Running Head: CULMINATION PAPER

Culmination Paper
Alex Coleman
Azusa Pacific University

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The Trail Behind

When walking upon a trail, it is important to reflect upon the trail behind, in order to
understand the trail under foot and the trail ahead. Reflection is a vital part of the growth process.
Leadership never develops in a vacuum, but context provides depth of understanding. My trail
behind is highlighted by intentional investment and opportunities which have shaped the person I
am today.
My leadership journey began when I was in high school. I entered high school as a shy,
reserved student who lacked self-confidence. My first leadership step came from an un-expected
source. When I would attend youth group, I would come in late, leave early, and would not
interact with anyone. This all changed when my youth pastor, Will Sawkins, approached me and
told me that he was going to force me to be a leader before I graduated from the youth group.
Although I was skeptical, I followed along. By the time I graduated from high school, I was
interning at church, leading at school, and headed towards college as a competent leader.
When I arrived at Azusa Pacific University, I was convinced my trail led to a high school
youth pastor job. The time I spent at Azusa Pacific changed everything. I applied and was
selected for Living Area Council which was a student leadership opportunity in Trinity Hall. I
was given the opportunity to building community in my living area and work alongside my
Community Advisor, Becca Okida, and my Resident Advisor, Joey Banasihan. I found out that
ministry in the residential context can change lives.
The Resident Advisor role has shaped my leadership more than any other leadership
position. I also discovered that the Residence Life staff can be a locus of spiritual and personal
development. My Residence Directors, Emily Kirkbride, Ronnie McGee, and Jonny Hong
endlessly poured out their lives to me and provided a model that I still follow to develop

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students. I learned that I would only get out of leadership what I put in. I learned that the hard,
tireless, thankless work is so much more than worth it. I emerged with a completely different
trail.
Once I decided that I wanted to become a full-time Residence Life professional, it
became clear that I needed to learn how to become more professional. This opportunity came
from working with Shino Simons and Jeanette Garces in the Student Life office. Shino and
Jeanette molded an immature leader into an emerging professional who understood what
professional life at a liberal arts college looks like. Both of these incredible women taught me
that life is not easy as a higher education professional, but there is the possibility to impact
campus-wide change. They invested in me and gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams.
They both believed in me and gave me the chances necessary to develop.
During this time I also developed a love and understanding of leadership in the outdoors.
Through the Walkabout program, which is a ten day intensive backpacking experience, I began
to conceptualize how much personal growth happens in the wilderness. I began to understand
that the wilderness tests and tries. I began to understand that this testing and trying can lead to
growth for those who overcome. I have gained an appreciation for leading people into the scary
and unknown and doing life together in those areas. I have learned the importance of authentic
story-telling and prayer. The outdoors has shaped my view of life being a series of trails with
peaks that exhilarate, valleys that can crush someones spirit, rocks that can trip, and smooth trail
that can energize the weariest traveler.
The Trail under Foot
The trail under foot is oftentimes the hardest to conceptualize. Even though it is the
ground currently being covered, it is difficult to understand its impact because there is not the

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benefit of hindsight. The trail under my feet has been an incredible journey of learning,
challenge, and growth. In my current phase of life, I have moved from a part-time Residence
Life professional and brand new graduate-level student to a full-time Residence Life professional
and an experienced graduate-level student. This trail continues to be a formative influence and I
recognize that the things I am currently walking through are shaping my trail ahead.
During my time in the Master of Arts in Leadership program, I began by grounding my
understanding of leadership in theory. Based off of the Leadership: Theory and practice text, I
found out that I valued servant and transformational leadership. I wanted to be a leader who
dedicated myself to the bettering of my followers. I wanted to change the lives of those who I led
and grow them and challenge them to be better. Through the Mentors Guide, I was given a
structure to build a mentoring relationship and got to guide one of my student leaders through the
mentoring process. I also learned that this approach to leadership was biblical and was perfect by
Jesus Christ. I gained the understanding of why servant leadership was so important and Jesus
counter-cultural approach established a new way.
I also learned how organizations function and that they cannot survive without a
dedication to constant change. Through texts like Classics of Organizational Behavior, Deep
Change, Leading Change, and Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture I learned how
to assess organizations and implement a plan to change. I also moved this learning into practice
as I was given opportunities to diagnose organizational culture and propose a plan for change. I
also learned that organizational change can be hard and it requires a great deal of social and
emotional intelligence. I learned that a leader cannot expect to be followed blindly, but needs to
be emotionally adept enough to sense the deep needs of their supporters.

