I have always been drawn to leadership roles. Throughout high school, I served as president of National Honor Society, president of art club, president of drama club, president of my county’s community service group, and more. As an undergraduate student, I served as vice president of my university’s Student Social Work Association. In my agency, I was initially hired to answer phone calls a few hours each week, but rose to be a co-owner in less than two years.
A photo from my high school graduation (May of 2019) shows me wearing cords and medals representing some of my leadership roles.
In my experience, people have looked to me to lead not because I am the smartest, the most put-together, or even the most qualified, but instead because they trust me. They trust me to work hard, to listen, to deliver on my promises, to admit when I have made mistakes, to be a confidant, to be consistent, and to lead according to our shared values.
To me, leadership is about being entrusted with something that matters to people, and being careful not to let them down. To me, integrity is the most valuable aspect of leadership. However, integrity is just one of the six core values of social work presented in the Code of Ethics:
- service
- social justice
- dignity and worth of the person
- importance of human relationships
- integrity
- competence
This article in Social Work Today argues that these principles are what define leadership and make social workers great natural leaders, and I COMPLETELY AGREE! The core values of a social worker and the core values of a great leader align perfectly.
As a social work student and a future practitioner, I will look to the Code of Ethics and the values it presents as the framework for my own leadership.