Why is it important to teach Leadership to MSW students?
1. I think teaching MSW students about leadership at the beginning of their study is important to help them feel empowered. Learning about leadership allows them to understand the ability that they have as professionals to influence others and help lead them well no matter what title or position they may be in.
2. Learning about leadership allows the students to become a more well-rounded professional, it helps one learn how to better interact with others with self-awareness and assuming positive intent which are all needed skills when working with both clients and co-workers.
3. Learning these skills such as emotional intelligence, servant leadership, how to have difficult conversations with people etc. now at the beginning of student’s professional journey gives them adequate time to be able to learn and understand the concepts and then begin to practice implementing them into their lives during their studies and field placements and it helps them to integrate leadership into their social work profession so that they will be proficient at these leadership qualities when it comes time to fully enter into the profession.
Every MSW student and every graduate student, in general, will all one day become a leader in their filed as they are graduating with an advanced degree. Thus it is vital for them to understand what being a good leader entails. Malone wrote an article entitled LeadershipDevelopment in Graduate Education. She discussed different ways to give graduate students the change to have hands-on practice in leadership. Some Universities have realized the immense need for leadership training among students and have sought to improve in this area by creating leadership development programs “in which graduate students can attend workshops and seminars focused on leadership topics and participate in leadership practicums in the university or in the community under the supervision of a mentor” (Malone, 17). They want to support graduate students as they enter into their careers and become leaders.
It can be easy to neglect and overlook the fact that as an MSW student you are growing and learning how to be a leader for other, but I think it is imperative that this connection is made for students and they are given the opportunity to learn and grow in their leadership skills in order to help prepare them to be the best social worker possible in the future.