blog posts

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  The Optimistic Leader: How to stay resilient in the face of adversity

  Mar 7, 2023 10:30 am234 views

  In this blog, we explore the powerful connection between optimism and resilience in leadership. Discover how a positive outlook can help you overcome obstacles and inspire those around you, ultimately leading to greater success and fulfillment in both your personal and professional life.

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  What Is A Personal Brand Anyway?

  Feb 6, 2023 2:00 pm37 views

  You have likely heard the term 'personal brand' before, but what does that mean? This article discusses what a personal brand is, and why leaders should care about their personal brand. The ways you talk or write, the interactions you have with others, and the way you spend your time are all aspects of your personal brand, whether you intentionally plan them or not. This article will help you begin reflecting on your personal brand.

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  What Can Bad Leadership Lead to?

  Jan 27, 2023 11:15 am23 views

  The movie Team Foxcatcher (2016) is a perfect example of how multi-faceted ethical leadership issues can be. The story shows what bad leadership can do to subordinates and how maybe the leader isn't the only person to blame for the end result.

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  Leadership in Social Justice

  Jan 27, 2023 11:00 am46 views

  The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines social justice as “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.” The concept of social justice encompasses all oppressed and marginalized groups and it is formed on five pillars: access to resources, equity, participation, diversity, and human rights.

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  6 Tips for Successfully Leading a Team

  Jan 27, 2023 10:45 am43 views

  Leading a team can be intimidating, so here are six tips to help you the next time you are tasked to lead a team.

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  Add These to Your Leadership Reading List: ILC Resources and Our Upcoming Book Club

  Jan 23, 2023 4:00 pm50 views

  The Illinois Leadership Center’s Cavenaugh Leadership Library is a great resource for students and staff due to its various borrowable activities and books that can help anyone with improving their leadership competency. The ILC will also be launching a brand-new book club for those who enjoy stories of leadership in practice and for those who want to learn about newer, nontraditional theories of leadership. Learn more about what we have to offer!

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  Becoming a Culturally Competent Leader

  Nov 30, 2022 1:15 pm383 views

  Great leaders possess the skills, knowledge, and attitude necessary to build authentic connections with people from different cultures. This blog will highlight qualities of culturally competent leaders and steps you can take to build cultural competence.

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  Stress and Free Time: Learning How to Appreciate Leadership

  Oct 24, 2022 2:15 pm54 views

  When was the last time that you got to "stop and smell the roses"? In this post, I will be sharing my personal experiences with the stress that leadership brings and how I manage it. By reading this post, you will gain insight into how you can better appreciate your leadership roles and what you accomplish in them.

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  7 Ways to Improve Your Self-Management Skills

  Sep 29, 2022 1:30 pm12401 views

  Great leaders use their time, energy, and resources effectively. Leaders skilled in self-management act in ways that strengthen their personal, professional, and familial relationships. This post will outline seven ways you can effectively improve your self-management skills.

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  Indecisiveness & Leadership

  Sep 7, 2022 11:00 am88 views

  It is okay to be unsure so long as you recognize your indecisiveness. Identify what you can control and set goals that focus on it while keeping an eye on uncontrollable factors. If you are lost in a haze, do not hesitate to ask for help from reliable mentors or peers.

• Is Leadership Conditional?

  May 3, 2022 11:30 am56 views

  When someone mentions the word leadership to you, what comes to mind? How can this concept be applied in a virtual setting? 

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  Leading a remote team? Here are some tips for asynchronous success.

  Apr 29, 2022 11:15 am48 views

  In a post-pandemic world, it seems that working remotely is becoming more ingrained into the professional world. Remote team projects are becoming extremely commonplace. However, being a remote leader can be challenging. Here are some tips for leading a remote team from my experience as a remote team leader. 

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  Self Leadership

  Apr 28, 2022 11:00 am41 views

  This post explains the importance of self-leadership and goes into some topics regarding self-leadership. 

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  My Time at the ILC

  Apr 26, 2022 1:15 pm87 views

  This post is a student employee reflection on her time at Illinois and working at the Illinois Leadership Center. 

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  How to be a Leader in a Virtual Setting

  Apr 25, 2022 11:30 am43 views

  This post elaborates on a few strategies that students can implement in order to become a leader in a virtual setting. 

