Running head: LEADERSHIP THROUGH STORYTELLING 1

Leadership Through Storytelling, Community, and Creativity

Kristen Surla

Loyola University Chicago

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Ever since I can remember, I have always been compelled by the power of storytelling—

its ability to evoke emotion by carefully weaving words and physical expression into an

immersive and transformative experience always leaves me in a state of amazement. For me,

storytelling means visibility and possibility. As a queer Filipina American woman and first

generation college student, I suppose the thing I like most about storytelling is the fluidity and

experimentation during the creative process— to manipulate and play with structure to create a

narrative that is entirely my own. Storytelling, for me, is the process of recognizing leadership in

our own communities and creating the leadership we need when we do not have previous names

or models. Within communities of color, storytelling moves beyond a rhetorical exchange, but is

a way of both honoring cultural heritage and creating new history by adding our own

understanding and interpretation to the story (Manuel, 1980). The readings on leadership this

semester present many theories, interpretations, and practices of leadership, but all contend that

there is not a “one-size-fits-all” version of leadership or formulaic approach to leadership

(Dugan, 2017; Komives & Wagner, 2016; Komives, Dugan, Owen, Wagner, & Slack, 2011). I

argue that the assumption of a one-size-fits-all version of leadership harms the possibilities for

people of color, first generation, and LGBTQ students to thrive in educational environments.

Throughout the paper, I use stories throughout my life to describe lessons on leadership I have

developed through relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. Specifically, I discuss how

the Leadership Identity Development Model, the Social Change Model, and Emotionally

Intelligent Leadership Model approach leadership using creativity and context to allow students

from diverse backgrounds to insert themselves within a narrative of leadership.

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Familial Influences & Gendered Assumptions of Leadership

For many people who occupy minoritized identities, leadership is a quality that is not

initially ascribed to you and the work of leadership development is a process of rebuilding self-

efficacy. Self-efficacy is one’s internal belief that they are capable of enacting leadership

(Dugan, 2017). Growing up as the first female child born in a Filipinx immigrant household in

the United States, I quickly learned that there were certain behaviors and activities I was not

allowed to do as a woman. My home reality conformed to a patriarchal structure that prioritized

the thoughts and actions of my father. This patriarchal environment inscribed the message that

women were not capable of enacting leadership on their own. At home, I was reprimanded when

sharing my thoughts and arguing with my father, whereas U.S. American education teaches you

to explore your thoughts and feelings in the classroom. Although my father was assumed to be a

“leader” within our household, my grandmother was the true “leader” in my perspective.

Although she was my elder, my grandmother had a way of teaching and leading the household

that did not feel hierarchal. Recognizing and honoring my grandmother’s role in my life is linked

to building my self-efficacy in leadership. She encouraged me to pursue activities such as music,

poetry, and theater as a way of expressing myself outside of my home environment. The contrast

between my father’s assumed leadership and grandmother’s example of leadership mimics a

trend that I have seen throughout my career. Although people may occupy leadership positions,

they are not always enacting leadership that facilitates group interaction and growth. Leaders

who thrive from relationship building, mentoring, and supporting other leaders are invested in

the sustainability of strong leadership, rather than feeding into their own ego.

Mistakes and Missteps in my Leadership Journey

I have been most humbled by the failures of my leadership, which have brought me to my
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greater success and understanding as a leader today. The first component of my leadership

philosophy uses Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, and Osteen’s (2005) Leadership

Identity Development Model as an exercise for students from minoritized communities to

question and deconstruct positional leadership (Komives et al., 2005). By attributing power and

authority to positional leadership alone, we neglect to recognize the varying contributions of

leadership within a team and teach the idea that leadership can look many different ways. During

my last year of undergraduate education, I was elected as president of the Council of Pan Asian

Americans, an umbrella organization for Asian American students at Loyola University Chicago.

I was excited to be president since it was my first formal role within the Asian American

community on campus and I saw the opportunity for my voice and perspective to be heard. At

our first general body meeting, I talked about various initiatives for social justice that the

organization would be implementing that year. Following the meeting, Mina, a fellow board

member, pointed out to me that many students had felt intimidated by my talk because it was

their first general body meeting and first time even hearing the word social justice. Admittedly, I

was not as mature at the time and allowed my ego and positional authority get in the way of the

student experience and potential for learning. I responded to Mina that if the students did not

want to participate in the social justice mission of the organization, then they were free to leave.

