Seeing leadership from a work from home environment

In wrapping up the final weeks of my internship I tried to think of tangible examples of leadership that I saw and how it relates to the leadership theories that we learned in class. Being in a work from home environment makes it more challenging to really see the dynamics of leadership in the work place. However, after being at the organization for more than 6 weeks, I got to experience as well as see the leadership dynamics despite being virtual. I learned the importance of team work and cooperation especially during times in which you cannot meet with a team face to face but rather are forced to get things done and communicate mostly through email or zoom. During these moments, time was important and things had to get done efficiently so communication and dialogue were essential in my experience with the many projects that had to get done. Additionally, it was interesting to be able to observe the various challenges that the marketing team had to face and how they overcame those challenges despite not being able to do so in person. In my last week I had to start wrapping up my final project for the buyers guide that I had been working on progressively since the start of my internship. I wasn’t exactly sure how I would be able to finish the project and conclude it in a timely way that covered all the ideas and basics that were needed. My supervisor who was advising me on the project gave great guidance and advice to someone like me who was less experienced and sophisticated in the field. Seeing how attentive and patient my supervisor was made me realize the importance of leaders who lead by example and take the time to engage with as well as teach those who are younger and inexperienced. In reflecting on my internship and the responsibilities it required, I thoroughly enjoyed the work and being able to get know a set of people who guided me and provided experience in a field where I previously had none. I participated in many interesting projects and got to observe as well as learn a new industry that brought me out of my comfort zone and taught me many new skills.