The application for the Principal’s Global Leadership Award (PGLA) is looming, and it is time to make a quick decision on whether you should apply! But can leadership be taught?
Mollie Phillips and Daria Popa, third year students in Chemistry with Biomedicine, Politics and Economics (PPE) respectively, gives an insight of their time pursuing PGLA.
What is the Principal’s Global Leadership Award (PGLA)?
Mollie: The PGLA is an additional course aimed to educate students on the Theory and Practice of Leadership, focusing on a less traditional perspective and teaching Leadership from a diverse range of viewpoints. It encourages strong discussion and debate about the definition of a leader, aiming to shape a new understanding of Leadership.
Daria: It’s offered by King’s for second year students only, where the students attend four interactive sessions on leadership, as well as a residential weekend. The PGLA elects a select number of students from each faculty, and the fact that all of us are studying different courses provides a larger insight into what leadership means in different contexts and industries.
How does PGLA explore leadership from a practical viewpoint?
Daria: The sessions were very interactive. I remember there was an exercise where we formed groups and we had to go across the campus and ask students who they thought should be a leader and why. We had to film them and present a video that we took to identify the key points on what people consider to be a good leader and why.
Mollie: Theory is used to expand knowledge which is then applied to real life debates about important issues. The collaboration and communication with other students on the course is the most valuable takeaway – we are all from different degree backgrounds and therefore there is no single personality trait or aspect of character a leader must require. We all went away knowing leaders can be taught and created if they are in the right environment and have the right mindset. Taking what I have learned away with me, I feel more confident navigating Leadership and the LTP society was created to solve issues in Kings.
What was the away-day/residential weekend like?
Mollie: The residential weekend allowed everyone on the course to get to know each other and created life-long strong connections. We are all part of a wider network and that is very advantageous and being a leader requires lots of connections. There was the opportunity to talk and listen to senior leaders, debate, do team-building exercises and generally have fun.
Daria: The residential weekend was by far the highlight of the experience! Cumberland lodge is amazing- so beautifully situated and a lot of nature. It was like a detox from university and London. It was also a chance for us to really get to know each other, and that was great cause I met so many interesting people from all faculties across King’s!
Were there any notable figures that you met throughout the course?
Mollie: The Principal of Kings College London, Shitji, had an amazing talk with us. Also, Zeedah Meierhofer-Man’geli was extremely inspiring and a very different type of leader. There was also an MP who worked under Margaret Thatcher who I can’t remember.
Daria: We had Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin with us, and she had a lot of valuable experience in United Nations. It was very interesting to get an insight from her.
How was the workload on top of your studies?
Mollie: It was very manageable, usually one class every couple week. Essays didn’t take much time either if you keep up the research throughout the course.
Daria: Absolutely! There were some essential readings and further readings- but it was both manageable and enjoyable. The work at the basis of this course was Keith Grint’s ‘A very short introduction to leadership’. The content was practical and had applicability everywhere, so when I was reading it I was thinking about how it can help me with my extracurricular activities or my future profession.
How has the PGLA course influenced your further moves in your careers?
Mollie: I never saw myself as a leader type; I had little confidence and ability to make meaningful connections. After the course it really inspired me to be more ambitious and support future leaders – by allowing a supportive environment for potential leaders to emerge. Although my career options remained the same, it enabled me to be more confident and take risks within my career.
Daria: Definitely, and this goes to how my perception of leadership has changed. Prior to this course I had a problem with delegating. But now I’ve realized that’s not the best practice most of the time, as we often find ourselves in situations where we are working with others. This is the first year that I’m taking on a role of President in a student society, the European Students Law Association (ELSA), and through my experience in the PGLA I’ve learnt to recognize that everyone else on my committee are amazing leaders who wants to implement their ideas and their vision too!
Describe what leadership meant to you before the course, and has the definition changed since then?
Mollie: I never thought much about leadership before as I never saw myself as a leader – but what always popped to mind was the ideal of a masculine, powerful and stern leader. This stereotype has been historically accepted and I loved that PGLA challenges that. My understanding of Leadership changed dramatically and now I see leadership is mainly relational, collaborative and very contextual. I understand the importance of followership, something I never really considered beforehand.
Daria: I used to think that leadership was something that you need to be born with, so I thought that not everybody can be a leader. I also thought that it is easy to have leaders in positions that are easy and convenient to be seen- like politics. But insights from students from other degrees showed me that leaders can, in fact, emerge from anywhere- and it’s not necessarily the person who gets all the credit, and can very much be working backstage.
So yes, leadership can be taught. So why not take on the Principal’s Global Leadership Award and build on a new definition of leadership with students across King’s? Apply here by 31st of October 2022!