December 2013, Issue 12
Create and Servant Leadership
The Four C’s are vital to Student Affairs achieving excellence in service and programming. Through the Four C’s we have learned to communicate and connect with other individuals, collaborate with other teams and offices, and ultimately use these skills to create and implement new processes and services campus-wide. We should always keep in mind who we are serving at UTSA. The students are the heart and soul of our campus and their needs should always be at the forefront.
Reflect for a moment on how you have utilized the Four C’s in the past two weeks. Who was your focus? Servant Leadership, coined by Robert Greenleaf, focuses on the individual by a servant-first mentality. One of the Four C’s – create - is in place so we can efficiently and effectively contribute to the student’s experience whether it is in service or programming. Let’s ask ourselves two questions: What is the purpose of my job and what does it mean to be the last to serve?
In order to answer both of those questions, we must look at our job’s purpose from a student perspective. Are the students getting the services or programming they need? Does each interaction and/or process we have a hand in enhance student learning? Create truly embodies the idea of being the last to serve. It is not just about analyzing data and seeing what needs to be changed. Instead, it is the act of creating a practical solution and putting it into practice. When we see a need to be met for our students, we can create new processes and services that will increase their chance of success and enhance the student’s perception of UTSA. This is truly being the last to serve.
Sarah Webb
Senior Training Specialist, Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services
Four C's Training Schedule for STAFF (SD 415)
Any questions or comments? Please send us an email at VPSA@utsa.edu.