About the Leadership Program

The Leadership Program (LP) special programs are coordinated by the Undergraduate Programs Office (UPO), Student Life department each semester. To facilitate the student’s progression and leadership development from an individual to a global perspective, LCP programs are organized to cover the different annual themes based on the 7 C's of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. After each program, breakout sessions will be organized by classification in order to discuss the topic's relation to each student's current theme.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Leadership Program (LP) at McCombs is to complement the core purpose and values of The University of Texas at Austin through directed experiences that facilitate leadership, awareness and action on the individual, local and global level.

Goals

The primary goals of the LP are to:

Facilitate positive social change at an institution or in the community by undertaking actions that help the institution or community function more effectively and humanely.
Enhance student learning and development as it relates to self-knowledge and leadership competence:
- Self-knowledge is the understanding of one’s talents, values and interests, especially as they pertain to one’s capacity to provide effective leadership.
- Leadership competence is the capacity to mobilize oneself and others to serve and work collaboratively.

Vision

To integrate varied experiences within the framework of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development, which develops authentic ethical leaders.

An individual can most fully develop his or her capacity for leadership by developing and studying leadership from the perspectives of both the individual and the community. The Social Change Model of Leadership Development is designed to enhance the development of leadership qualities in all participants. It promotes an inclusive process that actively engages all who wish to contribute -- those who hold formal leadership positions as well as those who do not. The social change model examines leadership development from 3 different perspectives: the individual, the group and the community or society.

The 7 C's

The desired outcomes for individuals are based on the 7 C’s from the social change model: consciousness of self, congruence, commitment, collaboration, common purpose, controversy and citizenship.

Year One

Consciousness of self is being aware of the beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions that motivate one to take action.

Congruence is thinking, feeling and behaving with consistency, genuineness, authenticity and honesty toward others. Congruent persons are those whose actions are consistent with their most deeply-held beliefs and convictions. Clearly, personal congruence and consciousness of self are interdependent.

Commitment is the psychic energy that motivates the individual to serve and drives the collective effort. Commitment implies passion, intensity and duration. It is directed toward both the group activity as well as its intended outcomes. Without commitment, knowledge of self is of little value, and without adequate knowledge of self, commitment is easily misdirected. Congruence, in turn, is most readily achieved when each individual acts with commitment and knowledge of self.

Year Two & Three

Collaboration is working with others in a common effort. It constitutes the cornerstone value of the group leadership effort because it empowers individuals through trust. Collaboration multiples group effectiveness by capitalizing on the multiple talents and perspectives of each group member, and on the power of diversity to generate creative solutions and actions. Collaboration empowers each individual best when there is a clear-cut division of labor.

Common Purpose is working in a group with shared aims and values. It facilities the group’s ability to engage in collective analysis of the issues at hand and the task to be undertaken. Common purpose is best achieved when all members of the group share a common vision and participate actively in articulating the purpose and goals of the leadership development activity. Recognizing the common purpose and mission of the group helps generate the high level of trust that any successful collaboration requires.

Controversy with civility recognizes two fundamental realities of any creative group effort: differences in viewpoint are inevitable, and such differences must be aired openly but with civility. Civility implies respect of others, willingness to hear other’s views, and restraint in criticizing the views and actions of others. This is best achieved in a collaborative framework where a common purpose has been identified. Controversy, conflict and confrontation can often lead to new solutions to problems, especially when they occur in an atmosphere of civility, collaboration and common purpose.

Year Four

Citizenship is the process whereby the individual and the collaborative group become responsibly connected to the community and the society through the leadership development activity. Good citizens work for positive change on behalf of others and the community and acknowledge the interdependence of those who are involved in or affected by their efforts. Citizenship recognizes the common purpose of the group must incorporate a sense of concern for the rights and welfare of all those who might be affected. Therefore, it also acknowledges that effective democracy involves individual responsibility as well as individual rights.

Adapted from A Social Change Model of Leadership (Guidebook Version III). Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute, University of California.

Contact the Office of Student Life at (512) 232-5557 or by e-mail at leadership@mccombs.utexas.edu.

The BBA Leadership Program