blog posts

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  The Importance of Self-Improvement for Leaders

  Sep 17, 2020 12:00 pm46934 views

  September is self-improvement month. This post goes into detail on what self-improvement is, how it is important for leaders and shares a personal connection to self-improvement. 

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

  Nov 29, 2021 1:15 pm30931 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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  7 Ways to Improve Your Self-Management Skills

  Sep 29, 2022 1:30 pm26126 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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  Reflections: Being a Student Leader in a Pandemic and Lessons Learned

  Dec 14, 2020 9:30 am25794 views

  This post provides reflections from UIUC students on this past Fall semester and how they felt about the changes and transition to online classes. 

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  My Definition of Leadership

  Apr 15, 2020 11:30 pm24556 views

  I go into detail on what I believe is the true definition of leadership and how this reflects all the good leaders in our lives. I also give my perspective on the definition of leadership.

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  The Role of Relationship Management in Leadership

  Nov 10, 2020 9:30 am13719 views

  This post emphasizes the importance of relationship management in leadership. It goes into detail on ways to practice, understand, and learn from relationship management as a leader. 

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  The Importance of Community to Leadership Practice

  Mar 30, 2021 1:15 pm13147 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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  The Importance of Leadership in a Global Pandemic

  Jul 7, 2021 1:45 pm8703 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.

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  Leadership Lessons from President Zelensky

  Mar 29, 2022 11:15 am5164 views

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

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  What is the Hardest Part About Being Good Leader?

  Apr 15, 2020 12:00 am4451 views

  In this article, I discuss what I find to be the hardest part of being a leader. The pressure to please all parties is a challenge that can be burdensome and serve to degrade a leader's confidence in their ability. I discuss this topic from my perspective and experiences.

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  Human Dignity in Leadership

  Nov 30, 2020 11:00 am3202 views

  This post explains the importance of one of the ILC's competencies, human dignity, and how it is important in leadership. 

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  What does it mean to be an ethical leader?

  Mar 16, 2021 1:30 pm2145 views

  This post shares ways to be an ethical leader and practice integrity as a leader in our every day. The author shares some personal stories as well on the topic of integrity.

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  The Importance of Developing a Community Perspective

  Oct 21, 2021 11:30 am2058 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. 

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  How to Prioritize our Emotional Wellness 

  Oct 11, 2021 2:15 pm2033 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 Influence of the ILC's Workshops on my Leadership Journey

  Jul 7, 2021 12:45 pm1971 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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  Why reflection is important in a leadership role

  Nov 8, 2021 12:45 pm1699 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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  Becoming a Culturally Competent Leader

  Nov 30, 2022 1:15 pm1681 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.

• The Importance of Networking

  Feb 21, 2022 1:00 pm1597 views

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

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  How To Set the Right Goals for Yourself and Succeed

  Apr 14, 2022 1:15 pm1203 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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  Leading by Creativity

  Dec 7, 2021 1:15 pm1027 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. 

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  Why YOU should consider the Leadership Studies Minor

  Oct 27, 2020 9:45 am853 views

  This post explains more information on the Leadership Studies Minor and gives student perspectives on the minor itself. 

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  Ways to Relieve Stress

  Dec 6, 2021 12:45 pm794 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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  The National Day of Encouragement- What is it?

  Sep 12, 2020 9:30 am724 views

  This post goes into depth on the National Day of Encouragement, a day that recognizes the importance of encouragement in our everyday lives. It'll go into more detail on the history, facts, and ways to increase the use of encouragement in your lives. 

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

  Mar 7, 2023 10:30 am537 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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  The importance of practicing openness today’s society

  Nov 3, 2021 1:15 pm501 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. 

