Running head: CLARK ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT

SDAD Portfolio Mission Statement Seattle University Dana Clark

CLARK ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT Personal Mission Statement Striving to be balanced spiritually, mentally, and physically, while living a life surrounded by truth and love.

After determining my two greatest values, love and truth, I realize how much I live by and cherish them. I believe it is important to lead by example and use the past to influence the future. Like Bolman & Deals (1991) symbolic frame, I believe the most important event is not what happened, but what it means. Life lessons are not only taught in the classroom but taught whenever a person is influenced by these events. I have immersed myself in campus activities that enhance my personal development such as engaging in community service, attending student events or going to church on Sundays. Ultimately, I yearn to be balanced spiritually, mentally, and physically because while doing so I believe I am stronger, wiser and more confident in all that I do and who I lead.

Professional Mission Statement Working as a leader with and for my institution and colleagues in a transparent and communicative manner. I strive to be honest and vocal about my goals and needs as a professional. I believe in the importance of learning from one another through collaboration, mentorship and trust.

It took some reflection to decide if I consider myself to have the same values and ethics in my professional life that I do in my personal life. Most would say those working in higher education typically intertwine these ethics. I would have to say I keep them separate, not because

CLARK ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT they conflict but because this is the best way of balancing my social and professional life. For

this reason I didnt always value transparency but now see this to be most effective, allowing for constant awareness and opening the doors to greater collaboration. Relationship behavior is defined as the extent to which a leader engages in two-way communication, listens, provides encouragement, facilitates interaction, and involves the followers in decision making (Blanchard & Hersey, 1995). Ive learned the importance to advocate for myself to manage a balance of work, school and family/friends which was not always easy but supports my leadership endeavors. With that I like to do the same for others as open communication often encourages such trust and support. In the field of higher education, we are constantly told to work on ourselves before we can assist others. This can be rather hard to do being that I seek to help and support my peers, colleagues and students but I feel this program has allowed me to understand the importance of setting limits for myself as a professional and learned to just say no at times. This has allowed me to gain a greater work/life balance keeping me less stressed and more content in all that I do. My ultimate goal is to be my best self both inside and outside of work and this is only possibly when I can feel balanced in content in the workload I manage; this to me is being a leader.

CLARK ARTIFACT B: MISSION STATEMENT References Blachard, K. H, & Hersey, P. (1995). Situational leadership. In Wren, The leaders companion; insights on leadership through the ages. New York, NY: The Free Press. Pp. 207-211 Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (1991). Reframing organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.