SJI leadership assignment

1. Clarissa Schooley
2/26/19
EXPL 390
Leadership Assignment
For my leadership assignment, I chose to interview my current supervisor, Noreen Russo.
She is the manager of the Junior Board at Catholic Charities and has worked with the agency for
12 years. Noreen started off at Catholic Charities answering phone calls in the call center. She,
along with the other employees in the center, served as the first advocate for clients in need. She
moved up the ranks and eventually became the call center director. She has moved from a more
direct form of leadership, being a manager of employees, to a more indirect team-oriented
leadership, as she described to me. Through the years Noreen has held several positions in
different areas of Catholic Charities, and now manages the Junior Board within the Volunteer
Relations department. Learning from Noreen’s leadership story, insight, and advice has been
invaluable to my own leadership development as I journey through my internship experience.
Noreen told me that throughout her leadership development, she has had several
influential mentors, including Kathy Donahue and Father Wayne, two important members of the
Catholic Charities team. Kathy Donahue, an executive of Catholic Charities in Chicago, has been
an important role model in her career and life. Kathy upholds an ethic of caring and justice,
which Noreen says she tries to do as well. Kathy is the type of person who remembers things
about her employees and shows true concern for them. Noreen tries to emulate the “servant
leader” model of leadership, in which the “‘servant always accepts and empathizes, never
rejects’” (Caldwell et al. 94). Father Wayne, who is an associate administrator at Catholic

2. Charities has also been influential in Noreen’s career development. He also exhibits the servant
leadership style through his ministry. Being a servant leader means that there is no job that is
beneath the leader’s position, no person who is unworthy of the leader’s time. In Noreen’s eyes,
this leadership style “keeps you grounded because it doesn’t let the power get to your head”
(2/22/19). I had never heard of this term until my interview with Noreen, but it instantly
resonated with me. The purpose of the kind of work Catholic Charities does is to serve others
and fulfill a higher purpose, no matter what one’s position or title is. A servant leader is someone
who recognizes this by treating everyone with respect and dignity. If the mission is no longer the
priority, then there is no purpose.
Noreen discussed with me many qualities that she finds important in a leader. Since her
job involves working with a team of people, keeping the team strong is a top priority. She
believes that part of being an effective servant leader means treating every employee with
kindness, or in other words, as “valued ‘Yous’ rather than simply as ‘Its’” (Caldwell et al. 94).
Team building for Noreen includes simple acts of care, such as celebrating employees’ birthdays,
rewarding work well done, and thanking people. She is an advocate of giving credit where credit
is due, no matter who the receiver is.
As a part of the Volunteer Relations team, I have seen first-hand what a difference this
approach makes. In my time at the agency, the Volunteer Relations team has welcomed me with
open arms. We have laughed together, had meals together, and collaborated on tackling projects.
Every person has each other’s back and is there to answer questions or help however they can.
This collaboration shows how leadership is truly a “group process” and that it is a “relational”
experience in which people learn from each other (URI). What makes this collaboration possible
is that everyone on the team is on board with this ethic of love and respect. Dalia, the director of

3. the department, and Marie, the associate director, have helped set the precedent for this kind of
team. Noreen and every other teammate uphold this standard of care that preserves a comfortable
environment and promotes productivity. This makes all the difference in promoting efficacy,
creativity, and peace in the workplace.
Noreen’s biggest piece of advice to me was to stay organized. When leading a meeting,
for example, Noreen said that “people will take you more seriously” if you are well prepared
(2/22/19). Noreen has already taught me a lot about staying organized through her example. She
has taught me simple tricks to making better spreadsheets, keeping information up-to-date, and
staying on top of emails. She is able to juggle a lot of work without letting tasks slip through the
cracks because of her organizational skills. I was able to see her organized style of leading in a
meeting we had before Casino Night. Dalia, Marie, Andrew, Patrick, Sylvia, Cari, Noreen and I
gathered in Dalia’s office to go over the logistics of the event. Noreen had prepared folders for us
of the schedule of the night, a map of the venue, and a list of our roles. She was able to answer
all of our questions with ease, and we had a productive meeting. Being organized builds
confidence and improves one’s leadership capabilities.
From what I have seen of Noreen’s leadership style, she exhibits the 7 C’s with ease. She
is clearly driven by strong personal values, is committed to her work, constantly strives to learn
more from those around her, and maintains an ethic of caring and respect within the team. One
quality that I particularly admire in Noreen that we have not read about in our readings is her
calm and confident demeanor. Even in stressful situations or when work is piling up, she is
always able to keep things in perspective and stay calm. As someone with severe anxiety, this is
an extremely admirable quality to me. Her level-headedness makes her a person that people want
to be around. Her cool, calm, and confident attitude puts people at ease. I believe that these are

4. invaluable leadership qualities promote a stable and comfortable atmosphere. Staying calm and
having faith in oneself can be the difference between failing and succeeding.
In my own leadership, I strive for a similarly loving, respectful, and servant-oriented style
to Noreen’s. I believe that every person, from the custodian who cleans the building to the CEO
who runs the company deserve the same respect and care as fellow human beings. What harm
could come out of treating everyone well and promoting a peaceful environment? Employees
will inevitably perform better if they feel safe and respected at work. Because of my own beliefs,
Caldwell and Dixon’s article “Love, Forgiveness, and Trust” particularly struck me. For me, the
line, “proper management involves caring for people, not manipulating them” is an especially
powerful statement, because I have seen harmful work environments where disrespect is the
norm (91). Most of my work experience has been in retail, an often stressful job because of
disgruntled customers and technological glitches. However, it is made exponentially worse when
the management team is mean-spirited. Emotionally erratic, insensitive, and mean bosses make
for unmotivated employees with unrealized potential. As I grow in leadership, I aim to cultivate
an ethic of love, forgiveness, and trust in my workplace.
Like Noreen, I strongly believe in the power of a group of people working together.
Humans are social creatures, whether we like to admit it or not, and we cannot do important
things alone. It can be scary for some people to admit that they need support from others, but it is
necessary for growth and change. When I am placed in a position of leadership, even if it is
something small scale, such as a group project, I always try to actively listen to and incorporate
the ideas of my classmates. Active listening is an important and related skill to collaboration in
leadership, and something I am always trying to improve. I am interested in the social change
models from both URI and CMICH because of their collaborative approach. As the URI website

5. describes, the model “encourages highly participatory, non-hierarchical leadership,” but power
should always be checked, and the model should continue to be worked on. I feel that this model
promotes the servant leader idea, in which the leader remains grounded and focused on the goal.
It should never be forgotten that the “ultimate goal of the creative process of leadership [is] to
make a better world and a better society for ourself and others” (CMICH). For these reasons, I
believe that building a collaborative environment of love, trust, and active listening is the best
form of leadership.
At my internship, I have been fortunate to interact with the many personality types in the
Volunteer Relations department. In my first semester, I had extensive cooperation with Melissa
and Lauren, who have both sadly moved on from Catholic Charities. However, I was able to see
their leadership styles in action for the first half of my internship. Both of these women are
personable, organized, and focused. They were truly committed to their work in making the
Celebration of Giving a smooth and successful operation and taught me so much. I have also
gotten to interact with Dalia and Maria, who I feel are both servant leaders. They are warm,
friendly, and kind to everyone around them. Despite their titles, they never hesitate to jump in
and help out with any task or event. I was struck by the loving kindness Marie spread to
everyone at the supper for the homeless, and the equally caring attitude she brings to work every
day. I thought that this kind of a work environment was too good to be true, but the Catholic
Charities Volunteer Relations department has shown me the leadership qualities that I respond to
and aspire towards in my own career.