Here are student responses to the prompt: “insert name here has shown me that ethical leadership means …”
Scrapes on my arm, blisters on my hands, and muscle soreness have shown me that ethical leadership means “to toil.” Ethical leadership can be seen as a love, or a struggle, or a frustration; however, I view ethical leadership as meaning all of the above. Ethical leadership does not happen over a day, or a week, or a year, – it happens over a lifetime. In the short time I have spent in Kenya, I have learned that ethical leadership means to fervently love, to be frustrated to the extent that conversations at dinner provoke deep thought, and to struggle through numbing work that makes me want to write about it when describing ethical leadership. To lead ethically is to toil through a spectrum of emotions and experiences that last a lifetime and ultimately lead to a unique conclusion, for all, which can only be found in the toil.
Kenya has shown me that ethical leadership means building a community that you can both disagree and agree and the peace will be kept. That you are able to move freely weaving through eachothers lives. You talk to everyone and do the work, put in the effort, and be kind and nice to everyone and it will come around, but it only starts with someone with good intentions, a strong heart, desire and motivation for change and connection.
My time in Kenya has helped me realize that I can make a significant impact on others and grow as a person by simply being myself. I went into this trip not fully knowing what I wanted to gain from it, and I’ve learned that taking the time to fully immerse myself in this experience is incredibly important for myself and those around me. Being here has shown me that following my interests and intermingling with others with an unfamiliar version of myself, benefits me more than trying to hide or simplify myself to fit in. This realization does come from both my friendships I’ve made in our group, the connections I’ve made at KACH and TIRIJI, and working on our project. Basically, I’ve realized that I can serve and learn from others by letting go of old ideas of myself.
Patrick (one of our IPI guides who grew up at KACH and is now an adult) has shown me ethical leadership in how he acts when no one is around, showing how much he values where he comes from, and how he wants to share and to give back to his community. He continues to radiate his kindness to everyone around him, making his community a better, happier place. He has shown us true ethical leadership and the impact of Dr. K’s work.
Dr. K has shown me that ethical leadership is about the WE and not the ME. True ethical leaders stick to their mission and they stick with it to fulfill others’ needs, not their own. Dr. K has a mission (to help children in her greater community) and the reason why her mission is successful is because she leads with a genuine heart to make others feel good, not herself.
Jackie (the TIRIJI chef) has shown me that ethical leadership means preparing fantastic meals every day so we can have the energy to spend on our busy days. She takes the time to show us how to properly wash the dishes so everybody gets a clean plate. She even cuts up extra pineapple since we love it so much. This more “behind the scenes“ way of leading us has been so impactful.
Our group has demonstrated ethical leadership in many ways, but I would recognize Nicole and Ziva as those who have changed my perspective on what ethical leadership is. Nicole has demonstrated leadership through her interactions with the KACH kids. And she has shown me that ethical leadership is dependent on making sure that every party is understood and trying to satisfy all parties. Today, I also saw Ziva tap someone’s shoulder to see if they were OK, which led me to think about other actions. She has shown me that ethical leadership can be through quiet acts, not just extravagant demonstrations.
