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Higher education leader Marjorie Hass describes moving into leadership, especially for women, as “the jump… a new way of understanding yourself and your relationship to your work” (2021, 15). Hass delineates the transitions that many leaders experience: from colleague to employee and/or boss; from individual to symbol; from “front of the house” (professor) to “back of the house” (facilitator), and more (2021, 18–19). We, along with every contributor to this collection, have had moments where we have had to think carefully about how our personal and professional identities can work together, or, in some instances, they may not be able to (see, for instance, chapters by Perryman-Clark; Kynard; Charlton; and Alexander.)

You probably won’t want to point to the inevitable ambiguities associated with leadership identities in a leadership statement. But you will want to describe your identity as a leader. If you interview for positions as a leader, you will very likely be asked questions about that identity. Writing about the following questions can help you clarify your own leadership identity as you consider the question: As a leader, who am I? How is this identity reflected in my leadership practices?

Reflection Exercise: Leadership Identity Activity [PDF] [Microsoft Word]

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References

Hass, Marjorie. 2021. A Leadership Guide for Women in Higher Education. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Cite this Resource

Adler-Kassner, Linda, and Chris W. Gallagher, eds. 2026. “Engagement 4: Your Personal and Professional Principles.” Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Playbook. Center for Engaged Learning. https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa11.