Reflection 2: Theories in Action

As another week has gone by at FLIP National, I am seeing different theories from my LDST 300 class come to life. When reflecting on my times at FLIP National, I think I really see the LMX theory come out. LMX theory, or the Leader Member Exchange theory, follows closely on how a leader interacts with a singular member, and is thus a dyadic focused theory of leadership. I always found this theory fascinating, even though my class never devoted much time on it. After all, we most vividly notice how our leaders/supervisors interact with us, and that holds a strong hold over other dynamics.

My supervisor Chris works very hard to have a close bond with every fellow at FLIP National. When doing the interviews, he cares about each person’s own story as a first generation/ low income student. The application process also requires everyone to put in their favorite meme which is a fun way to open up and bond. He also regularly checks up on us fellows when we mention having personal issues or feeling stress. 

Reflecting on my own experience with Chris, he is very aware of my own personality and places of growth, so I do vividly remember our interactions and his advice for me. Even with COVID-19, he has maintained strong connections to each and every fellow. I was definitely going through a difficult time during the quarantine summer, so I am very appreciative of his patience and kindness. 

Now, focusing on LMX theory does make it so I cannot go into detail on how my supervisor interacts with the fellows as a whole, or even how we fellows interact with one another, but I will be sure to do this in another reflection. However, there is no denying that this is a weakness in the LMX theory, as it does ignore a great deal of complexity present in all leadership dynamics.

While I will explore this more, I am curious if this really strong bond between my supervisor and each fellow results in any imbalance or dependence on that form of bond, instead of a more collaborative structure between fellows or teams. Sometimes, especially because we are a fully virtual internship, my team and I do not interact a ton at a more personal level, so this could possibly be a place of growth within the structure of the fellowship itself or just within myself to seek out such friendships myself.