Personal Mission Statement
My name is Rajeev Kotha and I am a current graduate student pursuing Masters in Energy Systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Leadership is a concept I am aware of, after working at an organization for nearly two years. It really took me some time to look through the magnifying glass to really understand the qualities which weave the person made of the leadership material. A leader according to me, is the person who can stay calm and think analytically even in the face of a pressing concern. Learning the best from all your peers and being able to make rational decisions are innate for a successful leader.
As an aspiring leader, I aim to develop my communicative skills and learn to be more innovative in my thoughts and ideas. Communicative skills are of high essence to me as it forms the first line of engagement between any two entities. If the exchanged email or dialogue is succinct and on-time, it can be considered that half the task is complete. Innovation on the other hand reminds us to adapt or evolve with the flow of time. Many self-built leaders could not survive the test of time just because they could not innovate after a certain stage. Personally, these are the qualities which I hope to develop during my stint at the university. I will certainly be able to pass on the lessons to my colleagues who might be in the same dilemma once I am aware of the ways to counter the roadblocks.
Personally, the core values which I aim to develop over time are perseverance and optimism. This is because I believe that any task which needs to be mastered takes not only effort and time, it takes an optimistic mentality to learn from the failures and push the pedal consistently towards obtaining successful results. If I can obtain these two skills in my skill-set, I know that I can do wonders.
My personal life goals are to be a helmsman of a solar energy-based company which is capable of uplifting the energy situation in my country, India. I hope to work with those individuals who not only share the same idea but are also willing to learn from the rest of us and teach us at the same time.
Through the Leadership Certificate Program, I have obtained a blueprint on how to work my way up to refine the relevant skills. This program has been quite engaging as this was an opportunity which helped me connect with people from various backgrounds and fields of expertise. My mentor, Erik Raha has been supportive of my decisions right from the beginning and he assisted me with any of the troubles I have encountered in this program. I strongly believe that the person I would emerge as towards the end of the program will be one with strengthened charisma and decisiveness.
My name is Rajeev Kotha and I am a current graduate student pursuing Masters in Energy Systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Leadership is a concept I am aware of, after working at an organization for nearly two years. It really took me some time to look through the magnifying glass to really understand the qualities which weave the person made of the leadership material. A leader according to me, is the person who can stay calm and think analytically even in the face of a pressing concern. Learning the best from all your peers and being able to make rational decisions are innate for a successful leader.
As an aspiring leader, I aim to develop my communicative skills and learn to be more innovative in my thoughts and ideas. Communicative skills are of high essence to me as it forms the first line of engagement between any two entities. If the exchanged email or dialogue is succinct and on-time, it can be considered that half the task is complete. Innovation on the other hand reminds us to adapt or evolve with the flow of time. Many self-built leaders could not survive the test of time just because they could not innovate after a certain stage. Personally, these are the qualities which I hope to develop during my stint at the university. I will certainly be able to pass on the lessons to my colleagues who might be in the same dilemma once I am aware of the ways to counter the roadblocks.
Personally, the core values which I aim to develop over time are perseverance and optimism. This is because I believe that any task which needs to be mastered takes not only effort and time, it takes an optimistic mentality to learn from the failures and push the pedal consistently towards obtaining successful results. If I can obtain these two skills in my skill-set, I know that I can do wonders.
My personal life goals are to be a helmsman of a solar energy-based company which is capable of uplifting the energy situation in my country, India. I hope to work with those individuals who not only share the same idea but are also willing to learn from the rest of us and teach us at the same time.
Through the Leadership Certificate Program, I have obtained a blueprint on how to work my way up to refine the relevant skills. This program has been quite engaging as this was an opportunity which helped me connect with people from various backgrounds and fields of expertise. My mentor, Erik Raha has been supportive of my decisions right from the beginning and he assisted me with any of the troubles I have encountered in this program. I strongly believe that the person I would emerge as towards the end of the program will be one with strengthened charisma and decisiveness.
