Insights Gained During My Tenure as SECGEN: Leadership Lessons
As I reflect upon my journey through college and my experiences as the Co-Secretary General (Co-SecGen) of our Model United Nations (MUN), I can’t help but acknowledge the valuable leadership lessons that have shaped me. These lessons encompass not only my role as a leader but also the broader insights gained from my mistakes. Here, I share these lessons with you, with no abstractions or omissions, to provide an honest and comprehensive account.
The Perils of Shared Leadership
We had a preconceived bias that MUN is like any other college festival, while it does resemble festivals in terms of organization, it differs significantly in terms of how roles should be assigned. MUN is not just about managing people, but also about their exposure to the MUN circuit, their experience, and their ability to understand the technical aspects of MUN. The higher the position, the higher the requirements. I excelled in my part because I have crazy ideas and the ‘will’ to execute them. My co-secretary-general also had these abilities, but was far more experienced in MUN and had a good reputation in the circuit. Being the secretary-general is a matter of pride, and even the seniors who appointed us co-secretary-generals did not understand the full scope and importance of the role especially in the MUN circles, due to their preconceived bias of festivals and shared leadership roles. As I did not have the required experience, I was not supposed to be the secretary-general. This created a lot of tension between us in the initial few days after the announcement of our appointments. I was a bit selfish and also thought that stepping back from my post would hurt my reputation, so I didn’t. Thankfully, due to our long past of shared camaraderie, we were able to resolve the issue. However, it is important to note that had the scope of our roles been bigger, like in a big business, it would have been catastrophic if we had carried our resentments. Knowing when to put your foot down and when to step back is a very important skill. Assigning roles is also important. You cannot satisfy everyone, but you have to keep the damage to a minimum.
Managing Expectations and Embracing Diversity
In the past, I held high expectations for my juniors/subordinates, and when those expectations went unmet, I occasionally had outbursts. Reflecting on those moments, I’ve come to realize the significance of managing expectations and maintaining perspective. No one should be expected to match my boundless enthusiasm, and reacting with anger was unquestionably a mistake. It only served to distance my team members and foster unnecessary resentment.
This experience underscores the critical importance of recognizing and respecting the diverse motivations and priorities of our team members. Each individual brings unique levels of experience, skills, and commitments to the table. Patience, support, and clear, realistic guidance are essential in fostering a harmonious and productive team environment.
Perspective and Prioritization
In my initial year in MUN, I held the conviction that every task within my designated responsibilities held paramount significance for the event. This often led to frustration when the Secretary-General did not share my sense of urgency. However, my perspective underwent a profound transformation when I assumed the role of Co-Secretary-General.
I recall a specific instance when I was the secgen where we found ourselves grappling with the potential for a prominent political figure’s participation to overshadow our event due to complications arising from a guest speaker permission. This incident served as a catalyst for me to reevaluate my perception of task priorities.
As I continued to serve in leadership roles, I encountered similar events that shed light on why the Secretary-General, during my early years, did not attribute the same level of importance to certain tasks as I did. It became evident that the battles and challenges he faced at that time might have held far more significant implications than the issues I considered paramount.
My personal experience has taught me a valuable lesson. When we occupy lower positions, it’s natural for the tasks closest to us to seem the most crucial to the event. Yet, as we ascend to higher roles, we gain a perspective that reveals a multitude of other elements and events that might hold greater significance than what appeared most important in our previous roles.
Navigating Team Dynamics
One of the most formidable challenges in leadership lies in navigating the ever-shifting dynamics within your team, often accompanied by the presence of internal politics. I came to understand that these factors are beyond anyone’s complete control, and the quest to keep everyone content can be elusive.
During my tenure in a leadership role, I encountered several issues, with one of the most notable being the continuous flux of team members — some of whom I had believed would stay with me until the end, and from whom I had high expectations. However, I also welcomed new individuals along the way. This experience imparted a crucial lesson: that no one is irreplaceable, and it is unwise to become excessively attached to any one person or to give up entirely if someone chooses to depart.
Pleasing Everyone is an impossible task
Any person who has ever been in a position of authority would agree that there will always be dissenters who will strongly disagree with their opinions and think they would have done a better job. As someone who has been both a dissenter and a leader, I strongly agree that making everyone happy is perhaps the road to self-destruction.
When making decisions, it is important to consult with others, but it is also important to be firm in your convictions. You cannot change your mind every time someone raises an objection or spreads gossip. The idea of creating a utopian “RamRajya” is unrealistic and should be discarded. It is important to remember that you will not always have everyone’s support, but as long as you are making decisions based on your best judgment and for the greater good, you should not be disheartened.
In conclusion, my journey as Co-Sec Gen in our college MUN program has been a rich source of invaluable leadership lessons. These lessons transcend the specific role and offer profound insights into human dynamics, teamwork, personal growth, and even their application in the business world. By wholeheartedly embracing these lessons and sharing them with others, we can collectively evolve into more effective and empathetic leaders in our respective pursuits.
It’s worth noting that despite our event’s eventual cancellation due to COVID-19 restrictions, we achieved significant milestones. We garnered a record number of registrations, collaborated with numerous clubs to create an event almost akin to a semi-festival, and welcomed nationally recognized personalities as our guests. When we received the news of the event’s cancellation, my Co-SecGen and I found ourselves in a situation where we were finalizing hotel arrangements for our guests,inspecting rooms the Hotel has allocated for us. After some frantic discussions back at the college, and despite our futile attempts to change the outcome, we eventually decided to step out for drinks to unwind and forget the day’s horrific news. The following confusion and what tranpired is irrelavant at this point of time but the lessons learned in the journey will be forever with me.