• Three essential key factors that will help you shine as a leader in your RSO

  Apr 21, 2022 9:30 am18 views

  This post provides advice on how to navigate the transition to a leadership position in an RSO after experiencing a major part of COVID. 

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  Prioritizing Mental Health in Undergraduate Students Working Towards Professional & Graduate Programs

  Apr 18, 2022 11:30 am22 views

  This post explores mental health in undergraduate students working towards professional and graduate programs. This post also gives advice and strategies on how to manage one’s mental health in college.

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  How To Set the Right Goals for Yourself and Succeed

  Apr 14, 2022 1:15 pm601 views

  Goal setting is critical for success. Without goals, it’s difficult to measure progress or determine where you are and where you want to be. You also need specific goals in order to develop a plan on how to achieve them. However, there is a right way and wrong way to set goals, which is why following these tips are important.

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  Unmute, Speak, and Lead

  Apr 12, 2022 11:30 am17 views

  In a world stuck between virtual and in-person programming, our leadership skills need to encompass both settings. This article discusses one way you can be a leader in a virtual setting.

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  Do You Really Trust Your Team? Do They Trust You?

  Apr 7, 2022 11:15 am35 views

  This post details on the importance of being a trustworthy leader and provides a piece of advice on people who are just about to start their leadership role, using soccer as an example.

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  Leadership Lessons from President Zelensky

  Mar 29, 2022 11:15 am3586 views

  Leadership lessons from President Zelensky we can apply in our daily lives.

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  How to be a Leader in a Virtual Setting

  Mar 22, 2022 11:45 am28 views

  This post is about the tools you will need as a leader online, and how to work on the skills you are confident in to succeed in a virtual environment.

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  Why can't women be ambitious and likable?

  Mar 1, 2022 12:00 pm221 views

  This post explores the concept of "The Likeability Trap" as well as the pressures that women encounter in the workplace to curate their appearance and fashion.

• Advice for someone entering a leadership role for the first time

  Mar 1, 2022 11:45 am25 views

  This post gives some advice on starting your first leadership role and how to be successful in the role. 

• Stepping into a Leadership Position for the First Time

  Mar 1, 2022 11:45 am12 views

  This post explores how shedding the stereotypical perception of a leader as a commander and stepping into the role of a facilitator can help build trust and increase group productivity when stepping into a leadership position for the first time. 

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  When Opportunity Knocks 

  Mar 1, 2022 11:15 am134 views

  This post talks about how to build your own personal leadership style and the benefits that can come from it. This post also gives advice on ways to improve your leadership and be a better leader to others in many different scenarios of life. 

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  Becoming an Effective Leader in your first leadership position

  Feb 24, 2022 12:15 pm39 views

  This post provides insightful advice on how to be a confident and effective leader in your first leadership position.

• The Importance of Networking

  Feb 21, 2022 1:00 pm1339 views

  This post goes into detail on the importance of networking and some benefits of it. 

• The Importance of Sustainable Leadership

  Feb 8, 2022 12:00 pm385 views

  This post highlights why being a sustainable leader in today’s climate is important. The author challenges the reader to explore sustainable practices and try to implement them in their daily lives as well as their leadership roles.

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  Team Mentors & Team Members: How a Team Excels

  Feb 1, 2022 1:30 pm265 views

  This post talks about how important team members and team mentors are to an entire team. The post explains the importance of each role and effective ways to go about them. 

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  Leading by Creativity

  Dec 7, 2021 1:15 pm442 views

  This post goes into detail on one of the most important soft skills for a leader to have: creativity! Creativity helps leaders with problem-solving, communication, and team building. 

• Reflections on the past semester: the progress we have made

  Dec 6, 2021 2:15 pm166 views

  This post reflects on the past semester and all the progress we have made from the start till now. It also emphasizes the importance of your accomplishments and future goals you may set for yourself.

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  Ways to Relieve Stress

  Dec 6, 2021 12:45 pm749 views

  This post shares some ways to help relieve some stress. With the start of a new semester, it's always important to find ways to calm our stressors and still remain calm during all the chaos that is to come. 

