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Personal Philosophy of Leadership

Leadership Studies 652-82
Pa Yong Xiong

My Personal Philosophy of Leadership

Leadership is a quality that many desire to develop. Leadership is a gleaming compliment that
ideally is earned through a person's actions and decisions. Leadership brings people together for
a common purpose and goal. It gives people the hope and strength to move forward. In
retrospect, I believe that my experiences, education, and people contributed to my personal
growth and philosophy of leadership.
Leadership Experiences
My first experience with leadership happened in high school. I was in 11th grade and was very
interested in joining our Asian Cultural Club. Although I was interested in joining the club, I was
not able to participate due to conflicts with after school transportation. Because of my
transportation issue, I started to think about other ways of getting involved. After spending some
time thinking about the club and the goals set by the club leaders, I found that the Asian Cultural
Club did not capture what I was passionate about. I was passionate about my Hmong Culture. I
wanted to have events that educate and share the knowledge and beauty of my culture. After
realizing this, along with a friend, we decided to start a new club that would focus on these ideas
and would meet during regular school hours. Others who were in similar situations also wanted
to participate and together, we were created a program that shared and educated our classmates
and teachers about the culture.

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In college, there was a lot more opportunities for me to partake in leadership roles. While
juggling 16-20 class credits a semester, I was involved in multiple student organizations and also
working as a mentor to younger youth in an afterschool program. I had a desire to get involved
and to give back to the community. I enjoyed learning from people and attending conferences
and workshops to earn more knowledge on issues in the community.
During the summer of my last year, I had a very exciting opportunity to do research. The school
gave me funding to research Hmong women in managerial positions and the qualities that made
them successful. After the summer research, I was given further funding to continue the research
or at least share it with the community. I decided to share common themes that made these
women successful with younger Hmong girls in the community. Through the funding and in
partnership with Hmong Girl Scout, the staff and I organized a one day conference with 4
different workshops and panel discussion. We brought 6 professional Hmong women onto
campus to conduct workshops to a group of 30 girls.
Looking back on these experiences, I feel that leadership is fluid. One can go from years of
leadership experiences to none and be ready to take a leadership role. From my high school
experience to the last year of my college experience, the common thread that ties both
experiences together is my passion through my identity. Given my passion, the timing, and
resources available, I was able to realize and bring out my leadership to inspire and share with
others valuable information.
Leadership Education
My first exploration of my own personal trait happened the first year that I entered college.
Through our multicultural center, they provided us with the Myer-Briggs test. From the Myer-

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Briggs test, I scored Extravert, Intuition, Thinking, and Judging. My results were not surprising
but it reaffirmed what I thought my dominant personality traits were. When I left college, I was
able to take the same test again. My Myer-Briggs test indicated that I changed from an extravert
into an introvert, with all else the same. I think the reason is that when I was younger, I was
eager to participate. I was eager to learn and share my story. At this point, I believe I am more
observant and reflective.
My second favorite assessment test was the StrengthFinders test. Through the Strength Finders
quest, my top 5 strengths are: Achiever, Input, Learner, Responsibility, and Relator. The strength
test helped me focus on my strengths and utilize what I am already good at to my advantage. It
also gave me a chance to look at some of my weaknesses as well and the different ways to work
on them. I enjoy taking these kinds of tests as I have found that it helps us develop our best
qualities further.
Last but not least, although it was not called a leadership class, I feel that my Conflict Studies
class plays a huge part of my education. In my Conflict Studies class, we explored frameworks,
conflict sources, and the usage of resources. This class made me aware of the different strategies
and resources that can resolve conflict. As a leader, I believe a major part of what they do is
doing something that no one has never done. This means, they will run into some issues and
knowing how to handle the situation can determine the result of battle.
Leadership Examples
People are great inspirations who can motivate you to become a better person. My first and
foremost role model is my mom. My mom is the hardest working, kindest and patient person I
know. She was married at a young age, left everything she had behind and moved with my dad to

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a new country. The only English words that she probably knew was No and Yes. She
dropped out of high school to care for the kids. She worked hard and odd hours to pay the bills.
As a person of color growing up, it was not easy to find someone similar that I can look up to at
a young age. It was my moms perseverance, attitude, and good nature that I look up to.
While in high school, I was involve in youth groups with the Hmong American Partnership.
Through the program, I met Amanda Moua and she became a great mentor. It was her struggles
that made her unique. She is a Hmong woman in a white mans county. She is a teen mom with
two biracial daughters. Not only does she have to overcome the prejudice and stereotypes from
the larger community but also the disparaging comments from her community. Yet, she never lost
hope. She still went after her education and still want to better both communities she lives in.
Amandas passion is contagious. She makes me want to make the community a better place to
live. She makes me want to pass on my knowledge to help those who are similar like me. Even
today, she still inspires me every day. And I hope to eventually pass on the inspiration to others.
Philosophy of Leadership
In general, I believe the aim of leadership is to provide the direction and resources needed to
improve systems and people. It is about acknowledging, supporting and caring for others that are
not as privileged. It is about creating opportunities for others and embracing a safe atmosphere
where ideas can be both challenged and accepted. Leaders continues to seek improvements for
others and systems. My belief about leadership is that it is a responsibility and commitment to
improving self, others and systems. It is to understand and appreciate all diverse voices. It seeks
to bring the best out of people and gather people together for a shared purpose that is meaningful
and positive. It also helps others realize their leadership potential as well. To keep improving
self, reflection is a very important tool for leaders. Reflective leaders are able to hone their skills

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and understand and reflect on past and future actions. Reflection helps us evaluate and continue
to better serve ourselves and others.
From analyzing my beliefs and values about leadership through the eight different platforms, I
find that my leadership style is more in line with servant leadership. From Northouse (2013),
Greenleaf defines servant leadership as [having] a social responsibility to be concerned about
the have-nots and those less privileged. I believe this stems from growing up in an
underprivileged and minority community. Because of my personal background, I want to help
those who are in similar situations so that they too can experience and have access to the
freedom, rights, and resources that they never knew existed.
Through my experiences, education, and examples, I have come to develop my own personal
philosophy of leadership. My definition of leadership is having courageous and righteous actions
in seeking to better the world. I believe one can keep on continuing their leadership skills and
that different situations call for different leaders. To keep developing my own, I will seek to build
my knowledge through different opportunities. Through the Education Leadership program and
through my experiences, I hope to further refine my leadership skills to help those who may not
have the same opportunity.

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References
Laufenberg, D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.personalitypathways.com/
Northeouse, P. (2013). Leadership theory and practice. (6th ed., pp. 219-251). Thousand Oaks:
SAGE Publications, Inc