After the first half of the semester, half of the organization’s executive board chose to leave and I

strained many relationships with my Asian American peers. In his analysis of adaptive

leadership, Dugan summarized that “Heifetz (1994, 2010) stressed the importance of clearly

defining and disentangling authority from leadership, recognizing that just because individuals

have authority does not mean they practice leadership” (Heifetz, as cited in Dugan, 2017, p.

266). My inability to hear Mina and honor shared contributions of leadership demonstrated the
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importance of “leadership differentiated” within the Komives et al. (2005) LID Model. Rather

the prioritizing the community above my own positional leadership, I chose to make an

executive decision that had an overall negative outcome. Looking back, I believe Mina’s

decision to inform me of the issue is a stronger example of her leadership and recognizing that

she did not have to be in positional authority in order to make decisions about the organization.

Identification with Leadership

A second tenet of my leadership philosophy upholds the idea that leadership comes from

community and we must fight to maintain this idea throughout our various roles. The

consideration of social identities and power have a significant impact upon one’s self-perception

and role as a leader. As demonstrated in the Komives et al. (2005) LID Model, the first 3 steps

(Awareness, Exploration/Engagement, Leader Identified) relate to a student’s process of self-

identification with the term leader. I believe my role as an educator is to empower students from

minoritized identities to view leadership as something they are inherently capable of doing and

informed by their personal histories and experiences. Too often, students of color disengage and

distance themselves from the term leader (Arminio, Carter, Jones, Kruger, Lucas, Washington,

Young, & Scott, 2000). Instead of withdrawing from the term leader, I hope that students from

minoritized identities can re-invent the term leader to fit their specific goals and experiences. In

her model of community cultural wealth, Yosso (2005) lists 5 forms of capital (aspirational,

linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistance) that students of color inherently possess

and frequently utilize when navigating institutions of higher education (Yosso, 2005). Yosso’s

framework acknowledges the existing knowledge students bring with them to educational

environments as legitimate sources of power and capital.

Leadership in Predominately White Institutions

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The negative impact of hegemonic assumptions of leadership are displayed in my work

with students of color at Predominantly White Institutions. I oftentimes encounter students of

color changing themselves, in some way, to fit the idea of a leader when working outside of

race/ethnic focused organizations. Hairstyle, dress, language, and communication are all topics

frequently addressed at leadership trainings. However, I argue the universalization of appearance

and communication is rooted in racist and sexist ideologies that isolate students of color from

being their authentic selves. For example, Marie, the president of a residence hall community I

advise, frequently asks my opinion on her accent and use of language. In particular, Marie is

self-conscious about assumptions made about her ability to be a leader based upon her accent

and intonation when speaking in English. Following a triggering general body meeting where a

student labeled Marie’s accent as distracting, Marie considered stepping down from her role as

president within hall council. In our advising meeting, I asked Marie if she could identify

examples of leadership from people in her life whose primary language was not English.

Following up, I asked “what message does it send to other people who occupy similar identities

if she chose to step down from her role.” Marie shared the fulfillment she receives from her

relationship with her mother as a salient example of leadership within non-English speaking

communities. After speaking with Marie, she stated that her main motivation to pursue a

leadership position was to increase representation and visibility of international and students of

color in the residence hall. When we ask students to become leaders, we must be ready and

willing to accept the identities and experiences which inform their leadership. After taking this

course, I understand the weight behind the idea of socially responsible leadership. As leaders, we

have agency to shape narratives of belonging and invite other students to own their identities as

leaders. When advising Marie, I shared my own challenges with imposter syndrome while being
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a staff member at a Predominately White Institution. My vulnerability was informed by the

belief that diverse leadership is an act of resistance as demonstrated by the Social Change Model

(Dugan, 2017). Following our conversation, Marie reminded herself that her presence as a leader

sent the message that leadership must be reflective of the diverse perspectives within the

community.

Leadership and Allyship

Leadership does not occur without critical reflection and action. As we learned

throughout the semester, leadership is a shared and interdependent process and occurs among a

group of people (Komives, 2005; Komives et al., 2011; Northouse, 2015). As a professional, I

am wholly committed to the value of shared leadership to distribute responsibility and collective

accountability of outcomes. The shared responsibility of leadership is most salient for me when

thinking about racial justice and advocacy between People of Color and White allies working

for racial justice. In Spring 2016, my White identified roommate physically placed herself

between me and two police officers who came to our apartment after receiving a call to conduct

a wellness check on me. According to the processes of public mental health services in Ohio,

police were required to do “house checks” on people who were “at risk.” My roommate,

