Displaying Leadership

Here at the State Department leadership plays a crucial role in every office. One of the things I noticed right off the bat was the amount of organization and planning that goes into everything. Supervisors and senior officials are responsible for making sure things go smoothly, and without that leadership the whole system would crumble, and this system is gigantic.

Within my office my supervisor follows the same principle, emphasizing organization and planning. She is precise and demonstrates how a supervisor should act, but also makes an effort to keep the office's spirits up and ensures that everyone keeps a positive attitude. It is these little qualities that can get overlooked when analyzing great leadership, and I know from experience how effective this model is. It is very similar to the way my office does things back at the Arizona State Senate. We don't view each other as co-workers, rather, a team. This mindset goes a long way in the workplace.

So far, I haven't really assumed any "leadership" type roles. Since I'm just getting started I'm still getting the feel for things and with the government shutdown still effective there haven't been a ton of opportunities to lead. I imagine that as my internship continues I will find more opportunities to take the initiative and impress some people (hopefully)!

For now, observing the way my co workers and supervisor work together to accomplish goals is giving me valuable insight into what it takes to be successful at a place like the State Department.