Introduction
When tasked with the creation of an ePortfolio, I first had to grasp what an ePortfolio is and what advantages it might have over a traditional portfolio or resume. Web-based ePortfolios offer a dynamic platform for students to showcase their diverse skills and accomplishments, providing employers with efficient access to relevant talent and reducing institutional costs associated with traditional portfolio maintenance (Holtzman et al., 2021). In compiling artifacts for my ePortfolio, I found it easy to choose which of my assignments should be included within. I enjoyed looking through my completed projects and papers, remembering the lessons and insights I learned with each. I had to decide which skills I felt that the artifacts contributed to, with a focus on skills I felt most applied to my degree, which is in leadership. The skills that I chose are leadership, research, and analysis. Soft skills like leadership are just as important as hard skills coding, and when it comes to leadership as a whole, these soft skills are even more important. These traits which are developed through a lifetime of learning and experiences may be difficult to measure, but should never be undervalued (Long, 2023). Dividing and sectioning off my artifacts into the skills they fall under, with a significant amount of overlap between them, makes it easier for viewers to view my artifacts in a clearer context, allowing them to understand my purpose for including the artifacts. Leadership, research, and analysis are crucial skills that allow a leader to understand, assess, and navigate the complexities of leadership, driving positive change and achieving organizational success.
Throughout my life, leadership has always been a focal point. This was true when I first began attending college straight out of high school while on the NROTC scholarship, and remains true today, over a decade later, as I am finishing my degree in leadership while serving in the United States Air Force. As such, I have spent much of my time reflecting on my own understanding and appreciation for leadership.
My paper, “My Leadership Style and Traits” is a self-assessment of my leadership style which is crucial for leadership development. I wrote the paper during my Foundations of Leadership course, and it also shows my critical thinking ability, my self-awareness, and my willingness to reflect on my own strengths and areas for growth. By understanding my leadership style, I am better able to understand how best to approach a situation or conflict, that I might resolve it in a positive way. Since writing this paper, I have been assigned to a supervisory role at my workplace. When putting together my ePortfolio and scouring my files for artifacts to add, I came upon this one and further reflected on the content. I can proudly say that I have used the coaching and visionary leadership style I refer to in the paper to build a great team culture and propel my team to organizational success.
During the course of my studies, I took a class called “Digital Leadership”. When I registered for the class, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. After the first day I realized that it was about online presence, networking, and leveraging online platforms for influence, and it became quickly apparent that I was way out of my depth. I took this as an opportunity to delve into a subject that I was mostly, if not wholly, unfamiliar with. At the end of the course, we were assigned to write a reflections paper describing the key concepts of the course and generating a plan of action to implement some of the concepts and key takeaways. This is the not so cleverly named, “Digital Leadership Reflections Paper”. While I do not intend to use online platforms to be a driving force of my leadership or influence, professional leadership network building and learning to understand how to align social media presence with values and professional goals are just some of the many valuable lessons that I was able to take away from this class and reflect upon.
To finish off the skill of “leadership” is a presentation that I built about my Foundations of Leadership course. It describes many of the topics covered throughout the course, representing the many aspects of leadership and how the understanding has changed throughout the course of history. It is a lexicon of information that I accumulated not just through the course but integrated with my own personal experience and independent research. This artifact being culmination of what I have learned in my leadership learning journey does not mean the end by any means. It is a better representation of the foundational, conceptual knowledge that I have been able to use as a launching point as I continue to gain a deeper understanding into what it is to be a leader and how I can be the best leader possible.
I remember in elementary school and middle school, we would be assigned a topic to present, then they would take the entire class down to the library to find books other reading material related to the topic. Today, while the material may be more accessible than every with online resources, it does not make research any less daunting of a task. Research was a major focus throughout my course of study, and one class in particular broadened my horizons by forcing me to understand and adopt an interdisciplinary research process.
Through the interdisciplinary research process, I provided a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability of remote working for American office workers in my “Interdisciplinary Studies Research Paper”. The difference between this and any other research paper is that I used the fields of Economics, Sociology, and Psychology as lenses to view this issue. By getting these varied perspectives, I was able to form a more complete picture of the topic (Baker, 2023). I chose remote working as a topic because it was so impactful to me and truly everyone around me as a result of COVID-19. One of the topics that I dissected is the challenge of maintaining a good work culture through this remote environment. One of the key factors is having a good leader that is able to connect with people and build a team without the face-to-face contact. With a leader such as this being so vital to a business’s success, I was inspired to strive to get a better understanding of what I needed to do to develop these kinds of skills in myself.
