"The world is run by people who show up"

As I walked into my Leadership Agriculture class on one of the first crisp days of fall, I thought today would be like any other usual day where Dr. Kaufman would go through his lecture using PowerPoint slides and then we would have a small group activity to fully understand the material. I was mistaken; today we had an exciting guest speaker, Dr. Megan Seibel. Dr. Seibel came and gave an inspirational speech on her leadership philosophy and how she incorporates the principles of leadership in her life every day.

WHAT?

Dr.Seibel began her lecture with informing us of her background education. She told the class how she was originally a nurse and had no intentions or knowledge about the farming industry. She never had any relations related to farming before meeting her husband. Her husband’s family owned a huge farm and wanted to keep it in the family. So, once she married into the family she also obtained over 60 acres and a beef cattle farm. Since Dr. Seibel had no connection to the cattle, she decided she wanted to incorporate something she was passionate about in their 60 acres.

SO WHAT?

Dr. Seibel had always been a leader in her past and wanted to continue that into her new life of a farm owner. She wanted to do something on the farm that she could relate too, with a background of chemistry and science; she saw a need for grapes for local vineyards around Virginia. She decided that with the extra land on her farm she would create a small vineyard. Dr.Seibel is so insightful and represents her leadership philosophy in the way she runs her vineyard. Creating the vineyard and taking a chance she challenged the process of how a normal farm is run. She continually repeated how important it is to model the way. For example, when it is grape picking season she hires many workers to help pick all of the grapes. Most large farm owners just direct the workers, like an authoritarian leader but Dr.Seibel works right beside them. She works along-side the workers and models the way, she tries to inspire a shared vision with the people who help her create her vision.. Dr.Seibel told us a story about how one of her workers as they were picking grapes asked about the owner and how long she had been working for them. I find it very humbling, I wish that more boss’s would understand this concept. I love how Dr.Seibel treats her workers as real people not people who are under her. She trys to accomplish the hardest of all modules inspire a shared vision to everyone she comes in contact with.

NOW WHAT?

Dr.Seibel is also very involved with VALOR, which is an agriculture leadership program for adults in Virginia. She travels all around Virginia meeting with a variety of different people involved in the agriculture world. Dr. Seibel displayed to us the importance of the five leadership practices and how she incorporates them into her day-to-day life as a leader. She ended the class with her favorite leadership quote which embodies her leadership philosophy - "the world is run by people who show up". This quote seems to simple but means so much more, I take it as if you just show up and do something about something you believe in - there will be a change. Just like the one of my favorite quotes - "be the change you want to see in the world."

Leading in a Living Learning Community

What?

Before my freshman year I decided to apply to the Residential Leadership Community (RLC) here at Virginia Tech. I originally applied for the many incentives including air conditioned and suite style dorms.  Needless to say, it was one of the best decisions I have made here at Virginia Tech. I have always enjoyed leadership and have always kept very involved through high school. The RLC is a living learning community and was a way for me to connect with many other students with the same interests. After my first year with the RLC, I decided to continue my involvement in the leadership program and apply to be a Peer Leader.

So What?

After the in-depth interview process of applying to be a Peer Leader I got the position.  I am one of eleven sophomore Peer Leader's living in Peddrew-Yates. As a Peer Leader, my role is to live within the Peddrew-Yates dorm and act as a mentor and a teacher assistant in their first leadership courses, LDRS 1015 and LDRS 1016.  As a Peer Leader is to help out in anyway in their LDRS classes and to be available to answer any type of questions the freshmen may have. I spend countless hours each week with the freshmen of the RLC and I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoy helping through all of the simple struggles that they encounter within the first two weeks of being on their own. All of my friends constantly ask why I want to live with the freshman and volunteer countless hours of my time but they don't understand what leadership means to me.

Here are all of the Peer Leaders of the RLC in the dorm during the first weekend. We went around Peddrew-Yates with the "Welcome Wagon" and the Hokie Bird welcoming all of the new freshmen!

Now What?

Being a leader in the living learning community has had such a huge impact on the way I look at the definition of leadership. Before this experience I believed that a leader had to be older than the majority of followers and far more experienced. I now realize that because I am only one year older and have one more year of experience I am one of the most relatable and influential leaders at Virginia Tech acting as a medium between the students and professors. Being just two weeks into my sophomore, watching the freshman look up to me for not only questions in the LDRS class but questions about the many different aspects of life and what to get involved in.

I feel that through this experience I have determined that the best type of leader must be relatable and experienced. The more comfortable the followers are, the better the leader.