Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Major Professor

William Black, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Vonzell Agosto, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Denton, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Sherry, Ph.D.

Keywords

Expanded Consciousness, Intersectionality, Mindfulness, Samskara

Abstract

This dissertation aims to define the connection between one’s perceptions of self and how one conceptualizes leadership. This study first conceptualized my own identity, seeking to connect my past experiences and interactions with others utilizing a term borrowed from Eastern philosophy, samskara, to see how they impact my current practice within leadership. Within the current body of research, various forms of leadership approaches, such as relational, appreciative, feminist, queer, and conscious leadership, were described and explored. What was found to be missing from the current body of work was a connection between who a person is, how they identify, and what connections they have to their leadership approach. This dissertation aims to provide an example of this connection as I have worked to gain a deeper sense of self-awareness (Hayden, 2017) and my conceptualization of leadership. This study will then take it a step further as I draw a connection between my conceptualization of leadership and uncomfortably reflect on how that impacts my interactions with others. Autoethnography is utilized in this dissertation as both process and product (Jones, 2012), as this work is self-reflective and narrative. I invite readers into a world I have created (Ellis, 2004) so that they can understand the connections between my identity markers and the interconnectedness of my conceptualization of leadership. Discussion centers around the findings within his study, such as the connection between the person and the personal identities of a leader, as well as the implications this work has on leaders, the individuals they work with, and the practice of leadership.

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