My UIUC Journey in Pictures
I-Programs
Intersect
This being my first I-Program gave me reason to apply for the other I-Programs because it was a fun filled session with some great learning experience. The techniques involved in the session were quite an eye-opener especially the games which dealt with teamwork, hence enjoyed every activity thoroughly. Right from college, the importance of teamwork can be felt and it a core element which one needs to develop if they would like to coexist in an organization or even society. We understood the components of an effective team and how we could identify various behaviors which could potentially cause a conflict of interests within a team. As a team we had to build a catapult with the miscellaneous objects that were provided to us, which was a complex task in itself indeed. Hence this activity required our entire group to brainstorming, working together and coming up with the creation in the end. I loved every aspect of the activity as it helped us bond in a unique manner. We also learnt about the STAR concept, which stands for Situation-Task-Action-Result. This concept allows us to make a more significantly effective introduction when going for an interview or presenting ourselves to a new professional entity. I have made new friends which would have not been possible that easily otherwise. Lastly, we had learnt how we could progress developing as a group and apply Tuckman's stages of group development to help this progress develop. Each of us is different from one another in some way or the other, and hence finding that common attribute which can bind us while performing any task or activity would really bring out the best in all of us. All in all, this I-Program was the sole reason why I felt the need to attend the other I-Programs as well.
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Ignite
After attending Ignite, I became more aware of how group work can be effectively steered towards greater productivity and this program helped me get closer to the understanding of group dynamics. We had learnt how different changes which take place during our life affect us and how can we deal with them positively. Through a concept called "Bridges Transition Model", we had understood the three phases while encountering a major change. Not all of us react in the same manner when a major change takes place in our lives and hence depending upon the person, reactions vary significantly. The highlight of the program was Systems Thinking for me as it dived into the fundamentals of our thought process. Linking a phenomena step-by-step helps us deep dive into the complex issue and it allows us to take a clear decision which can lessen the problem. What comes off as a major dilemma initially, turns out to be a string of low intensity issues which build up and tend to have a snowball effect on us. We had also learnt how several successful organizations stick to their core principles, which is why they are successful and fortunate in the first place. If you can lead through a transition without any major hiccups, it is a sign that you have developed into a fine leader who can lead his colleagues through any kind of a situation. Overall, this I-program has been a rewarding experience because the most overlooked aspects in one's life are those which shape them block by block. Be it moving out of your country, to a new workplace, making new friends, any of these events could turn out to be a major game changer for one. Hence, being prepared to react to these kind of scenarios would definitely shape a person into a fine leader. |
Innovation
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Imprint
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As the program name suggests, Innovation aided me in recognizing how I can learn to be a better team leader and how do I fit into a group, while recognizing my core strengths and areas of development. It was highly surprising for me to meet like-minded people and discover how different personalities could bring a tremendous change in an organization. We had started off with a game called Marshmallow Challenge which involves winning the game by building the tallest structure using marshmallows and some small tools. We did not win the game because our structure turned out to be wobbly in the end but we had tremendous fun nevertheless. When a diverse set of people come together and work, the results can be mind-blowing and unexpected due to the amalgam of ideas presented and worked upon. While some are great at socializing and listening to people, others can be practically efficient at building and creating things, while others can be better at something else. Hence, it is our responsibility as a leader to give each and everyone a fair chance to present themselves. We had also come across some problem solving models which we can use in our day-to-day lives. Thinking out of the box is not the only appreciable quality when it comes to delivering a task. Many a times, ideas which can be replicated do come in handy and prove that the classic old "copy and paste" strategy is worth the mettle. This I-program had brought potential leaders together and helped us realize that there is way greater strength in our group than any of us sole individuals.