Caroline, knocked on the bathroom door to inform me that the police were at our apartment and

that she would be present throughout the conversation. She also informed me that she did not let

them into the house, but asked them to wait outside of the door. When the police approached me,

they seemed aggressive and irritated, rather than concerned for my well-being. Caroline de-

escalated the situation, by calmly explaining the events of that night and inserting herself

between myself and the police officers. I observed that the police officers were more responsive

to Caroline. After the police officers left, Caroline and I had an in-depth conversation about the
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harm and intimidation that police presence have upon communities of color. I appreciated

Caroline’s intervention as a White ally and friend in that moment to use her privilege to protect

and advocate on my behalf. The Social Change Model of Leadership can aid White identified

people in their personal development as active allies within the racial justice movement. Caroline

used her role as a person of privilege to enact controversy with civility-- a privilege that not all

people of color possess when interacting with authority figures. When using leadership theory it

is necessary for us to also remember how privilege and power enable some people to have more

agency within their leadership role. This agency, however, when applied carefully and critically

can be used for good.

Negotiating Queerness and Context in Leadership

A driving reason why I pursued a job at Oberlin College and Conservatory was due to my

emerging queer identity. On the day of my on-campus interview, I was struck by the visceral and

authentic examples of queer community and relationships in plain sight. I deeply wanted to have

the experience of living out my truth in public like the students I observed on campus. During

that time I was beginning to accept my queer identity and share my experiences with my friends

and siblings, my mother was informed that her colorectal cancer had returned at stage 4 status.

After hearing about my mother’s condition, I immediately went into planning mode. When the

person who gave you life is at their death, there is nothing you want more for that person than to

ensure their feeling loved, safety, and comfort during their last few days. Before passing, I

wanted to have intimate conversations with my mother about my identities because I knew I

would not have the opportunity to share these ideas with her later. However, I was conflicted

because I did not know how sharing my identity with her at this point, would imprint upon our

final memories together. Taking into consideration my need to feel affirmed, my mother’s need
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to focus on her health, and the limited time we had together to celebrate our relationship, I

ultimately decided not to share my sexual orientation with my mother. When negotiating this

decision, I used Emotionally Intelligent Leadership to consider all contexts when sharing such a

personal experience with another person.

In my professional capacity in higher education and student affairs, I am largely “out”

with my identity as a queer woman of color. Within a college and university setting, I feel

comfortable sharing my identity with others and believe that sharing my story will connect to

other queer women of color on campus. Throughout the years, I’ve had several conversations

with students who are contemplating whether or not they should “come out” to their families. In

the student affairs world, I have encountered many professionals, who advise students to live in

their truth by coming out to their family. I am not supportive of this mindset because it does not

ask students to critically examine the context in which they live and the potential outcomes from

sharing such personal information. Coming out to one’s family is a decision that can only be

determined by that person alone and should not be determined by what others believe is the best

decision. A close colleague of mine who also works in student affairs, has not shared his sexual

orientation with his family and actively chooses not to for the foreseeable future. According to

my colleague, his decision to keep his sexual orientation personal is an act of agency that ensures

his protection and allows him to continue a relationship with his family. Because his family lives

in a country where being gay is illegal, his safety nor freedom are not ensured. In this example,

examining context using Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Theory is not just a guiding

framework, but a strategy for us to guide students in making decisions that keep them safe and

protected.
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Radical Women of Color in Leadership

Another component of my leadership philosophy asserts that people of color play a large

role in creating new leadership models that reflect our experiences. As I write this paper, there is

a part of me that feels incomplete because the theories we have used in class have not been

developed with the experience of a Filipina American student in mind. Throughout my life, I

have searched for literature that speaks to “parts” of my identity knowing that I will rarely find

my identities fully represented. While more generative theories such as the Social Change

Model, Transformational Leadership Model, Leadership Identity Development Model, and

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Model are all flexible enough to allow for each person to

personalize their relationship to leadership, there is value in being seen through a model that is

tailored to your specific experience. My contribution to the field of higher education has always

been motivated by the need to speak to Filipinx student experiences, which are often ignored and

grouped into the larger category of Asian American.

During my first year of undergrad, I enrolled in a writing class that introduced me to the

writings of radical women of color such as Gloria Anzaldua, Audre Lorde, and Toni Morrison.

