A leader inspires, supports, and fosters growth, success, and well-being in themselves and others through academic pursuits and personal and practical contexts.
As a graduate student, your leadership skills will be elevated as you inspire and motivate yourself and others to achieve goals, while also supporting well-being and personal growth. Leaders should strive to create a positive and supportive environment that encourages collaboration, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence, by fostering growth, success, and well-being in themselves and others.
A leader will:
Motivate
Motivate others through peer mentorship and support
Collaborate
Create community through relationship building and collaboration.
Grow
Reflect on academic, personal, and professional experiences for growth
Advocate
Advocate for yourself and for others
Leadership Development Areas
Leadership
As a graduate student, leadership is not tied to a formal position or hierarchy but through one’s actions and behaviours. Effective leaders often demonstrate a willingness to take on new challenges and opportunities and inspire others to do the same.
- Demonstrate a willingness to take on new challenges and opportunities
- Take the perspectives of others into account and consider their needs and feelings
- Provide guidance, advice, and support to others to help develop skills and achieve goals
- Take time to reflect, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for growth and development
- Complete a Leadership Development workshop
- Participate in Mental Health training
- Complete a Teaching Assistant workshop
- Join a sports team or intramurals
- Seek out opportunities to become an ambassador or mentor
- Volunteer in the community
Personal and Ethical Practice
As a graduate student, maintaining personal and ethical practice as a graduate student involves ongoing self-reflection, learning, and professional development. Cultural and societal norms, personal experience, and individual opinions and perspectives can influence this.
- Use experience to inform decision-making, personal practice, and advancement of knowledge.
- Remove barriers to create inclusive environments that accommodate diverse needs and perspectives.
- Inspire and motivate others to act in ways that are consistent with ethical principles and values.
- Practice inclusion, accessibility, and equity for all individuals
- Understand the different ways in which people experience the world
- Sign up for an Instructional Skills Workshop
- Join a Teaching Assistant practicum
- Check out our Supervisor/Student toolkits
- Attend a Human Rights and Equity workshops
- Use our Bridge to Success resources
- Join our Grad 101 – Graduate Academic Prep Program
- Connect with Brock International
Self-awareness
As a graduate student, having self-awareness can help you gain a deeper understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and motivations, which can, in turn, inform your learning, acquisition of knowledge, and research. Similarly, this knowledge of self can help you better understand yourself and your place in the world.
- Leverage your unique abilities and talents to achieve goals and pursue passions
- Be open to receiving feedback, learning from others, and considering new ideas.
- Engage in constructive dialogue to resolve conflicts or move towards solutions.
- Communicate with others in a truthful, transparent, and effective way.
- Advocate for yourself and your needs.
- Participate in wellness activities, including meditation and mindfulness
- Visit the Student Wellness and Accessibility HUB
- Attend a Crucial Conversations workshop
- Engage in self-assessment, including Myers Briggs, Clifton Strengths
- Volunteer with a community agency
- Attend a Human Rights and Equity workshop