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Lastly, I developed a dedication to life-long, deep learning during my time in the Master
of Arts in Leadership program. I moved from a shallow learning approach that was only focused
on grades and expediency to a deeper approach that was focused on learning and application to
my life. I was challenged to adapt my learning during my journey in the area of research. I came
into research only wanting to survive. I was focused on simply finishing. But, I have already
been able to use the action research skills I gained in those classes in my professional context. I
implemented a new programming model and I have been doing action research to test its
viability. This trail under my feet has been full of plenty of valleys and peaks which have tested
my resolve and rewarded my hard work. There have been plenty of rocks which have tripped me
up, but I have always been able to find the smooth trail which has brought rest to my weary feet.
The Trail Ahead
The trail ahead is where the wander meets the unexpected. The trail ahead can be full of
potential success or potential failure. Hopefully, the trail under foot has prepared the wanderer
for success. For me, my time in the Master of Arts in Leadership program has done an amazing
job preparing me for the trail ahead. The most valuable tool I can boast from my time in this
program is a plan for successful leadership development as I meet people on the trail ahead.
My plan, like the Master of Arts in Leadership program, begins by helping a potential
future leader understand themselves. This is achieved by combining both leadership theory and
assessment. The most valuable resource for understanding leadership theory is Leadership:
Theory and practice. I will walk the aspiring leader through these chapters and allow them to
decide their own leadership path based on the theories with which they identify. In terms of
assessment, I found the StrengthsQuest and Stand Out assessments particularly enlightening.

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These, combined with Finding Your True North, are all combined to create a leadership profile
that can explain leadership values, strengths, and potential direction.
After the emerging leader has grasped and taken ownership of their leadership profile, I
will use The Mentors Guide to intentionally coach the potential leader to growth and success.
This process begins by setting good expectations and understanding the lens through with they
view mentorship. Next, I will have the mentee set a series of goals. These goals are to be
specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. After these goals are set, we will decide the
frequency of meeting and begin our journey.
For me, it is incredibly important to understand a leaders story. During the second
meeting, I will set the example by sharing my story and asking my mentee if they have any
questions. I will ask that my mentee does the same in the next meeting. As goals are being met,
or not, we will continue to assess the relationship and gain clarity. I believe this leadership
development plan can benefit anyone that I lead. I believe that the trail ahead is a much better
place for me being in the Master of Arts in Leadership program. I believe that the trail ahead will
see significantly more life-change because of the things I have learned and the relationships I
have built during my time in the program. I believe this program has given me the tools to be
able to scale the valleys and the peaks, the rocks and the smooth trail.

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References

Buckingham, M. (2011). StandOut: The groundbreaking new strengths assessment from the
leader of the strengths revolution. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based
on the competing values framework. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Clifton, D. O., Anderson, E., & Schreiner, L. A. (2006). StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop
your strengths in academics, career, and beyond. Washington, D.C.: Gallup Organization.
George, B., McLean, A. N., & Craig, N. (2008). Finding your true north: A personal guide. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Natemeyer, W. E. (1978). Classics of organizational behavior. Oak Park, IL: Moore Pub.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Quinn, R. E. (1996). Deep change: Discovering the leader within. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass.
Zachary, L. J. (2000). The mentor's guide: Facilitating effective learning relationships. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.