Practicing Effective Communication and Wrestling with Ethical Dilemmas

On Wednesday, March 22, the Leadership and Ethics Program continued to challenge students to develop in their roles as leaders.
Episcopal’s counselors, Kristin Hosmer and Joey Halm, introduced freshmen to four types of communicators — competitors, doormats, bolters, and collaborators. Students explored each of these communication styles with the aim of building their collaborative communication skills. They left the session with tools for holding more productive “difficult conversations.”
 
Sophomores met with guest and leadership expert Mike Weber, who lead them through an interactive program to discover the “micro communities” of which they are a part on campus.
 
Katherine Schwartz ’19 notes, "I enjoyed hearing Mr. Weber explain the psychology behind micro communities and apply that to the various communities and groups that exist here at Episcopal and every school. It was interesting to hear him explain why one gravitates to another person, but his ultimate message was that the most successful people are willing to step out of their micro communities, to meet someone new, and to take risks."
 
Juniors broke off into small groups and wrestled with ethical dilemmas. They were presented with complicated scenarios — in which there was no clear “right” or “wrong” way to respond — and asked to think through and share how they would act and why.
 
The seniors heard from three guest panelists who spoke about their own personal leadership styles, what leadership means to them, and times in their careers when they have had to make difficult ethical decisions.
 
Gabi Navarro-Bowman ’17, who attended the panel, says, "It was interesting to hear how leaders from completely different fields faced similar dilemmas and developed similar skills. By the end of the panel, it was really evident that some of the most important leadership skills are self awareness and an eagerness to serve others."
 
The panelists were Chris Hohlstein, current EHS parent and regional president at BNY Mellon Wealth Management; Pyper Davis, executive director of Educare Washington, DC; and Davon Kelly, EHS assistant boys basketball coach, president/CEO of NOVAD Management Company, and founder of The 13th Man, a nonprofit that provides mentoring and support for young men.
 
Director of the Leadership and Ethics Program, Mimi Schwanda, says, "I am so grateful for the support of the grade deans and the faculty. Leadership and Ethics programs require all hands on deck, and our faculty really dove into this work with our students. Wednesday's programs taught our students both about living in this community and about life outside of EHS. We look forward to our final programs on April 19."
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