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Through this I-program, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and greet several alumni from UIUC with whom I would not be able to meet that easily otherwise. It was quite a learning experience as they shared their success stories and gave us guidance as to how they overcame their struggles which we are facing right now. It was a unique experience which helped us connect and build relationships with the past students who are now successful in their own fields and ventures. We had made friends with a network of coaches, mentors, entrepreneurs and other successful entities with whom we could relate to bit-by-bit. We had gone over strategies for managing transitions between various phases in life and overcoming any obstacles we might come across. The experience was so overwhelmingly powerful because all the alumni around were strong leaders and motivators and it was a learning experience to meet them in person. Through this opportunity we learnt to showcase ourselves in a more attractive and positive way so as to make a more effective impression on the listener. We described our personal brand by designing a t-shirt as per our qualities and motives. Towards the end of the program, we had reflected on our imprint and oversaw how it can be improved. Never have I seen such a full-fledged program where we could have such one-on-one interactions with alumni and converse about matters greater than just education and work opportunities. I would definitely recommend all those folks new to the leadership program to go for this one as it is a one-of-a-kind experience according to me.
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My Self-Reported Academic Leadership Courses
ENG 491: Solar Decathlon
The reason why I've had requested for this course to be counted as an academic leadership course is because it involves the development of competencies including sustainability, global competence, innovation, group dynamics and self-knowledge. The course essentially is about developing a solar-powered smart, and energy efficient house for the Solar Decathlon competition held in China. My role is tied to the lighting and home automation systems in the house. There are members from several disciplines and hence the work requires us to collaborate and cooperate with each other. We have participated in several workshops and open houses where we took turns in spreading the word about our group. Also, since this course is close to the industry I aim to work in, i.e. Energy, I make sure that I research well ahead of the team meetings and hope to contribute something new and relevant every single time we get together. Although for administrative purposes there is a working hierarchy, all the members are on the same par when working as each and everyone has something worthy to add. Since I'm still working with the team after the completion of the course, it feels like I'm one with the team.
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ACE 592: Energy Economics
The reason why I've had requested for this course to be counted as an academic leadership course is because it involves the development of competencies including systems thinking, group dynamics, communication, and self management. This course is about how the public policy works for the energy and environmental markets using economic tools. Overall, it guides the students on understanding how the impact of energy production and consumption can be mitigated on the environment. There were a couple of team-based games in the class for which there had to be constant communication and working order between the two group members. If there began a clash within the team of two people, it would be detrimental to the team performance and hence an understanding had to be developed. At times, when one of the team members would not be able to attend a class or do their share of work, I would take the responsibility of filling in his shoes and later inform them of the updates. The same would happen if I were absent. While we were doubtful about certain decisions, we would go forward with them solely based on pure intuition and limited understanding. This course had provided us with a communication platform and taught us how to work in pairs.
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My Self-Reported Non Classroom Team Experiences
Illini Cycling: Since it is a group which connects people who love cycling, I found it very useful for my fitness and as a ground for networking with people having the same interest. he group is service-minded as we have done free cycle fixing workshops and have distributed cycle lights during the semester. Through this RSO I'm developing other competencies such as follower-ship, common purpose, integrity and change management. The team holds weekly meetings where we address doubts, teach about maintenance techniques and discuss about the group and individual contributions. The team would also conduct mini-trips where we go to a new location, ride our bikes there, at times camp at the location. We split the tasks among all the members and hence teamwork and communication are of essential nature. Even during team races, most of the members come together with a common goal and strategy through which we were able to churn out solid results and hence are one of the reputable cycling clubs in the Midwest. As a club which promotes a sport, I believe this club's members do a wonderful job at entertaining cyclists, both beginners and experienced
Astronomical Society at the University of Illinois: In this organization we help spread the message that astronomy is beautiful and that it does not require thorough expertise to be involved in it. I have learned to operate a telescope and have begun learning to identify certain celestial bodies. Apart from that, we have highly prolific professors and subject experts who give talks about various aspects of the field. Hence this society has help me improve several competencies including but not limited to service-minded, communication, common purpose and self-knowledge. Additionally, I have even learnt to operate the dome telescope at our university's observatory. This club also conducts stargazing trips where the members are able to utilize the club's resources and get a clearer view at the heavenly bodies. We have several guest speakers from various disciplines come at the open house hours and give incredible details to the club members. Also during the open house hours, we members guide the new students about using the telescopes and other optical instruments so that they get a first-hand experience in dealing with such objects. Else, it'd be a boring spotting activity which lacks any insights and information.
Rajeev Kotha
Energy Systems Graduate Student
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