The work of these women was unprecedented for me because they described their experiences

with such fervor when confronting their unique racialized and gendered experiences. Their work

was groundbreaking because they were all examples of women of color creating paradigms for

leadership, rather than attempting to fit into the expectations of White America. In her article,

“The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” Audre Lorde (1984) talks about her anger

towards White supremacy and White feminism as a legitimate source of power, rather than a

stereotype ascribed to her as a Black Woman (Lorde, 1984). I read the article during my first

semester as an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago. At the time, I was struggling
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to find community on campus and manage the race-based stress of being the only person of color

in a majority of my classes. After reading Lorde’s (1984) article and affirming my own feelings

of anger, I felt validated in my experience as a woman of color at a Predominately White

Institution. Because I did not have many other examples of literature that reflected my own

experiences, the works of Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldua, and Toni Morrison became canonical

texts from which I drew inspiration and guidance.

Although I did not identify it at the time, the writings of these women acted as models for

leadership and authenticity. Analyzing Lorde’s (1984) essay critically, I believe her actions were

a practice in Emotionally Intelligent Leadership because she discussed consciousness of self,

others, and context when attending a conference as a Black queer woman. As a woman of color,

I am acutely conscious of the various environments and relationships I occupy throughout my

life. A common issue among my women of color friends is the fact that we readily apologize for

things that folks from with privileged identities do not (i.e. being assertive, asking questions, and

requesting help). After being offered a full time position as the Asian and Pacific Islander

Community Coordinator at Oberlin College, I found myself in the process of salary negotiation.

Being a first generation college student, I had no idea what strategies or phrases I should use to

negotiate salary. I reached out to Dr. OiYan Poon, my thesis supervisor and mentor to offer me

advice given her experience as a full time professional. OiYan began our meeting by stating to

me that as a “woman of color, it is necessary for you to know and understand your worth.

Because if you don’t know your worth, than people will determine your worth for you. And they

will underestimate and underpay you.” OiYan’s advice required me to examine my worth

through the lens of emotionally intelligent leadership because I had to recognize my own worth,

the needs of the others (colleagues), and the context of the institution. The interaction and
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mentorship I receive from OiYan and other women of color in my life continuously remind me

that leadership is not always highly visible, but frequently demonstrated through personal

exchanges. Equating leadership with visibility oftentimes leaves folks with minoritized identities

or experiences out of the picture. When we choose to glamorize and elevate the narratives of

select individuals, we fail to see the recognize the power of interpersonal acts of leadership (such

as my meeting with OiYan) that influence our daily lives.

The Necessity of Intersectionality

A guiding principle of my leadership philosophy is the role of storytelling in naming our

own reality and creating structures to reflect peoples’ lived experiences. During my time working

at the Multicultural Resource Center at Oberlin College, I witnessed a group of trans and femme

of color identified students create a breakout group from Zami, the QTPOC “umbrella”

organization. Reflecting on my experience as an advisor working with these students, I believe

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership was an important framework` to help students communicate

the needs and focus of their new group. Prior to breaking away from Zami, the students held

community meetings where the engaged in discussion about their personal experiences as trans

and femme people of color. The students identified two major issues with their participation in

Zami: (1) their level of exhaustion from explaining and defending their experience as trans and

femme people of color during Zami meetings and (2) lack of feeling community with other

LGBQ experiences. Consciousness of self and others was demonstrated by students’

identification of the issue and the feeling of community through commiseration with other trans

and femme people of color. In addition, students recognized their consciousness of context by

making the critique that, while an important organization, Zami did not fully speak to their needs

as students at the time. In her study of LGBT student leaders and queer activists, Renn (2007)
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found that LGBT students created new organizations if previously established student

organizations did not speak to a their particular identity or experience (Renn, 2007). The

creation of new organization, in itself, is a form of leadership. As a former advisor student

organization advisor, I can attest to the hard work it requires to create a new organization

including securing funding, promoting your group, defining leadership and developing

programmatic goals for the group. However, the pursuit to create a new identity based student

organization makes a bold statement because it means that your experiences and needs are not

reflected within existing structures.

Conclusion

My philosophy on leadership encourages students, faculty, and staff to engage in critical

examination of their identities and context in order to understand the role and impact of their

leadership. As institutions of higher education continue to become more diverse, it is necessary

for students to be actively involved in the development and representation of leadership across

campus. My lessons on leadership demonstrate the wholly relational process of leadership

development within the field of education. Recognizing and participating in leadership

development within groups helps people identify their shared interests and honoring their

different perspectives. Using the Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Theory, the Social Change

Model, and the Leadership Identity Development Models are necessary tools for educators to

support students and create pathways for student leadership at colleges and universities.
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(2000). Leadership experiences of students of color. Journal of Student Affairs Research

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Dugan, J. (2017). Leadership theory: Cultivating critical perspectives. San Francisco, CA:

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Komives, S. R., Dugan, J. P., Owen, J. E., Wagner, W., Slack, C., & Associates. (2011).

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th
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