• The Importance of Sustainable Leadership

  Feb 8, 2022 12:00 pm471 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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  Empathy

  Apr 6, 2021 1:30 pm428 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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  Tips to Develop Yourself Over Summer

  Apr 21, 2021 2:15 pm354 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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  A Call to Action: Social Change in our Leadership

  Oct 13, 2020 9:15 am343 views

  This post goes into detail about what the Social Change Model of Leadership is and how we can use it in our every day lives with relation to leadership. 

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  What Actually Makes a Good Leader, May Not Be What You Think...

  Apr 15, 2020 12:00 am330 views

  We are always asked the question, "what makes a good leader?" Through all the different studies and approaches learned, I discovered what I believe makes a good leader and it may not be what you think.

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  Why can't women be ambitious and likable?

  Mar 1, 2022 12:00 pm317 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.

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  National Make a Difference Day

  Oct 20, 2020 10:30 am313 views

  National Make a Difference Day focuses on aspects of service in our community. This post goes into more detail about the day and introduces the topic of servant leadership. 

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  The Effectiveness of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

  Oct 6, 2020 10:15 am311 views

  Since October is Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month, this post goes into detail on the importance of emotional intelligence and how to effectively use it in leadership. 

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  Team Mentors & Team Members: How a Team Excels

  Feb 1, 2022 1:30 pm283 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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  The Power of Integrity

  Mar 16, 2021 1:15 pm255 views

  This post talks about power of integrity and what makes it so important in life and leadership. 

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

  Dec 6, 2021 2:15 pm221 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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  Sustainability in Leadership

  Mar 16, 2021 2:00 pm216 views

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

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  Leadership in Social Justice

  Jan 27, 2023 11:00 am182 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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  The Illinois Model of Leadership

  Apr 16, 2020 3:00 pm172 views

  Through a campus-wide initiative involving faculty, staff, and student participants, the ILC developed The Illinois Model of Leadership Education. Learn more about this framework used to inform and shape the practice of the leadership education at Illinois. 

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  Jump Start Your Career with Leadership

  Apr 16, 2020 8:00 pm148 views

  This blog post highlights the importance of leadership and how it can positively influence your career readiness. Leadership is about constantly learning and to do this you must seek out experiences that will enhance your life design.

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

  Mar 1, 2022 11:45 am145 views

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

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  How to stay (sorta) stress-free in college

  Nov 15, 2021 12:45 pm143 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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  When Opportunity Knocks 

  Mar 1, 2022 11:15 am139 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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  Organizing for Social Change: An Interview with a First-Timer

  Jun 12, 2020 11:45 am138 views

  I first met Paul Saban at the 2019 session of the Institute by LeaderShape. When Paul informed me that he was organizing a demonstration for Black Lives Matter in his hometown in Monticello, I decided that I would interview him about his experience following the demonstration. This was his first time organizing an event of this kind. The demonstration was held in the main square of Monticello, Illinois on Saturday, June 6.

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  Why Leadership is Important to Me (And for You!)

  Apr 15, 2020 11:00 pm132 views

  In this post I talk about a personal experience from high school that was a foundational piece of my experience in becoming a leader. I use this as an example of why leadership is important to me by describing how I came to view myself as a leader and the impact I have had on others as a result.

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  Being a Leader in the Advertising Industry

  Apr 14, 2020 12:00 am127 views

  This blog sums up the leadership qualities necessary for success when working in an advertising agency. It teaches college students how to prepare for the industry by being mindful of the way they act and work with others.

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

  Oct 18, 2021 1:15 pm118 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 Leaders Communicate Effectively

  Sep 22, 2020 10:30 am117 views

  Communication is something key in leadership as well as our everyday lives. This post goes into more detail on communication and gives some great advice on how to effectively use communication in different areas. 

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  Challenges You Need To Encounter As A Leader

  Apr 15, 2020 5:00 pm114 views

  Leaders have the power to control people to do what they want. However, being a leader is not easy. He or she needs to face many challenges to build a strong, healthy working relationship with employees.

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  Indecisiveness & Leadership

  Sep 7, 2022 11:00 am108 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.