Learning Leadership: Two Weeks to Teambuilding

How do you prepare a two-week leadership development experience for teenaged girls? The recipe for success for the inaugural Leadership for Women camp, one of 13 offerings through University of the Pacific’s Summer High School Institute in June, was equal parts vision, curiosity and flexibility, with a dash of humility.

Designing an experience that young women would find engaging and transformative proved to be a challenge that required these leadership skills in addition to listening, clear communication, empathy, resilience and empowerment. 

Twenty-five young women entering grades 9 through 12 from local, regional and other California high schools embarked upon a leadership development journey together that pushed many beyond their comfort zones.

Students were encouraged to embrace open-mindedness, a critical leadership quality, while working in small groups to apply and observe leadership skills in practice. A combination of learning modes was adopted for the course:

• Individual reflection to develop self-awareness.
• Peer exchange and group work, creating opportunities for taking initiative and using problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Culminating projects to present learnings and practice communication skills. 

I had no illusions of mesmerizing a Gen Z audience for more than seven hours daily. Keeping a diverse group of learners engaged called for a highly flexible plan with frequent shifts in delivery methods. A blend of curated TED Talks, personal stories, guest speakers, campus field trips and flipping the classroom to turn the learners into teachers provided variety to meet the needs of a
demanding crowd. 

Each of the young women came into the course with different goals. How well did the course meet their expectations? That is best answered in their own words. 

“This program really taught us that being in a leadership position does not determine whether you are a leader or not, but it’s your actions and interaction towards others.” –Destiny, 9th grade.

“We are not born with all the leadership qualities, so this class was a good way to learn more about them and how we can demonstrate them.” –Sara, 12th grade.

“Leaders are not just people who tell a team what to do or how to do it. They inspire others and help them grow. I learned that what is most important is how your leadership impacts others.” –Kathleen, 11th grade.

“I see myself improving my communication as a leader by being more direct. I’m not overthinking as much as I used to and I’m expressing my view and making sure I leave my input on the table.” –Ebony, 12th grade.

“Risk taking is something that I’ve come to slowly realize isn’t all that bad. Leaders will have to take risks to have better outcomes even if it’s scary because that is the only way that someone can progress in anything.” –Athena, 12th grade.

“I am glad to have been exposed to more female leaders in this class. Our guest speakers served as inspirations to the class and that is very valuable.” –Natalie, 12th grade.

“(I learned) that I am capable of being a leader the way I am. I don’t have to be super extroverted or energetic to lead, as those things don’t define leadership.” –Anonymous

What began on day one as a quiet, self-described group of mostly introverts culminated in a confident group of emerging young women leaders who delivered nearly flawless presentations on their learning journeys to an audience of more than 60 peers and family members on day ten.

Each young woman gained an appreciation for her own strengths and how others’ strengths fill gaps to build stronger teams and learned how to navigate individual growth while developing their own authentic leadership styles.

Written by: Margaret Roberts

Margaret Roberts has served as director of the Eberhardt Management Center at University of the Pacific since 2002.