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Leadership Development - Communication, Collaboration, Team Dynamics

Reflection on the Development of Workplace Skills in your students:

Specific workplace skills focused on during this project included: communication, time management, conflict resolution, problem solving, and collaboration. We engaged in these skills one on one (faculty and student), one on one (student and student), and small groups. We engaged in conversations and collaborative activities.

We had a very small group of students (6) and approaches varied from weekly meetings, to periodic meetings, to email checkins. As the semester ended, we worked to come together in person and with more of the entire group. Our end goal is the creation/development of a summer leadership workshop - and this came together as a result of individual and collaborative efforts. My personal efforts to challenge, encourage, mentor, and support came in various forms - texts, emails, phone calls, office visits - that ranged from encouragement to strategy sessions.

With a small group of 6, you might think it was very easy! However, without a structured class, it was a tremendous challenge to make time (time management in theory vs practice) to connect. I do not have quantitative data, but anecdotally and qualitatively, I can identify markers of progress. For one student, their communication improved and the evidence is in texts and emails, and in person conversations. Similarly, another student who was habitually avoidant, showed up several times unannounced, despite being injured and limited mobility. All want to be a part of creating something for others.

Based on a recent conversation with one of the students, we concluded that engaging with faculty in classes in workplace skills readiness training every day! One particular faculty engaged in a perceived disrespectful manner and the student responded without disrespect; it was a moment they could identify their own growth AND that ways they as students are challenged daily by faculty to "show up." This is true of coaches as well - exhibiting some healthy and not so healthy workplace behaviors that our students will undoubtedly face in their future employment settings. Some of the group of six are workplace ready - they communicate clearly and proactively. However, they are all still developing and honing some skills. For example, even something we might see as basic - time management - is a challenge when you factor in class schedules, practice schedules, personal lives, etc.

**Workplace Skills Development**
Connecting with others	Taking risks with the support of others
I used two photos from my freshmen seminar, because they serve as one of the main pieces our group envisions for the summer leadership workshop. How do we support others in their attempts to take chances? How can exhibit leadership if I am not a team captain or a senior? How can I connect to others on my team and on other teams to enhance my own well being?	How can activities such as a ropes course foster some of these workplace skills - leadership skills - we hope to grow? Communication, collaboration, but also feeling safety when you're vulnerable, and taking those skills into other settings beyond the ropes course. We assign "leadership" to student athletes, employers expect these traits, but they need to be focused on and developed to achieve their full potential.

With the removal of the freshmen seminars from the General Education pattern at Sac State, other interventions will be needed to help develop the important skills necessary for success in college and beyond. The development of the summer leadership workshop is one piece of this effort to provide additional opportunities for social, personal, career growth for student athletes. We often assume they are "getting" these skills simply by being on their teams, but this is an inaccurate perception that is not supported in the research literature. If we want students and student athletes to develop and grow a skill, that skill must be identified, worked on, and practiced.

Provided below is a rough outline (developed to this point, but we are still working on the details) of the summer leadership workshop.

Applications - student athletes will apply to the summer leadership workshop (SLW). We are deciding on criteria (juniors and seniors?).
Dates - the SLW will span 2 or 3 days, and will occur in August as teams report to campus. This timing may impact who can participate because of pre-season schedules, so that will be a factor in scheduling.
Costs - we are working to keep costs minimal, but will look for campus resources to help. Food for the participants, costs of the ropes course, in kind cost of "adult" facilitators. Eventually, we'd like to offer a financial compensation for participants.
Activities - Day One - low ropes course in morning, "focused conversations" in morning (intros, team dynamics, self care, communication) - high ropes course in afternoon, "focused conversations" in afternoon (values, conflict resolution with teammates and coaches); evening activity that will focus on connecting with peers. Day Two - activities that will focus on student athlete experience at Sac State and how the SLW can prepare - from team specific to student athlete community specific). Day Three - TBD.

We anticipate that the SLW will evolve - identifying specific needs from the student athlete community. This could be a focus on job preparation, like resumes and interview practice, but some of this is offered during the school year, so the SLW is really about developing as an individual who i is part of a team and the ways that you work on yourself can enhance the larger group (whether team, community, colleagues in a job).

Things still to be determined, in addition to above, what sort of preparation will the participants need to do prior to the SLW? What sort of post-SLW will we engage in? How will we measure the success of the SLW?

**Faculty Bio**
Faculty Picture	About me:
	I grew up in upstate New York and earned my BS and MS at Ithaca College. I earned a MA in Black Studies and PhD at The Ohio State University in Sport Humanities. I identify as a sport historian and my academic work focuses on American sport history with an emphasis on African American sport experiences, as well as the Olympic Games and sport statues. Several years ago, I began teaching freshman seminar courses and it was an interesting growth experience for me as a faculty member. I love teaching student athletes, and freshmen - it is a real privilege to be part of their first semester at Sac State. I am also fortunate to see many of these freshmen stay at Sac State and graduate in four years - a lot of growth! This current leadership project has grown out of these freshmen seminars - seeing the need for a continued practice of being an engaged citizen on campus and on their respective teams.

STEM4Equity: US Dept. of Education STEMHSI P031C210012
*Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sacramento State.