Leadership Journey – What’s Your Plan?

By Cynthia Murphy, Chevron

It’s no secret that leadership is an important tool in your Chemical Engineering toolbox and one of the keys to success.  (Of course, excelling in your classes is the most important key to your success!)  But what does leadership really mean?  At first, you may think of specific leadership positions within an organization such as President, Secretary or Treasurer.  Or you may think of a manager or supervisor.  There are actually various types of leaders as well as various ways to gain leadership experience – and they don’t all carry an official title.  To me, one of the key components of leadership – and a great way to improve leadership skills – is getting involved. 

As you get settled into campus life this Fall, take some time think about your personal leadership skills and make a plan for enhancing them.  Leadership doesn’t just happen – you have to make a conscious decision to get involved and develop your skills.  As a student studying Chemical Engineering, I strongly encourage you to be actively involved with your AIChE Student Chapter.  Beyond some of the key benefits of membership, such as learning more about the profession and networking with fellow students, AIChE also provides leadership opportunities.   And the options are varied – there is something there for everyone.  Ask yourself how you can contribute, whether it’s taking on small tasks or taking on a larger role as an officer.  Regardless of the role you play, you’ll have an opportunity to practice leadership skills and that is a benefit to you!  Like anything else of importance, it takes time and effort to develop and hone leadership skills.  That’s why making a plan and taking action are so important.

Being President of my AIChE Student Chapter during college (UC Davis – Go Aggies!) was one of the best learning opportunities I’ve ever had.  It was a lot of work (especially while carrying a full course load of senior classes and trying to graduate!), but the role truly pushed me to improve my organizational, teamwork, time-management, public speaking and consensus-building skills.  After college, I continued on my leadership journey with AIChE by serving as the Chairperson of the Professional Section of AIChE (Northern California).  That’s the road I decided to follow – you have to decide your own path.  But as with any journey, you need a roadmap to help guide your path to success. 

Here is a way to start developing your plan. Identify some leaders you admire and ask yourself:  What skills do they demonstrate?  How can I develop those in myself?  Use your answers as input for your plan.  Consider starting out with small steps if that’s more comfortable.  For example, volunteer to organize a portion of an activity or to assist an officer on a project.  Alternatively, you might choose to jump right in feet first – and you might be surprised to find out what you can do if you are willing to take action and learn from others. 

I recruit engineers for internships and full-time positions with Chevron and one of the areas I always ask students about is leadership.   Students provide a variety of answers, ranging from describing what good leadership looks like to them to giving me specific examples of their actual demonstrated leadership experience.  What matters to me is not whether a student has had a large leadership role or not, but rather that the student has had some leadership experience as opposed to just having an opinion about leadership.  Companies use your resume to review your qualifications for a position and are looking at your leadership track record: What does your resume say about your track record? 

So, take a stretch break from your homework and make your leadership plan for this school year.  “To lead or not to lead, that is the question.”  Clearly the answer is, “To lead!”  You never know where your leadership skills may take you in the future!