From the June 23, 2023 issue of the Transformational Times - Student Leadership
Leadership: Concept, Application, Personal Impact for Medical Students
Natalie Stratton, Class of 2025
As part of a Kern National Network retreat in 2023, Natalie Stratton prepared this essay, exploring of the qualities of a successful leader, the decision on how to cultivate leadership qualities, and a leader’s personal impact …
What are the essential qualities of a successful leader?
An age-old question, it sounds a bit like a writing prompt you might encounter during primary school. However, the reality is that the answer impacts whole groups, communities and even entire nations.
From my own experiences, I would argue that someone’s answer is directly indicative of their personal values, as well as their perception of success. For some, qualities such as quick thinking, use of logic in decision making, and confidence may come to mind; generally, characteristics that can be individually cultivated.
However, try as we might, we do not live in an individual world; or if we do, there’s a good chance that it’s not the happiest.
As such, my fellow KNN Student Chapter Officers, Saba Anwer and Iniya Adhan, and I spent a fair amount of time ruminating on the concept. Our answer eventually became clear. A good leader is an effective listener, someone actively involved in the community they’re serving, and someone able to facilitate connections between people. As a result, such a leader is able to gather people under common goals that are usually aimed at improving the well-being of the collective.
Taking this into consideration, I would argue that leaders who establish the value of Caring as a central practice ultimately champion the creation of environments that are geared toward Human Flourishing. When leaders prioritize empathy in their personal interactions with others, this culture can permeate throughout the entire group. Which seems to essentially be the whole point when establishing team dynamics.
Ultimately, we should care about each other, and there’s no better place to start than as a leader.
So, what were the tangible goals and why did we pick them?
We hoped to develop a sense of community between students that could be expanded on as they continued their journey in medicine. We wanted people to walk away from the event having truly developed a sense of connection and a desire to continue creating community at MCW, as this connection is essential for leaders who are actively involved.
We wanted people to develop a personal vision of what leadership means and looks like. We all could recognize that some of these concepts are subjective, and hoped students would be able to curate their own personal ideas. We emphasized the importance of community, connection, and the KNN framework values throughout the day, as well as showcased the KI Leadership Modules.
Lastly, we wanted to reconnect with the community that we will care for in a setting outside of medicine, which was largely why this retreat was hosted somewhere other than MCW. This addressed the dual intention of taking students out of the classroom context to meet each other as people first, while also engaging with the greater Milwaukee community.
How has this event impacted how I personally navigate/conceptualize life and leadership?
Many of the concepts I touched on above have been things I’ve pondered relatively often. I’ve always had a bit of a propensity for philosophical and deeper discussions, but the more logical counterpart of my brain demands some sort of direct application to life. This event was really an opportunity to test such an application.
Admittedly, prior to starting planning for this event, I had not fully recognized that everyone will approach problems differently; in this case, the problem of what, why, and how to go about this event. Part of the reason this experience was so rich for me, personally, was because I developed a much better understanding of people’s different approaches and perspectives. It was really through learning about my fellow student leaders, their strengths and experiences, that we were able to create an event that was both unique, yet direct and comprehensive of our goals.
In the following months, I’ve begun to heavily focus my attention on my relationships and interactions with friends, peers, colleagues and day-to-day strangers. I’m less interested in the title I may gain from accepting a role, and instead am invested in how I will grow from it.
Brené Brown’s podcasts, Dare to Lead and Unlocking Us, have become some of my favorites as I’ve sought more exposure to diversified points of view and general “food for thought” as I continue my journey to becoming a better person and better future physician. I hope to continue exploring and developing my understanding of just what leadership means in both my personal and professional lives.
For further reading:
Link to KNN + KI Character and Caring in Leadership Retreat Post (What/Why/How):
Brené Brown Podcast Link:
Natalie Stratton is an M3 in the Medical College of Wisconsin Class of 2025. She served as a ‘22-’23 Kern National Network MCW Student Chapter Officer and is involved with multiple Kern National Network activities.