Embracing Challenges: Reflections on the CU Center for Leadership Event
As a student at CU Boulder and an aspiring leader, I had the opportunity to attend the Center of Leadership Leeds Showdown event, hosted by author of the National Bestseller Inclusify, Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, where I joined other students and a panel of professionals to explore what it truly means to lead. The experience taught me not only about the power of leadership, but also about the importance of learning from failure and taking risks. Speaking with CEO of Inner City Health Charles Gilford III, VP of Crocs Charlotte Spies, Nonprofit Leader Ewa Borowska, and Entrepreneur Keith Miller was nothing less than amazing and fruitful.
Throughout the event, the panel touched on what it truly means to be a leader. When do you become a leader? To my surprise, they all shared that leadership is born in the face of adversity. They shared about rough times in college, starting from scratch after failing, or having an inflated ego. When there is a problem to be solved, a change to be made, or an opportunity to inspire is when leaders emerge. It is up to us as students to recognize those moments and take charge! Knowing how to be an active listener, knowing when to take risks, and surrounding yourself with people who you can motivate to succeed are all aspects of leadership. With that being said, as students we have a HUGE network of professionals and an infinite amount of wisdom around us. Many of these leaders shared about the importance of mentorship early on and it’s never too early to get started. It’s so important to be curious, passionate, and most importantly, humble as we grow to be inspiring leaders. Reflecting on these insights, I had to consider my own journey.
Being in this space was an opportunity for me to gain valuable insights from leaders who had real world experiences and were not only surviving, but thriving. One thing I was curious about was how they balanced being an academic scholar without sacrificing social opportunities and relationships. College is such an important time to build relationships and to gain academic knowledge and skills. Too often, people lean heavily on one side or the other. So how do you find this balance? Well, many of the panelists shared the same view: extreme involvement. When we pursue every experience to the fullest and step out of our comfort zone, we can truly find what we value more and what we want to invest our time into. But what if we fail? This was another one of my concerns. Failure is inevitable and I wanted to know how they overcame failure. Their response reminded me of a Bible study I did last year called “Chasing Failure.” If we do not fail, we cannot grow. When a bone breaks, it grows back even stronger than before. So sometimes, we have to embrace being broken; pushing ourselves, taking risks, and seeking mentorship and wisdom from people with more experience.
Overall, this event left me in thought for a while. Am I maximizing my time here in college? Am I using the resources available to me? Have I had enough opportunities to fail? So many questions and thoughts hang in the balance. Only with time will some of my questions be answered. But if it were not for these wonderful leaders taking time to share their wealth of knowledge, these questions would have never even surfaced. I would like to thank Stefanie and the rest of the panel for putting on such an amazing event! And students, GO REACH OUT! There is so much knowledge and wisdom to be had by simply reaching out to a diverse group of people, taking risks, and empowering others. I encourage you to embrace leadership, embrace failure, and grow indefinitely. There is no limit to the knowledge you can obtain. Sko Buffs!
Nathan Simmons II is a second-year transfer student majoring in accounting and finance. He is attending CU Boulder under the Daniels Fund Scholarship which provides funding, a diverse network, and professional development for him in college. Nathan is committed to learning, emotional intelligence, and self-improvement. He plans to be a future philanthropist to teach others about financial literacy and create opportunities for people in need to succeed.
This event was sponsored by the Center for Leadership whose mission is to support, connect, and elevate leadership programs, resources, and research across the university.