Personal and ethical foundations are a cornerstone of the student affairs field today. This competency area "involves the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop and maintain integrity in one’s life and work; this includes thoughtful development, critique, and adherence to a holistic and comprehensive standard of ethics and commitment to one’s own wellness and growth" (ACPA/NASPA, 2015, p. 16). I am a very passionate person that holds authenticity near and dear to my heart. I truly believe that I cannot be a great, or even at the least a good, professional without being my authentic self, especially around the students I work with. You might call this a core tenet of     my Code of Ethics.

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                       A huge part of my Code of Ethics is also the idea of a work-life balance. I recognize that "work-life balance" sounds like                              some kind of millennial craze, but it is something that deserves attention. Through my research, I found that an estimated                         50 to 60 percent of student affairs professionals leave the field before their fifth year (Renn & Hodges, 2007). Going into the                       field, I knew that entry and mid-level positions are the ones that require longer hours with more frequent night and weekend                        work. However, this is where flexible scheduling comes in. Balancing our personal and professional lives are key to retention in the field, despite the challenges doing so might bring. I think Bolman and Deal (2013) put it really well when they talked about Mazlow's Hierarchy of Needs and how it factors in to managerial practices: "If you manage solely by carrot and stick, you'll get only a part of the energy and talent that people have to offer" (p. 123). For more of my research on burnout, specifically geared towards Fraternity and Sorority Advising, click the PDF icon to the left!

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A foundational outcome of this competency is the ability to articulate key elements of

your personal beliefs, as well as identifying the source of those beliefs. Personal

beliefs can mean so many things - small things, like "does pineapple belong on pizza?"

or large things, like "Is it the duty of those with privilege to dismantle that privilege that

benefits them?" For me, the answers to those questions would be "no" and "yes," in that

order.

 

On a more serious note, I place a lot of value on the practice of authentic leadership,

particularly in the developmental perspective, as outlined by Northouse (2016). He defines

the perspective as viewing "authentic leadership as something that can be nurtured in a

leader, rather than as a fixed trait" (p. 196). In my eyes, every person has the capacity to

be a leader. It takes some practice to develop, and for some that ability only shines in

certain situations, but everyone has it. As student affairs professionals, it is our duty to help

students find that skill in them and then hone it. 

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Authentic leaders know and recognize their values and behave towards others based on

those values (Northouse, 2016). That idea of thought comes from what Northouse calls

the "practical approach" as originally defined by Bill George. In this approach, authentic

leaders are urged to "become more purposeful, value centered, relational, self-disciplined,

and compassionate" (p. 206). I particularly enjoy the relational component.

Northouse says that leaders with this trait "are willing to share their own story with others 

and listen to others' stories" (p. 199).

 

When working with students who are dealing with a struggle of some sort, I share

anecdotes and experiences from my life when I see value in doing so, and students

consistently feel better about opening up to me. For example,  one student on my

Panhellenic Executive Board was having conflicts with fellow board members, and she

cited need for control. I empathized with her and told her about my experiences with

my eating disorder and how it led me to want control in other areas of life. She opened up

more about her situation to me and has since felt more comfortable taking my advice on time

management, delegation, and self-care, which has increased her overall well-being and reduced conflict amongst board members.

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As student affairs professionals, we must always remember to stay true to ourselves and model the kind of beliefs and actions we want them to emulate. Being an authentic leader is just one of many ways of doing that.

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References

 

• ACPA/NASPA. (2015). Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators.

• Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing Organizations (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

• National Panhellenic Conference. (2016). Manual of Information (21st ed.).

• ​Northouse, P. G. (2017). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Renn, K. A. & J. P. Hodges. (2007). The First Year on the Job: Experiences of New Professionals in Student Affairs. NASPA Journal, 44(2), 367-391.

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