string players, and do the unexpected (Perkins, 2000, pp. 177-184). • Jesus countlessly and intentionally sought out the marginalized, the untouchables, the demon-possessed, and those that were outcasts according to society. He consistently performed miracles and preached despite the fact that he was tired and needed rest. Jesus did the unexpected by sharing a meal with a tax collector and touching a leper.

26. Servant Leadership Model in Action • As a Fire Explorer for the Pasadena Fire Department, we have a task book that is filled with skills to get trained on and checked off by professional firefighters so we can ultimately go on ride-alongs with them. I got several skills signed off such as ropes and knots, station addresses, fire classifications, and personal protective equipment. I noticed once meeting that my colleague was having trouble tying knots. He was off by himself. I decided to approach him and ask if I could help. He told me that he had tried and failed three times to be signed off by the firefighters on this task. I decided to take the time to work individually with him on this task instead of doing what I really wanted to do which was cutting metal with electric saws. He told me the next week that he finally passed and appreciated me taking the time to go out of my way and help him.

27. What’s Next? • The near future of my leadership journey is filled with a lot of uncertainty. I am changing locations, I will be unemployed for the time being, I am leaving my church, I have to be a part from my fiancée, live at home again, leave all my friends that I have made, and not be established financially. However, I know that my leadership journey does not stop just because I am in a transition period. I also understand that the current changes I am experiencing does not define my leadership. So what is next? I will trust God in my leadership journey and allow him to direct the decisions and situations that are transpiring. Proverbs 3:5-6 will be my life verse in this season “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge him and he will keep your path straight.”

28. Thank You • This serves as a special thank you to all my leadership professors, mentors, employers, and parents who have significantly impacted my leadership journey. • To my professors: Thank you for providing a foundation of academic excellence for leadership and pouring words of encouragement into my life. • To my mentors: Thank you for allowing me to be honest and open and talking with me about difficult situations and giving wisdom • To my employers: Thank you for the opportunity to grow myself as a professional and gaining experience in the workforce. • To my parents: Thank you for being examples of godly leaders in my life and loving God first.

29. Bibliography • Perkins, B. (2000). Awaken the leader within: how the wisdom of Jesus can unleash your potential. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House. • Komives, S. R., Lucas, N., & McMahon, T. R. (2013). Exploring leadership: for college students who want to make a difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.