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  Let Go of Your Perfectionism: The Best Ways to Stop Being So Hard on Yourself

  Nov 29, 2021 1:15 pm20136 views

  We put too much pressure on ourselves to succeed or do everything perfectly. Here are some ways you can stop being so hard on yourself. Understanding the roots of your perfectionism is the first step to overcoming it. Find someone you trust that you can talk to about your struggles. Take time for yourself every day and write down your worries. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and give yourself permission for doing things imperfectly.

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  How to stay (sorta) stress-free in college

  Nov 15, 2021 12:45 pm104 views

  This post shares some ways to help relieve stress in your life. With the end of the semester quickly approaching, this is a great post that gives some tips on ways to help handle the stress in your life!

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  Why reflection is important in a leadership role

  Nov 8, 2021 12:45 pm821 views

  This post talks about the importance of reflection and how it is important for leaders and teams to practice reflection. 

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  The importance of practicing openness today’s society

  Nov 3, 2021 1:15 pm227 views

  This post talks about the importance of openness and shares how the importance of practicing openness will be impactful in both your professional and personal life. 

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  The Importance of Developing a Community Perspective

  Oct 21, 2021 11:30 am1587 views

  This post talks about the importance of community and volunteering within your own community. The post shares a bit more about how to develop leadership skills through helping out your community. 

• How My Involvement With The Illinois Leadership Center Transformed My Life

  Oct 18, 2021 1:15 pm115 views

  This post talks a bit about the importance the ILC has had on one of our own employee's college experiences. She shares how she got involved with the ILC and where that has gotten her today as she is finishing her time here at the University of Illinois. 

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  How to Prioritize our Emotional Wellness 

  Oct 11, 2021 2:15 pm1529 views

  This post talks about the importance of emotional wellness and how to prioritize that in our lives. The post also talks a bit more about recognizing our own emotions, stress management, and emotional intelligence. 

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  The Importance of Leadership in a Global Pandemic

  Jul 7, 2021 1:45 pm7948 views

  This post highlights the importance of leaders navigating the challenges of COVID-19 and how leadership takes flexibility. The author uses their experience on the Illini Union Board to exemplify the challenges faced.

• Recognizing my Strengths as a Leader

  Jul 7, 2021 1:15 pm31 views

  This post talks about the experience of a Ph.D. student and how the ILC has influenced her journey. Through all the resources offered, she has been able to recognize her strengths as a leader. 

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  The Influence of the ILC's Workshops on my Leadership Journey

  Jul 7, 2021 12:45 pm1029 views

  This post talks about the experience of a fellow student throughout her time on campus and how the workshops helped with her leadership development today. 

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  Tips to Develop Yourself Over Summer

  Apr 21, 2021 2:15 pm311 views

  This post gives 5 tips on ways to develop yourself over the summer. Summer gives us the opportunity to develop ourselves as we get a break after the long, hectic school year. There are many ways to help develop yourself this summer, but these are just 5 examples. 

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  Innovation in Leadership

  Apr 6, 2021 1:45 pm75 views

  This post goes into details on Innovation in leadership. It describes what innovation is and ways to embrace innovation in leadership and in our daily lives. 

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  Innovation and Leadership

  Apr 6, 2021 1:45 pm34 views

  This post talks about innovation and the impacts it has on leadership. Innovation helps start trendsetters and conversation starters for leaders. It is important to recognize the impact innovation has on leaders. 

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  Empathy

  Apr 6, 2021 1:30 pm323 views

  This post starts by comparing empathy to shoes, displaying a metaphor for being the listener for someone's story. This post also shares a comparison and a way to think of empathy in a different way. 

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  Undertaking the Leadership Certificate with a Science PhD

  Apr 6, 2021 1:15 pm51 views

  This post shares the experience of a Ph.D. student who also took on the Leadership Certificate Program, offered at the ILC. He talks about his experience, why he decided to do it, and the benefits that came out of the program for him. 

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  The Importance of Community to Leadership Practice

  Mar 30, 2021 1:15 pm11660 views

  This post explains the importance of community in leadership and guides you through different ways to be a leader in a community. 

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  Sustainability in Leadership

  Mar 16, 2021 2:00 pm206 views

  This post goes into depth on sustainability in leadership and emphasizes the importance of it.