With leadership as a primary focus for most of my coursework, I relished every opportunity that I had to conduct research into topics of leadership. One such opportunity was my paper, “Historical Leaders’ Theories: George Washington”. I chose him as my subject as he is a leader that has always inspired me, and I wanted to understand what made him stand out. By diving headfirst into his life through biographies, firsthand accounts, and his own correspondence, I was able to learn more about him as a leader than just a surface-level understanding. While everyone may imagine George Washington as triumphantly crossing the Delaware River, selflessness and humility are two unexpected traits of a man who was revered by some of the greatest people of his generation (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 1984). His model as the visionary leader is as relevant today as any other point in history.
I had very little background or understanding about business law before taking a course in it. What particularly piqued my interest was the Americans with Disabilities Act, which I researched and wrote a paper on. I had to find and understand the legislation, then research the landmark cases, then tie it together to understand how it affects businesses and what those businesses are actually responsible for. This took several hours of intense research to gather everything I needed to sift through and narrow down to be able to lay out the evidence clearly. While this was a great effort in terms of researching, it was also an opportunity to practice my skills of analysis.
My ability to analyze has always been a point of pride. Throughout my course of studies, that skill was put to the test and has certainly been honed and sharpened. I like to think that the aforementioned skill, research, and analysis go hand in hand. Being able to conduct research and gather the materials you need to understand or express a topic can be wasted if you are not able to follow up with shrewd analysis.
While I have never had much of an eye for design, I was tasked with designing an infographic, then a breakdown analysis of the design elements incorporated in its creation. “Crap Detection” provides an important lesson on the reliability of online sources, and the accompanying analysis which focused on crucial elements such as shapes, font, color, and structure. Most of the content for the infographics came from the book “Net Smart”, which has a chapter titled “Crap Detection 101”, which sparked the idea that I could evoke the imagery of “crap” in an infographic or poster (Rheingold, 2014). Learning to analyze something like an infographic based on the design elements used can help a view understand the real meaning the author or creator is trying to convey.
Another analysis I was tasked with was to analyze a job ad for a job that I might be interested in applying to. Similar to the infographic analysis, I broke down the job ad to get a better understanding of the message that the ad was conveying about the workplace culture, mission, and values, as well as the skills and qualifications that they were seeking. Being able to parse through buzzwords and corporate speak is a vital skill, especially as a strive to become the best manager and leader that I can be.
A book review is a different type of analysis, but there is so much to learn from analyzing the content and lessons from a given book. The book I chose was “Why Teams Don’t Work: What Went Wrong and How to Make It Right” by Harvey Robbins and Mike Finley which delves into common challenges and issues that can hinder a team’s performance. This book struck extremely close to home as it addressed topics that I was specifically experiencing with my own team, allowing me to conduct a critical examination of both the book’s content and its application to real-life situations. I analyzed specific examples, such as the detrimental effects of poorly designed policies, and showcase how the authors provide practical solutions to mitigate these issues. Finally, I conclude with a comprehensive assessment of the book’s strengths, recommending it as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve team effectiveness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this reflection paper has provided a comprehensive exploration of my learning journey and the skills developed through my coursework and experiences. As I reflect on the artifacts included in my ePortfolio, I am reminded of the transformative power of education and the profound impact it has had on my personal and professional growth. Through the lens of leadership, research, and analysis, I have gained a deeper understanding of myself, my field of study, and the world around me.
Each artifact represents a milestone in my journey, from self-assessments of leadership style to interdisciplinary research papers exploring complex societal issues. I have learned to navigate challenges, embrace new perspectives, and apply critical thinking skills to real-world problems. Moreover, I have come to appreciate the interconnectedness of knowledge and the importance of continuous learning in adapting to an ever-changing landscape.
In closing, I am grateful for the experiences, mentors, and resources that have shaped my educational path thus far. I look forward to embracing the opportunities that lie ahead and continuing to strive for excellence in all endeavors.
References
Baker, P. (2023). Conducting I/D Analysis. Canvas. canvas.odu.edu
Constitutional Rights Foundation. (1984). Bill of Rights in Action. Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Holtzman, D. M., Kraft, E. M., & Small, E. (2021). Use of eportfolios for making hiring decisions: A comparison of the results from representatives of large and small businesses. Journal of Work-Applied Management, 14(1), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.1108/jwam-01-2021-0001
Long, B. (2023, July 5). Hard skills vs. soft skills: What are they? (with examples). Insight Global. https://insightglobal.com/blog/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills/
Rheingold, H. (2014). Net smart: How to thrive online. MIT Press.
Links to the artifacts categorized by skill:
Leadership
Research
Analysis