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The #IlliniLeader's Digest
A digital space for ILC stakeholders to learn and voice their perspectives about leadership...

blog posts

  • Mountain Road Snowing Snow

    Indecisiveness & Leadership

    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.

  • Innovation and Leadership

    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. 

  • 2020

    My Time at the ILC

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

  • lightbulb

    Innovation in Leadership

    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. 

  • virtual leadership

    How to be a Leader in a Virtual Setting

    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.

  • virtual

    How to be a Leader in a Virtual Setting

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

  • The Importance of Diversity in Leadership

    This post discusses the importance of diversity in concepts of leadership and areas of life. 

  • stressed business woman

    Stress and Free Time: Learning How to Appreciate Leadership

    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.

  • Leadership photo

    6 Tips for Successfully Leading a Team

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

  • Cavenaugh Library

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

    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!

  • Is Leadership Conditional?

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

  • leadershape

    How My Experience at The LeaderShape® Institute™ Shaped My Understanding of Social Justice

    The LeaderShape®  Institute™ was a great opportunity to learn more about social justice and hear from different viewpoints. My time at The LeaderShape®  Institute™  was very influential and I wanted to share how it helped my viewpoint of social justice. 

  • science and leadership

    Undertaking the Leadership Certificate with a Science PhD

    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. 

  • self

    Self Leadership

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

  • remote

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

    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. 

  • imprint

    What Is A Personal Brand Anyway?

    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.

  • 2020 staff photo

    Student Employment Reflections

    Student employees at the Illinois Leadership Center share their experience while working at the ILC as well as some benefits to their positions. Information on student employment for the 2021-2022 school year is also shared. 

  • mental health

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

    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.

  • hands

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

    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.

  • Becoming an Effective Leader in your first leadership position

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

  • Recognizing my Strengths as a Leader

    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. 

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

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

  • group

    The Shared "We"

    This post goes into detail on the importance of Common Purpose in Leadership and how practicing this competency will make you a great leader. 

  • How Trying Calamari (and other things) Helped Me to Have Better Self-Management

    Simplify life's complexities by discovering three transformative mindsets—curiosity, embracing opportunities, and reframing problems for effective self-management. With practical insights from her own experiences, an ILC graf intern emphasizes the gradual nature of this process and shares her wisdom on navigating life with intention and pride. 

  • Compassionate Leadership: What I've Learned

    In this blog, an ILC graf intern explores the concept of compassionate leadership and how her time working at the Illinois Leadership Center has made her reevaluate her approach on what makes a competent leader.

  • virtual setting

    Unmute, Speak, and Lead

    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.

  • Stepping into a Leadership Position for the First Time

    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. 

  • The History of Black Housing Discrimination at UIUC

    In this blog post I talk about the Wicked Problem of Black housing discrimination and segregation at UIUC and how it has been a problem since the opening of this University. with all the strides that black people have made on this campus it goes almost unnoticeable today, but we are still seeing the affects of this historical problem in real time.

  • Special Situations in Private Markets

    Jeremy Giffon's wisdom on passion, advice, and resilience inspires a path to success. Embrace challenges and learn to be "hard to kill".

  • COVID-19 Updates

    As the spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) creates uncertainty and concerns both globally and here in our community, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign continues to monitor developments and to take any new actions that are warranted as new information emerges in this rapidly changing situation. Click here for information and updates about the impact of the COVID-19 virus on our university.

  • Donaldson Gift to the Illinois Leadership Center Makes History

    The Illinois Leadership® Center (ILC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has received the largest outright gift in the history of Student Affairs at Illinois with a $1.17 million gift from Jane and William (“Bill”) Donaldson.

  • One Question to Answer Before Deciding Your Career Path

    Remember the saying that we all wanted to believe as kids? You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. One of the best ways to end up in the kind of career that earns you respect, recognition, success, and happiness is to do more of what you're good at.

    Click the title to read this article by Jessica Buono from Gallup with CliftonStrengths, one of the programs presented at the ILC!

  • How to Establish a Psychologically Safe Team

    ILC's communication and marketing specialist Eugene Hwang talks about psychological safety and what it takes to have a team where everyone feels comfortable!