I kind of appreciate how “unsafe” and “unconventional” our leadership majors are. I also like how Dr. Bezio explains studying leadership as thinking about how different types of knowledge/disciplines can serve the greater good. Leadership is about learning how to make a change in the world, which is of course every child’s dream- I like that this dream has not died inside of us. Especially during this year and last, in which our country, and even our university, has disappointed us. As Dr. Bezio mentioned, people don’t like change and that is why leadership is necessary. People don’t like change because people don’t like the unknown. In order to make meaningful change, there must be support for the cause. In order to gain support from followers, leaders are necessary because they convince those followers that change is not scary- change is possible and change is beautiful.
The reading talks about how we sometimes feel like we have to do so much in order to make a change. There is a quote on page 51 about how people don’t see the significance in recycling one soda can because that is not enough- we want to stop global warming completely and immediately, not recycle a single can. But we cannot stop global warming completely and immediately, so we must recycle that one can. If everyone can adapt that mentally and recycles one can, then that’s a whole lot of cans and a really big difference. People need to realize that while their actions to make change may seem insignificant, they build up, and when everyone comes together it makes change possible.
I also appreciate how being a Leadership Studies major is some kind of risk. I definitely have friends and family that think it is pointless to study something that doesn’t directly lead to a job. But to understand all of these bigger systems at play in our world, like knowing that even one can is going to make a difference, is super powerful.
We are the only undergraduate program of leadership studies in the entire United States, so of course it is a risk! But it is definitely and healthy and productive risk in my eyes. The things Jepson does and the things we and Jepson alumnae do are going to be very important in the coming years. Risk is natural, and this is a risk I’m willing to gamble on.