Our Transformative Leadership course, which lasted 16-weeks, was characterized by joy and love. The aim of the course was to develop analytical thinking about mental models of leadership. Furthermore, the course had the purpose of providing a space where students could reflect and share their reflections on their experiences with the theme of leadership. The students generated solutions to personal and social problems, evaluated the leadership style of Latin American leaders and demonstrated – through a video-project at the end of the year – their new conceptual framework of what it means to practice Transformative Leadership.
The book Liderazgo Moral was the catalyst for moments of perception and vision and established the framework within which each student explored their role in the university, in the community and in their own family, with the intention of applying what they had learned.
As a professor, one thing that surprised and pleased me greatly was the willingness and eagerness of my students to learn how to implement the capabilities of Transformative Leadership. There was no rejection of the idea that we need to examine reality and seek the truth, and that it is important to abandon mental models that do not correspond to reality.
A particularly transformative moment occurred the day that we talked about competition versus cooperation. As I participated in the discussion on the subject, I saw what every professor wants to behold: faces illumined with the light of understanding.
Learning does not end at the end of a semester. I have extended to my students the invitation to participate voluntarily in the study of other related topics. While I do not expect them all to respond, I feel this is a coherent step in deepening the process of capacity building and community service, and some will definitely participate.
Here are some comments from the students in the course.
“It was very interesting to learn about different types of leaders. It was something that captivated my interest. And the gems! If a person has ten bad qualities and one good one, then we focus on the good one.” ~ Paulina García Zavala
“The best lesson I take from the book is to always be aware that we can change toward the good, as long as we reflect on our behavior. There is always room for positive change because in some way we are always going to influence others. Even though we are not perfect and egotism lives in us, I think we have the strength to fight it when making decisions that affect others.
The greatest satisfaction comes from service and seeing positive change not only in ourselves but also in others. Life is full of opportunities in which we can grow emotionally and wisely. In order to do that, we have to be humble, accepting our mistakes with an awareness of the changes we need to make.” ~ Margarita Howard
“This book has opened my mind to think about how I can help others with a spirit of service and humility. It also made me reflect on my mental models. Today I am aware of how our thinking can change our perception and how we see the world around us.
Furthermore, I learned to value mutual support and reciprocity through the exercises in the book that we do in groups. Taking into account the ideas of others helped me to put into practice what the book teaches.
Finally, family dynamics are important to me. Another important lesson I learned from the text was to consult as a family and talk about the problems that exist among family members. I have put this into practice with my family and it nurtured our souls and minds. ~ Alex Velázquez
Dr. Mary Sobhani is responsible for the Department of Languages at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, USA. Each year she gives a course in Spanish on “Cultural Topics” to students in their last or penultimate year of Spanish studies. This year she chose as the text for the course the book Liderazgo Moral (Transformative Leadership).