When I first accepted the role of section leader, I was not aware of the amount of decisions I would have to make. Over time, I came to understand that making quick, thoughtful, and often difficult situations was an unavoidable part of leadership. Some decisions were smaller, like determining which things to work on and in which order during sectionals. Other decisions were not so simple, like choosing which members would have to sit out and not participate in the next performance. With every decision I made, I felt the pressure of potentially being judged. But as time went on, I became more confident in both my ability to make informed decisions and in knowing that my section respected me as a leader. 

Tieing in closely with mentorship, effective teaching requires concise, actionable feedback. To be able to provide useful feedback, I had to always be keeping an eye out for things that needed to be improved and be able to present the feedback in a way that encouraged growth. In the past, I had struggled with being too blunt, so I had to be careful to give feedback in a way that didn’t come off as demanding or rude still while being direct enough to encourage change to be made. I also learned to tailor my feedback so that it would be most effective for the group or individual I was giving it to, which I got better at over time as I made connections with each of my students. For example, some individuals responded better to direct feedback and solutions, while others benefited from feedback sandwiched between positive comments.

One of my first-year section members and I doing a sign-along in Husky Stadium

I knew that a large portion of this role would be made up of teaching, but I was surprised at how much of my teaching also became mentorship. I see teaching and mentoring as two related but separate topics. Teaching is about getting specific knowledge across while mentoring is more about having students learn about themselves. I learned that the most effective teaching involves including mentoring throughout, presenting not just knowledge but also providing reasons behind what we were doing and why, allowing students to pick up topics faster and apply their knowledge beyond the subject at hand. I also got to work with students in smaller groups and one-on-one, getting to offer personal advice, solutions, or just a listening ear. 

No role comes without some level of conflict, but I faced more conflict than I ever had to deal with in a single position. At first, I thought this conflict meant I was doing something wrong. Eventually, I realized that conflict is an unavoidable part of life and that people coming to me with their problems was a sign of trust and respect. I also dealt with my own personal conflicts with members of the section, and I was challenged to stay true to my values and the charter we had created as a group and handle the conflicts without undue tension or emotion. Conflict negotiation is still one of the skills that I feel I need to get more practice in, but this experience has given me the steps I need to take in order to reach common ground in an appropriate and efficient manner. 

Even though we are from opposing teams, the Husky Saxes met up with the Michigan Saxes at the National Championships to exchange shirts. 

Saxes on the road!

Group development is something that I had previously thought of as not being integral to a group's overall performance. However, in my previous years in the band and experiences in other organizations, I realized how important group development was in creating a team that was not only successful but also happy to be together and form lasting interpersonal connections. Because of this, I made it a goal to make group development a priority. I did this by guiding the section through a group charter, a document that outlined the group's goals, norms, and expectations, and also planning frequent outside-of-band social events to encourage each member to connect and make friends. 

If I had to choose the one leadership competency that I had to exercise the most during this experience, it would be initiative. You don’t realize how large of a group 30 people is until you try to get something done with all 30 of them, and I quickly found out that if I was not consistently taking initiative on the things that needed to get done, things would not get done. The most important thing I learned was that taking initiative doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Sometimes you have to take the initiative to reach out to someone else for help and work on a problem together. No leader works alone. What distinguishes a leader isn’t a difference in the amount of collaboration they do, but the initiative they have to start and maintain productive teamwork. 

Another huge goal I had when becoming section leader was to ensure every member of the section felt included and that they belonged. Husky Marching Band includes a large diversity of people with a huge range of skill levels, and I had to lead in a way that was effective for all of those people. A big part of how I fostered inclusion was through the section charter, where we created expectations for how people should be treated and things we can do to ensure everyone feels safe and welcomed. I also had to use my conflict negotiation skills when people weren’t adhering to the norms in order to stand up for individuals being mistreated. By offering different levels and methods of participation in sectionals, I was able to create an environment where people felt included regardless of their skill and consistently reminded the group that we all belong and deserve to be here.