In the first few weeks of the summer, the Laidlaw team at Leeds have already provided me with valuable opportunities in the form of 2 residential trips.
The first, in a hotel in Headingley where we attended workshops to introduce us to the idea of becoming Laidlaw scholars as we began to grasp onto what type of people we are, and what qualities we have to mould ourselves into our own versions of an ethical leader. This was also my first opportunity to get to know more of my cohort at Leeds as we shared our projects, this interested me as a biologist since I've never really considered there being much room for research outside of STEM and I quickly learnt this was a very misguided assumption.
Whilst connecting with each-other, we were also shown a plethora of tools and techniques that a leader can use to better connect with their team- such as personality tests (and discussing these), how to maintain sustainable levels of productivity and the steps used in project management when dealing with the unknown. Before these sessions, I'd always lacked confidence that I had what it takes to be a successful leader. Now I have come to the realisation that being a leader doesn't have much to do with being an extraverted, confident individual who commands orders (speaking as someone who can hardly raise their voice this idea seems terrifying). Behind a successful leader is lots of planning (which I love), observing, listening, respect (in both directions) and support from the people surrounding them. From all of this and assurance from the friends I have made, I now have an emerging belief that I have as much ability to lead as anyone else.
In the following week we then visited Selside in the Yorkshire Dales where we faced natural challenges such as caves, hills, midges and the lack of phone signal. In these challenging and uncomfortable living conditions, I unconsciously began to lead as I supported both myself and others to get through the 2 nights and 3 days. I much preferred this trip to the one prior, perhaps because I've grown up in the Peak District where the people are always outnumbered by sheep. However, I think I really benefitted from the balance between being pushed to complete activities, socialising and having quiet moments of reflection. I am naturally not the most extroverted so the times allowing for self-thought- such as walking single file through a cave or sitting on the side watching some of the other members of the group attempting not to fall in a river- allowed me to be able to sustain my social battery. I came home feeling energised rather than drained.
These 2 trips have definitely changed the way I think and forced me to push my boundaries (which I learnt can often be very rewarding). This new way of living each day will certainly help me get through my summer research project and the rest of my life.
@University of Leeds