Johnny R. Quintanilla
Leadership
To me, it is important that my career and institution are reflective of my own personal values. As an alumnus of Loyola Marymount University (LMU), I have had firsthand experience learning about Ignatian theology and the Jesuit ideals. I realized my experiences there have contributed to my student-centered philosophy and solidified my commitment to being a man for others by working in this field. Having this foundation has contributed to my ability to be present and attentive to the needs of my students and community in order to develop genuine connections. Furthermore, through reflective dialogue, I strive to help my students become self-aware. This allows me to cater to each individual’s needs by offering a transformative experience that will help them grow holistically.
I have discovered my passion for the development of responsible student leaders, my dedication to increasing awareness through multicultural and social justice education, and my continued interest in developing socially involved leaders through community service. It is evident that my commitment to cura personalis has helped me define all aspects of my job, from conduct cases to supervision of student leaders.
Therefore, I believe that I have obtained an exemplary level of Leadership through my experience as a Graduate Hall Director. The position has allowed me to develop supervision, advising, facility management, crisis response, conduct, and program development skills. Simultaneously with the development of these skills, I have also been able to develop various components of my Leadership competency. I have used my GHD evaluations to display competency in this area.
Narratives & Artifacts
In terms of supervision, I make a conscious effort to create an experience that will challenge and support the development of my students. Using my valued-based supervision, I am able to identify what my students need or want from our relationship. Additionally, my ability to build rapport with my students enables me to tune into their strengths and weaknesses. This allows me to provide experiences and resources that will both challenge and support them. I used this information to help me help them grow in terms of academics, personal endeavors, and the RA position. Additionally, I have also helped the ORL by supporting and transmitting the office values through my staff expectations, which are used to hold my staff accountable to completing tasks. Furthermore, my ability to pick up on staff dynamics allows me to create an environment conducive to learning and promoting self-awareness.
Similarly, as an advisor, I provide opportunities for my students to develop as leaders through my contribution of ideas and application of student development theory. I enjoy applying my Magis of “Doing more” philosophy to the groups that I advise. I do this by challenging my students to create intentional programs and opportunities for residents to learn and connect with one another. Additionally, my advising style has allowed me to help my students critically think about solutions to issues that occur on their floor. Student issues are constant in my building, therefore my ability to be restorative and provide adequate advice has contributed to the success of my RAs. I believe with the implementation of the Community Development Model and my Magis mentality, I have been able to create a very strong staff and community.
Other areas that display my leadership competency include my experience as a conduct officer, crisis responder, and ability to manage a residence hall. As a conduct officer, I utilize a restorative justice
philosophy in addressing student issues that have been documented by my RAs. This philosophy provide me with the opportunity to help student reflect about their personal values in order to realize that their actions are not reflective of their values or the institutions. As a crisis responder, I serve as an on-call professional that provides consultation for RAs while on duty. RAs are dependent on my ability to critically think and my knowledge of resources on BGSU’s campus. Lastly, as a manager of my residence hall, I make sure that my supervisees and the resident abide by institution regulations, which means holding them accountable to policies and job expectations through performance evaluations or the conduct process. This position also means that I am responsible for making sure my facility is running and that the administrative work has been completed.
My GHD evaluations also allow me see my areas of improvement. Based on my performance and my RA evaluations of me, I was provided with areas where I should improve. As part of the Leadership competency, I am expected to be knowledgeable of my weakness in order to determine how I will create a development plan to improve in those areas. Although I am successful in various areas as a GHD, the areas of improvement allow me to become self-aware of my own strengths and weaknesses in order to be a better practitioner.
Graduate Hall Director Evaluations
GHD Fall 2011 Evaluation
GHD Fall 2012 Evaluation
I demonstrate competency by
Basic
Describe how one's personal values, beliefs, histories, and perspectives inform one's view of oneself as an effective leader.
Identify one's strengths and weaknesses as a leader and seek opportunities to develop one's leadership skills.
Identify basic fundamentals of teamwork and teambuilding in one's work setting and communities of practice.
Describe and apply the basic principles of community building.
Use technology to support the leadership process (e.g., seeking input or feedback, sharing decisions, posting data that support decisions, using group-support website tools).
Understand campus cultures (e.g., academic cultures, student cultures) and collaborative relationships, applying that understanding to one's work.
Articulate the vision and mission of the primary work unit, the division, and the institution;
Explain the values and processes that lead to organizational improvement.
Identify institutional traditions, mores, and organizational structures (e.g., hierarchy, networks, governing groups, nature of power, policies, goals, agendas and resource allocation processes) and how they influence others to act in the organization.
Think critically and creatively, and imagine possibilities for solutions that do not currently exist or are not apparent.
Explain the effect of decisions on diverse groups of people, other units, and sustainable practices.
Articulate the logic used in making decisions to all interested parties.
Identify and introduce conversations on potential issues and developing trends into appropriate venues such as staff meetings.
Intermediate
Recognize the interdependence of members within organizational units.
Plan and organize a unit's resources in the support of unit, divisional, or institutional goals and objectives.
Facilitate consensus processes where wide support is needed.
Intentionally include diverse others and their perspectives to inform decision making and reconcile diverse viewpoints.
Give appropriate feedback to colleagues and students on skills they may seek to become more effective leaders.
Serve as a mentor for students, new professionals, or those new to the organizational unit.
Create environments that encourage students to view themselves as having the potential to make meaningful contributions to their communities and be civically engaged in their communities (residence hall, campus, local, state, or national).