Running head: FINAL EXAM

Final Exam
Mischelay Roberts
Western Michigan University

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Final Exam

Leadership, systems and change are a part of everyday life. As a graduate student in a
program for higher education and student affairs and as a future student affairs professional,
knowing how these three things affect my everyday life is key. Currently, my plan is to continue
to work in academic advising and this final exam paper will show how these three things,
leadership, systems, and change, currently or will in the future affect my profession.
Leadership
Transformational leadership is probably one of my favorite types of leadership.
Transformational leadership, according to Northouse (2013) is the process whereby a person
engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in
both the leader and the follower, (p. 186). Working in advising, transformational leadership can
be key. If you have a director that pushes you and motivates you to make your own choices and
excel, you can get much more completed that you possibly thought. Transformational leadership
has different leadership factors, such as inspirational motivation. This is described as a leader
motivating their followers to do better by saying kind and encouraging words to them and
making it know how important their role is to the organization.
In advising, my director has always pushed me to advocate for myself and to try my
hardest. One time in specific it was a busy time in our office and I mentioned to him how I felt
bad that the office was backed up because I was not able to help and that I felt I could help with
some of the simple student concerns that came into the office. He then gave me some
encouraging words and pushed me to make the decision if I wanted to try to take some student
on my own and motivated me to do so. After I took students and met with him about them, he

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reassured me that I did well and motivated me to work harder so I could continue to see students
on my own.
Systems Thinking
When it comes to advising and systems thinking, there are so many examples that could
be given or ways that this concept can or could be used. Systems thinking is a discipline for
seeing wholes, (Senge, 2006, p. 68). When using systems thinking, you look at the entire picture
rather than just looking at small snapshots. Working in higher education, advising specifically,
some only do their job and do not try to understand why they are doing what they are doing or
how it can benefit the entire office or student body in whole. Currently in my graduate
assistantship, we have two new internal positions of assistant directors. These new positions have
created some tension within the office because one of the new assistant directors delegate tasks
to an advisor that did not get the position. With this advisor doing this, she is only looking at her
new position and not how her actions are affecting the entire office. The way she handles things
create more tension that is necessary. If she was to look at the entire picture of her actions,
whether if someone brought it to her attention and she sat and looked, it could better not only her
but also the entire office. Having a systems thinking mindset can create positivity in the office.
Change
Change can be a change of mindset or a change within an organization, whether that is
structural or physical. Change can be difficult for those that have to go through it. Culture within
an office is important. I have mentioned in the online discussion about how my office culture is
not always as healthy as I want it to be or as it could be. Changing the office culture can be
important and lead to a more effective office overall. In my office, I feel that if the office culture
was to change, starting with the director seeing the problems and fixing them, our office would

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accomplish new and more things. When school leaders have reflected and feel they understand
a schools culture, they can evaluate the need to shape or reinforce it, (Grogan, 2013, p. 275).
Although this quote applies to a school leader, this can apply to our office. When our director
looks at our office and sees our culture, he can change or reshape our culture.
Conclusion
Overall, leadership, systems, and change can benefit or hurt an organization or office. If
you know how these three concepts affect your daily work, you will know how you can work to
better yourself, your work, your organization, and those you work with. Personally, all three of
these things have affected me as a future student affairs professional and will continue to affect
my profession everyday and in the future.

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References

Grogan, M. (2013). Jossey-Bass reader on educational leadership (3rd ed.). Somerset, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications, Inc.
Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New
York, NY: Currency/Doubleday.